Sharp and Fast
I've been wanting this lens ever since I was doing my research on which DSLR to buy. After I purchased my Olympus E-620, this became my second in line on my lens-to-buy list (first being 14-54mm II because I need a general purpose zoom). I bought this lens when it was on special, but right after the order was placed, a foul feeling overwhelmed me. I cannot afford this lens!!! I bought 14-54mm II instead of 12-60mm because of budget. I also bought a 50mm macro so I was super tight on budget. I was determined to return this lens and get the 70-300mm instead to fill the telephoto need, but the quality of this lens made me change my mind. So I sold 50mm macro to fund this lens.

Here is the alluring fact why it made me forget about budget... (and I'm usually financially prudent).

1. Very sharp. While at F2, 50mm macro is definitely brighter and well known for being one of the sharpest lens around (of any brand), this lens, I suspect it being sharper than 50mm at that focal length. While looking at the MTF chart, 50mm definitely wins, but in real world situation, you'd have to look really hard.

2. Very fast. SWD is quiet and fast. I don't think I'm an action shooter (I usually shoot landscape), but I could shoot many bird pictures with it with excellent accuracy. I mean, they were flying in the middle of the sky and I still got them.

3. Bright enough. Usually you'd see a telephoto lens of this price range starts with F4, not F2.8. F2.8 is a very flexible aperture, which allows many photo shoots to be done hand-held without the aid of a cumbersome tripod.

4. Beautiful colors. While my 14-54mm II can also do 50mm, for some unknown reason, this lens does it better. The color tends to be a little richer. Maybe it's the oversize lens hood that changes the lighting, I don't know the actual reason, but the difference is noticeable. 14-54mm II and 50mm tend to shoot pictures which look "digital." On the other hand, 50-200mm tends to shoot pictures that are more cinematic.... Just look at user photos (done by others), and that's pretty similar to what I get from it also. There is a film look to it, yet it's not grainy!

Things should be aware of:

1. It's heavy. Hold the lens rather than the camera body when carry it. Hooking it to a a smaller camera body like E-620 will definitely get front heavy. I suspect the tripod stand itself is about as heavy as the E-620 body only. You can take it off when you don't need it. You'll get plenty of exercise carrying this lens around. However, it feels assuring in hand.

2. It's huge. It's one of the smaller lenses of the class, but it's still really girthy. When fully zoom out, it's well..., quite long. The hood is HUGE. The whole lens looks well-proportioned, but you're definitely going to get a lot of attention with it.

3. Tactile feel. SWD lenses have mechanical manual focus. That means it's harder to turn. I personally don't find it that different, but it's noticeable. At both ends of focal distance, it becomes harder to twist, though it doesn't stop. Zoom ring, however, will get very difficult to turn near 200mm end. Mechanical MF gives you the benefit of turning it any time you want, even when you're in AF mode. Very beneficial if you are the MF kind of guy/gal.

4. Weather proof and focal distance meter. Yes, like all pro line lenses produced by Olympus (except 70-300mm), it has those mission critical features.

5. Others. Lens hood has a window so you can turn your polarizing filter (67mm). There is NO auto focus limiter, but I don't find it big of a deal, since most of the time AF focuses accurately under good lighting condition. The lens comes with a semi-hard, cushioned lens case (with shoulder strap), instead of the standard-issue soft pouch (a plus).

Bottom line: if you can afford it, definitely get this lens. Many people who have it call it their favorite lens (though I also wanted this lens badly, but I thought they were on a free-for-all hyperbole trip). With a 35mm equivalent focal range of 100-400mm, it's good for portrait (at 100mm) and wildlife shooting (because AF is so quick!). Though I think the minimum focus distance of ~1.2m is a little far for general portraiture. If you don't use this focal range extensively (100-400mm, 35mm equivalent), 70-300mm seems to be a good purchase with a much lower price tag.

My favorite oly lens
I have the non-swd version. This is my favorite olympus lens. Very sharp wide-open, great contrast, reasonably fast AF, it's just a great lens, albeit a bit expensive.

Great Olympus lens
The 50-200mm SWD is a great lens. Sharp fast focus. Picture quality is outstanding. With the photos cropped in post production the image quality is great. I have this lens and the 12-60 SWD and they are the only lenses I cary out shooting photos. I have the E-3 Body so the SWD works well with this camera. With the 50-200 and the E-3 it is a hefty load. I mount mine to a monopod most of the time.

Great lens.
Great image quality.
Great build quality.
It is a little heavy, but you will love the image quality.

My favorite Zuiko digital lens.
If you're a Fourthirds shooter, this is a *must-have* lens in your photographic arsenal.

I have 3 other zuiko digital lenses, the 50mm/f2, 12-60mm/f2.8, 70-300mm/f4-5.6, and I would have to say I get the sharpest shots with this lens. The 12-60 is a great all-around lens, but when i want to take tack-sharp shots, it is easiest using this 50-200mm/F2.8 lens.

The only downside is that it is heavy, but lighter than other brands in this same class.

HIGHLY Recommended.

Oly 50-200
An outstanding lens. Quality is high wide open at all focal lengths. It works better than any other zoom I know with a doubler (Olympus EC20). The lens plus doubler forms a universal telephoto kit good for a wide range of uses. It is not miniature but for what it does it is easy to carry (ever tried carrying around an 800 mm lens?). It has a good tripod mount, but works very well, even with the TC, used handheld with IS on.