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Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE at a glance:

• Wideangle prime lens
• Designed for full-frame cameras
• Available in Sony E-mount
• 59.5mm long x 65mm diameter, 157g
• 19cm minimum focus
• 52mm filter thread

To put this bargain-basement price into context, we only have to look at the competition. The closest alternative is the Tamron 20mm F/2.8 Di III OSD Macro, which focuses closer but is rather larger, and costs $299 / £299. There’s also the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE, which is similar in size and weight, but will set you back $399/ £345. We’d usually consider both of these lenses very affordable, but the Viltrox is a fraction of the price.

The Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE is designed for use on Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras. Credit: Andy Westlake

With its 20mm focal length, this lens looks like an incredibly tempting option for anyone who’d like to complement a standard zoom with something a bit wider, but without breaking the bank or weighing down their bag. It could be especially interesting for travel photographers who enjoy shooting subjects such as landscapes, architecture, or interiors. It might also be ideal for vloggers. But given the low price, can it really be any good?

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Features

On paper, one area where Viltrox doesn’t appear to have skimped lies with the optics. The AF 20mm F2.8 FE employs 10 elements in 8 groups, including two made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass and one from high refractive-index (HR) glass to minimise chromatic aberrations. Two aspherical elements are also on board in a bid to maximise corner-to-corner sharpness.

The lens employs a 7-blade aperture and a 52mm filter thread. Credit: Andy Westlake

The firm’s HD Nano multilayer coating is employed to suppress flare and ghosting, while the front element is treated to a water-repellent coating.

Where the firm has really kept things simple lies elsewhere. The aperture diaphragm is formed of 7 blades, with no real effort made to deliver a rounded opening for attractive bokeh. But with this lens, you’re rarely going to get much in the way of background blur anyway, so using a basic aperture mechanism makes sense.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE packed up with hood reversed and caps fitted. Credit: Andy Westlake

Focusing is internal, driven by a stepper motor. The minimum focusing distance is just 19cm, which delivers 0.17x maximum magnification. Filter users are accommodated via a 52mm thread, and a bayonet fitting, petal-shaped lens hood comes in the box.

One neat feature is a USB-C port embedded into the lens mount, which is used for updating the firmware. Connect the lens to your computer, and it’ll show up as a USB drive. All you have to do is download the latest firmware file from the Viltrox website and copy it across; the lens then automatically updates itself.

A USB-C port is embedded into the metal mount, which allows the firmware to updated really easily. Credit: Andy Westlake

I updated the lens to the latest firmware (V1.1.2 at the time of writing), and it’s a pain-free process that’s much easier than using a dock with proprietary software, or updating via the camera. Quite simply, all lenses should work this way.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Build and Handling

In design terms, the Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE is little more than a plainly styled plastic-skinned cylinder with a metal mount plate. There’s just a single control, with the manual focus ring covering almost half of the barrel and rotating smoothly with no end-stops. This is actually a marked departure for Viltrox, which until now has produced rather higher-end designs, often with metal barrels and aperture rings.

The lens may be small and light, but it doesn’t feel excessively fragile in your hand. Credit: Andy Westlake

Despite its light weight, the lens doesn’t feel particularly fragile. It’s an agreeable companion both to Sony’s SLR-shaped full-frame cameras, and the smaller A6000-series APS-C models, on which it gives a 30mm equivalent view. Just be aware that there’s no weather-sealing, so be careful with it in wet or dusty conditions.

About my only minor handling quibble is that the hood doesn’t click very firmly into place. I didn’t find this to be problematic while shooting, but I did occasionally discover the hood had worked itself loose when removing the camera from my bag.

Vitrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE compared to Tokina Firin 20mm F2 MF (left) and Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (right). Credit: Andy Westlake

The three-way comparison above emphasises just how small this lens is compared to various alternatives you might consider. It’s much smaller and lighter than the stop-faster, manual focus Tokina Firin 20mm F2 MF, which is very similar in length to the excellent Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN. It also takes up much less space in a bag than a wideangle zoom, such as the Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Autofocus

Unusually, autofocus performance depends dramatically on the camera you use. With recent cameras such as the 33MP Sony Alpha A7 IV, there’s absolutely nothing to complain about, with AF being snappy and decisive. However, I mostly used it the slightly older 60MP Sony A7R IV, on which it’s shockingly slow. Not only does it take a second or more to acquire focus, but it often fails completely in low light. I wouldn’t even consider using it in continuous autofocus (AF-C) mode.

Autofocus is very slow on the A7R IV, and often fails in low light, requiring manual focus instead. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/4 · 1/3s · 20mm · ISO100

This is by far the worst performance I’ve experienced from any lens on the A7R IV, which isn’t exactly an old model. It was only launched in 2019, and has always been considered to provide excellent focusing. Autofocus is even worse on older cameras such the Sony A7 II, which may date from 2014 but is still on sale new.

It’s clear that the difference lies with the focus method being used. Newer cameras are able to use phase detection, while older ones fall back on contrast detection instead. It’s possible that a firmware update could fix this problem, but until then, it’s very much a case of buyer beware.

To be fair, we also have to consider how much the slow AF on older cameras actually matters for many of the lens’s likely subjects. Landscapes and buildings, for example, are usually happy to wait. On the other hand, it would be useless for any kind of moving subject.

On older cameras like the Sony A7 II, autofocus is painfully slow and hesitant – but ultimately accurate. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7M2 · f/8 · 1/30s · 20mm · ISO100

Thankfully on those occasions where autofocus fails, manual focus works perfectly well. The focus ring is smooth and precise, enabling critically accurate focusing. If you enable MF Assist, rotating the focus ring will automatically call up a magnified view, which always gives the sharpest results. In addition, the lens is fully compatible with Sony’s Direct Manual Focus (DMF) mode, which allows the focus to be adjusted manually after autofocusing.

On a more positive note, the autofocus is at least very quiet, and usually perfectly accurate. Viltrox has also done a good job of suppressing focus breathing. The angle of view narrows a little on focusing closer, but it’s only noticeable if you really go looking for it.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Performance

Of course, the real question with the Viltrox AF 20mmm F2.8 FE is just what this low-cost lens can deliver in terms of optical quality. In this respect, it probably shouldn’t come as any great surprise to find that it doesn’t perform as well as pricier alternatives; it’s no match for the stunning Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G, for example. But that doesn’t mean it’s not capable of producing sharp images, especially when stopped down to normal full-frame working apertures.

The lens renders strong levels of detail across the frame when stopped down. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/8 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO100

Looking first at sharpness, the middle of the image is impressively crisp even at f/2.8. But this central zone of sharpness doesn’t extend very far outwards, with the edges and corners looking distinctly blurred when you examine images onscreen. In part, this is down to fairly strong curvature of field, so if your main point of interest is well off-centre, it’s best to position the focus point accordingly.

In night scenes, off-centre point light sources such as streetlights show pronounced coma distortion into diamond shapes.

Night-time shots at f/2.8 reveal comatic distortion on point light sources. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/2.8 · 1/5s · 20mm · ISO100

Stop down the aperture, and the zone of central sharpness expands progressively. There’s still some softness visible in the corners at f/5.6, but it’s unlikely to be problematic in most real-world shots. Once you reach f/8 to f/11, the lens renders fine detail all the way across the frame, even on the 60MP A7R IV – and these are arguably the apertures you’ll be using most of the time anyway.

There’s inevitably a little diffraction softening at f/16, but that will often be an entirely acceptable trade-off when you need extended depth of field.

Image files are clean and detailed, with no colour fringing towards the edges. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/10 · 1/320s · 20mm · ISO100

Chromatic aberration is corrected automatically, both in-camera and by Adobe raw processing software. This means images look nice and clean, with no problematic colour fringing towards the edges of the frame. As for vignetting, rather abrupt darkening of the far corners is visible at f/2.8, which can look distinctly unattractive in plainly toned areas such as blue skies. But it goes away on stopping down to f/5.6.

Here you can trace the lens’s wavy distortion pattern along the lines of brickwork at the top and bottom. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/8 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO100

When it comes to distortion, uncorrected raw files show a complex pattern, with mild barrel distortion in the centre, but quite pronounced pincushion-type outward stretching at the corners. With in-camera correction set to Auto, as you need to have set for most lenses, this wavy effect actually gets more pronounced in the camera’s JPEG output. Even so, it’s only likely to be visible when shooting images with long straight lines, most obviously architecture or seascapes.

There’s a slight loss of contrast on the left of this shot, but it’s not a big problem. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/8 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO125

Flare can be more problematic than with pricier optics, with a distinct loss of contrast sometimes visible in parts of the image when shooting into the light. Often, though, you can see this in the viewfinder and take appropriate countermeasures, by shielding the front element from the sun with your hand.

Stop down to f/11, and you can induce nicely defined sunstars. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/16 · 1/80s · 20mm · ISO100

Stop the lens down to f/11, and you can induce quite attractive 14-ray sunstar effects around point light sources within the frame.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Our Verdict

Viltrox may not be the first name that springs to mind when thinking about lens makers, but it’s clear the firm is intent on breaking into the mainstream market. With the AF 20mm F2.8 FE, it’s produced a lens that’s sure to appeal strongly to budget-conscious users of Sony’s A7 series cameras. Its wideangle view makes it a perfect complement to a standard zoom, and nothing comparable can come close to matching its bargain price.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE in use. Credit: Andy Westlake

Optically, it’s very much a case of you get what you pay for. If you’re hoping for pin-sharp corners at f/2.8 from such a cheap lens then, well, think again. But if you keep its limitations in mind and work accordingly, it can deliver very respectable results. After all, landscape photographers will likely be shooting at f/8 or smaller as a matter of course.

The one real confounding factor lies with autofocus. It’s absolutely fine on the latest Sony bodies, but terrible on older ones. So everything depends on which camera you use, and whether you need a 20mm lens to focus rapidly or not. Unfortunately, those people buying older, cheaper cameras are arguably the most likely to consider buying this lens.

The Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE has its faults, but for the price it’s a bargain. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/4 · 1/6s · 20mm · ISO400

Purely because of this, the lens is difficult to recommend unreservedly to everyone. For those with the latest cameras, it’s an absolute bargain. But for owners of older Sony models, it’s in dire need of a firmware update to make it work with phase detection. If Viltrox can achieve this, it’ll become worthy of a much higher rating.

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Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Full Specifications

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE on Sony Alpha A7 II. Credit: Andy Westlake

The post Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE review – super-cheap full-frame wideangle appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Designed for shooting close-ups, this is, by a considerable margin, the smallest and lightest lens of its type. It’s just 8.2cm long and weighs less than 300g, which means it’s exactly the same size, and very similar in weight, to Panasonic’s highly regarded f/1.8 primes. In contrast, its closest L-mount competitor, the Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro, measures 13.4cm and 715g, which is pretty typical for its class.

Despite its tiny size, the Lumix 100mm is still capable of life-size magnification – in other words, filling the frame with a subject measuring 36 x 24mm on a full-frame camera. Its 100mm short-telephoto focal length means it can also double up as a handy portrait lens for photographing people.

The Lumix 100mm F2.8 is two-thirds of the length, and less than half the weight, of other comparable optics. Credit: Andy Westlake

Unsurprisingly, the Lumix lens is more expensive than the Sigma, at £1000 compared to £699. But that’s not dissimilar to other camera makers’ equivalent optics; for example, the Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is £1049. So on paper, everything points to you getting a fully-fledged macro lens, but in a package that’s less than half the usual weight, and two-thirds of the size. So what, if anything, is the catch?

Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro: Features

Panasonic has employed an optical design with 13 elements in 11 groups, which at first sight is simpler than rival lenses. However, the firm has made extensive use of special elements, including three aspherical elements, two made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, and one from ultra-low dispersion (ED) glass. Together, these are designed to maintain sharpness from corner to corner while suppressing any colour fringing.

Front markings are printed in grey to reduce the risk of reflections. Credit: Andy Westlake

The aperture diaphragm is formed of nine curved blades. They maintain a nicely rounded shape at larger openings, with the aim of delivering attractive bokeh. It provides settings as small as f/22, and while some macro lenses stop down further, this inevitably comes with a considerable loss of sharpness due to diffraction. As with other Lumix S lenses, there’s no aperture control ring on the barrel.

Autofocus is handled by a new ‘dual phase linear motor’, which Panasonic says is a key factor in its compact design. Watching how the lens elements move during focusing reveals that, unusually, this one has two focus groups moving in opposite directions. Most macro lenses work by moving a single, relatively large optical group back and forth.

The metal mount is surrounded by a rubber seal. Credit: Andy Westlake

At 1:1 magnification, the minimum focus distance is just 20.4cm. This is somewhat shorter than comparable lenses, which tend to be around 29cm. The result is an unusually close working distance between the front of the lens and the subject of about 10cm, compared to 14cm for the Sigma 105mm f/2.8.

