Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 Review

April 19, 2011 | Zoltan Arva-Toth | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Conclusion

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 is a tiny, lightweight and attractively priced telezoom lens that delivers a much better optical performance than its all-plastic exterior and wallet-friendly price tag would suggest. In fact it is entirely usable wide open, as evidenced in our sample shots - which is a good thing given that its maximum aperture isn't all that bright. If you are really picky about sharpness, you might want to stop it down a notch but for most applications, its wide-open performance is entirely adequate. Add to this the almost entire lack of chromatic aberrations and geometric distortions, plus the really fast and quiet Spot AF, and you have very little reason to complain. The only cause for concern is a bit of corner shading wide open, but this can be addressed in post-processing, if you think it adversely affects your photos.

Panasonic users will also want to take note that there is no in-lens stabilisation, and this can lead to blurred photos at the long end of the zoom range if light levels are low for a fast shutter speed. Olympus owners will have less of a problem with this, as all the digital PENs offer in-body IS. For a price of about £250 / $300, you can't really go wrong with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 lens, which complements any of the Micro Four Thirds standard zooms very nicely.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 3.5
Features 3
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 4.5