Olympus Om 200mm F4 Review

1. Olympus Om Zuiko Mc Auto-t 200mm F4 Review

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Lab Test Results

• Blur

• Chromatic Aberration

• Vignetting

• Geometric Distortion

Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro Review

by William Brawley
Posted: April 3, 2017
Updates:
11/16/2016: First Impressions
08/18/2017: Photo Essay with E-M1 Mark II

Introduced back in September 2016 alongside the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Olympus unveiled one of the newest members of their Zuiko Pro family of professional-grade lenses, the 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro. This extremely versatile zoom lens trades the brighter f/2.8 aperture of its shorter cousins, the 12-40mm f/2.8 and 40-150mm f/2.8, for a constant f/4 design in an easy-to-carry, all-in-one solution spanning a 24-200mm equivalent focal length range, and with built-in optical image stabilization to boot.

Olympus has been on a serious tear recently, releasing a number of highly-praised lenses, especially with regards to their growing Zuiko Pro series. In fact, most of the Zuiko Pro lenses have earned some kind of award in all of our recent Camera of the Year Awards dating back to 2013.

As you may already know, we published a Hands-On Look at this lens back in November 2016. Based on this real-world test, as well as putting a copy of the lens to use during our Olympus E-M1 Mark II Field Test, we had very high hopes once this lens hit our testing lab.

So, does the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro hit the high marks alongside their other Zuiko Pro lenses? Read on to find out…

If you had any concerns that this all-in-one 24-200mm eq. zoom lens would need to sacrifice sharpness for versatility, worry not; the Olympus 12-100mm lens is extremely sharp. Even wide-open and at all focal lengths, the Olympus 12-100 offers fantastic sharpness across the entire frame. In our testing, we saw very little variation in sharpness at the center compared to the corners. Stopping down does little to increase sharpness, as the lens is pretty much as sharp as it can get wide open.

That being said, we do see a subtle decrease in measurable sharpness out at 100mm, with a very slight softness in the corners at f/4. Stopping down to f/5.6 will sharpen the corners back up, though. Overall, 100mm is not significantly softer than the other tested focal lengths by any means, though; just very minor corner softness.

As with most lenses, we do see some diffraction-related softness creep in as you stop down to the narrower apertures. In the case of the Olympus 12-100mm, we start to measure a drop in sharpness around the time you get to f/11, though the dip in sharpness is still quite minor. The softness is more noticeable once you get past that point, mainly between f/16-f/22.

As we saw with the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro, the amount of chromatic aberration varied slightly depending on the focal length. As before, CA is generally very well-controlled though. Between 12-25mm, the average CA stays essentially constant throughout the aperture range, hovering around 300ths of a percent of frame height. Between 35-70mm, we see a similar amount of CA at f/4, but stopping down a bit will decrease the average CA slightly. At 100mm, CA is very, very low and remains consistently minimal throughout the aperture range.

Vignetting is quite minimal, though present to some degree at all focal lengths. For most focal lengths, except 12mm and 100mm, vignetting is extremely low -- under 0.25EVs -- throughout the lens' entire aperture range. At 50-70mm, we measured a slight increase in vignetting wide-open, but nothing serious. At 100mm, though, we see a bit more vignetting at f/4, but, again, to a minor degree overall and still well under 0.5EVs of light fall-off; stopping down to f/5.6 and beyond, vignetting at 100mm falls in-line with shorter focal lengths at under 0.25EVs.

The one outlier is 12mm. Given the wide-angle focal length, it's not totally unexpected to see some vignetting. The 12-100mm displays a bit over 0.5EVs of light fall-off at f/4, which then gradually decreases in strength as you stop down towards f/11. Past f/11, we measured a slight increase in vignetting towards f/16, but then another dip down at f/22. Throughout the entire aperture range, 12mm displays more vignetting overall compared to the other focal lengths.

The Olympus 12-100mm lens is quite good at controlling distortion, especially around 18mm and longer. The corners at 12mm, on the other hand, display the strongest barrel distortion, though not a severe degree by any means; it still averages under +0.5%. Once zoomed to 18mm and longer, the distortion level is rather negligible on average, hovering right around the zero mark from 18-35mm. Past that, there's an ever-so-slight increase in average barrel distortion. However, at the extremes, 25-100mm display a bit of pincushion distortion, but again, to a fairly minor amount; well under -0.5%.

The Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro offers very fast autofocus, both with Olympus' contrast-detect cameras and with hybrid PDAF models like the new E-M1 Mark II. The electrical AF system is super-quick, taking well under a second to rack from minimum to infinity focus. In the field, autofocus feels nearly instantaneous, at both wide angle and full telephoto.