That’s not necessarily a good thing; it means you’re that bit more likely to get in your own light, or to disturb twitchy subjects. But while it’s something to be aware of, for most people it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.

The working distance between the front of the lens and the subject is about 10cm at the closest focus. Credit: Andy Westlake

A deep cylindrical hood provides protection for the front element against both stray light and physical impact. It includes a push-button lock to prevent it from falling off accidentally, and reverses for storage. Like many other Panasonic Lumix S lenses, the filter thread is 67mm.

Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro: Build and Handling

Thanks to its petite dimensions and light weight, the Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro handles somewhat differently to other lenses in its class. I tested it using the 24MP Panasonic Lumix S5IIX camera and found the two made a very agreeable combination. It’s just that bit better balanced on the camera than other short-telephoto macro lenses, which tend to feel slightly front heavy.

Thanks to its compact size, the lens handles really well on the camera. Credit: Andy Westlake

One of the ways Panasonic has kept the weight down is to use a plastic skin for the barrel. But this doesn’t mean the lens feels cheap. Instead, it’s very similar in terms of styling and finish to the firm’s other L-mount lenses, including those f/1.8 primes and the 20-60mm kit zoom.

Despite its light weight, the lens still boasts dust- and splash-resistant construction, including a seal around the mount to protect the camera body. It’s also designed to be freezeproof to -10°C. This is good news, given that it’s likely to be used outdoors often.

Controls are limited to the large manual focus ring, plus focus mode and distance limiter switches. Credit: Andy Westlake

At the front of the barrel, you’ll find a large manual focus ring, which is electronically coupled and rotates smoothly with no hard end stops. By default, it operates in a non-linear fashion, meaning that the quicker you turn the focus ring, the more rapidly the focus distance changes. With some cameras you can switch to a linear focusing response, which personally I prefer, and used on the S5IIX.

The only other controls are two switches on the side. One selects between autofocus and manual, while the other can be used to limit the focus distance range, either within the macro range (50cm – 20.4cm), or for subjects further than 50cm. This can be useful to reduce autofocus hunting.

Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro: Autofocus

One area where the Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro excels is with regards to autofocus. Traditionally, this has been a weak point of macro lenses, as they often have to move large focus groups over long distances. But that’s not the case here, with the lens instead focusing impressively quickly and consistently accurately.

Autofocus is rapid enough for quick grab shots. This is a 6MP crop (200mm equivalent). Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/2.8 · 1/125s · 100mm · ISO320

Unlike most older macro lenses, this one also acquits itself well when shooting moving subjects in AF-C mode. You might still be better off with the likes of a 70-200mm zoom for fast, unpredictable action, but the 100mm should be able to keep up very well with less demanding situations, such as portrait photography.

Photographers often think it’s necessary to use manual focus for macro shooting, but that’s no longer necessarily true, and autofocus is entirely usable almost all the time. If you engage the Pinpoint Focus setting on a Panasonic camera, you can position the focus area exactly where you want, and then autofocus perfectly accurately. Alternatively, you can press the AF-ON button even when using manual focus mode, and again autofocus exactly at your selected point within the scene.

Autofocus is unerringly accurate. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/2.8 · 1/125s · 100mm · ISO640

Of course, you can still use manual focus if you prefer – it often works very well for slow, considered close-up shooting. Again, the lens is very well behaved, making it easy to get the sharpest focus exactly where you want.

Those who like to shoot video will be delighted to find that the autofocus is extremely quiet, so it shouldn’t disturb your soundtrack. Likewise, focus breathing is suppressed very effectively at longer subject distances, down to about 1.5m. Once you get into the macro range, though, the angle of view narrows considerably on focusing closer. But that’s usually true with macro lenses.

Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro: Performance

We expect macro lenses to be impeccably behaved when it comes to optical quality, and that’s essentially what I saw from the Lumix 100mm f/2.8. Image files are packed full of detail, with no troublesome aberrations. Out-of-focus areas are handled nicely, too.

Images are packed full of detail from corner to corner. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/11 · 1/3s · 100mm · ISO100

Tested on the 24MP Lumix S5IIX, the lens resolves impressive levels of detail from corner to corner, even wide open at f/2.8. It gets a little crisper on stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6, if you stare closely at your image files onscreen, but the difference isn’t huge. Close the aperture past f/8, and diffraction progressively blurs away pixel-level detail. But this doesn’t stop the lens from being eminently usable at f/22 if you need extended depth of field.

There’s no problem shooting at f/22 when you need extended depth-of-field, especially with a little added sharpening. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/22 · 1/1s · 100mm · ISO100

With this kind of lens, we’re just as much concerned with the way it renders out-of-focus areas of the image, as those that are sharp. In this respect, the Lumix 100mm f/2.8 acquits itself admirably for both close-up and portrait shooting. Backgrounds are, in general, attractively rendered, while transitions between sharp and blurred areas are handled in a smooth and natural-looking fashion, too.

Transitions to out-of-focus regions are nice and smooth. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/4 · 1/0s · 100mm · ISO100

If you’re primarily interested in photographing people, the Lumix S 85mm F1.8 would probably still be the better choice. It should certainly deliver a greater degree of background blur. However, the 100mm f/2.8 will also do a really nice job.

The lens also does a very nice job of shooting portraits, with attractive bokeh. credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/2.8 · 1/100s · 100mm · ISO2000

I saw barely any hint of colour fringing, either in the corners due to lateral chromatic aberration, or in out-of-focus regions at large apertures due to the longitudinal variety. There’s a little in the way of corner darkening at f/2.8, but this will often be a positive thing, as it helps frame your subject. It essentially goes away at f/4, too.

There’s some vignetting at f/2.8, but it’s not at all problematic, and with many natural subjects you won’t really see it. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/2.8 · 1/25s · 100mm · ISO100

Examining uncorrected raw files does, however, give another clue as to how Panasonic has achieved the lens’s tiny size. It exhibits visible pincushion distortion that needs to be corrected in software. This wouldn’t have been acceptable on a macro lens designed for film, as these were expected to give perfectly corrected images. But the world has moved on now, and every image taken with this lens will have to be software processed anyway, so it’s really only of academic note.

Image quality holds up really well over the full distance range: this is at life-size magnification. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/8 · 1/13s · 100mm · ISO100

Operationally, you’ll still see a geometrically corrected image in the viewfinder, while out-of-camera JPEGs are automatically corrected, too. The requisite correction parameters are also embedded into the raw files and applied automatically by Adobe software. Most users won’t even be aware this is happening, let alone care – they’ll just get sharp, clean images with straight lines where they should be.

Images are clean and unaffected by flare or chromatic aberration. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/4 · 1/125s · 100mm · ISO1600

The lens also deals very well with shooting into the light. I saw no problematic loss of contrast due to flare, and nothing to worry about with regards to ghosting with bright light sources in the frame. Overall, the optical performance is pretty much exemplary.

Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro: Verdict

I’m a big fan of short-telephoto macro lenses, and the Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro is an excellent example. I really appreciated its small size and light weight; getting 1:1 magnification on full-frame from such a portable lens is a revelation. Other compact macro lenses have shorter focal lengths, which usually equates to awkwardly tight working distances and less attractive perspective. Crucially, I was also delighted by the image quality it delivered.

Panasonic has made a remarkably small full-frame macro lens with no obivous real-world compromise. Credit: Andy Westlake

As for compromises, there’s barely anything to worry about. The working distance is a little close compared to its peers, which means the Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN might be a better choice for L-mount users photographing skittish subjects such as insects. It’s also possible that some of the more obscure raw converters won’t deal properly with the required distortion correction. But for most users, neither should be a major problem.

In-body stabilisation in Panasonic’s Lumix S cameras makes up for the lack of in-lens optical stabilisation. I shot this hand-held at 1/8 second – it just took a few attempts. Credit: Andy Westlake

DC-S5M2X · f/8 · 1/8s · 100mm · ISO400

Overall, the Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro is a fantastic lens from Panasonic that completely redefines what a short telephoto macro can look like. It’s just so much easier to drop into your bag and carry around with you than any comparable optic, and there’s no obvious compromise in terms of optical quality. If I were an L-mount user, I’d buy one in a heartbeat.

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Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro: Full Specifications

Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro with hood, on Lumix S5IIX. Credit: Andy Westlake

The post Panasonic Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Experience with cameras and lenses teaches us some rules of thumb about image quality. Cameras with larger format sensors generally produce better than those with smaller ones, for example. Another guidepost is that fixed-focal-length prime lenses are sharper than zooms.

It’s also accepted that shorter 3x range zooms work best, outperforming those that span wider focal lengths. All-in-one ‘superzoom’ lenses with zoom ratios of 7x or greater are about convenience, requiring considerable optical compromises to achieve their extended range. This much we know…or do we?

The Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens was launched alongside the firm’s flagship OM-D E-M1 Mark II at the end of 2016. It’s an 8.3x superzoom for Micro Four Thirds cameras, which have sensors somewhat smaller than the common APS-C format found in most enthusiast DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. What of image quality, then? At this point, we should lay preconceptions to one side as we examine this exceptional lens.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro with 8.3x zoom is perfect for travel. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro at a glance:

• Price (new): $1,299 / £1,199
• Filter diameter: 72 mm
• Lens elements:17
• Groups: 11
• Diaphragm blades: 7
• Min Focus: 0.15 m
• Weight: 561 g / 1 pound 3.8 ounces
• Lens Mount: Micro Four Thirds
• OM Digital Solutions

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro’s advanced optical design helps deliver a high performance throughout its zoom range, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Features

As all-in-one zooms go, the 12-100mm is unusual in many respects. It’s one of very few examples that start at a 24mm equivalent wideangle, compared to the more usual 28mm. In return, it extends rather less far at telephoto. The closest comparable optics are the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS at $,1050 / £720, Canon’s RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM at $799 / £959 and Nikon’s Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR at $799 / £769. For more options have a look at the best Micro Four Thirds lenses. 

The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro is dust/splash and freeze-proof, Image credit: Andy Westlake

The uniqueness of the 12-100mm lies in its optical formula; comprising 17 elements in 11 groups. This includes no fewer than 12 special elements to maximise image quality: three aspheric elements; one dual-sided aspheric (DSA); one element made of high refractive-index (HR) glass and two of Super HR glass; and five of extra-low dispersion glass. Olympus has also employed its Z Coating Nano to reduce flare and ghosting.

Close-up capability is impressive, with the lens boasting a minimum focus of just 15cm at wideangle, which is in fact just millimetres away from the front element. More practically, it’s still capable of focusing on an image area of around 82mm x 62mm when set to the 100mm position, giving a magnification equivalent to 0.42x on full-frame. A petal-type lens hood is included in the box, with a locking button to hold it in place, and the lens accepts 72mm filters.

The M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro has few controls. There’s an IS on/off switch and an L-Fn button that can be configured via the camera’s menu, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Build and Handling

The 12-100mm is built to essentially the same pattern as Olympus’s other top-end Pro lenses, with a tough metal barrel that’s sealed against dust and moisture. Cosmetically, it’s more intricate than the current fashion for streamlined, minimalist design typified by the likes of Zeiss. It has finely textured zoom and focus rings, and accented rings around the barrel in gunmetal and blue. A couple of ridged barrel sections next to the mount provide extra grip for mounting and removing the lens.

The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro balances nicely on Olympus/OM System bodies, Image credit: Andy Westlake

At 77.5mm in diameter, 116.5 long and 561g in weight, this is one of the largest lenses in the Micro Four Thirds system, surpassed only by a few premium telephotos. It’s a good fit to high-end bodies such as the E-M1 Mark II, E-M1 Mark III, OM-1 or Panasonic G9, but on smaller cameras it can feel somewhat front-heavy, if not excessively unwieldy. On my E-M5 Mark II, I prefer to use it with the add-on ECG-2 handgrip.

Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro extended zoom lens, Image credit: Andy Westlake

The centrally-positioned zoom ring falls perfectly to hand, and rotates smoothly through approximately 90 degrees from one end of the range to the other. In front of it is the dual-mode manual-focus ring; more on this later. One the side of the barrel is perhaps the largest, easiest-to-use image stabilisation switch I’ve seen; potentially confusingly, this controls both the in-lens and in-body IS systems simultaneously, so setting it to Off disables both. Below it a customisable L.Fn button, which by default interrupts autofocus but can be reconfigured from the camera’s menus to operate other functions such as depth-of-field preview. There’s no zoom lock switch, but that’s not a problem, as the lens simply doesn’t need one.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Autofocus

When it comes to autofocus, the 12-100mm is extremely capable. With static subjects, it focuses quickly, accurately and silently, regardless of the focus distance, or where in the frame you choose to place the subject. Likewise with continuous autofocus, I found the lens to be capable of keeping up with whatever the E-M1 Mark II asked of it during my testing, quite happily holding focus on moving subjects at 10fps or faster.

