Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150 mm F2.8 PRO Lens, Telephoto Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G Series), Black

Product Information

The only other control is a lens function button to which you can assign one of many functions, such as one-shot white balance, focus peaking, and a focus limiter. However, the functions available depend on your camera, not the lens. As on the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro, the focus ring can be used in one of two modes. A manual focus clutch mechanism is engaged by snapping the focus ring rearward, which also reveals a focus scale marked on the lens barrel. In this mode the lens is focused mechanically with physical stops at either end of the range. In the forward position the scale is obscured, you can still manually focus, as long as the camera is in MF mode, but turning the ring focuses by wire using the AF motors.

The MC-14 extends the focal length to 210mm at the 150mm end, causing the angle of view to shrink to 5.8°, equivalent to that of a 420mm lens on a 35mm camera. Focusing IQ wise, both lenses deliver. No complaints. Same with close focus abilities, though I understand the 12-100 is even better. Olympus also offers a 1.4x teleconverter especially for the 40-150mm which extends the reach to an equivalent of 421mm with a maximum aperture of f4. I’ve provided three samples with it in my gallery, but here’s one as a preview. You can find the same shot taken without the teleconverter for comparison in my gallery and note the aperture selected delivered the best result in this instance. Sorry if this lens is a rude word ;p but maybe give it 5mins consideration, I think it's a beautifully operating and looking lens.I can recommend the LEICA 12-60mm / F2.8-4.0 ASPH, it doesn't say Panasonic on it, says LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT on the barrel and around the front element, and doesn't feel like other Panasonic zooms. It's tightly engineered, all metal construction, even the zoom/focus rings are finely machined metal (not rubber grips). Professional lenses are always expected to be able to survive a bit of a battering from those it’s used by, and there’s nothing to suggest the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 will get damaged easily. Even a collision with a solid spectator barrier, albeit a glancing blow, failed to damage the lens in any way during our hands-on experience. To summarize, I find that the MC-20 at the probably >225mm lengths is going to be better than cropping the bare lens, provided that there is enough light. If I have any complaints about this lens, it is the somewhat busy bokeh that can appear in certain images when the lighting and distances conspire in just the right way. I have also found that the retractable lens hood, while very convenient, should be treated with some respect. The hood mechanism definitely doesnt like the kind of fine grit that can accumulate in some sandy and windy locales. That said, the lens seems very comfortable in wet or cold conditions. A little heavy for the m4/3 system but not too much so. Keep in mind it is equivalent to an 80-300 F2.8 full frame angle of view.

The Leica DG 50-200mm f2.8-4 is a compact and high quality telephoto zoom for Micro Four Thirds bodies upon which it delivers a 4x range equivalent to 100-400mm. This is an ideal range for sports, action, distant portraiture and some wildlife too. The focal ratio may not be constant, but is sufficiently bright to give it the edge in low light and shallow depth-of-field performance over cheaper telephoto zooms. The focusing is fast and quiet, the optical stabilisation achieved up to six stops in my tests, and like all of Panasonic and Leica’s collaborations, the build quality is excellent with smooth mechanics and a weather-sealed body.Both focusing and zooming are fully internal, meaning the lens' optics adjust within the constraints of its outer barrel, so the length of the lens remains the same regardless of zoom and focus settings. The zoom and the focus rings are smooth in action without being loose. It's a really good lens. And there are some nice innovations in it, that make gear heads like me go nuts. Dual element focus (two groups each with linear motors). There seem to be some improvements in autofocus speed but primary a really, really close focus distance. This is great! If you were to compare an 80 mpx full-frame image to a 20 mpx µ4/3rds image, you’d find they have substantially similar noise and dynamic range.

Corner-to-corner sharpness is also tremendously good, with almost no change in sharpness from center softness at every focal length. The blur characteristics are very flat. For all intents and purposes, this lens is sharp, everywhere, all the time from ƒ/2.8 to around ƒ/11-ƒ/16, where we see minor diffraction softness coming into play.

Overview

The Olympus 40-150 F4 Pro is a wonderful lens that sensibly fills the void between the top-end Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 Pro and the budget-friendly Olympus 40-150mm F4-5.6 R. As for the “equivalency” goofiness regarding aperture, it is indeed a goofy stretch whereby “Fool Frame Fanatics” manage to convince people that you have to double the ƒ ratio of µ4/3rds lenses.