Like most recent Olympus lenses, the new 12-100mm features Olympus' MSC ('Movie & Still Compatible') focusing system, for full-time AF in both stills and video that's also quiet so as not to introduce focusing noises in video recordings. The MSC system does away with a geared system for moving the lens elements when focusing, which can cause unwanted noise. Instead, it uses a linear motor drive system for fast actuation. Coupled with a lens configuration where only two cemented lens elements are moved to adjust focus, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro focuses quickly, smoothly and very quietly.

Manual focusing is also available with this lens, both as full manual focus as well as full-time manual focus override while AF is enabled. When using Olympus cameras, you can set the camera to 'S-AF+MF,' and while half-pressing the shutter button and achieving AF, you can then rotate the focus ring and make manual focus adjustments. This also works with Panasonic cameras as well, when 'AF+MF' is enabled.

For full-time manual focusing, the 12-100 has Olympus' characteristic focusing 'clutch,' whereby you slide the focus ring back to disable AF (and displays focus markings). It's a rather handy feature, but one that can throw you off-guard if you're not aware of it. The ring can be easily bumped and slid back to the MF position accidentally. You can disable the MF clutch mechanism altogether electronically using certain compatible Olympus OM-D cameras, at which point the clutch switch is disabled regardless of its position, leaving the lens in AF mode (MF can then still be enabled, just via the menu or Super Control Panel on the camera).

Though not designed for true 1:1 macro photography, the Olympus 12-100mm provides quite impressive close-focusing capabilities, with a minimum focusing distance of just 0.15m (0.49 ft) and a maximum shooting magnification of 0.6x (35mm equivalent) at 12mm. At the telephoto end, it offers up to 0.42x eq. magnification with a close-focusing distance of 0.45 m (1.48 ft).

The 12-100mm is the second Zuiko Pro lens to offer built-in optical image stabilization after the 300mm f/4 IS Pro. By itself, the 12-100mm offers a claimed 5-stops of stabilization, however, when paired with the E-M1 Mark II, this 'Sync I.S.' system is said to offer a whopping 6.5 stops of correction.

In our lab testing, the image stabilization of the 12-100mm displayed excellent performance at full telephoto, with an impressive increase in the keeper-rate with Sync I.S. using the E-M1 Mark II.

At 12mm, given the shorter focal length, I.S. is not as necessary, but the 12-100mm still offers great stabilization. Our lens technician Rob has quite the steady hand to begin with and, as you can see from our 12mm graph below, he only managed about a 40-50% keeper rate of 'Good' or 'Acceptable' shots with I.S. off at 1/4s exposure time. However, with I.S. enabled, that shutter speed's keeper rate jumped up to 90%. He even managed a 30-40% 'Good' or 'Acceptable' keeper rate down to a full 1-second shutter speed!

Olympus Om Zuiko Mc Auto-t 200mm F4 Review

More impressively, at 100mm, the 12-100mm displays fantastic stabilization performance. As you can see in the following graph, Rob managed a mere 10% keeper rate for 'Acceptable' shots at 1/15s with stabilization disabled, which is an extremely slow shutter speed to be using at 100mm (200mm eq.). With Sync I.S. enabled, however, Rob not only managed a 100% keeper rate at 1/15s, but also 100% all the way down to 1/4s. The lens also managed to hit a 30% 'Good' keeper rate at 1-second!

IS systems tend to provide more benefit to less-stable shooters than very steady ones, so most users will see the same or greater amounts of shake reduction as we measured here. You can read more about our IS test methodology here: SLRgear IS Test Methodology, v2.

As with other Zuiko Pro lenses, the new Olympus 12-100mm lens is built to very high standards, with the same sleek, black metal construction and robust weather sealing. Like its other Pro siblings, the 12-100mm is fully splashproof, dustproof and freezeproof down 14°F (-10°C). It's not fully submersible in water, however.

Size-wise, the 12-100mm is surprisingly compact and lightweight for all the versatility it offers. At about 5 inches long and 3 inches in diameter, it's a bit larger and thicker than the 12-40mm f/2.8, but not nearly as long as the 40-150mm f/2.8. In the hand, the lens definitely has a nice, solid heft to it, but it's not overly bulky, making it easy to carry around all day.

Mounting it to an OM-D camera, like the E-M1 II with its DSLR-like handgrip, the 12-100mm balances really well, both at 12mm and when zoomed to 100mm, since the lens extends by about two inches at full telephoto. On smaller or thinner bodies, such as the E-M5 Mark II, as our field tester Jeremy Gray noted, the lens can feel a bit front-heavy, though not excessively so.

The front element does not extend nor does it rotate during focusing (or zooming), making accessories such as circular polarizers easy to use with this lens. For screw-on filters, the Olympus 12-100mm has 72mm threads. The petal-shaped lens hood locks onto the front of the lens, bayonet-style and adds only about an inch of extra length and a bit of extra width. The hood moves with the barrel as it extends during zooming.