12-100mm lens sample photo, 1/25s, f/5.6, ISO200, 12mm, E-M1 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

For manual focusing, the lens is equally well behaved. Like Olympus’s other Pro lenses, pulling the focus ring back towards the camera enters manual focus mode, revealing a distance scale that’s marked in feet and meters, and with hard end stops to its travel. Alternatively, switch the camera body to MF mode for the focus ring to operate in a conventional focus-by-wire mode. I found that this enabled finer adjustment of focus where needed. The lens behaves as though it’s parfocal; in other words the focus distance doesn’t change as you zoom. In fact, the lens automatically adjusts the position of the focus group to achieve this.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Performance

So how does the lens perform in real world use? This is where things get interesting, because the 12-100mm F4 IS gives unusually fine image quality for a long-range zoom. Coupled with its implausibly effective image stabilisation, it becomes a unique, and really useful photographic tool.

12-100mm sample photo, black and white, 4s, f/10, ISO200, 34mm, E-M1 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Optically, it’s exceptionally well behaved. It’s impressively sharp across the frame at all focal lengths, with just a little smearing in the extreme corners at the wideangle setting. It’s pretty much at its sharpest wide open, but I’d avoid using apertures much smaller than f/8 due to diffraction softening. Impressively, it’s virtually as sharp at its minimum focus distance as it is for more distant subjects.

Olympus 12-100mm f4 lens sample photo, Flowers, 1/200s, f/4, ISO200, 100mm, E-M1 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

As usual with Micro Four Thirds, chromatic aberration and distortion are both automatically corrected in software, and as a result you won’t see much hint of either in normal use.. Vignetting is too low to be of any practical consequence.

12-100mm f4 IS Pro lens sample photo, low-light, 0.6s, f/4, ISO200, 12mm, E-M5 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

With its f/4 maximum aperture, this lens isn’t going to be your first choice for shooting with shallow depth of field: it’ll give similar results to using f/5.6 on APS-C, or f/8 on full-frame in this respect. But you can still get some attractively blurred backgrounds, particularly when shooting close-ups and towards the long end of the zoom.

12-100mm f4 IS Pro sample photo, sunset, 1/50s, f/5.6, ISO200, 100mm, E-M1 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

It’s the image stabilisation, though, that sets the 12-100mm apart – at least when used on current Olympus bodies. With other IS systems I wouldn’t usually expect to get sharp images at shutter speeds longer than 0.5 seconds; with this one I’ve shot hand-held at speeds as long as 4 seconds and got perfectly usable results. This does demand optimum shooting conditions and good technique, including holding the camera to your eye rather than composing with the LCD. Incredibly, though, it really works. It means that when shooting static subjects in low light, you can continue to use low ISOs where you’d have to raise the sensitivity considerably on other cameras. This in turn means that despite the camera’s smaller sensor, you can get at least as good, or better overall image quality.

Olympus 12-100mm lens has a lot of reach, 1/320s, f/5.6, ISO200, 100mm, E-M5 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Resolution

Like most superzooms the 12-100mm is sharpest in the image centre at wideangle, as confirmed by our Applied Imaging MTF50 tests. It gets progressively softer as you zoom in, but not to a troublesome degree. It’s also much sharper in the corners than lesser-quality high-ratio zooms, especially at longer focal lengths. In general, best results are obtained at f/4-5.6.

Olympus 12-200mm, MTF50 Chart

Shading

Smaller sensor formats usually suffer less from vignetting, and that’s exactly what we get here. At first sight things might look bad, with a precipitous drop-off into the corners, but it’s the numbers that matter and at less than 0.7 stops, vignetting is barely visible in real-world use. Closing the aperture down a stop eliminates the effect, too.

Olympus 12-100mm F4 Shading at F4, 12mm

Olympus 12-100mm F4 Shading at F4, 100mm

Curvilinear Distortion

With software correction automatically applied at every stage in Micro Four Thirds, the vast majority of users won’t see all that much evidence of distortion at all. If you go out of your way to break the system, you can find an underlying distortion pattern of barrel-type at wideangle, and pincushion at telephoto. But it’s really only of academic interest.

Distortion at 12mm (SMIA Tv= -1.3%)

Distortion at 100mm (SMIA Tv= 0.6%)

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Verdict

I’ve always liked the idea of superzoom lenses; I tend to shoot quite a lot at both wideangle and telephoto, and it’s great to be able to do so without swapping lenses all the time. But previously, I haven’t found one that quite makes the grade with respect to image quality. However Olympus has changed all that with the 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro. I was really impressed when I first used it while reviewing the E-M1 Mark II, and several years on camera I still can’t believe how good it is.

Olympus 12-100 Sample Photo, London, 1/800s, f/4, ISO200, 34mm on E-M1 II, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Quite simply, this lens brings an unparalleled combination of high image quality, compositional versatility, robust construction and near-magical image stabilisation. It’s not one to choose for shallow depth of field, but if you want to shoot a wide range of subjects without changing lenses, from sweeping landscapes to close-ups, it can do all of these with remarkable ease. It’s an outdoor photographer’s dream.

Of course, many buyers will balk at the idea of paying a four-figure sum for a superzoom. But this one really can do it all unexpectedly well, and potentially replace a two or three other lenses in your bag. It’s a great addition to any Micro Four Thirds shooter’s arsenal.

For more options have a look at our guide to the best Micro Four Thirds lenses 

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Specifications

Olympus 12-100mm Lens zoomed, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Further reading:

• Why Micro Four Thirds offers something no one else can
• The best zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds in 2024
• The best micro four thirds lenses in 2024

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The post Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro at a glance:

• Price: $408 / £450
• Filter diameter: 58 mm
• Lens elements: 12
• Groups: 9
• Diaphragm blades: 7
• Min Focus: 0,12 m
• Weight: 254 g / 9 ounces
• Lens Mount: Micro Four Thirds
• Fixed aperture value across the entire zoom range
• OM Digital Solutions

Cosmetically, the 12-45mm f/4 is instantly recognisable as on of Olympus’s Pro-line lenses, Image credit: Andy Westlake

This principle has gradually eroded with time, though – to the extent that, while smaller than their DSLR counterparts, the lens systems of the latest full-frame mirrorless cameras have generally grown larger.

Reduced size and weight is still a key benefit of smaller-sensor cameras, however, and Olympus/OM Digital Solutions seems to be particularly intent on maximizing this advantage. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro came out in February 2020 and at the time of launch, the firm claimed it was the world’s smallest and lightest zoom lens with a constant maximum aperture. It’s designed to provide users with premium optics and tough, weather-sealed build quality in a tiny package that’s just 7cm long and weighs 254g.

The Olympus 12-45mm F4 Pro is unusually small for a premium zoom, Image credit: Andy Westlake

With a versatile zoom range equivalent to 24-90mm in full-frame terms, it looks like an ideal complement to the E-M5 III or the more recent OM System OM-5 although the $500 / £599 price tag could be a tough sell for a lens this small.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro: Features

Olympus says that the 12-45mm f/4 employs an optical formula based on its existing M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 Pro (replaced by the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 Pro II with uprated weather sealing in February 2022). Being one of the finest standard zooms available, this makes for an enticing prospect.

Detailed examination shows that the new lens’s 12-element, 9-group formula is indeed very closely related to its sibling’s 14-element, 9-group design.

Olympus has based the 12-45mm f/4 Pro (left) on the excellent 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro, Image credit: Andy Westlake

It makes similarly lavish use of special glass, too, incorporating aspheric, dual super-aspheric (DSA), high refractive index (HR), super-high refractive index and Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements into its construction, to minimise optical aberrations. Meanwhile Olympus’s Zero coating is applied to suppress flare and ghosting. It’s difficult to think of another small zoom of similarly ambitious design.

As part of the premium Pro series, the 12-45mm F4 is also designed to be dust-, splash- and freeze-proof, with a range of seals protecting vulnerable points such as the front element, manual-focus and zoom rings, and mount.

A seal around the lens mount blocks dust or water from getting into the camera, Image credit: Andy Westlake

One feature of the firm’s other Pro zooms that it lacks is the push-pull focus clutch. Instead it employs a simple, continuously rotating electronic manual focus ring. This drives a single focusing element that’s placed towards the rear of the lens, which also affords rapid, silent autofocus.

The aperture diaphragm employs seven curved blades in a bid to provide attractive background blur. However with the f/4 maximum aperture giving equivalent depth-of-field characteristics to f/5.6 on APS-C and f/8 on full-frame, you won’t see a huge degree of blur, except during close-up shooting.

The 12-45mm f/4 employs a relatively small 58mm filter thread, Image credit: Andy Westlake

But here the lens has another trick: its minimum focus distance ranges from 12cm at wideangle to 23cm at telephoto, maintaining an impressive 0.5x equivalent magnification across the entire zoom range. It’s also compatible with the focus bracketing and stacking functions built into Olympus’s recent models, which allow depth of field to be extended without sacrificing background blur.

A bayonet fit, petal-type lens hood is included in the box, Image credit: Andy Westlake

In the box you’ll find a simple bayonet-fit plastic lens hood, which reverses neatly over the barrel for storage, but lacks any locking mechanism to hold it in place. The accessory thread measures just 58mm, which enables the use of relatively inexpensive filters.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro: Build and Handling

In terms of design, the 12-45mm f/4 is immediately recognisable as a Pro-series optic. It employs a familiar-looking all-metal barrel, with finely ridged grips to the focus and zoom and focus rings. The latter falls naturally to your fingers, and both operate super-smoothly. But there’s no space for a customisable L.Fn button on the lens’s barrel.

The Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro handles well on the E-M5 III, despite its tiny size, Image credit: Andy Westlake

With its compact size and light weight, the 12-45mm is a perfect complement to Olympus’s smaller cameras such as the E-M10 and E-M5 series. Its Micro Four Thirds mount means it’ll also fit onto Panasonic cameras, and should work very nicely with the likes of the G80, G90 and GX9. But as it doesn’t include optical stabilisation, it’s not such a great match to older or smaller bodies that aren’t equipped with in-body stabilisation.

Olympus zooms compared

When the original OM-D E-M5 appeared in 2012, its kit zoom was the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ. This lightweight, versatile, weather-sealed optic featured an unusual switchable manual/electronic zoom and a dedicated macro setting, but it was optically mediocre.

Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3, 12-40mm f/2.8, and 12-45mm f/4 side-by-side, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Thankfully, Olympus users didn’t have to wait too long for the stellar 12-40mm f/2.8, which became the natural fit to the E-M5 Mark II. But while not exactly large, it’s almost twice the weight of the 12-50mm.

Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 on E-M5; 12-40mm f/2.8 on E-M5 II; 12-45mm f/4 on E-M5 III, all with hoods fitted, Image credit: Andy Westlake

The 12-45mm essentially offers a similar concept to the 12-50mm, but with vastly better optics. Paired with the E-M5 Mark III or the OM-5, the combination weighs just 668g, a reduction of over 20% compared to the E-M5 Mark II with the 12-40mm, and just 32g heavier than the original E-M5 with the 12-50mm. The 12-45mm is also the shortest of the three by 13mm, making it the easiest to pack into a small bag.

