Italian version by Ugo Baldassarre – translation by Google
The announcement of the new super telephoto lens has been in the air for a few months; together with the new OM1 mark II, OMDS also presented its new “very long” lens which will delight many users who need this focal length but can’t afford the 150-400 PRO. Let’s find out more together about this new arrival in the ever-expanding M.Zuiko by OM System family.
n the Micro4/3 world, a lens with a focal length of 150-600 is in fact a zoom with an incredible range, covering the 300-1200mm range without the need for any multiplier: it is called M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f /5-6.3 IS and is the longest zoom available in the system (and beyond).
As can be seen from the name, it is not a product classified as PRO, but this should not cause too many concerns because both the construction and optical quality are of a high level.
Since the launch of the EM1X, and ever more decisively, the OM System has made a secret of having increasingly devoted itself to nature photography, with particular attention to the world of animals and birds; the launch of this new “very long” therefore represents a further step in this direction.
Many enthusiast users wanted a lens of this magnitude without the financial burden required by the fantastic 150-400 PRO, therefore OMDS decided to satisfy them by launching a product capable of satisfying every palate.
The first thing that catches your eye when holding the new Zuiko is the construction quality: despite not being a PRO class zoom, the care taken in assembly and the quality of the materials is truly high. The bracket with the foot already in the Arca-Swiss standard for tightening on compatible heads (now the standard for almost all tripod and monopod manufacturers) is excellent.
Compared to the previous M.Zuiko 100-400 IS, the new 150-600 IS appears much more finished and refined, starting from the fluidity in the movement of the zoom ring. A selector allows you to adjust the clutch to two positions, making it harder or very fluid (depending on the type of photography you intend to practice) while a third option allows you to lock it in the rest position. The AF limiter switch allows you to narrow the range of action of the auto focus to speed up locking on subjects at medium and long distances (the minimum focus distance is only 56cm!).
Furthermore, compared to the 100-400, the lens stabilization works in synchro mode with the camera body, offering truly impressive image stability (OMDS in fact declares 6 to 5 recovery stops): being able to frame precisely, with such an extreme focal length, without flickering and without jolts in the frame, it is truly a unique experience, which no other system can boast.
The optical structure is made up of 25 optical elements divided into 15 groups with the presence of high-quality low dispersion lenses (2 ED and 4 SuperED, 6 HR and 1 HD) to underline the high quality of the optical components and the presence of numerous high-quality lenses to minimize defects and aberrations.
The auto focus motor is fast and responsive and works in harmony with the advanced AF algorithm of the OM1/OM1 Mark II, offering the possibility to make the most of even the most advanced modes such as automatic subject recognition and a shutter speed up to 25fps with AF-C and AE. I tried both the “birds” and “pets” recognition with great satisfaction (and fun) and the camera-lens combo worked efficiently, allowing me to capture subjects that were almost invisible to the naked eye and which were instead recognized and locked correctly.
Being a very long focal length, this new super telephoto is not very easy to master immediately and requires a significant period of understanding, especially if you are not accustomed (as in my case) to the use of such extreme focal lengths: the angle of view framed it is so small (2 degrees in the case of the maximum focal length) that you have to completely review your way of using the photographic instrument.
My practical experience with this record-breaking long shot proved to be pleasant and, above all, fun. I have never had such an extreme lens in my kit and therefore, for the first time, I was able to reach generally very shy subjects by photographing from a considerable distance (even dozens of metres).
found the fluid zoom movement (Smooth) very convenient because, not having acted from a fixed position, I needed to often enlarge and re-frame the scene to find the subject; the excellent stabilization allows for very simplified framing management even freehand. Be careful though, because all this “firmness” must not make us forget the need to use very fast shutter times with extremely reactive living subjects.
To underline the enormous versatility of this zoom and to give an idea of the capacity of the 5-axis IS combined between lens and camera (OM1 mark II), just think that I managed to use freehand Hi Res shooting even with such an extreme focal length: subjects of just a few cm, photographed meters away, take on a completely new dimension and this opens up its use even in areas completely different from nature photography.
To complete a decidedly favourable picture, there is complete compatibility with the two teleconverters MC-14 and MC-20 (1.4 and 2x respectively). The use of these accessories affects, as known, the brightness of the lens but, in some practical applications, being able to count on a 2400mm could be of fundamental importance.
The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f5-6.3 IS zoom also offers itself as an excellent observation and documentation tool for nature professionals (identification, cataloguing, monitoring of animal species, etc.) or photography for aircraft or celestial bodies , who represent a not negligible portion of users of photographic tools with purposes different from those of the traditional photographer.
The new 150-600 IS (300-1200mm eq.) is therefore a unique photographic instrument in the panorama not only of Micro4/3, with high technological content and multiple applications that will give satisfaction to a multitude of enthusiasts who were waiting to be able to have access to this type of shots without the economic burden of the more prestigious (and expensive) “white” 150-400 Pro f/4.5 (which with the integrated multiplier reaches 1000mm): at a third of the price, users of the Micro4/3 system can therefore get their hands on a zoom of unprecedented range and great versatility.
OM System products are distributed in Italy by Polyphoto SPA who I thank for their collaboration on this article.
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