Regarding the physical details, the Olympus 12-100, unsurprisingly, shares many similarities with other Zuiko Pro zoom lenses. The centrally placed zoom ring is about a full inch wide with metal ribbing for an easy grip. It rotates very smoothly yet has a nice resistance to it, which is stiff enough that it definitely takes two fingers to rotate. The plus side is that the zoom action is firm enough that lens creep shouldn't be an issue.

Out beyond the zoom ring sits the thinner focusing ring with its pull-back clutch design. Pulling the focusing ring back towards you engages manual focus and reveals a focusing distance scale. Like other Zuiko MFT lenses, the focusing system is electronically controlled, with no mechanical linkage between the focus ring and the focusing elements. As such, while in AF position, the focusing ring on 12-100mm rotates freely without stops. However, when in the MF position, there are hard stops slightly beyond minimum and infinity focus distances.

In terms of its optical construction, the Olympus 12-100mm is comprised of 17 elements in 11 groups, including 1 Dual-Sided Aspherical, 3 aspherical, 5 ED lenses, 1 High-Refractive Index element and 2 Super High-Refractive Index elements. The lens also incorporates 'Z Coating Nano,' Olympus' advanced nano-particle lens coating technology that helps reduce ghosting and flare.

Like other Zuiko Pro lenses, the 12-100mm offers a programmable 'L-Fn' button near the lens mount on the left side. This Lens Function button can be configured using compatible Olympus cameras to set various options -- and options not even related to the lens itself. You can program it to toggle adjustments such as white balance or RAW, but it can also be set as an AF-stop button. The placement is convenient as it's right near or under your thumb when using the proper camera holding technique to support the lens in your hand. (Note: The L-Fn button won't function with Panasonic cameras, although you can mount this lens to those cameras.)

Above the L-Fn button, the 12-100mm also includes an On/Off switch for Image Stabilization.

Alternatives

So far, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro is a one-of-a-kind lens for Micro Four Thirds shooters, as there's no other lens yet that offers the same combination of features and focal length versatility. The most appropriate alternative would be the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro. This slightly smaller and less expensive (MSRP $1000; street price ~$899) zoom lens offers a similar level of optical performance with excellent sharpness, yet is not as versatile with only a 24-80mm-equivalent focal length range. It also does not offer optical image stabilization, however with Olympus cameras offering sensor-shift I.S., this is less of an issue. What you do gain, however, is a constant f/2.8 aperture. So, if you find yourself needing better low-light shooting capabilities, the 12-40mm f/2.8 might be a better option.

Another alternative, for those not really needing wide-angle focal lengths, would be the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens. Like with the 12-40mm f/2.8, you trade-off some versatility and that 'all-in-one' factor compared to the 12-100mm, but you add some extra telephoto reach as well as the extra light-gathering performance and subject isolation with an f/2.8 aperture. And again, no optical I.S. in the 40-150mm.

If you don't mind hopping the aisle over to Panasonic, they too have their 'f/2.8 pair' of zooms, the 12-35mm f/2.8 O.I.S. and 35-100mm f/2.8 O.I.S, and both lenses come in at relatively similar price points compared to their Olympus counterparts. As before, you gain f/2.8 apertures for better low-light shooting, but you lose the single-lens convenience of the 12-100mm f/4 while covering the same 12-100mm range.

Olympus continues to crank out stunning lenses. The 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro is yet another remarkable lens for their professional line of lenses. The Olympus Zuiko Pro family now has a smattering of primes as well as a trio of f/2.8 zooms, but now the 12-100mm squeezes into the lineup, aiming at those MFT photographers wanting 'Pro' image quality, build quality and performance, but in an all-in-one package.

Optically, the 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro is excellent, with tack-sharp images across its entire zoom range, even wide-open -- that's a really tough feat, and often a point of compromise for other long-zoom interchangeable lenses of the 'travel zoom' category. Other optical qualities are also top-notch, and the rugged build quality is classic 'Zuiko Pro.' At around $1,300, however, the 12-100mm f/4 is a bit on the pricey side.

If you're shooting with the Micro Four Thirds system and want a top-notch single lens setup, perhaps for traveling, hiking, or just keeping your camera bag's weight at a minimum, the 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro is that lens. Its versatility and quality make it a winner for pretty much whatever you want to throw at it.

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GALLERY IMAGES

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Product Photos

Sample Photos

The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.

As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and ƒ/8. For the 'VFA' target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.

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Shooting with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro

This versatile zoom lens is excellent across the board

by Jeremy Gray Posted 11/16/2016

The Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro lens is a brand-new wide-to-telephoto zoom lens that offers a 35mm equivalent focal length of 24-200mm, which is a very versatile and useful range. Additionally, the 12-100mm achieves this flexibility while maintaining a constant f/4 aperture. For right around US$1,300, you get a very sharp, reliable, weather-sealed lens.