For more options have a look at the best Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro: Autofocus

Turning our attention to focusing, it quickly becomes apparent that the 12-45mm f/4 is pretty much flawless. Tested with a range of cameras from both Olympus and Panasonic, it snaps into focus instantly and silently, with all the accuracy that you’d expect from on-sensor AF. It’s especially impressive on the phase-detection equipped E-M5 Mark III.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 on E-M5 III, 45mm, 1/100sec at f/4, ISO 400, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Manual focus offers an excellent experience, too. Rotating the focus ring can automatically engage your preferred focus aid, such as peaking or magnified view, and its smooth action makes precise focusing a breeze. As a result, I never really missed having a manual focus clutch.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro: Performance

Given its close relationship to the 12-40mm f/2.8 and 12-40mm f/2.8 II, I had high expectations for the 12-45mm f/4. Thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint. The coronavirus pandemic prevented us from doing our usual studio-based tests, so this review is based on detailed examination of a wide range of images, from both controlled tests and real-world shooting. This reveals that the 12-45mm hasn’t just inherited its larger-aperture sibling’s looks and optics, but also its stellar image quality. In essence, it delivers near-flawless results no matter what you ask of it.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 13mm, 1/320sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Tested on the 20MP E-M5 Mark III, the lens provides excellent sharpness from corner to corner. It gives near-indistinguishable results to the original 12-40mm f/2.8 when comparing images shot side-by-side under controlled conditions, with the only discernable difference being that the 12-45mm suffers from just a little softening in the corners at 12mm f/4. But this is only visible when pixel peeping images at 100% on a computer screen, and shouldn’t be a problem in print.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 12mm, 1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Overall, I’d happily shoot at any focal length and subject distance, and all apertures from f/4 down to about f/11. But I’d caution against stopping down further, as this always results in excessive diffraction softening on Micro Four Thirds.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 26mm, 1/30sec at f/11, ISO 800, Image credit: Andy Westlake

There’s little to worry about with regards to vignetting: while some corner darkening can be discernible when shooting evenly toned subjects at 12mm and f/4, it’s not objectionable. Software correction of distortion and lateral chromatic aberration is integrated into Micro Four Thirds, and as a result, you’ll rarely see any colour fringing or bowing of straight lines along the edges of the frame. The only exception is when shooting close-ups at the wide end of the zoom, when some barrel distortion becomes apparent. But if you need such images to be geometrically accurate, simply back off from the subject and zoom in.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 25mm, 1/125sec at f/5.6, ISO 800, Image credit: Andy Westlake

Close-up shooting is of course this lens’s party trick, and one at which it excels. Its impressive minimum focus distance across the entire zoom allows a wide range of creative looks, from expansive backgrounds at wideangle to tighter framing at telephoto.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 12mm, 1/400sec at f/4, ISO 400, Image credit: Andy Westlake

The main practical limitation arises at wideangle, where the working distance to the subject is just a few millimetres from the front element, which makes it difficult to avoid getting in your own light. But again, image quality is really good, and if you shoot wide open at 45mm, it’s also possible to get some very attractive-looking background blur.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 30mm, 1/160sec at f/4, ISO 200, Image credit: Andy Westlake

About the only point of concern is flare when shooting directly into the sun, which can result in loss of contrast and red internal reflection patterns. But you can see this live in the viewfinder when you’re shooting, which can help you to suppress it by such means as tweaking the composition or stopping down the aperture.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro: Verdict

With the 12-45mm f/4, Olympus has made a stunning small, lightweight standard zoom that’s a more affordable, but equally fine alternative to the 12-40mm f/2.8 and 12-40mm f/2.8 II. It provides a rare combination of ruggedness, portability, and superb image quality, particularly when used in combination with the OM-D E-M5 Mark III. Its remarkable macro capability is the icing on the cake, bringing an extra layer of creativity.

The Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro provides a unique combination of advantages, Image credit: Andy Westlake

There’s a lot of focus right now on the image quality advantages of larger sensors, but let’s not forget that lenses are an equally important part of the equation, and it’s easier to make top-notch optics for smaller sensors. As a result, you’ll struggle to find another lens quite like this for any other system.

Olympus 12-45mm f/4 Pro on E-M5 III, 45mm, 1/160sec at f/6.3, ISO 200, Image credit: Andy Westlake

The lens’s biggest limitation is its f/4 maximum aperture, which affords precious little scope for selective focus effects or manipulating depth of field. If this is important to you, the 12-40mm f/2.8 would be a better choice. Equally for Olympus users who already own and are happy with a 12-40mm f/2.8 or 12-40mm f/2.8 II, there’s no obvious reason to change. However, for Micro Four Thirds users who’d like to upgrade their kit lens without adding much bulk, or indeed DSLR users looking to downsize their kit, the 12-45mm f/4 is definitely one to shortlist.

Related reading:

• AP Loves: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
• Best zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds in 2024
• Why micro four thirds offers something no one else can

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The post Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

At a glance:

• Price: $1,267 / £ 999
• Sony E-mount
• Filter diameter: 77mm
• Diaphragm blades: 9
• Min Focus: 0.38m
• Weight: 663g

Announced in late 2017, the FE 24-105 F4 G OSS is one of the earliest lenses for the Sony Alpha full frame camera range. It’s proven to be an evergreen optic that still feels fresh and responsive today. Combining an extended 24-105mm zoom range with a constant f/4 maximum aperture, built-in optical stabilization (should you need it), it produces very good optical performance right across the range.

How it compares

It’s certainly a cheaper and more versatile alternative than the costly Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master and its successor, the even more expensive FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. At the same time, it is of higher quality than the basic Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS often sold as an affordable kit lens. The Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS is another good alternative, but no faster than the FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS and with a shorter zoom range. The retracting Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 is designed solely for size, not versatility and is not really a rival.

If you’d like to read more about the best zoom lenses for Sony cameras, don’t miss our Best zoom lenses for Sony roundup.

Relatively compact and lightweight, the 24-105mm balances nicely on the Alpha 7R III

Third-party alternatives

There are always third-party standard zoom alternatives to consider too of course, such as the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary and the Samyang 24-70mm f/2.8 AF. Sony itself has an interesting contender in the form of the Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G, for those who prefer a wider view.

However, for anyone who wants a classic 24-105mm lens for their Sony Alpha body, the FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS remains the only option – and it’s a good one. For a longer zoom range, unique from Sony’s offerings is the FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS; which like most extended-range superzooms is somewhat compromised optically and has a variable maximum aperture. To find out more, see our guide to the best Sony E-mount lenses and also the best Sony cameras today.

An extensive lens lineup

When Sony’s full-frame Alpha 7 mirrorless cameras first appeared, there were legitimate concerns about the limited lens range available, and how quickly Sony might be able to build up a comprehensive system. Over the last few years though, the firm has accelerated the release of new optics, and with plenty of third-party support, the choice of lenses is now second to none in the full frame camera market.

The lens is designed primarily for use on Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras

The FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS sits among three Sony 24-70mm options in terms of size and price. With a current street price of around  $1,268 / £999, it’s not cheap, but is not ruinously expensive either. It’s often offered as a kit lens bundle with Sony bodies, but rarely with any significant discount, which is perhaps an indication of its quality.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Features

This lens sits within Sony’s high-end G line-up, but below its G Master series – though Sony’s ‘G’ optics often deliver equivalent quality. This G label promises both excellent corner-to-corner sharpness and beautifully rendered background blur. This lens also features optical image stabilisation, along with dust and moisture resistant construction for outdoor use (Sony claims you can ‘shoot with confidence in light rain’). At 663g, it’s considerably lighter than either its Canon equivalent or the similar Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG HSM Art, and a little smaller, too.

Focus and stabilisation mode switches join an AF-stop button on the side of the barrel

Sony hasn’t skimped on the glass. The 17-element, 14-group optical formula incorporates four aspherical elements to maximize sharpness and reduce distortion, of which two are of the high-precision advanced aspherical type. In addition, three ED glass elements are employed to minimize chromatic aberration. The firm says that with precise control over spherical aberration, the lens should also deliver attractive bokeh.

Sony has deployed its Nano AR coating to combat flare and ghosting, while fluorine coating on the front element should help with keeping it clean. A conventional petal-type plastic lens hood is provided that bayonets onto the front of the lens. It doesn’t have a locking button to hold it in place, but it clicks pretty firmly anyway, and it can also be reversed neatly to take up less space in a bag. The lens accepts 77mm filters that won’t rotate on focusing, thanks to an internal-focus design. That also means the balance doesn’t change between the infinity setting and the minimum focus distance of 38 cm.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Build and handling

The FE 24-105mm f/4 is relatively lightweight, yet feels reassuringly solidly built when you hold it. While the textured barrel surface is clearly designed to mimic the finish of magnesium alloy, tell-tale mould lines and the lack of any coldness to the touch mark it out as plastic instead. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, as it helps keep the weight down with no evident compromise to robustness. A rubber ring around the mount maintains a seal with the camera body.

A rubber ring around the lens mount compresses against the body to provide a seal

Feel in the hand

In terms of size, the 25-105mm f/4 sits partway between Sony’s two 24-70mm zooms, being larger than the relatively petite f/4 version but considerably less bulky than the f/2.8 G Master. Looking at pictures of it on the camera, you might wonder whether it’s a bit unbalanced, but I didn’t find this to be the case at all; it’s simply a case of supporting the lens with your left hand, just as best hand-holding practice demands. Crucially the combination is much smaller and lighter than even the most compact DSLR equivalent, such as the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM on the EOS 6D Mark II.

Like many other FE lenses, the 24-105mm has a narrow cylindrical section immediately ahead of the mount that flares outwards to the main barrel; the aim being to give enough space for fingers to wrap around the camera’s handgrip. This makes gap tight for shooting with gloves on – not the fault of the lens, of course, but down to the compact design of Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras.

The zoom ring is placed at the centre of the lens, with manual focus at the front

Operation

The zoom ring rotates through a quarter-turn from wideangle to telephoto, with the lens extending by approximately 45mm in the process. The slimmer focus-by-wire manual focus ring rotates smoothly, with no end stops or distance scale. Both have nice, grippy, finely-ridged rubberised coverings. Neither is as buttery-smooth as the corresponding controls on the FE 24-70mm f/4 OSS ZA, but even so I had no problem setting precise composition or focus.

Two switches on the left side of the barrel are used to select between autofocus and manual, and turn the stabilization on or off. It’s not so long ago such switches seemed to be going the way of the dodo on mirrorless systems, so it’s great to see Sony bring them back. Both have an identical physical design, though, which makes them difficult to distinguish by touch alone when you have your eye to the viewfinder.

Relatively small and lightweight, the lens balances nicely on the Sony A7R III

Also on the side of the barrel is a large circular button that by default is used to temporarily interrupt AF. But it can be reconfigured to activate a variety of different functions in the camera’s menus: for instance depth of field preview or Sony’s useful Eye-AF function.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Autofocus

When it comes to autofocus, the 24-105mm behaves much like Sony’s other recent FE zooms. It’s very fast and almost completely silent, thanks to the use of a Direct Drive Supersonic Motor that makes it equally at home for video and stills shooting. With static subjects it focuses impressively quickly and accurately, especially on Sony’s latest models such as the Alpha 9 and Alpha 7R III. But even on my older Alpha 7 II, it’s no slouch.

The lens easily nailed focus on moving subjects at the start of a burst. Sony Alpha 9, 105mm, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 2000

I did however find some odd behaviour when shooting 20fps bursts on the Alpha 9 with continuous autofocus. The lens quickly drove itself out-of-focus during the course of a burst, every single time. But the consistency of this issue suggests it should be readily fixed by a camera or lens firmware update, or may indeed just have been caused by an odd settings combination.

The snappy AF has no problem with off-centre, erratically moving subjects. Sony Alpha 7R III, 105mm, 1/640sec at f/4, ISO 100

Switch to manual focus and the lens is perfectly well-behaved. Like all other Sony FE lenses it uses a focus-by-wire design, with the manual focus ring sending movement instructions to the focus group, as opposed to being directly mechanically linked. It works very well, with a decent feel and excellent accuracy, especially when combined with focusing aids such as magnified view.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Performance

Where the FE 24-105mm f/4 OSS really impresses, however, is in its sheer image quality – it is stunning. I shot it mainly on the 42.4MP Alpha 7R III, which is a tough test for any optic. But it came through with flying colours – literally – delivering superb sharpness from corner-to-corner at every focal length, especially when stopped down to normal full-frame working apertures around f/8 – f/11. Indeed, there’s enough detail for Sony’s Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode to exploit, suggesting the lens will continue to perform well with higher-resolution sensors in future. Usually we expect some compromise when choosing a 4x, 24-105mm zoom over a 3x 24-70mm, but there’s very little in this case, if any. I have no hesitation recommending this lens to A7R users.

Sony’s 24-105mm is impressively sharp, especially at wideangle. Sony Alpha 7R III, 24mm, 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 100.

Uncorrected raw files

Examining raw image files helps understand how Sony has pulled off this improbable-sounding feat. Uncorrected files show considerable distortion, which as usual is of the barrel type at wideangle, changing to pincushion across most of the zoom range.

Sony can get away with this because it doesn’t have to provide a corrected viewfinder image, as is necessary for DSLRs. As a result, it doesn’t need to incorporate the same degree of resolution-sapping distortion correction into the optical design. Instead the distortion is corrected near-losslessly in software, resulting in excellent overall image quality; simply activate in-camera corrections and you don’t have to worry about it.

This is increasingly how modern mirrorless lenses are designed, using digital corrections to replace complex and expensive optical corrections and allowing more extreme or unusual lens designs.

Distortion is perfectly corrected using software. Sony Alpha 7R III, 24-105mm f/4 at 78mm, 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 100

Vignetting

Vignetting is visible at f/4 at each end of the zoom, and with a very abrupt drop-off in the extreme corners, it might be a problem in some situations. But it can also be suppressed in software, and disappears at f/8 anyway.

Vignetting is visible at f/4, but flare is minimal. Sony Alpha 7R III, 24mm, 1/5000 sec at f/4, ISO 100

Chromatic aberration

There’s no visible colour fringing, with lateral chromatic aberration kept low through optical correction, then removed completely in software. As Sony promised, out-of-focus backgrounds are also rendered with an attractive, smooth blur, which isn’t always the case with this kind of lens.

