70-300mm f4-5.6 ED

+ Excellent zoom range for the money, and usable maximum aperture. Very clear images when you get the focus and camera shake under control. Very light for the zoom range and quality it produces. Despite some drawbacks, it is an essential purchase for anyone on a budget interested in eg bird shots (though not in flight), and takes excellent macro shots too.

- Auto focus can be hit-and-miss especially in low light or at the long end of the zoom, often quicker to use manual. Camera-shake can be a problem even at 1/400 despite the camera's IS. Even with a tripod the weight of the lens makes it wobble when you press the shutter, best use a remote control or time delay setting.

+ Small, relatively lightweight, and very good value for a zoom of 140-600mm (approx) in 35mm equivalent terms. Solid build. Image quality very good up to about 250mm even wide open, but softens slightly thereafter and needs an element of sharpening in post process to bring out the best results.

- Slight softening of image at focal lengths in the 250-300mm range, and would benefit from image stabilisation or a tripod in poorer light. However, this is no different to most other zooms of similar focal length.

+ produces brilliant pictures

- very heavy

+ ease of use

- bit heavy, but ok when i got use to it

+ good size for easy handling and use of std size lense diameter makes one set of filters only for std lense and zoom. Reliabilityand ease of use.

- way of fitting supplied lense hood makes using rotating filters virtually impossible could also do with with a touch more robustness in build

+ good build quality. nice size. now the only lens i attach to camera as it covers everything

- felt heavy when first fitted to camera but have got used to that now.

+ good focus length

- quite heavy

+ An affordable option for an introduction to serious wildlife photography

- None

+ Ease of use. I have been very impressed with the images produced.

- Instruction manual with regard to functionality of the lens. It was necessary to trawl the web to answer my question regarding the zoom markings on the lens barrel when being used. An email to Olympus did not elicit a response.