When I first picked up the 12-100mm f/4 lens, it was immediately evident that I was using a pro-level lens. It has excellent build quality, including hermetic sealing in a dozen locations. The dust-proof, splash-proof and freeze-proof lens has a metal construction that felt solid in my hands.

Regarding the zoom ring, I found it to have a good amount of resistance. You won't accidentally move it, but it doesn't take excessive effort to rotate either. You can go from 12mm to 100mm in less than a one-quarter turn and the ring is marked at 12, 18, 25, 35, 50, 70 and 100mm focal lengths. The focal lengths are marked in white on silver, which can be somewhat difficult to see in certain lighting conditions due to reflections.

The focus ring, which is near the end of the lens barrel, rotates very smoothly. There's a focus scale visible when you pull the ring toward the camera body, putting the lens into manual focus mode. Additionally, the focus ring has built-in stops when the manual focus clutch is pulled, whereas you can rotate it indefinitely when it is in its AF-mode position.

I tested the 19.8-ounce (561 grams) optic on the E-M5 Mark II camera body, and the lens felt a bit front-heavy in that combination. It wasn't bad, but this is not a particularly small lens. However, given its focal length and aperture, it is pretty lightweight. The lens is 4.59 x 3.05 inches (116.5 x 77.5 millimeters) and has a 72mm filter thread. For filter users, the front element doesn't rotate as you change focal length, which is great. Speaking of focal length and the lens, however, it does gain about an inch and a half of total length when extended from 12mm to 100mm.

Despite being somewhat compact for its optical and physical qualities, the 12-100mm f/4 has built-in image stabilization which provides up to 5 stops of correction on its own. However, when paired with the new E-M1 Mark II's 5-axis sync image stabilization, the lens+camera combo can provide up to an impressive 6.5 stops of correction. In my experience using the optic with the E-M5 Mark II, image stabilization worked well, even when at the telephoto end of the focal length range.

Overall, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro lens has excellent physical characteristics, features and handling. The lens’ construction is robust, weather-sealed and comfortable in the hands.

The optical formula for the 12-100mm lens is quite impressive. It features 17 elements in 11 groups, including: one dual-sided aspherical, three aspherical, five ED, one HR and 2 Super HR elements. It also includes Z Coating Nano. Tthis is a sharp lens across the board based on my real-world experience.

Even at its telephoto limit of 100mm (200mm equivalent), the Olympus 12-100mm performs very well. Sometimes the performance of zoom lenses falls off quite dramatically at either extreme, but that's not the case with the Olympus 12-100mm, at least not to my eye. The same story holds true at 12mm, where the Olympus performs well. There is a slight issue with vignetting, particularly at 12mm, however, which can be partially sorted out by stopping the lens down to around f/8. At 100mm, light falloff is a minor issue as well; similarly, it is reduced by stopping down.

I had no issues with lens flare with the 12-100mm f/4 at any focal length, which I found very impressive. Although in high-contrast scenes, such as backlit scenes, there was evidence of aberrations, particularly when shooting wide open. The issue was more noticeable at the wider end of the lens, and at the telephoto end there was chromatic aberration as well. It wasn't extreme nor was it difficult to correct during post-processing. In fact, JPEG images didn't display the issue much at all with default camera settings.

In real-world use, the 12-100mm f/4 proved to be as versatile as it is optically impressive. The ability to cover the 24-200mm equivalent focal length range with a constant aperture is very useful. Not only that, but to do so with a lens that is reasonably compact and lightweight makes me believe that the 12-100mm f/4 Pro optic could be an excellent lens for travel photographers who demand the best in image quality.

Although not a macro lens, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 can focus quite closely. At 12mm, the lens can focus as closely as 0.49 feet (15 centimeters), which is a 35mm-equivalent magnification of 0.6x. At the telephoto end of the lens, it can still offer up to 0.42x eq. magnification, which isn't bad.

I didn't discuss the lens' function button in the physical characteristics section, but it's a pretty neat feature that has some good programmable options. You can customize the button to use focus peaking, AF Stop and Magnify. The button is located in a convenient place on the lens barrel, although it does have a somewhat odd feel to it that I didn't particularly like. The button action is quite squishy and imprecise, and doesn't depress well from many angles. Also, at times, you feel like you've pressed it in enough to trigger it, but then it doesn't and you have to press it even further.

Bokeh is a very subjective quality of a lens. What one person thinks is good bokeh, another photographer may consider to be bad for any number of reasons. With that said, in my opinion, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 produces pleasing bokeh and renders the background quite well. It isn't going to create the silky smooth backgrounds of a faster and/or longer lens, but provided you can create some distance between your subject and the background, it can do some impressive work at 100mm. Out of focus areas are rendered into quite pleasing circles despite the lens having only seven diaphragm blades.