The lens combines excellent sharpness with smoothly-blurred backgrounds. Sony Alpha 9, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 3200

The lens is also behaves extremely well when shooting into the light, with minimal loss of contrast and no visible flare patterning from internal reflections (indeed some might find it almost too perfect). Indeed in total, it’s just a phenomenally well-behaved lens.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Sharpness

While the lens is particularly sharp at wideangle according to our Image Engineering MTF50 tests, the real take-home message should be just how consistently it performs from corner to corner at all focal lengths. Technically, the sharpest results will be obtained at f/5.6, but the lens also delivers excellent sharpness at f/8 or f/11, which you’ll often need to obtain sufficient depth of field. Diffraction-induced softening becomes marked at f/22.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – MTF50 on Sony A7R III

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Shading

Quite strong shading is visible at 24mm and f/4, with a rather sudden falloff into the corners that could potentially be quite disturbing in some images. However it’s much reduced on stopping down to f/5.6, and essentially eliminated at f/8. There’s far less vignetting in the middle of the zoom range, but it reappears at telephoto, showing similar abrupt falloff characteristics but lower magnitude compared to wideangle.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Curvilinear distortion

In normal use, with in-camera compensation enabled, images display no visible distortion. However with software corrections disabled, the lens shows considerable barrel distortion at wideangle, which quickly changes to strong pincushion distortion at longer focal lengths. However, the simple distortion patterns mean that it’s easy to fix in post-processing, even without using profiled corrections. Most mainstream raw conversion software will apply the requisite corrections automatically.

Sony 24-105mm distortion at 24mm, corrected JPEG

Sony 24-105mm distortion at 24mm, uncorrected raw. SMIA TV = -4.2%

Sony 24-105mm distortion at 50mm, corrected JPEG

Sony 24-105mm distortion at 50mm, uncorrected raw. SMIA TV = 2.7%

Sony 24-105mm distortion at 105mm, corrected JPEG

Sony 24-105mm distortion at 105mm, uncorrected raw. SMIA TV = 2.8%

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS – Verdict

From my time using the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS, I’d have to conclude that it’s the best-judged general-purpose zoom Sony has yet made. Impressively sharp, not too bulky, weather-resistant and with a really useful zoom range, it ticks all the right boxes. I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed with it in the slightest.

The Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS is a great general-purpose zoom

Indeed for those buying into the full-frame Alpha system anew, I’d say this 24-105mm is just as good a choice as the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM or Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, depending on your preferences. Obviously some photographers will prefer the brighter aperture, but I’d rather take the longer range and smaller size – not to mention the lower price.

The lens delivers richly-detailed images from corner to corner. Sony Alpha 7R III, 74mm, 1/400sec at f/8, ISO 100

Meanwhile for existing users who shoot with the FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS, it’s an upgrade well worth considering – especially if you often find yourself restricted by the limits of the zoom range.

It’s not as affordable or petite, but its extra telephoto range is oh-so-useful, while the addition of an AF hold button along with focus and IS mode switches are great for usability. Overall it’s just a really versatile lens that gives consistently excellent results.

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Buy now

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS at a glance:

• $1499 / £1499
• Large aperture telephoto zoom for full-frame mirrorless cameras
• Minimum focus distance 0.65 – 1.0m
• Uses 77mm filters
• 90.6mm diameter x 205.5mm length, 1345g
• Available in L and Sony E mounts

When paired with a 24-70mm, the 70-200mm provides many photographers with all they need for day-to-day shooting. All we have to do is decide whether we can afford an f/2.8 version, or we’d prefer to go with a lower-cost and more portable f/4 model. Traditionally, Sigma has offered us f/2.8 lenses that cost much less than those offered by the camera manufacturers, allowing users to get that faster maximum aperture for a similar price to the f/4 versions of camera brands.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS lens on the Panasonic Lumix S5II. Credit: Damien Demolder

The fast aperture/smaller price tag Sigma trademark is maintained once more, with this L- or E-mount lens selling for $1500 / £1500 – significantly less than the equivalent lenses from Sony and Panasonic. But while in the olden days Sigma was a ‘secondary’ brand, in the last decade or so we’ve seen the company produce lenses that exceed the quality of those offered by the camera brands, and which often offer original or additional features.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports: Features

Sigma’s existing 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens is designed for Nikon and Canon DSLRs and, at 1805g, it’s pretty heavy. The company hasn’t just reworked this old design into a new mount, but has taken the opportunity to completely redesign the optical structure of the lens to make the most of the shorter back focus of the mirrorless L and E mounts, and to introduce its newest focusing systems.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS with hood attached. Credit: Damien Demolder

The result is the shedding of lens elements as more modern elements take the place of multiple others, leading to a lens that’s a full 460g lighter at 1345g. The barrel is also smaller now, so the filter size has dropped from 82mm to 77mm. The new lens uses 20 elements in 15 groups, instead of 24 in 22 groups, through the use of three aspherical elements in the new design. We also get six FLD (fluorite-like Low Dispersion) elements and two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements that together allow the optical designers to employ fewer elements overall.

The new design has cut the closest focus distance in half, so we can now shoot things as close as 65cm at the 70mm end, and at 100cm at the 200mm end – which can give us an impressive 1:5.2 magnification ratio at 200mm. That’s not exactly macro, but it’s very useful all the same.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS lens with hood. Credit: Damien Demolder

Another interesting development is the use of two HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) motors to run the focusing system. The lens uses a pair of focusing groups, each with its own motor to help focus the lens as quickly as possible, but which also helps to reduce focus breathing and to maintain focus while the zoom is being operated. The linear motors respond quickly and move sharply and, importantly for video, do so silently.

A key feature of this lens is the optical image stabilisation system, with the company’s new OS2 algorithm, which provides up to 7.5 stops of anti-shake compensation. Depending on the body on which you use the lens, you will be able to determine whether in-camera, in-lens or a combination of in-camera and in-lens stabilisation takes the lead.

The L-mount version is compatible with Sigma’s 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. Credit: Damien Demolder

As the name suggests, the f/2.8 aperture is constant throughout the zoom range, and an internal zoom design means that the lens doesn’t vary from its 205mm length whatever focal length you choose. The iris has 11 blades giving a minimum setting of f/22. It’s also useful to know that, in its L-mount incarnation, the lens is compatible with the company’s 1.4x and 2x tele-converters.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports: Build and handling

One notable new feature, compared to the old DSLR design, is that the lens has a manual aperture control ring, with third-stop values and an A position clearly marked. The aperture ring can be used with regular click-stops, but the ring can also be de-clicked so it doesn’t disturb your audio track while recording video. The aperture ring can be locked too, but only to prevent it switching between the A and manual positions – you can’t lock in a specific setting. The aperture ring is quite close to the focus ring, but they feel different enough that you will quickly get used to which is which.

The aperture ring is a welcome addition to the new DG DN optic. Credit: Damien Demolder

A focus limiter allows us to direct operations within specific distance ranges, with Full, 3m to infinity, and closer-than-3m settings, and L-mount users can customise these limited ranges (as well as how the stabilisation operates) using the optional UD-11 USB dock. Three function buttons before the zoom ring can be customised to perform specific tasks (jointly, not individually) such as AF-on, AF-Lock or AF-Near.

A further control point on the barrel offers to turn OS off, to set it for general use or to tell it that we will be panning. We have a switch for three saved custom settings, and a switch for manual and auto focus operation.

The aperture ring can be switched between clicked and clickless operation. Credit: Damien Demolder

A substantial tripod foot comes with an Arca Swiss shaped mounting plate built-in, and the collar it’s attached to lets us rotate the lens through 360°, indicating 90° angles with clicks along the way. The foot can be removed using an Allen key.

Should you find yourself out in British weather you’ll be glad to know the barrel is sealed against moisture and dust, and a gasket that sits around the mount helps to seal it against the camera. Sigma says the combination of carbon fibre and thermally stable plastics in the construction help the lens perform well in all temperatures, keep the structure lightweight and provide a strong, protective casing for the optics.

The tripod foot has an Arca Swiss plate built-in and can be removed using a hex key. Credit: Damien Demolder

The finish of the lens is remarkably attractive too, which of course shouldn’t matter – but it does. The whole unit looks very smart indeed.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports: Performance

I’ve been impressed with the pace at which this lens operates, and could not detect any lag or speed disadvantage in using this Sigma model over the proprietary model for the Lumix S5ll and Lumix S1R I tested it on. The lens certainly doesn’t hold the camera back in any way, and in fact offers us a number of handling benefits that the Lumix equivalent does not. I found it fast, and very nice to use.

Shot using the Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS on the Panasonic Lumix S5IIX. Credit: Damien Demolder

DC-S5M2X · f/8 · 1/640s · 200mm · ISO160

Click on any sample image to see the full-size version

As much as I’m a big fan of manual aperture rings, I locked it on A when shooting stills. But when the viewfinder was away from my eye, I enjoyed the ability to alter the iris manually, and silently, for video.

I’ve been impressed with optical image stabilisation too. When the lens was attached to the Lumix bodies I used it on, the cameras gave way to allow the lens to do most of the work. It makes sense with a long lens like this. Switching the OS on and off while looking through the finder the difference is immediately obvious, and when using mode 2 during panning the system allows a smooth view without jolting in the finder. I also found this to be true with the camera in portrait orientation.

Optical stabilisation works well while panning. Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS on Panasonic Lumix S5IIX. Credit: Damien Demolder

DC-S5M2X · f/6.3 · 1/400s · 200mm · ISO160

While the handling and practical performance impress when the lens is actively in use, it is the optical performance that will get our attention once the images are magnified on the PC monitor. As much as I’ve tried, my usual image quality tests have left me somewhat unable find anything much that’s wrong with the lens.

While there are nuances in the lens’ ability to render detail across the focal lengths, apertures and focus distances, the range of the lens’ resolution only slips below what I would call ‘very good’ when the aperture is set to f/16 or f/22, due to the blurring effect of diffraction. At all other apertures you can be sure of exceptional image quality – and even f/22 isn’t bad, it just isn’t as good as the wider apertures.

The lens is very sharp, and capable of recording impressive levels of detail. Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS on Panasonic Lumix S5IIX. Credit: Damien Demolder

DC-S5M2X · f/10 · 1/60s · 70mm · ISO160

The pattern of optical resolution remains constant at all focal lengths. At f/2.8 the lens is very good, but it improves to a peak at around f/4, it tips very slightly at f/8, remains very good to f/11, drops a bit at f/16 and then drops noticeably at f/22. While resolution is very good at 70mm, it is from 135mm to 200mm that we get the better performance.

So, I suppose in line with how people will want to use the lens, Sigma has optimised resolution for wide apertures at the longer focal lengths – which will keep the majority of users very happy indeed.

Images stay clean and devoid of colour fringing even when shooting directly into the light. Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS, Panasonic Lumix S5IIX. Credit: Damien Demolder

DC-S5M2X · f/10 · 1/6400s · 106mm · ISO400

The images are clean too, with plenty of detail uninhibited by colour fringing. Contrast remains very high too, and flare is very difficult to initiate even when pointing directly into the rising sun and its reflections on water.

I didn’t test the lens with the compatible tele-converters, but the solo optical performance put the lens on a solid footing for its images to be magnified further without dire consequences.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS sample image on Panasonic Lumix S5IIX at f/2.8. Credit: Damien Demolder

DC-S5M2X · f/2.8 · 1/1000s · 200mm · ISO160

Vignetting is only a slight feature of this lens’ performance, and those using it for natural subjects are likely to not notice it at all. There is some shading at the widest apertures at all focal length positions. On a plain background it is reasonably obvious at f/2.8, but is mostly gone by f/4.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports: Our Verdict

Sigma has once again demonstrated it knows what photographers want and need, with a lens that performs exceptionally well in the areas that really matter. When we buy a 70-200mm we want to be able to use it wide open at the long end and know that we aren’t going to forfeit resolution, and that is exactly what this lens delivers. And, to top it off, Sigma gives us a constant f/2.8 aperture for less than the money other brands expect for an f/4 lens.

The lens resolves plenty of detail for cropping – this is a 3,4M crop from the centre of the image at 200mm. Sigma 70-200mm F2,8 DG DN OS, Panasonic Lumix S5IIX. Credit: Damien Demolder

DC-S5M2X · f/6.3 · 1/400s · 200mm · ISO400

This lens is a full £1100 less than Sony’s equivalent f/2.8 lens, and £700 less than the Panasonic model, which is no mean feat. The rules of retail though say that with lower cost comes compromise, but those rules really don’t seem to apply here. We get a host of features on the barrel, fabulous handling, useful offerings such as clickless apertures, and a really first-rate optical performance to go with it. Frankly, I’m not sure what else we could ask for.

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Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports: Full specifications

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS lens set to portrait format on the Panasonic Lumix S5II. Credit: Damien Demolder

The post Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

There are several alternative 85mm lenses to consider. At the premium end there are three stellar examples:

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($1,199 / £929)
Zeiss Batis 85mm F1.8 ($929 / £1,129)
Sony FE 85mm F1.4 G Master ($1,698 / £1,349).

