LENS TEST
For extreme close-ups, this Micro Four Thirds lens is superb. Amy Davies discovers more
Promoted by OM Digital Solutions as a ‘field macro’, the OM System M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 demonstrates why there are still some fantastic advantages to the small and lightweight Micro Four Thirds system.
Offering an equivalent focal length of 180mm, while boasting up to 2x magnification in a relatively lightweight package, it’s ideal for handheld outdoor macro photography, without necessarily any need for a tripod. This comes courtesy of up to 7 stops of image stabilisation, which is afforded by combining its in-lens optical stabilisation with the in-body image stabilisation of Olympus and OM System bodies.
Its focal length makes this lens ideal for close-up work, but it also has some versatility for other subjects, including portraits or picking out details in landscapes and architectural scenes. It could even be used for relatively close wildlife, such as garden birds.
Costing £1,299, this isn’t a cheap lens, but if you’re a dedicated macro shooter it’s likely to be highly desirable and could bring significant benefit to your portfolio. Unsurprisingly, though, it’s more expensive than other Micro Four Thirds macro lenses, such as the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm F2.8 Macro (£449) and the Panasonic Lumix DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm F2.8 OIS (£599).
Features
Optically, the lens employs 18 elements in 13 groups. It’s packed full of special elements to suppress aberrations, including four made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, two Super-ED, one high refractive index (HR), and one super HR. A seven-blade aperture diaphragm offers settings down to f/22.
In its standard shooting mode, the lens offers 1x maximum magnification at a close focusing distance of 0.25m. Switch to its special S-Macro mode, and this increases to 2x magnificaton at 0.224m, but the lens will no longer focus to infinity. As this is on MIcro Four Thirds, that 2x magnification equates to an image field measuring just 8.7x6.5mm, equivalent to 4x magnification on full frame. You can increase this even further using the MC-14 or MC-20 teleconverters. As the minimum focus is measured from the sensor, you can be just a few millimetres from the subject
and still be in focus. Built-in image stabilisation gives up to 6 steps of compensation, or 7 if combined with in-body stabilisation in Olympus and OM System cameras. This is useful for sho