Autofocus performance depends on the camera as well as the lens, but when shooting the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 with the E-M5 Mark II body, it offered fast, dependable autofocus performance. Beyond being speedy, it's also quiet, which is always nice.

As I discussed above, focus sounds are basically nonexistent with the 12-100mm lens. Additionally, when shooting video, you can zoom the lens without too much distracting noise being picked up by the microphone. If you'd like to manually focus, the focus ring is quite smooth and works well. This strikes me as a solid option for shooting video on your Micro Four Thirds camera, especially considering its image stabilization, which makes it easy to use handheld.

• Excellent build-quality: Weather-resistant, great rings, feels good in the hands
• Very good optical quality across the board
• Surprisingly good macro capabilities
• Versatile focal length range

• A bit heavy when mounted on smaller camera bodies
• Lens function button has a strange feel when pressed
• Focus ring clutch is easy to accidentally pull

Overall, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro lens is a very good option for a wide array of shooting situations. This is the travel zoom that Micro Four Thirds shooters have been waiting for. Its 24-200mm equivalent focal length range and constant f/4 aperture make it well-suited for landscapes, portraits and much more. If you're patient and lucky, it can even work well as a wildlife lens (although certainly not as well as something like the longer Olympus 300mm f/4 IS Pro lens would). It offers quick, accurate autofocus; sharp images at every focal length; and high-end build quality. If you're looking for a highly-versatile, general-purpose zoom lens for your Micro Four Thirds camera, the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 warrants a long look. At US$1,300, it's not cheap, but you absolutely get what you pay for and then some.

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Photo Essay with E-M1 Mark II

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

• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbydalexander(2 reviews)

  I've only had this lens for about 3 weeks - and I do not do any type of testing other than actually use the lens in real life situations - and so far I am very impressed. The range from wide angle to telephoto zoom is extremely handy. Normally, in order to have this type of zoom range, lenses have been optically compromised. That Olympus was able to produce this lens and have the sharpness and overall quality be so good thru the entire zoom range is remarkable. And the IS - combined with the Olympus IBIS on the E-M1 - is really an eye opener. I took a few hand held shots with a 1 to 2 second exposure and they were sharp. I really thought similar comments I had read about the IS in other reviews was just hype - but it is real! Probably the best lens I have ever owned - by far!

  reviewed August 3rd, 2017
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbymwpresley(1 reviews)
  Sharp, even wide open.IS is very good, even on Lumix bodies.Close focusing makes for a very versatile travel lens.OOF areas is very smooth.

  Larger than some may want, though smaller than the 12-35/2.8 and 35-100/2.8 combo.

  There's not really a lot to say that hasn't been said many time over concerning the quality of this lens.
  Almost all reviewers are mounting it on the E-M1 II which is understandable, but I don't have that body to shoot with. I shoot with the Panasonic GX7 and the GX85. The GX7 has a limited 2-axis IBIS while the GX85 has a 5-axis IBIS. Mounting the 12-100 on either of these bodies results in the IBIS options being grayed out in the camera menus, leaving only the lens IS active. The lens IS is considerably better than the IBIS of the GX7 and has given that camera a new lease on life. I have the J.B. Camera Designs grip on each of my camera bodies which do aid in using a larger lens like the 12-100.
  I travel professionally and carry one of the Lumix bodies, the Panny 7-14 with the 12-100 in a small Tenba bag, making for a wonderfully small, quality kit. I have fast primes when I need the speed, but otherwise, the 12-100 @f/4 covers such a wide range of circumstances.
  If you are looking for the best travel lens - this is the one. Don't think you have to have the E-M1 II to use it!

  reviewed June 12th, 2017(purchased for $1,299)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyRichardT(1 reviews)
  Pro build qualityVery SharpGreat renditionVersatility

  I use all the Olympus Pro's and Primes (except the 25mm f/1.2) and have really been looking forward to trying this lens because when I'm hiking in the hills or travelling I don't like to carry a load of gear. I changed to Olympus because of the weatherproof construction and light weight make the whole system much more usable and all round less hassle. I have been more than happy with the change and I have always been amazed by the quality of Oly a Pany glass.
  First outing, I put the 12-100 on my favourite travel camera the EM5 mk2. As soon as I started shooting I knew this lens was something special and by the time I had looked at the shots in lightroom I knew I had found my dream travel lens.
  Sharp - Oh yes, very sharp across the frame, even shooting wide open.
  Colour rendition - For me this is really the most important factor, it simply takes the most gorgeous images. Seeing is believing.
  Background Blur - Well, MFT is different from a larger sensor and need different technique, use longer focal length, get in closer, open up the aperture wide and just watch the background disappear. Just like using the 75mm f/1.8 for portraits. It works brilliantly and the zoom range allows so much framing versatility.
  Image stabiliser - With the sync- IS using lens IS and Olympus body IBIS together it's like having a built in tripod.
  My travel kit - The 12-100 f/4 with the tiny Oly 9-18 f/4 - 5.6 and the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 prime. Thats it, thats all the kit I would take any trip now, such is the versatility and quality of this lens.
  Value for money - Well, its not cheap, but it is very very good indeed and when you consider just how versatile it is covering a focal range from wide to med telephoto it represents very good value for money. Its definitely a professional or serious enthusiasts lens and anybody who buys it will not be disappointed.
  I am loving it, if your photo life needs a lift then I highly recommend you try this lens. Happy shooting.

