Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm F4-5.6R with the LH-61D Hood
This is the cheapest zoom lens you can find in the Micro
Four Thirds system of mirrorless cameras, and I got this for a super low $99
from bhphotovideo. In my country, India,
this lens retails for about 19000INR ($283), which is just incredible and this
was the reason why I went on to order this from the US. Being a cheap lens,
this lens didn’t really make me expect a lot in terms of sharpness or color but
I didn’t know that I was in for a surprise.
BUILD & DESIGN
It sports an all plastic construction including the rear
mount and there isn’t anything fancy about this lens design either. It is a
generic lens and for this price that’s all it needs to be.
It is as generic as it gets. Monstrous hood though.
Plastic Mount and the Rear Lens Element
Front Element with my Pet Fungus
The moment I unboxed
this lens, I knew why this lens is sold at these prices. It’s tiny and weighs
just 220 grams. The lens extends to almost twice its normal size but it was
okay.
"Excite me and I'll go the extra mile"
(Check the photo comparing the lens to my good old 4.7”
Nexus4)
Like I said, its tiny
AUTO FOCUS
I was not expecting much from this lens in terms of AF speed
and maybe that is why I was in for a real
surprise. The AF speed cannot be compared
to the Pro lenses but it's definitely acceptable. The mechanism is silent and this makes video footage great
without any cracking AF noises.
Here is an example of the lenses AF speed and sound during
the video while using on my OM-D
E-M5 Mark 2.
This lens is good for zoom amateur birding as you can see in this video
IMAGE QUALITY (SHARPNESS WILL BE DISCUSSED BELOW THIS)
This is where this lens punches above its weight. It’s
absolutely incredible. It's almost
unbelievably sharp and if I’m post processing,
I can get sharper images without making the photo like an obvious over-sharpened mess. Here are some examples from
out of the camera jpegs.
150mm, F8, 1/125, ISO-200, +0.3
Crop of the above
150mm, F8, 1/160, ISO-200, +0.3
Crop of the above
150mm, F8, 1/200, ISO-200, +0.3
150mm, F9, 1/250, ISO-1250
150mm, F5.6, 1/100, ISO-200
Crop of the above
150mm, F7.1, 1/25, ISO-200
Crop of the Above
150mm, F7.1, 1/40, ISO-200
150mm, F8, 1/320, ISO-200
Crop of the above
150mm, F7.1, 1/160, ISO-200
150mm, F7.1, 1/800, ISO-200
Crop of the above
150mm, F7.1, 1/400, ISO-200
Crop of the above
The signature Olympus colors are well captured and most of
the time I get a feeling that the lens generally produces warm images, but I
like that tone so it is okay.
These are RAW edited to High Quality Jpegs with Adobe Lightroom.
150mm, F6.3, 1/60s, ISO-200 (cropped image)
150mm, F6.3, 1/40s, ISO-200 (cropped image)
150mm, F6.3, 1/100s, ISO-200
Crop of the above
111mm, F8, 1/50s, ISO-200
Crop of the above
150mm, F6.3, 1/160s, ISO-200
150mm, F7.1, 1/50s, ISO-200
Crop of the above
150mm, F5.6, 1/250s, ISO-200
Crop of the above
150mm, F7.1, 1/80s, ISO-200
Crop of the above
But not everything is excellent and the times the lens shows its cheap optics are when we shoot subjects that are far away and the subject that don't cover most of the frame. But at the same time, its not a day and night difference but it is noticeable if you have used any of the pro pr premium lenses from Olympus or Panasonic.
SHARPNESS
I wanted to write about sharpness after image quality because I want all the readers to first see the kind of images I got with this cheap plastic lens before discussing about the sharpness.
The lens from 40mm to 100mm is sharp even at the maximum possible apertures. But going above 100mm, I choose an aperture at least 1/3rd of a stop slower than the maximum possible to get the best out of the optics. At 150mm, my favorite aperture is F8. At this opening the lens is real sharp and I got considerably sharper images than when I use F5.6. Here is a comparison.