At the more affordable end of the spectrum there’s the manual-focus Samyang MF 85mm F1.4 MK2 ($320 / £359), the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 ($548 / £499) and the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 FE ($599 / £529).

Not exactly a shortage to choose from, so how does Sigma’s latest 85mm prime differ and where does it fit in?

The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art was paired with the Sony A7 III for our review

Whereas the Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG HSM Art was originally designed for full-frame DSLRs and later adapted for use with mirrorless cameras that use the E-mount and L-mount, the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art is developed for full-frame mirrorless cameras from the ground up – denoted by the ‘DN’ initials in its name.

The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art (left) and Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art (right). The new lens is 500g lighter than Sigma’s previous version

Like other Sigma DG DN full-frame mirrorless lenses, of which we’re starting to see a growing number appear, the 85mm F1.4 DG DN stands out in a number of ways from previous Sigma examples and its rivals, which we’ll come to shortly.

We’re not looking at a fast prime that’s only made in Sony E-mount either; it’s also available in L-mount for use with Leica, Sigma and Panasonic full-frame cameras. Is it one of the best portrait lenses you can buy? Let’s take a look.

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Features

Compared to the Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG HSM Art, which is one of the largest and heaviest 85mm lenses we’ve tested, Sigma’s latest example is far more compact and discards a vast amount of weight. To be precise, the E-mount version that we were sent for review works out 30mm shorter in length and 500g lighter than Sigma’s previous version. This is a phenomenal weight saving for a lens that promises improved image quality.

Aperture settings are clearly marked on the barrel in white and the focus ring is rubberised

Where the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art was made up of 14 elements in 12 groups, this lens features an entirely new optical design encompassing 15 elements in 11 groups. Within this construction are five special low-dispersion (SLD) glass elements, one aspherical element at the rear of the lens group and four high refractive index glass elements to minimise chromatic aberration, flare and ghosting.

Here we see the aperture lock switch that can be used to prevent engaging the auto (A) aperture setting accidentally

By making the most of in-camera aberration correction, Sigma has been able to restrict this to those that are eliminated by the lens’ optics. This, combined with reducing the size of the focus element, allows it to be made smaller. Furthermore, with an emphasis on the elimination of axial chromatic aberration, Sigma says users can expect sharp images with no colour fringing, even wide-open at f/1.4.

The 11 aperture blades can be clearly seen when the lens is viewed from the front

Complimenting the lens construction is a diaphragm with 11 curved blades to give a circular aperture for attractive bokeh. As for autofocus, the stepping motor it uses is intended to keep AF operation fast and silent, which will be important for those using the lens for video. It’s designed to work well with both phase-detection and contrast-detection autofocus, and fully supports different manufacturers face/eye/animal detection modes.

The lens features a rubber seals in its construction. One of these is found at the rear to prevent moisture creeping past between the camera and lens mount

Elsewhere, the lens features a durable, brass metal mount and is compatible with Sigma’s USB dock UD-11 that’s sold separately for L-mount only. It has a minimum focus distance of 85cm and you’re presented with all the accessories you expect in the box, including a bowl-shaped lens hood, a padded case and front and back caps.

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Build and Handling

This lens has entirely different handling characteristics to the 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art. Its predecessor added over a kilogram to the weight of the camera, often rendering setups very front heavy. This is no longer the case.

The AFL button that’s located below the AF/MF switch is easy to find from behind the camera

It balances superbly on full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7 III I paired it with. I was able to shoot single-handed with no discomfort. Having the option to shoot without always supporting the lens beneath the barrel will appeal to portrait and wedding photographers who often find themselves offering direction with their other hand. Better than this is that it lets you walk around and shoot without feeling weighed down.

A side view showing the length of the lens on the Sony A7 III with the hood attached

Build quality meets the high standards we’ve come to expect of Sigma’s Art lenses. The construction of the barrel is a blend of precision-engineered metal and thermally stable composite (TSC), with its rubberised focus ring offering excellent precision and fluidity when focusing manually.

The manual focus ring is rubberised and rotates very smoothly but doesn’t feature end-stops

The transition between choosing whether the aperture ring clicks or doesn’t click from the flick of a switch is seamless. You can choose to receive feedback of the aperture changing every 1/3EV stop by leaving the click switch set to on, or if you’d prefer to adjust the aperture ring smoothly and silently, such as when recording video, it can be switched to off (for clickless operation).

Users get the choice of being able to adjust the aperture directly from the lens or from the camera’s command dial when the aperture ring is set to its A setting

To prevent accidentally engaging the auto (A) aperture setting, which allows you to adjust the aperture from the camera rather than the lens, Sigma has added an aperture lock switch. It can also be engaged when auto (A) is selected too, preventing the aperture being accidentally changed by knocking the aperture ring.

A release button has to be used to release the hood from the lens. Note the hoods rubberised texture towards the rear that lets you get a good grip of it when your hands are wet

Having good weather resistance is crucial on a lens that’s likely to see plenty of use outdoors as well as in. The dust-and splash-proof structure features seals at strategic points in its construction, including a rubber seal around the perimeter of the metal mount that compresses against the mount on the camera. The autofocus lock (AFL) button is also weather sealed and exhibits a subtle click when pressed.

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Autofocus

As we’ve witnessed on other Sigma DG DN lenses, users get a focus lock (AFL) button just below the AF/MF switch that can be setup from compatible camera’s menus to perform various different functions. Manual focusing is fly-by-wire rather than being mechanically coupled, but as already mentioned, users get precise focusing adjustment when the focus ring is rotated slowly.

The auto focus lock (AFL) button can be setup from the menu to perform various functions

The autofocus performance is good, with signs of mild hunting only being observed when it was asked to focus from near to far and vice versa in challenging low-light scenes. In brighter conditions the lens locked onto subject’s eyes with little fuss, aided by the effective real-time Eye-AF on the Sony A7 III.

I managed to achieve a consistently high number of sharp shots wide-open at f/1.4 during testing and the faint whirring it makes as it focuses didn’t disturb audio in outdoor movie recordings, though it was picked by the camera’s internal microphone up in a silent room.

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Performance

To gauge how the lens performs optically, I requested that it be supplied with the older Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG HSM Art in E-mount so I could compare identical shots taken across the aperture range before meticulously examining real-world samples.

Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/800sec at f/1.4, ISO 100 (With thanks to the Spa Valley Railway)

Comparing images revealed it’s ever so slightly sharper than its predecessor in the centre at f/1.4. Sharpness at the edge of the frame is remarkably impressive wide-open, though you can expect corners to get even sharper when it’s stopped down.

Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/1250sec at f/1.4, ISO 100 (With thanks to the Spa Valley Railway)

Studying shots taken between f/1.4 to f/16 tells us the sweet spot of edge-to-edge sharpness is located between f/4-5.6, with a high level of sharpness also being recorded at f/8. The introduction of diffraction takes the edge off sharpness a little when it’s used beyond f/11 and at its minimum of f/16.

Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/1250sec at f/1.4, ISO 100 (With thanks to the Spa Valley Railway)

The built-in lens profile that’s applied to Raw files automatically does a fine job of correcting chromatic aberration to the point I didn’t witness any sign of nasty colour fringing, not even along any high-contrast edges of shots taken at the maximum aperture.

Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/1600sec at f/1.4, ISO 100

Users will want to ensure their in-camera lens compensation is turned on, though vignetting does remain prominent when the lens is used at wider apertures. Corner shading is tasteful rather than garish and diminishes as it’s stopped down to f/2.8, barely traceable by f/4.

Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/125sec at f/4, ISO 100 (pincushion distortion uncorrected)

Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/125sec at f/4, ISO 100 (pincushion distortion corrected in Adobe Camera Raw)

Interestingly my comparisons revealed the lens displays greater pincushion distortion than Sigma’s 85mm f1.4 DG HSM Art so some users may want to apply a small amount of manual distortion correction in post.

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Verdict

I’ve tested some phenomenally impressive prime lenses over the last couple of years, but the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art stands out as one, if not the best, I’ve used.

The lens looks smart when it’s paired with Sony’s full-frame A7-series mirrorless cameras

Though the optical quality of its predecessor remains excellent to this day, its bulk and colossal weight isn’t complimentary to full-frame mirrorless cameras, which is where other manufacturers examples have presented an advantage up until now.

By designing the lens from scratch and tailoring it for mirrorless users who desire smaller, lighter lenses, Sigma has created an absolute gem of lens that delivers astonishingly impressive image quality, fantastic lens-based aperture control and complimentary handling all in one.

Note the white background behind the AF/MF switch that offers a visual indication that lens is set to autofocus when working in low-light situations

Better still, it offers all the desirable features you’ll find on its more expensive Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM rival for £500 less. Take all that it offers for the money into consideration and there’s no disputing that it’s currently the best value for money premium 85mm f/1.4 lens you can buy under £1000.

It’s a must-have for E-mount or L-mount users who love to shoot portraiture, weddings or take a documentary style approach to their work, and for video use it has all the right features, including the option to de-click the aperture ring.

All that’s left to say is that it sets a new gold standard in portrait lenses for mirrorless cameras and I’m hopeful it won’t be too long before we see Sigma release versions in Canon RF and Nikon Z-mount.

Find more E-mount lenses in our guide to the best E-Mount lenses.

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The post Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art Review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Lensbaby has used a similar optical design to the Sweet 50, which means the Double Glass II can cover a full-frame sensor, has a focal length of 50mm and captures a sweet spot of focus at the centre of the frame which is surrounded by blur.

Lensbaby Double Glass II – At a glance

• $199/£219 optic only
• $369/£399 with Composer Pro II
• Optic for Lensbaby’s Optic Swap system
• 50mm focal length
• Full-frame coverage but also compatible with smaller sensors
• f/2.5-f/22
• Manual focus
• lensbaby.com

The optics barrel of the new Lensbaby Double Glass two is made from metal. Image: Angela Nicholson

Lensbaby Double Glass II – Features

• 12-blade aperture – Unlike the original Double Glass, there’s an aperture ring to control the aperture
• Creative aperture disks – The optic is compatible with Lensbaby’s magnetic aperture disks
• Requires an Optic Swap Body – Compatible with all of Lensbaby’s Optics Swap bodies including the Composer Pro II, Spark 2.0 and Straight Body
• No contacts – There are no electrical contacts in Lensbaby lenses and Optics Swap bodies, which means the aperture isn’t recorded in the image EXIF data

The lens comes with a selection of various shapes to create interesting bokeh. Image: Angela Nicholson

Despite the inclusion of the aperture control, the Double Glass II is compatible with Lensbaby’s magnetic aperture disks. With this in mind, Lensbaby supplies the optic with eleven creative aperture disks that can be used to give the bokeh a particular shape. Nine of the disks have a pattern cut-out such as a star, spiral, heart or rose-like swirl, but two are blank so you can cut your own shapes.

The 12 aperture blades allow aperture control in the range of f/2.5 to f/22. Image: Angela Nicholson

Optic Swap System

As part of Lensbaby’s optic Swap System, the Double Glass II cannot be mounted on a camera by itself. Instead, it needs to be fitted into one of the company’s lens housings such as the Composer Pro II, Spark 2.0 or the Straight Body. The bendy nature of the Composer Pro II and Spark 2.0 allow the sweet spot of focus to be moved around the frame, while it’s locked to the centre with the Straight Body.

Lensbaby sells the Double Glass II either by itself for those who already have an Optic Swap Body, or in a bundle with the Composer Pro II.

The Lensbaby Double Glass II cannot be mounted on your camera on its own, it requires a lens housing such as the Composer Pro II. Image: Angela Nicholson

Getting results

None of the Lensbaby bodies have electrical contacts which means that most cameras don’t recognise that a lens is mounted. This means you may have to enable the camera to shoot without a lens via the menu. It’s also worthwhile customising a button to magnify the image in the viewfinder of a mirrorless camera, or on the screen of a DSLR in Live View mode, to make fine details clearer when you’re focusing manually. Focus peaking can also be helpful.

Lensbaby Double Glass II mounted on a camera

Wide open at f/2.5 and on a full-frame camera, the Double Glass II delivers shallow depth of field and there’s dramatic blurring around the point in focus. The defocused areas also often look distorted, like a zoom burst effect has been applied. Used effectively, this can really pull your eye onto the main area of interest. As normal, closing down the aperture results in greater depth of field, but even at the smallest setting of f/22, there’s still some blur around the outer edges of the frame.

Image: Angela Nicholson

ILCE-7RM4 · 1/60s · ISO100

If you have one, bending the Composer Pro II or Spark 2.0 body moves the sweet spot and changes the distortion of the out of focus areas. But the zoom burst effect is still present, directing the eye towards the sharpest point of the image. It’s important to keep in mind that the sweet spot isn’t as sharp when it’s towards the edge of the frame as it is when it’s in the centre. Generally, the traditional flaws, including chromatic aberration, flare and vignetting, are controlled reasonably well.