  reviewed November 23rd, 2016(purchased for $1,367)

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Lab Test Results

• Blur

• Chromatic Aberration

• Vignetting

• Geometric Distortion

(From Olympus lens literature) A high-performance digital specific telephoto zoom lens that's one of the lightest and most compact in its class. This Zuiko Digital Lens includes 3 ED glass lens elements to correct chromatic aberrations and features a maximum aperture of f/2.8-3.5. Like all Zuiko Digital Lenses, the barrel and all connections are designed using all-metal components and rubber seals make it highly resistant to dust and moisture. The 50-200mm zoom comes with a lens case, lens hood, removable tripod adaptor front and rear lens caps.

Introduction
The Olympus 50-200mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 Zuiko digital lens forms part of Olympus' 'High Grade' lineup of lenses, developed for the top level brightness, close-up shooting capability and sharpness. The lens is built with 'Dust and splash-proof construction' which allow the lens to be used even in harsh conditions. Available for around $900.

Since Olympus digital SLR cameras employ the four-thirds imaging sensor, any lens attached to the body will have an effective focal length (in 35mm terms) of double the listed length. Thus, for this particular lens, it will exhibit an effective focal length of 100-400mm. The lens takes 67mm filters, and comes with several accessories: a bowl-style lens hood, a lens carrying case and a lens-collar tripod mount.

This lens isn't a 'constant' lens, in that as you increase the focal length, the maximum aperture size decreases. The following table reflects the change as you zoom:

These figures just correspond to the focal lengths marked on the lens; in actual usage, the widest aperture adjusts quite precisely in conjunction with the focal length setting. As you zoom in and out at the widest aperture, you can see the aperture changing in one-tenth increments.

Sharpness
Olympus has done some extraordinary work with this lens. Meant to be versatile across a wide range of apertures and focal lengths, the 50-200mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 is very sharp wide open at ƒ/2.8, though sharpness is at its best below 100mm. Set to a focal length greater than 100mm at ƒ/2.8, the sharpness profile becomes a little uneven across the frame. Curiously, according to our lab results, there is a 'sweet spot' of sharpness at 70mm. When set to ƒ/2.8, even at its 'worst', sharpness does not exceed 2 units on our scale.

Sharpness improves at ƒ/4, and the uneven sharpness seen above 100mm settles down. Below that, sharpness registers at 1 unit, which is about as sharp as we can measure. Optimal across-the-frame sharpness is obtained at ƒ/4, 70mm. Diffraction limiting starts to set in at ƒ/16, but even here you're not exceeding 2 units on the blur scale. Even at its worst, ƒ/22 at 200mm, you're at 3 units on the scale. Superior results.

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Chromatic Aberration
Resistance to chromatic aberration seems to be tuned to the wider-angle focal length settings for this lens, the worst registering at 3/100% of frame height when set to 70mm or below - these are results you would see only when looking at the individual pixels of an image, and even then, only in the corners. Above 70mm, the story changes a bit, and some CA shows up in the corners of the image (registers pretty consistently from 70-200mm at 6/100% of frame height, but these are still very small numbers).

Shading ('Vignetting')
The 50-200mm has excellent performance with regard to vignetting. The only case where you see any shading of signficance is wide open at around 150mm, where there is almost a half-stop of light fall-off in the corners. The lab results also show a half-stop loss at 200mm, ƒ/22, but I couldn't recreate it in practical testing.

Distortion
There are some points of distortion for this lens, but nothing so severe that it would even warrant correction in post-processing: in a nutshell, there is some barrel distortion evident below 70mm, and some pincushion above 70mm. Its worst point seems to be about 0.3% pincushion distortion when set to around 150mm. As if to confirm that this lens has been optimized for use at 70mm, this is the point where barrel and pincushion distortion meet, and there is 0% distortion according to our test chart.

Autofocus Operation
The 50-200mm autofocuses quickly, but not as quietly as we would have liked. It's not a subtle noise, but it's a small price to pay for excellent autofocussing performance. Point-to-point focusing is very quick and the noise is not so obvious in these cases; it's only when the lens racks through the entire focus range that the serious motor noise comes into play.

Macro
The focus range scale on the lens shows a closest-focus distance of 1.2 meters (3.9 feet), and our results bear this out. Maximum image magnification is listed at 0.42x (in 35mm film terms), and the 50-200mm can be fitted with the Olympus EX-25 extension tube, increasing its magnfication to 0.49x (35mm terms). This isn't a lens that would be typically used for macro work.

