M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO tele-macro lens, Micro Four Thirds water-resistant lens, compatible with Olympus, OM SYSTEM and Panasonic MFT cameras, capable of ultra-macro magnification

Product Information

This is one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used. I was capturing details I never knew existed on animals I have photographed countless times for years. Even after cropping my images significantly, the details remained clear. In fact, the lens is sharp enough that the OM-1’s 20 megapixel resolution was the limiting factor for sharpness, rather than the glass. The focus distance limiter switch has three options; regular focusing, macro, and ‘S Macro’. To obtain that 2x magnification, you’ll need to be in the S Macro setting regardless if you are focusing manually or using autofocus.

M. Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO: the ultimate field macro lens for the seasoned professional and macro curious alike; a class-leading lens built by OM SYSTEM to provide an incredible outdoor macro photography experience. Maximum image magnification 2x, 4x when paired with the optional MC-20 2x teleconverter, delivering flexibility for even the most extreme macro adventures Sharpness was sometimes an issue at extreme magnifications, but not due to the sharpness of the lens – instead, it was due to the depth of field. At high magnifications, depth of field is always an issue because it’s inherently narrow. You’ll need to stop down to apertures like f/8, f/11, and f/16, which have increasingly more issues with diffraction. All of this will sound familiar if you’re a macro photographer, because it’s true of every macro lens.

The M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO is a lightweight, high-performance telephoto macro lens offering a maximum image magnification of 2x1 .The optional MC-20 2x teleconverter can also be attached, bringing maximum image magnification to 4x2 and allowing ultra-close-up shooting. Close-up shots of flowers, and even virtually microscopic objects such as the scales on a butterfly's wing are reproduced in stunning detail. In addition to these powerful close-up capabilities, the ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO can be used as a single-focal-length telephoto lens capable of capturing distant subjects with astonishing image clarity. It handles the transition from macro to telephoto seamlessly, allowing the user the versatility of shooting all day without having to worry about changing lenses. Well, it's physics. The TCs cannot be good due to diffraction. You might as well just crop the image instead. C-AF Center Priority can be turned on/off for AF Target modes other than Single, Small, and 121-point.

My review of the M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro IS Pro: https://www.savazzi.net/photography/omsys90macro.htmlI would take that “measurement” not with a grain but spoonful of salt. These results were obtained with different test setups and it is not clear that the numbers can be compared at all. Additionally most testers of the 90mm lens praise its quality vs. the 60mm. That article is getting a lot of exposure. Only useful contribution from it is that the 60mm is the better portrait lens. No doubt the 90mm is the better macro lens.

In short, the high magnification and large working distance of the 90mm f/3.5 Macro are two of its biggest strengths. I was able to use these features to capture images that would have been impossible with almost anything else on the market. Handling and Build This is a false problem. Olympus built F/4.0 PRO lenses which provide splendid IQ : 300mm F/4.0, 12-100MM f/4.0, 8-25mm F/4.0. Smaller pixels are especially advantageous when cropping highly detailed images in macro applications .Previously, I have been working for years with the OM System M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro lens. At 1:1 magnification, this lens manages a working distance of 8.3 cm / 3.3 inches from the tip of the lens. Although this may sound almost as good as the new 90mm f/3.5 Macro, it’s a bit of an illusion. For lighting purposes, the 90mm lens is far easier to use with an on-camera speedlight, because the lens itself is longer. In other words, it has a much bigger “flash to subject” distance than a shorter macro lens. This offers more room for a larger diffuser, which improves the quality of my light substantially. Something comparable from full-frame competitors would weigh significantly more, take up much more space in your kit bag and almost certainly require a tripod or other method of stabilisation to keep subjects pin sharp. They’d also likely be more expensive too.