A numbers game

Let's play a numbers game and compare forthcoming Fujinon XF55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS with Olympus ZUIKO 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD. Why Olympus? Well, because I have it, and I like it (except for close-up macro shots). In both cases the focal length is given as for "full frame" but on smaller sensors Fuji gives angle of view equal to 83-300mm (according to DPReview), and Olympus is 100-400mm. Cropping 16MP images from Fuji X-E1 or X-Pro1 to 12MP (sensors in Olympus E-30 and E-5) would reduce the angle of view, probably close to 400mm (equivalent). Obviously, Fujinon is a tad wider.

The weight. ZUIKO is 1kg excluding the collar and plate. I am talking about my personal set-up. The total weight is probably close to 1200g. Fuji's XF55-200mm weights 580g, twice less. The unknown think: can my small digital tripod keep X-E1 equipped with XF55-200mm? This is 1kg question. I do not mind to carry a bigger tripod on my hiking trips, even at expense of some portability, but frankly a lighter thing is more attractive if you walk 20km.

The size. ZUIKO is 87mm x 157mm, Fujinon is 75mm x 118mm.

Close focusing distance: 1.2m for ZUIKO and 1.1m for Fuji, essentially identical until I see a real life comparison.

Max. aperture: F2.8-3.5 vs F3.5-4.8. Obviously, ZUIKO is brighter, and with the smaller sensor in 4/3 and m43 (m4/3) cameras the depth of field is bigger. [I am not a photographer, I mainly take pictures of plants and animals and prefer a decent depth of field which allow me to have the whole thingy in focus]. On Fuji X-E1 I can bust the iso and use a smaller aperture, so this might compensate for slightly bigger sensor. I essentially have not used F9 with Olympus lenses, but rather F5.6 - F7.1, unless the camera was on tripod. With Fuji X-E1 this range looks quite shallow for some landscapes shots, so I switched to F8 - F9, both handheld and tripod. To sum up, with very clean high iso images Fuji probably will do well [for me] with slower lens.

The price. This is not clear for me at the moment. Both Fuji X-Pro1 and X-E1 are not autofocus speed demons, but X-Pro2 and X-E2 (and rumored X-M1) will get a hybrid autofocus of Fuji X100S, and this can make a noticeable difference for the XF55-200mm. I don't need a very fast autofocus for "normal" zoom, but my requirements for tele lenses are slightly different. While autofocus speed of XF18-55mm on X-E1 is adequate for my needs, it might not be the case for the XF55-200mm. So, it is possible that the final price for me might exceed lens only $700.