Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 R Zoom Lens, for Micro Four Thirds Cameras (Black)

Others have said it more eloquently than I could, but I want to reiterate that this lens is completely amazing. The super-telephoto reach lets you grab those far off shots that would normally be missed, and its also great for nature/flower photography. The slow aperture is not a big deal when shooting outdoors in decent light. The only negative is that the focusing is slow and with AF it can miss focus a lot, but I cant fault the lens for that when it costs $100!! Ill just let some recent photos I took speak for themselves. (Camera used: Olympus EM5 Mark II)

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The M Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 is everything the most reputable on-line reviewers say it is: a very light and small medium-length zoom with a remarkable performance for an incredible price. The lens is made of plastic but handling it gives a sense of a fine construction with tight tolerances and no looseness. Both rings operate quite smoothly and there is no zoom creep. Focusing on the EM5II is silent, quick, and assertive even indoors (with static subjects). I tested it for optical performance with a very detailed subject - one of my wifes jewelry creations - all open and closed down 1 and 2 stops at 40mm, 70mm and 150mm. I processed the Raw files in PS CS6 applying my typical white point, clarity and sharpening to all. The results are very statisfying. In conclusion, this is a budget lens that is definitively worth considering for its unique price/quality point. I will add a couple of lines of comments as soon as I take the lens out to photograph birds in action. A word of caution about this and other telephoto lenses negative reviews. The use of a 300mm lens is already demanding in terms of technique. Image stabilization takes only care of camera shake but moving subjects require very short exposures to avoid blur. If the writer does not specify if they are shooting Raw or jpegs there is little value in their conclusions. Additionally, you dont know if they know how to properly process the Raw files and/or whats the setting for in-camera sharpening in jpeg. Lastly, many people shoot on a tripod without turning off image stabilization (a must). 11/16/16 addendum: I am replacing the older pictures with new ones of Echo Bay in New Rochelle, NY, just before and with the latest super moon. All pics are from Raw files developed in PS 6 with the same treatment. Pic 1: 40mm (80mm eq), f/16, 1/320sec, ISO 800 Pic 2: 70 (140)mm, f/16, 1/32sec, ISO800, tripod Pic 3: 62 (124)mm, f/16, 1/6sec, ISO800, tripod

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Light kit zoom that gives fairly good images. Equivalent to an 80 - 300mm on a standard 35mm/full-frame. Pros: Relatively inexpensive ($99), smooth focus and zoom controls. Fast focus on bright scenes. Good contrast and color rendition. Sharp enough for many applications with reasonable bokeh at low F. The more I use it the more I am happily surprised with the images. Overall I think the optics are first rate for a lens in this price range. Lightweight. Cons: Most of these are expected - slow or no focus in low contrast/dark shots. While < 80mm gave rapid focus (< 0.25 sec) focus was slow and often got confused at max focal lengths. The entire assembly is plastic - at the very least I would have expected the MFT mount that mates with the camera to be metal. This was probably the most disappointing feature for me as I question how many times the lens can be mounted /dismounted before something breaks. Finally, why is the filter ring 58mm (e.g. expensive) while the front optic is only 34mm? Other things to be aware of: At 150mm the lens physically extends out to about twice the length of the 40mm setting, so with the lens hood on this lens is huge (I am used to small primes) - it is light but your camera will not be "compact" with this lens on it. Comments for future improvements: I hope Oly is listening :). This would be an extremely good lens as a straight F4 (maybe 40-120mm F4). Would be REALLY REALLY nice if it were in a metal body - or at the very least, a metal baseplate/mount (weather sealed would be even better). Finally if the filter ring could be made smaller it would keep costs low. Perhaps an RII for a little more $ will include these improvements? All photos below shot with lens in mostly in full zoom (150mm) on Oly EPL7 body. Note transformer shot is a 2x crop of an image to show detail of lens from center to edge.

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For a hundred bucks, you cant go wrong with this lens! Second to the standard 14-42 mm lens this is probably one of the most versatile lenses you can get for your camera. It lets you get close up on action and wildlife. Im using my lens with an Olympus E-PL5 and my pictures are with no filters or attachments. It does a great job with high speed sporting photography and it is even pretty decent at closeup macro photography. Update: I used this lens to capture the 2017 Total solar Eclipse. I was able to capture solar flares during totality. Im really impressed with this lens for the price.

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Cheap, very light weight, and a perfect travel lens if you dont tend to shoot long but want something longer in your travel bag. I use the old Olympus 50-200mm lens which is just a fantastic lens and one of my all time favorites. However it is a big and heavy lens. So when out family takes a vacation and I want to have a longer focal length lens on hand, this 40-150mm does the job just fine with little added weight to my gear and still offering high image quality. I normally shoot wider angle so I dont need a long focal length much while traveling, but I can carry this one along without feeling I am dragging along a brick in my backpack, which is important when walking a city all day long. Would recommend to anyone who wants a good quality image at longer focal lengths and especially for your travel bag.

