I currently use an OM-3 with the 100–400mm IS II, and I’m considering the 50–200mm f/2.8 IS PRO. My main concern is fine feather detail when photographing distant small birds and cropping heavily.
The full-resolution samples I’ve seen look good with the bare lens, but some MC-20 samples look noticeably softer. I’m particularly interested in how the lens performs with the MC-14 at 280mm f/4.
Has anyone compared the following when shooting from the same distance and cropping to a similar final field of view?
- 50–200mm + MC-14 at 280mm, cropped to an 800mm-equivalent field of view
- 50–200mm + MC-20 at 400mm
- 100–400mm IS II at 400mm
Full-resolution JPEGs or RAW files would be really helpful, especially shots of distant small birds rather than close-up subjects.
My other option is to buy a Sony a1 II. I already own the FE 70–200mm f/2.8 GM II and SEL20TC 2× teleconverter, so I would use them with the new body.
Has anyone used both this Sony setup and the OM 50–200mm with teleconverters for bird photography? How do they compare in terms of fine feather detail after cropping to similar framing, autofocus acquisition, and tracking birds in flight?
I realize these setups have different native fields of view and sensor resolutions, but I’m interested in the final results I could get from the same shooting position.
Thanks!
