From ROCK To GOSPEL

Two Days with the
M. Zuiko ED 12-200 mm f:3.5-6.3 Lens

The opinions expressed here are my own, based on my experience as a
professional photographer for the past 45 years. I was an employee of Olympus America, but I use Olympus products because, in my professional opinion, they are excellent.

Traveling has been my great pleasure since I was a child. Any opportunity to explore a new place is always an exciting adventure. A weekend at the New Jersey shore is no exception, especially after an unusually long time spent at home.

And of course creating images of new visual experiences has also been the high point of any trip for me. But which camera do I bring along to this wonderful get-away with my lovely wife?  I will confess the
M. Zuiko ED 12-100 mm ED f:4 IS PRO is my go to travel lens. However for this trip I chose an even lighter weight combination with more telephoto reach.  The OM-D E-M5 Mark III camera with the
M. Zuiko ED 12-200 mm f3.6-6.3 lens (Lens: 16.6 X Zoom and only 16 ounces) fit the ticket and is a lens I had less experience using.  This Lens has a 24-400 mm equivalent focal length range.

Having been to Ocean Grove N.J. before, there were no surprises. We looked forward to a relaxing weekend at the beach in this quaint and historic Victorian town, often referred to as “God’s Square Mile”.

Nashville is known as “The Music City”, but these few miles of New Jersey coastline have an incredible music legacy. Founded in 1869 as a camp meeting, Ocean Grove is the location where such famous hymns as “Blessed Assurance”, ”Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “When We All Get To Heaven” were written. Seven U. S Presidents have visited plus Billy Graham, Dwight Moody, Helen Keller, Booker T. Washington and many more have spoken in “The Great Auditorium”.

Immediately north of this quaint town is Asbury Park, N.J.
Does “The Boss” mean anything to you? Also a famous town, but in the Rock Music genre. Artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes all hail from Asbury Park.

The Asbury Park Convention Center, which straddles the boardwalk, has a rich music history and is a restoration work in progress. The convenience of a wide to telephoto zoom lens makes these types of interior images possible.

Though this is not necessarily considered a “Low Light” lens, I had no difficulty creating a sharp image with the assistance the in-body image stabilization. The Paramount Theater, attached to the convention center, has been the sight of many famous performances.  

Using this lens at the 200mm focal length (remember 400mm equivalent) gave me the desired compression effect I wanted to show the rooftop dining table umbrellas along the boardwalk. Compression refers to how the subject and the background appear to be compressed together onto the same plane when using a telephoto lens.

Candid street (or boardwalk) portraits generally benefit from a telephoto focal length, that is unless you put a few dollars in the performers jar.

Early morning sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean and the reach of this telephoto zoom lens
really pulls in the morning sun and a passing fishing boat in for a dramatic image.

In summary, I enjoyed using the M. Zuiko ED 12-200 mm f:3.5-6.3 lens. The versatility of a
16.6 X wide to telephoto zoom lens did not disappoint or limit my creativity when inspired by the sights we experienced along the New Jersey Coast. The fact that it is Splashproof and Dustproof added to the fact that it was the right lens to take to the shore. I rarely consider traveling with only one lens, but this was an exception for the purpose of testing, during a short and casual vacation. I needed to know if this lens would suffice and not leave me longing for the lenses, I left at home. It did not disappoint. I recommend this lens as a very versatile and light weight travel lens.