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Alright, how do I say this? This lens is a Five-Star item, but only if you get it on sale for $99. Its all plastic, has a zoom that is not very smooth, and one copy I tested made a little bit of a rattle. The lens also does not have the special optical coatings that its more expensive "brothers," one of which runs more than four times the price (see it at Olympus 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II Lens for Micro Four Thirds Cameras (Black) ), and the other, the Olympus Zuiko edition (which runs at over ten times the price: see it Olympus M.ZUIKO 40-150mm f/2.8 Interchangeable PRO Lens for Olympus/Panasonic Micro 4/3 Cameras ) and has a simpler lens element construction than either of those more expensive lenses. But if you can deal with all that, it is a remarkably sharp lens, and can actually turn out some very nice photos. To boot, it is so light that you almost dont notice it is on the camera. Its truly a remarkable deal, particularly when on sale. It yields a pretty sharp image at most all lengths, and the colors are punchy but optically neutral. Its in some ways the perfect travel lens due to its long zoom and very light weight. But you just have to accept that this lens is just not going to feel like one of the "Pro" Olympus lenses because of its plastic build. But I must say that I was really surprised at the quality of the images, which are certainly not class-leading, but are actually quite good, very sharp, and respond well to post-processing. When you add its very light weight and very inexpensive price, it really is a great choice. So, this is a matter of understanding what you are getting. If you want a top-of-the-line lens, go for the 12-100mm Pro Olympus lens, which has a very different feel and much more sophisticated optics, and will cost about $1,300. But if you are looking for an inexpensive, light lens that does duty for short trips, impromptu shots, etc., that is sharp and yields photos perhaps about 70-80% of the level of the most expensive lenses, this is the one. Its, without doubt, an overperformer that punches way beyond its weight (no pun intended). And when you feel that non-smooth zoom mechanism, just remind yourself youre getting great shots for almost free. Five Stars.

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Got it during a holiday sale for 99 bucks....definitely a great decision, this lens punches way above that price point. I also have the Olympus 12-40mm PRO lens, and while that gives obviously superior images (I tested the same shot with both at 40mm), the gap isnt nearly as big as the price difference might indicate. Yes, this doesnt open particularly wide, so its not suited to indoor or dimly lit shots... but if you just want a cheap, compact telephoto, I cant think of anything better. One final note: even though its entirely plastic, the build quality feels surprisingly solid.

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Feels a cheap because its made of plastic and im afraid of it breaking so easily.. standard lens hood doesnt fit on it which is a shame. Takes beautiful photos, though it can be tough with a Panasonic body and an Olympus lens because Panasonic has OIS built into the lens and Olympus has it built into the body.. which means no OIS for this lens on a Panasonic body. Still, it can take nice photos if you mind the shake or use a tripod.

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I am so glad that I picked up this camera lens for my Olympus camera. I enjoy hiking on the weekends and taking pictures of the places I go. This is perfect for that, I can easily pick between lenses because this one as well as the regular one I have are so light. It doesnt weigh you down which is great when hiking. The lens itself works great. I like the quality of the pictures I take with it and how I can get closer than I would normally get to things. It would also be great for wildlife photography when you dont want to risk spooking the animal by getting close. For the price it is well worth it.

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So, what can you expect out of a 40-150mm zoom on a micro 4/3 system, which can be had for $120 or less on a regular basis? Frankly, more than you might expect. Lets get the bad over with. This thing is chintzy. It is all plastic. It feels like a toy in hand. No compromises were made in the price of this lens. Every expense was spared. The build of this lens is, at best, as bad as the worst kit lens I have used in the last decade. That isnt to say it feels bad. It doesnt. But youre not going to mistake it for a well built lens once youve actually used one. And you know what? Thats fine. I dont think this lens is great for the normal price. But at the sale price? You cant not buy it, even if you have a nicer setup. Why is that? This thing is absolutely, positively, miniscule. It will fit in many pockets. It barely weighs more than a pancake lens. It isnt any longer when retracted than many little kit lenses, so it can fit in very shallow spaces. I use an Olympus PEN alongside my big Canon system, and particularly with prime lenses, it can compare very well to my 6D and 24-105L. If I only bring the Pen with me, I never feel bad about it like I did when I used to use a P&S as a secondary lightweight camera. The 40-150 isnt good enough to hold the mantle of "Well, this is damn near as good as my big kit!". Its not even as good as the first generation Canon 55-250mm IS... but its close enough to that that the size and price make up for everything - it makes the Canon 55-250mm look like a monster in comparison. If you need some reach on an m4/3 camera, but also desire the smallest possible kit - this lens is a fantastic little compromise in a tiny, inexpensive package. It wont wow you if youre used to shooting bigger lenses, but if you want something that you can take anywhere, arent too fussy about the results, and, if you can get close enough, will get some genuinely good looking shots. Some people freak out a little bit when you point a "small" telephoto lens - my 70-200 f4L is a relatively compact telephoto lens for a full frame system, and it will literally scare some people away from the camera because they think I am filling the whole picture with a pimple. While a quick look through the lens can quell that fear, this little lens will scare nobody. In short, this is a fun little lens. Image quality isnt great on an absolute scale, but its good enough for casual use, and will surprise you from time to time. But it is so tiny and so inexpensive that theres literally nothing like it out there at all with this sort of range. Pick this lens up. Shove it somewhere when youre bringing your camera around, and you might just find a shot with it that you would have never had otherwise. After all, if the best camera is the one you have with you, shouldnt that apply to lenses too?

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