The Olympus A-200 1.5x lens

The A-200 lens is a phenomenal addition to the Minolta Dimage 7i and turns the telephoto range from 200mm's to 300mm!!!

Although only a 1.5x lens.... on the Dimage, the increase in telephoto range is dramatic and noticeable; without any light loss and produces a sharp, crisp result from edge to edge. The lens could have, and most likely should have, been designed by Minolta. It's fairly small, light weight and with it's 49mm threads, there's no fumbling with stepping rings... this makes it a simple and quick add on to zoom in on that lion at the zoo or squirrel in the park.

Another great feature is the lens not only performs extremely well at full 200mm zoom, it works down to the 100mm mark, and every where in between. This turns the lens into a 150mm to 300mm telephoto lens!

Now, here's the best part.... if you're looking to ZOOM IN on your subject.... the Dimage's GT lens and 5 mega-pixel CDC always allowed the photographer to double the image from 200mm to 400mm, either by using the built in digital zoom or a quick crop in Photo Shop. However, beyond double zoom, the image could start to show noise and loose resolution. HOWEVER... with the addition of the A-200.... you'll find yourself doubling a 300mm optical shot to the equivalent of a 600mm photo! PERFECT, for zooming in on wild life!

All samples below were shot, handheld, Auto Aperture, Shutter Speed 1/350th to 1/500th of a second

200mm = Dimage 7i
300mm = Dimage 7i + A-200 lens
600mm = Dimage 7i + A-200 lens + 2x Digital zoom

200mm 300mm 600mm

By the way... the birds below just would not stay still
200mm 300mm 600mm