Bokeh
Click on these thumbnails for full-size samples:

Build Quality and Handling
The 50-200mm is very solidly built. It still seems to be finished with a fair number of plastic parts, but at 1,070 grams (almost 38 ounces, or 2.3 pounds), there's a lot of glass and metal under the shell. The lens mount is metal, compared to the plastic of less expensive Olympus glass. The fit and finish of this lens is superb; there zoom and focus dials rotate with a velvety smoothness, and the textures have an excellent traction. Setting it apart from less expensive Olympus lenses is a distance scale.

Mounted on the E-510, the camera balance is very top-heavy; this is not a lens intended for one-handed use. With two hands, it balances very nicely, however you're better off turning the tripod mount to the right (or removing it) for hand-held use, as it gets in the way of the zoom ring. The lens-collar tripod mount is a very solid piece of equipment which enables camera rotation, and the lens barrel is marked with dots to show 90-degree rotation points.

The front filter doesn't turn while focussing or zooming, and just over a quarter turn on the zoom dial covers the entire focal range. It's worth noting that the zoom ring doesn't cover the focal range in a linear fashion; there's a lot of travel between 50mm and 70mm, over an inch of ring movement, but the distance between major focal lengths decreases rapidly as you go higher. For example, there's only about a quarter-inch of ring movement between 150mm and 200mm.

Alternatives

Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital ~$260
With a lower price tag, this lens is a strong performer in the optical department, with excellent results for sharpness and resistance to chromatic aberration. If you don't need the wider aperture range, the longer telephoto distance, or the better build quality of the High Grade line, the 40-150mm is an excellent alternative within the Olympus line.

Olympus 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital ~$400
While we haven't yet tested this lens, we'd be remiss not to include it as an alternative. It isn't in exactly the same category as the 55-200mm, but if you were willing to compromise on the focal length and aperture differences, it would probably end up being an excellent choice.

Sigma 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 DC ~$130
As of the time of writing, Sigma is the only third party manufacturer supporting the four-thirds system, and this is the only choice that approximates the range of focal lengths. It's a slower lens, both for autofocus and aperture choice, but at a fraction of the cost of the Olympus 50-200mm, it could be a viable alternative for those on a budget.

Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM APO ~$950
If you're going to zoom out, why not zoom out all the way? Affectionately known as the 'Bigma' by a loyal following of users, it's signficantly heavier than the Olympus, ridiculously long when zoomed out, as well as being slower both in terms of autofocus and aperture choices. But: can you imagine using it as a 100mm-1000mm lens on an Olympus body?

Olympus 90-250mm f/2.8 PRO ED Zuiko Digital ~$5,200
For what would be a premium price, this is the only alternative in the Olympus line that equates the level of quality and reasonably approximates the range of focal lengths and apertures. We haven't yet tested it, but given the performance we've seen from other lenses in the Olympus Super High Grade lineup, we can only imagine it would have excellent optical characteristics.

Conclusion
The 50-200mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 would be an excellent choice for sports or event shooting for someone with an Olympus body: quick and responsive, with an good telephoto range and still fast even when fully zoomed out. You do pay a bit for the quality you're getting, and there isn't much else to fill the range of focal lengths this lens offers, but if you're partial to the Olympus lineup, you won't regret having this lens being a part of your arsenal.

Sample Photos!
Sample photos are available of two laboratory test targets to help in our readers' evaluation of the lenses we test. The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.

As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and f/8. For the 'VFA' target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.

To see the sample shots from this lens captured with this lens on our test body, just click on either of the thumbnails below, and scroll as needed in the window that appears.

Olympus 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital User Reviews

• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyTnt1(1 reviews)
  Some people may find it heavy

  I bought this lens second hand in January 2014 to use with the EC14 on the OM-D E-M1. Before this purchase I used the Panasonic 100-300mm as my main nature/birding lens. In well lit conditions the Panasonic compares pretty well, particularly up to 250mm. The contrast focusing is reasonably fast and accurate as well. The 50-200mm does hunt a little on the E-M1 if the background is busy or bright. Other than that it provides some stunningly sharp images. Even with the EC14 it is a great combination. It is certainly heavier than the 100-300mm and this is a valid consideration if you are going to carry, and hand-hold, the lens for extended periods. Other than that? The Olympus 50-200mm lives up to its reputation for excellent optical quality and I think it is well worth the extra weight.

  reviewed April 5th, 2014(purchased for $500)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbydda(13 reviews)
  It's a bit heavy

  Left the Olympus camp for Nikon - do however loved this lens and the 12-60. Got it for a cheap price.
  Tried the SWD version. Preferred this one based on the price. Technically it's even a bit faster on some of the focal lengths (due to the SWD engine in the newer version they had to give in a small (read very small) % of speed).
  If you find one at the price I paid, don't hesitate .. go for it !

