Need more focal length in your life? Well then feast your eyes on the monster of a lens from Olympus. The brand has just pulled the covers off the M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO, which is a super telephoto zoom for Micro Four-Thirds cameras.
What’s really special about this lens is that it features a built-in 1.25x extender that photographers can activate by flicking a switch on the side of the lens. Because of the 2x crop on Micro Four-Thirds cameras, with the extender activated this gives the lens a 35mm effective focal length of 300-1000mm.
Pair this lens with Olmypus’ M.Zuiko Digital 2x Teleconverter MC-20 and that focal length doubles up to 2000mm so it’s no surprise that the release of this lens has got wildlife photographers in particular excited about what sort of images can be captured with such a long focal length.
Also inside the lens you’ll find a 5-axis sync IS, which affords the photographer a massive 8-stops of compensation to help prevent shake entering your frames, which is particularly useful when shooting at long focal lengths. The lens also features a close minimum focusing distance of 1.3m throughout the entire focal range, enabling photographers to fill the frame with smaller subjects, increasing the versatility of the lens.
Despite offering such a huge focal length, the 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO is actually a fairly compact lens, tipping the scales at just 1.8kg and measuring just 31cm in length. Pair this with one of Olympus’ tiny cameras like the E-M1 Mark III and you’ve got a lightweight set-up that’ll give you mega-long focal length.
Other features in the 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO include a heat-resistant coating, which Olympus explains reflects the infrared rays of sunlight for stable temperatures inside, along with a rubber lens end cover designed to prevent scratches on the front lens.
Built around 28 elements in 18 groups design, which includes a newly-developed large-diameter Extra-low Dispersion Aspherical lens and four Super Extra-low Dispersion lenses. The lens also features Olympus’ Z Coating Nano technology to further improve image quality.
The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO is a pro-level spec lens and as such carries a serious price-tag of £6,499 and the lens will be available from the end of January.