Image: Angela Nicholson

NIKON Z 7_2 · 1/100s · ISO100

The creative aperture disks enable a collection of effects, some of which are more obvious than others. Their visibility can also vary with the scene that’s being photographed, but as it only takes a few seconds to swap between the different disks using the magnet on the end of the disk holder to grab them off the lens, it’s worth experimenting.

Image: Angela Nicholson

ILCE-7RM4 · 1/250s · ISO100

Lensbaby Double Glass II – Verdict

Lensbaby lenses tend to be very divisive; some people love them, but some people really don’t. If you are of the former persuasion, there’s lots to like about the Double Glass II optic. With careful focusing, its sweet spot is nice and sharp, although don’t expect to see anywhere close to the degree of detail that you get from a pro-level lens.

Lensbaby Double Glass II. Photo Angela Nicholson

The overall effect is dramatic, and certainly more intense than the Sweet 50 which produces a similar effect. What’s more, the magnetic aperture disks add an extra layer of creativity. It has a way of pulling you into a scene and into photography itself.

Optic Swap Bodies

Lensbaby currently offers three bodies for the Optics Swap system, the Composer Pro II, the Spark 2.0 and the Straight Body. All are available in a wide range of mounts to suit full-frame, APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras.

The Composer Pro II has a ball-and socket design that enables it to bend or tilt, so the sweet spot of focus can be moved around the frame. It has one ring to adjust the focusing and another to tighten or loosen the movement of the ball. The Spark 2.0 also bends but uses a pipe-like concertina build that allows it to be squeezed and stretched for focusing and bent to move the sweet spot. Lastly, the Straight Body keeps the optic in one orientation, so the sweet spot doesn’t move from the centre, and has a ring for focusing.

Related reading:

• How to select the right lensbaby lens
• What are the best tilt-shift lenses?

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The post Lensbaby Double Glass II review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

As it’s to be used with a DX model, then the equivalent focal length is 75-375mm, and it’s also the longest focal length available from Nikon’s line-up of DX proprietary lenses. Longer lenses are available which are primarily designed for full-frame models, but most of those would undoubtedly be too big or heavy for most of Nikon’s APS-C models – they’re generally all pretty expensive too.

Buy now

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – At a glance

• Price: $376 / £379
• Nikon Z mount (DX Format)
• Aperture: f/4.6-f/6.3 – f/22-f/32
• Min focus: 0.5m – 1m

Models in Nikon’s DX range include the Nikon Z50, the Nikon Zfc and the Nikon Z30 – we’ve used both the Z50 and the Z30 for this review. It is possible to use the lens with full-frame models, though it’s questionable whether you’d really want to. You might consider it as an option for cheaper full-frame Nikon models such as the Nikon Z5. If you attach it to an FX model, its crop mode will automatically kick in and you’ll find yourself shooting at a lower resolution. For something like the Nikon Z5 that means you’ll drop from shooting at 24MP down to 10MP – that might be perfectly fine for some smaller prints and so on, but it’s worth considering.

Even though it features a narrow maximum aperture, it should still let you create pleasing shallow depth-of-field shots. Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/5.6 · 1/80s · 60mm · ISO800

Being available in a small, neat and inexpensive package comes with compromises of course. Here it’s that the maximum aperture is relatively narrow, starting at f/4.5 at the 50mm end, and going up to f/6.3 at the 250mm. Still, at longer focal lengths at least, you should be able to create some nice shallow depth of field effects, though it probably won’t be your first choice for shooting in low light.

An alternative to this lens, if you want a better “all-in-one” with a wider angle is the Nikon Nikkor Z 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, which has an equivalent focal length of 27-210mm – though of course you do lose the longer reach of the 50-250mm. At the time of writing, there’s no third-party superzoom lenses currently available directly for Nikon Z DX mount, though hopefully there will be some arriving at some point from the likes of Tamron or Sigma.

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – Features

This low-cost lens doest have weather sealing, so you will need to take extra care when you are out and about. Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/8 · 1/60s · 52mm · ISO800

The lens construction consists of 16 elements in 12 groups, including one ED element. The price and the size of the lens generally precludes any complex construction, and that’s what we see here. As such, we also don’t see any special coatings or weather-sealing, either – but that would be expecting quite a lot at a low cost.

There are seven diaphragm blades for creating out of focus areas, which are generally more pronounced at the longer focal lengths. This is not designed as a macro lens, but the focal length makes it suitable for shooting typical macro type subjects such as flowers and so on. The maximum reproduction ratio is 0.23x, and you can focus as close as 0.5m (at the 50mm end), rising to 1m at the 250mm end. Remembering that this measurement is taken from the sensor, rather than the end of the lens, you should find that it actually gets you quite close to some typical macro subjects in order to create frame-filling shots.

Nikon’s VR lenses feature a built-in vibration reduction that is useful for hand-held shots. Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/5.6 · 1/80s · 46mm · ISO400

The lens has an internal focusing system, and pleasingly for a lens at this focal length, it also has inbuilt vibration reduction. This is particularly important as none of Nikon’s DX-format cameras include in-body image stabilisation, so you’ll probably find you’re relying on this if you want to shoot handheld at longer lengths. Nikon claims that the VR in the lens gives you up to five-stops of compensation. This also potentially makes the lens useful for video work, say if you’re a content creator using the Z30 for example.

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – Build and Handling

Covering a broad focal length range, the 50-250mm is quite long in length compared to other DX format lenses – but of course that’s exactly what we’d expect. That said, it can be retracted when not in use to save a significant amount of space in your bag. When retracted, it locks into place so it won’t accidentally extend when you don’t want it to either – particularly useful if you’re carrying it around your shoulder or neck.

It is a very compact lens, when retracted. Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/5.6 · 1/100s · 50mm · ISO640

When extended to the shooting position, it’s a little unbalanced with smaller models like the Nikon Z30, but is better with the Z50 or Zfc, which have a chunkier build overall. This is especially true when at the full 250mm extension. Either way, as it’s quite light, it’s not too difficult to steady the lens and is worth the slight imbalance for the extra reach you get from it.

The lens balances well on a Nikon Z30 or Z50 body, even when fully extended. Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/5.6 · 1/100s · 46mm · ISO400

The outward design of the lens is relatively simple. Most of the central part of the barrel is taken up with the zoom ring, which is marked in focal lengths of 50, 70, 100, 135, 200 and 250mm to help you quickly move between lengths just by sight alone. There’s a good amount of resistance to this ring, enabling smooth and precise changes between the focal lengths without it being too loose.

Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/8 · 1/40s · 44mm · ISO800

Another, much smaller, ring sits behind the zoom mechanism. With this, you can control various functions which are set via the camera’s main menu. Settings available here comprise of focus (M/A), aperture, exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity. You can also set the ring to control nothing at all if you’re worried about accidentally knocking it.

Otherwise, there’s no buttons or switches. If you want to switch off vibration reduction in the lens, you can do that via the main menu – bear in mind that it’s not generally necessary any more to switch it off when using tripods, so the lack of a dedicated switch isn’t particularly annoying.

The lens can be used with 62mm filters, and it is compatible with the HB-90A Bayonet Hood – though note, one doesn’t come included in the box so if you want one you’ll have to purchase it separately.

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – Autofocus

For the most part, autofocusing is fairly quick – certainly as quick as we’d expect from a lens of this price and quality and with the types of cameras you’ll be using it with. It might not be able to keep up with the fastest of action subjects, but on the whole it’ll do a decent job.

The 50-250mm lens focuses quickly and quietly for the most part Photo: Amy Davies

It’s also fairly quiet at focusing. You can just about hear some focusing noise if you hold the lens close to your ear, but otherwise it works very well in quiet situations, while video work isn’t adversely affected by focusing noise either.

In very low light, the lens has a little more trouble locking onto the subject than in good light – again to be expected for its class.

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – Image Quality

It’s fair to say that a superzoom lens like this is unlikely to boast superior image quality, especially for the price. However, it does a good job of creating images with a decent overall impression of sharpness – especially when looking at normal printing and viewing sizes.

The 50-250mm lens at the wide-angle end of the lens (50mm – 75mm equivalent) Photo: Amy Davies

NIKON Z 30 · f/8 · 1/80s · 50mm · ISO125

The 50-250mm lens at the telephoto end of the lens (250mm – 375mm equivalent) Photo: Amy Davies

NIKON Z 30 · f/8 · 1/400s · 250mm · ISO640

That level of sharpness is maintained throughout the focal range, with images taken at the far reach only very marginally softer than that at the wide-angle end – and only really if you’re examining closely. The relatively close focusing distance and focal length make it a good choice for macro-type subjects, where the amount of detail is certainly good enough for those experimenting with the genre.

The amount of detail on display is pretty good for a lens of this class. Photo: Amy Davies

NIKON Z 50 · f/6.3 · 1/400s · 250mm · ISO800

Reasonably shallow depth of field effects are visible even at the 50mm end. Photo: Amy Davies

NIKON Z 50 · f/4.5 · 1/800s · 50mm · ISO100

Although the aperture range is narrow, it’s still possible to create some shallow depth-of-field effects. This can be achieved even at the 50mm f/4.5 end, but is more pronounced as you move through the focal length range. As such, it’s a reasonable option for portraits and the like – especially if you don’t want to spend big on expensive prime lenses.

Distortion doesn’t seem to be a problem here – although it’s not something we’d really expect to see on a telephoto lens like this anyway. Vignetting also doesn’t seem to show up, even at the widest apertures – again, with them not being very wide in the first place, that’s probably to be expected.

Still life shots are a good choice for this lens. Photo: Amy Davies

NIKON Z 30 · f/4.5 · 1/80s · 50mm · ISO2000

For the most part, chromatic aberration, in the form of blue or purple fringing, isn’t particularly obvious. You might see some against hard contrast edges in bright conditions if you zoom in at 100%, but it’s not something that seems to bother most images.

Overall, although is not a lens you’re going to select for superior sharpness, for a travel zoom which covers off a lot of subjects, it’s a handy addition to your kit bag.

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – Verdict

If you’ve got a Nikon DX format camera – or you’re thinking of buying one – then the 55-250mm lens is likely to be something you’re thinking about getting too.

The 50-250mm opens up a lot of subjects to Nikon DX format users, such as wildlife. Photo: Amy Davies

NIKON Z 50 · f/5.3 · 1/250s · 135mm · ISO280

It’s ideal to pair with the 16-50mm standard kit lens and extends your scope for shooting a fairly limited range of subjects by quite some way. With this, beginners especially, have good access to things like portraits, wildlife, sports, architecture, macro, events and more besides.

As a travel photography kit, it also makes a lot of sense too, being small and light enough to pack into a small bag, while giving you access to those faraway subjects you might not otherwise be able to reach.

Arguably, the 18-140mm is a more versatile travel optic, but if you want the longer reach, then this is the one to go for. You might also want to consider the 50-250mm lens as a “just in case” option, especially if you don’t shoot the kind of subjects that require a long focal length all that often.

A great value lens for your kit bag. Photo: Amy Davies

E-M10MarkIV · f/5.6 · 1/100s · 48mm · ISO500

At under $400/£400 (and in some places even cheaper), this is a good value lens to add to your kit bag if you’re looking to buy it separately. And we’d definitely argue that if you’re looking at buying the Z30 or Z50 anyway, it’s worth looking for a bundle deal that includes it – usually a double lens bundle only increases the price by about £100/$100 or so, making the lens even more of a bargain.

In an ideal world, third-party manufacturers would make some superzoom lenses for the Nikon DX format, but for now, the 50-250mm is a great value lens that is recommended for beginners and enthusiasts looking to round out their kit bag.

Related reading:

• Nikon Z50 review
• Best Nikon mirrorless cameras to buy in 2023
• Nikon Z5 review – full-frame mirrorless, for less

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The post Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR Review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

With a 100mm lens on the MFT format giving a view equivalent to 200mm on full-frame, the smaller format means telephoto lenses are effectively longer but also more portable – a clear benefit to action and wildlife photographers, at least.

The OM System’s//Olympus’ 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS lens is an optically stabilised, weather-sealed ultra-telephoto zoom

The OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS gives an equivalent view of a 200-800mm lens in the 35mm format and it weighs in at 1120g; a low weight considering its incredible telephoto power. It’s an optically stabilised ultra-telephoto zoom that joins the brand’s mid-range line-up, rather than its premium Pro series, and sells at $1500/£1169.

The OM System/Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS lens is compatible with the firm’s MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters

There’s already a highly regarded telezoom of this range for MFT cameras, in the shape of the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm /4-6.3 Asph Power OIS which sells at $1298/£1199. Given the lens’s slower maximum aperture, you’d expect a more portable alternative from OM Digital here. In fact, it’s significantly larger and heavier. It weighs in at 1120g and measures 206mm when retracted compared with the Panasonic lens at 951g and 172mm long.