  reviewed July 18th, 2011(purchased for $500)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbybarcoiris(2 reviews)
  none

  very smooth handling, fast and good focus, sharp, use allways wide open for nice bokeh, nice glass, not yet used over a tripod. very happy with, one e-1 with it, the other e-1 with 11/22mm..and 50f2 in the pocket..ready for anything.

  reviewed March 13th, 2009(purchased for $775)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyswintonphoto(4 reviews)
  Razor sharp, great max aperture, built like a tank, pro quality

  I have been using this lens for about a year now, and have never looked back. It produces amazingly sharp images. It is actually fairly small in my opinion for its max aperture and zoom range. No problems with distortions. It is extremely well built.
  I am a professional photographer, and rely on this in many settings from weddings to sports. It performs extremely well in these settings, and I love it. I would recommend it to anybody who wants high quality telephoto image. Can't go wrong with this AMAZING telephoto lens.

  reviewed November 22nd, 2008(purchased for $850)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyailame(4 reviews)

  My favorite lens.
  This lens extended my photographic extent dramatically. It helped me take great pictures I wouldn't be able to do otherwise. I find the IQ pretty much aligned to IQ of its wider sister 14-54mm f2.8-3.5.
  Though being my most expensive photographic device ($2000) I have never regretted this money. And especially currently in combination with IS (E-3).. it is very powerful device.

  reviewed December 22nd, 2007(purchased for $2,000)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyKenH(4 reviews)
  None

  Great image quality, sharp with good contrast.
  This lens has very good defocussing (Bokeh).
  This is a great lens to add to your Zuiko collection.

  reviewed January 2nd, 2007(purchased for $799)
• 9 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyllbeanie1(17 reviews)

  great lens, what else can i say

  reviewed January 1st, 2007
• 7 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbycra3y(3 reviews)
  Slow AF, hunting at long end, lack of IS, weight

  This is second mainstream tele lens that in pair with ZD 14-54 2.8-3.5. It is larger and havier that younger lightweight and cheaper brother - ZD 40-150 3.5-4.5.
  Build quality is very good, but AF is weak (especially on long end) of this lens in pair with lack of stabilization (like IS/VR ). It is necessary to raise iso in dim light to avoid shake in 200mm (400mm) - tripod is indicated
  This lens is perform well, but it won't resolve 1300 lw/ph with E300 (imatest resolution target shot at raw processed byc dcraw and lightroom with no sharpening at all). This lens satisfied E1,E330 sensor resolution but do not exceed E300/E500/E400 sensors.

  reviewed November 24th, 2006(purchased for $850)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbymacdaddy(2 reviews)
  bulky; heavy if not used to a big pro-level zoom; but lighter than competitors

  I have three Olympus zooms and this has become my favorite. It has incredible 'presence', providing bright, detailed, SHARP photos from edge-to-edge. The bokeh and depth of field make art shots so much fun with this lens.
  Be warned, though, this is a BIG, somewhat heavy lens and does its best on a good tripod. Every 4/3rds user needs this lens in their arsenal of lenses. That said, though, compared to other manufacturers lenses that are as fast and cover this range, it's a real lighweight!

  reviewed November 18th, 2006(purchased for $775)
• Not stabilized

  I used this lens extensively on an African trip shooting wildlife. The light weight was a real plus as we had severe weight restrictions due to small aircraft transfers.
  The results were rather remarkable considering the now relatively low resolution of the E-1.
  I have made cropped prints of animal faces up to 20 x 24 inches, and I am continually astounded at the sharpness of the facial features, smooth bokeh, and even illumination across the frame from edge to edge.
  The only complaint is the lack of image stabilization. I hope that the new version of the E1 contains some form of sensor stabilization to help to realize the full potential of this lens.
  Every time I think that I should sell the E system, I remember the quaiity of this lens, and I hope that the new version of the E-1 body will justify my decision to keep the lenses that I own.

  reviewed October 23rd, 2005(purchased for $1,000)
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyJay(4 reviews)
  Good low light capabilities and excellent sharpness and contrast

  When this lens arrived and I unpacked it, I was really surprised at how heavy and long it was. When I put it on my camera I realized that this is a specialized lens -- and an excellent one at that. A few months latter I got a Sigma 18-125 to use in more everyday, travel situations.
  I'm looking forward to the Oly 18-180 to replace the Sigma and will continue to use the Oly 'Big Gun' on special occasions.

  reviewed October 23rd, 2005
• 10 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbysteverh(1 reviews)
  This is a big, heavy lens - but it looks very impressive with the lens hood on!

  I've had some excellent pictures with this lens. It's a big beefy thing, but handles beautifully on the E1. Got some great shots at an air display recently.

  reviewed October 20th, 2005

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