However, the lens’s trump card might be its compatibility with OM System/Olympus teleconverters. Fit the MC-14 which sells at $350/£299 and it becomes a 140-560mm f/7.1-9, and with the MC-20 attached, priced at $430/£399, it’s a 200-800mm f/10-13.

With its credentials and potential, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS is an intriguing lens and a low cost option to other OM System telephotos such as the incredible $7500/£6500 M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS Pro, but is it worth buying?

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: Features

Long telezooms tend to be optically complex, and OM System has used 21 elements in 15 groups, including four Extra-low Dispersion (ED), two High Refractive Index (HR), and two Super High Refractive Index (Super HR) glass elements to prevent optical aberrations. OM System’s ZERO coating reduces flare and ghosting, and the diaphragm employs nine rounded blades to give a near-circular aperture, in a bid to provide attractive bokeh.

OM System/Olympus has equipped the 100-400mm f/5-6.3 with a 72mm filter thread

While this is OM System’s third IS lens, it is alone among the firm’s other optics in not supporting Sync IS, in which the in-lens and in-body stabilisation systems work together for maximum effect. Instead, when the lens IS is enabled, the camera’s in-body system is automatically disabled (although confusingly, still appears active on the c Quick Control Panel). With such a long telephoto, the optical stabilisation will do much of the work anyway, to mitigate this loss.

OM System has released firmware updates for select camera models (E-M1X, E-M1 Mark III, E-M1 Mark II and E-M5 Mark III), primarily to add support for focus stacking with the 100-400mm. Interestingly, they also enable rolling motion around the lens axis to be corrected by the camera’s IBIS. This is good news to videographers, but unlikely to affect stills photography so much, as roll movement only really causes blur at much slower shutter speeds than one would use hand-held with this lens. For the latest OM System firmware downloads visit this page.

The lens comes with a deep bowl-shaped plastic hood

Indeed at 800mm equivalent the optical stabilisation has to work hard to counteract the effects of camera shake, and as a result is rated to 3 stops, dropping to 2 stops with a teleconverter fitted. This might sound meagre to OM System/Olympus users accustomed to getting considerably more from their camera’s in-body IS. Bear in mind, though, that with most subjects for this lens’ use, faster shutter speeds will be maintained to prevent motion blur in any case.

The Arca Swiss profile mount will clamp directly onto many tripod heads

As usual for a large telephoto, the 100-400mm includes a sturdy metal tripod mount. It rotates freely and can be locked in any position, with index markings (but not click-stops) at every 90°. In a particularly welcome move, an Arca Swiss-type dovetail profile means it can be clamped directly onto many tripod heads, while the collar can also be removed for hand-held shooting. However, some users may prefer the Panasonic lens’s easily removable, low-profile tripod shoe.

The lens has a minimum focus distance of just 1.3m, providing a handy 0.57x equivalent magnification. This facilitates interesting close-ups of subjects that might prove skittish if approached with a shorter macro lens. Filter users will find a 72mm thread surrounding the front element, while a deep bowl-shaped plastic hood is supplied in the box.

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: Build and handling

As befits its mid-range status, the 100-400mm employs plastic rather than metal for much of its outer barrel. But it’s still perfectly nicely made, and OM System says that it’s built with the same standard of dust, splash and freeze-proofing as its Pro-series lenses, which have proven to be extremely robust.

A seal around the lens mount prevents dust and moisture from getting into the camera or lens.

Weighing in at about 1.4kg with the tripod mount and hood attached, and measuring over 20cm in length, this is one of the largest and heaviest Micro Four Thirds lenses. As a result, it feels distinctly front-heavy even on high-end Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Users of the smaller OM-D E-M10 and E-M5 bodies will find themselves supporting the lens entirely with their left hand, and will benefit significantly from using an add-on grip for their camera if possible. Even E-M1-series users will likely appreciate the extra purchase afforded by a vertical grip. To me, the smaller and lighter Panasonic version matches the Micro Four Thirds philosophy better.

Users of smaller OM-D bodies will probably benefit from using an accessory handgrip

Thankfully, the lens still handles quite well. The zoom ring rotates smoothly through 90°, with no change in resistance at any point. This is much better than the rather ‘sticky’ zoom found on its Panasonic rival when it comes to making fine adjustments. I had no problem with zoom creep, but a switch allows locking at the 100mm position anyway, with a white inlay to show its status. The front of the lens extends by approximately 6cm when zoomed to 400mm.

A trio of switches on the side of the barrel controls focusing and stabilisation

On the left side of the barrel is a conventional control panel, with a set of well-spaced switches for limiting the autofocus distance range (1.3m to 6m, 6m to infinity, or full), selecting between auto and manual focus, and turning IS on or off. Unfortunately, these switches get hidden awkwardly under the tripod foot when rotated for shooting in portrait format. The Panasonic lens works better in this regard, as its control panel is located on its rotating collar.

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: compared to Panasonic 100-400mm

Here’s a size comparison between the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 Asph OIS. You can see just how much bulkier the OM System lens is, despite its two-thirds stop slower aperture at 100mm. In its retracted position, it’s 3.4cm longer and 3.4mm larger in diameter (note this doesn’t take into account the tripod shoe).

The OM System/Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3 is much larger and heavier than the Panasonic 100-400mm f/4-6.3 on the left

The OM System/Olympus lens is also much heavier. On its own with no accessories it weighs 169g more (1120g vs 951g), but if you factor in the caps, hood and tripod mount, the difference in what you’ll actually be carrying around amounts to almost 300g (1405g vs 1114g).

The OM System lens is slightly longer than the Panasonic at 400mm

Each lens has its own pros and cons. The Panasonic has a low-profile tripod shoe that can be easily unscrewed when the lens is mounted on the camera, a zoom lock that can be engaged at any focal length, and a control panel that rotates to stay accessible when shooting on a tripod in portrait format.

It also has a shallow sliding built-in hood, with a somewhat impractical clamp-on extension. The OM System/Olympus lens has a smoother zoom ring, a conventional hood (which incidentally also fits the firm’s 40-150mm f/2.8 zoom), and will attach directly to many tripod heads thanks to its Arca Swiss-compatible mount.

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: Autofocus

In terms of autofocus, the 100-400mm behaves much as we’d expect for a modern lens. With an internal-focus design powered by a stepper motor, AF is fast, silent and accurate, especially if you’re shooting static or slow-moving subjects. The key point to appreciate is that with such a long telephoto, depth of field is extremely limited, so it’s essential to position a fine focus point exactly where you need it, to ensure the subject is properly sharp. But even this can be challenging when working hand-held at full telephoto, as the IS can struggle to stabilise the viewfinder image sufficiently.

Autofocus latches quickly onto static or slow-moving subjects. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/1000sec at f/7.1, ISO 1000

When it comes to keeping focus on moving objects, you’ll likely be limited by the capability of your camera, which varies widely between Micro Four Thirds bodies. Using the phase detection-equipped Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, I found the lens was perfectly capable of tracking focus on large, relatively predictably-moving subjects such as trains or planes, but struggled with smaller, more erratic wildlife. Here the slow maximum aperture clearly does it no favours compared to OM System’s 40-150mm f/2.8 and 300mm f/4 Pro-series telephotos. On the older, contrast detection-based E-M5 Mark II, I found it was only able to keep up with relatively slow-moving subjects, and the first frame in a burst was almost invariably out of focus.

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: Performance

Assessing the OM System 100-400mm for image quality can be a difficult task, because its performance is so intimately tied to the fact that long telezooms are most likely to be used outdoors to shoot moving subjects, such as wildlife, sports, or vehicles. This generally requires fast shutter speeds to combat motion blur, which coupled with the relatively small maximum aperture, means that you’ll often need to use high ISOs, even in bright sunlight.

In good light, the lens is capable of delivering fine images even at its closest focus distance. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/2000sec at f/6.3, ISO 1000

Lock the lens down on a tripod and point it at a brick wall using a low ISO, and you’ll find it’s capable of delivering impressively sharp images wide open. As tends to be the case with telezooms, it’s slightly weaker at 400mm than at 100mm, particularly towards the corners of the frame, where it benefits from being stopped down to f/8. Like all Micro Four Thirds lenses, pixel-level sharpness visibly deteriorates if you set the aperture much smaller than this, due to the inevitable onset of diffraction.

It’s wise not to stop down too far beyond f/8. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 100-400mm at 138mm, 1/640sec at f/8, ISO 200

Under controlled indoor tests I found the optical stabilisation worked pretty well, giving a good percentage of usable images at 1/25sec at 100mm, or 1/100sec at 400mm. This matches OM System’s claimed 3 stops, and wasn’t any better or worse than its Panasonic rival. But shooting outdoors can be a different proposition, particularly on a windy day that’s buffeting your lens as well as your subject. At full zoom, I often observed the IS really struggling to stabilise the viewfinder image.

Given a suitable subject, the image stabilisation works well. Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/320sec at f/8, ISO 2500

Once you start shooting real-world subjects, you’ll rapidly find that with its small aperture and demand for fast shutter speeds, this is an incredibly light-hungry lens. Even in bright sunlight, you’ll generally need to boost the ISO a couple of stops. When light levels drop lower, for example at dawn or dusk or on a cloudy day, you’ll quickly find yourself the wrong side of ISO 3200. This really isn’t Micro Four Thirds’ comfort zone, with noise and noise reduction robbing images of detail.

At high ISO settings you’ll see little fine detail, due to the effects of noise. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/1000sec at f/8, ISO 12,800

When everything comes together, though, the lens is capable of delivering excellent results. This is particularly so in good light and at relatively close range, where you can fill the frame with a subject without cropping, and aren’t affected by atmospheric distortion. So it’s great for subjects such as garden birds, or as a pseudo-macro for shooting insects.

Atmospheric effects will reduce the sharpness and contrast of images shot over long distances. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/1000sec at f/7.1, ISO 200

But I was less happy with the images I got in even moderately low light, where the requirement for very high ISOs means that it’s difficult to capture much fine detail. How much this will matter to you depends on how you assess your files: if you demand sharp, noise-free results at 100% onscreen, forget about it. But if you regard an image as a whole instead of pixel peeping, you might well be happier.

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: Use with teleconverters

Potentially one of the OM System’s/Olympus’ 100-400mm’s biggest selling points is its compatibility with the firm’s MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters. These bring extraordinary telephoto reach, equivalent to 1100mm and 1600mm at full telephoto, respectively.

With the MC-20 2x converter attached, the lens becomes a 400-1600mm equivalent f/10-13 zoom

The catch lies with the very small apertures: f/7.1-9 with the MC-14, and f/10-13 with the MC-20. But this doesn’t come with the same operational limitations that you’d get with DSLRs: the viewfinder image remains bright and clear, and autofocus still works remarkably well. In general, you’ll run out of sufficient light to get a decent image long before the AF fails.

Instead, the key question is whether you can actually get any more detail using a teleconverter, compared to simply cropping and enlarging an image taken using the lens alone. The problem lies with diffraction: optical calculations suggest that theoretically, all you’re really doing is magnifying the Airy blur disc. At which point you’re just making life harder for yourself, for no clear gain.

The lens works quite well with the MC-14 teleconverter. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 560mm, 1/1250sec at f/11, ISO 3200

In practice it’s possible to get quite credible results with the MC-14, as long as you keep the aperture wide open and shoot in bright sunlight. However it’s pretty much essential to use a monopod to steady the lens, and preferably a tripod. But as predicted, close examination of the images reveals little in the way of really fine detail.

Images shot with the 2x teleconverter show little fine detail. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 800mm, 1/1250sec at f/13, ISO 3200

Switching to the MC-20 is definitely a step too far. It does provide ludicrous reach, and at full zoom you can almost fill the frame with the moon. But the lens becomes extremely difficult to handle, and the tiny aperture means there’s precious little fine detail to be seen. As it turns out, ye cannae change the laws of physics.

OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS: Verdict

The OM System/Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 is a ultra-telephoto zoom that handles quite well although there are some niggling points. For example, the lens’ various switches are more awkward to get at when shooting in the portrait format.

OM System’s/Olympus’ 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS is one of the larger lenses made for Micro Four Thirds

The OM System/Olympus lens also compares less favourably when compared with its direct rival, the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm /4-6.3 Asph Power OIS. It’s two-thirds of an f/stop slower than its rival at 100mm, it is considerably larger and heavier and lacks some useful features found on the Panasonic. However, both telephotos make our elite selection of the Best Zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/1000sec at f/6.3, ISO 4000

On the upside, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 can produce really attractive results, especially in bright sunlight. Its usability with the MC-14 teleconverter wIll prove alluring to some buyers. With this accessory the lens becomes a 140-560mm f/7.1-9 which equates in the 35mm format to a very powerful 280-1120mm zoom. Overall, this is a capable lens, although its bulk is a negative when the strength of the Micro Four Thirds format is portability.

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