0.7MP Cropped from original 16MP Out of Camera JPEG. Look at the veins of the flower.
The Lumix FZ series of camera's have always been a top choice among people looking for a bridge camera. The FZ-150 was an instant success and the FZ-200 really pushed the standards with the stellar 25-600mm range (35mm eq) constant F2.8 lens and great video recording capabilities. While other manufacturers upgraded their bridge camera's, Panasonic waited 3 years to bring out the FZ-200's successor to the wild, but the big question is, is the upgrade worth it? Well, here is what I feel about the FZ-300 and my reasons to think it is a proper upgrade to the amazing FZ-200, which I've been using for the past 4 years.
When I first saw the specification of the FZ-300 I was surprised that Panasonic didn't change the focal length range nor increased the sensor size or resolution. But, I figured out the problems that these changes could posses. Like, increasing the sensor size means redesigning the already wonderful lens and could make the camera much larger and heavier. Increasing the focal length and keeping the constant aperture can also lead to the same consequences. Increase in the megapixel count mean lower high ISO performance.
CHANGE OF MIND
The thing is, every digital camera have 3 main components resulting in
the final image. One is the sensor, second is the lens and third is the
Image Processing Engine, or the mind of the camera. Panasonic kept the same lens and more or less the same sensor but the mind, the Image Processing Engine is completely new and is a much more powerful unit. The new Engine enables the camera to shoot 4k resolution video at 100mbps and other 4k functionalities like 4k photo modes. It also enables the camera to focus much faster and accurately with better algorithms, it enables introduction of higher resolution LCD and EVF as the processor needs to push all those pixels constantly. In short, the Lumix FZ-300 is a perfect example of what a camera can be with a new processing unit and here are my 9 reasons why this camera is a proper upgrade to the wonderful FZ-200.
THE REASONS
1. 4kVIDEO AND OTHER VIDEO GOODIES
- Many would still say that 4k is an overkill. But I'm someone who uses a 4 year old Nexus 4, and I'm someone who take care of my things properly and use the most out of it. So 4k, which could be an overkill to many now would become useful after a couple of years...especially for someone like me.
This also comes with many image capturing features like the 4k 30fps photo mode, which captures 8MP stills from the 4k video file enabling us to take 'THAT' moment from the fast moving scene.There is a 'Pre Burst' mode enabling the camera to capture 30 frames before we press the shutter button making sure the shooter doesn't miss a moment.
- 4k video is shot at 100mbps but the best thing is the availability of options to choose between 30p and the cinematic 24p frame-rates. Down-sampling 4k videos to 1080p resolution will result in much sharper 1080p files than the native 1080p recording.
- Manual Focusing is assisted with peaking and also with a rotating dial in the left side of the lens barrel for proper adjustment. The FZ-200 had a manual focus switch which was a pain to use.
- A proper 3.5mm jack for mic inputs rather than the unconventional 2.5mm jack in the FZ-200.
2. WEATHER SEALED CONSTRUCTION
- The FZ-300 is weather sealed to resist dust and some water splash. Whenever I used my FZ-200 in beaches or in dusty conditions, I had to constantly cover the camera but the FZ-300 solves this issue.
- The camera is bigger than the FZ-200, which means, chunkier grip leading to much better steadiness while shooting. The FZ-300 is about a 100 grams heavier and overall larger than the
FZ-200 but with the benefits it provide, I think it is
something that can be over looked.
3. FASTER & MORE ACCURATE AUTO-FOCUS
- The FZ-300 is incorporated with the DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology, and I'm sure the AF performance would have got a serious bump up from the FZ-200. I've used the GH4 and have tasted the DFD system. Though, the FZ-300 would not be having GH4 like performance, I'm sure the performance when compared to the FZ-200 will be much much better.
4. EVF & LCD
- The FZ-300 boasts an EVF with a magnification of 0.70x, which is much larger than the one in the FZ-200. The new unit is an OLED panel means much smoother and less ghosting. The rear LCD has much higher resolution and have touch functionality. The touch screen can be used to just focus and capture with a single tap, making photo taking and AF area changing process much faster and intuitive.
5. Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi not m=only means quick image transfer to your mobile device on the go, but it also mean, you can use the app in your phone to control your camera and shoot remotely.
6. ELECTRONIC SHUTTER
- The FZ-200 has a fastest shutter speed of 1/4000s, which could only be used at apertures above f4. But with the introduction on an electronic shutter, the FZ-300 gives the shooter the ability to shoot at an insane 1/16000s at any aperture. Electronic shutter also enables to shoot silently, even without the AF confirmation sound.
7. 5-AXIS OIS
- Panasonic claims that it is a much better system than the one in the FZ-200, and I've reasons to believe it. But 5-axis OIS is not available in 4k video recording.
8. IN CAMERA RAW EDITING
- The new processing engine gives the camera ability to edit the RAW files straight from camera. So for quick on the go highlight, shadow, white balance, sharpness or color adjustments we have an option to do so in camera no matter where we are. These are the 8 reasons that I found in the FZ-300 that made me feel like its a proper upgrade to the FZ-200.
So in short, the FZ-300 is a proper upgrade to the fantastic FZ-200, and this is the embodiment of what a gadget can be just by changing the processing unit and properly utilizing its capabilities.
Photography has been one of my favorite hobbies since my
school days and since I didn’t have any discrete digital camera at that time,
my main camera were my parents phones, my mother’s sleek and cute Nokia 6300
and my father’s chunky Nokia N73. I couldn’t do much with the 6300 but the N73
was a stellar performer with its 3.2MP camera with Carl Zeiss Optics, yeah..!!!
N73, September 2008
Nokia N73 was just amazing in the hands of my 16 year old
self. It had an AF system with different modes with Macro being my favorite, a flash
and most importantly the ‘Carl Zeiss’ branded lens, which I had no idea about
in the beginning but later discovered the Zeiss brand and hence began my
favorite thing in the camera module. With the Macro mode I got some good
blurred background with, then sharp images from its sensor. Only god knows the
number of photos I took with that camera, well, mobile.
N73, March 2008
Then comes our family’s first ever discrete digital camera,
my beloved Sony CyberShot W-360 with its 14MP CCD sensor and 720p video recording.
I was awed by the amount of details I could get from the sensor, as previously
I was only used to shoot with a mere 3.2MP mobile camera. Took a lot of photos
with it and this is when photography really started to grow inside me. I
started experimenting on the metering system and I learned a lot from my
general use. It didn’t have any manual controls but only modes which did
everything for us. From the images I could get and from my uploads in FB and
the response I got, this camera quickly became my favorite thing at home.
Sony W-360, May 2010
Sony W-360, May 2010
Sony W-360, April 2010
Sony W-360, August 2010
Sony W-360, March 2011
Sony W-360, Sept May 2011
That was when my sister, who again was a good frame maker
herself decided to buy a camera for herself. She told me to find a good camera
for her and her only condition was no complications with changing lenses and
stuffs but a good camera that could shoot anything and everything. I started to
research and thanks to Graham from YouTube, we planned to take the Panasonic
Lumix FZ-200, and boy that was and still is one hell of a camera. My sister was
hesitant to buy a camera made by Panasonic.
In Indian, this brand is mainly knows for TV’s, AC’s and other similar
household electronics. After my research and before buying, I asked some of my
friends who were photographers and they all were like, take the Canon ‘this’ or
the Nikon ‘that’ and most of them had no idea that Panasonic made camera’s in
the first place. But then the moment I started to post pictures in social
media, my friends were all awed. Many asked me about the gear I used and
stuffs. I learned everything I could from using that camera and also from the
wonderful videos made by Mr.Graham Houghton. The Lumix FZ-200 had manual controls
and I learned everything I could from it.
While researching about the FZ-200 I got a glimpse of the micro four thirds system with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 ad video, and it caught my attention big time. And I started to follow the development of this system and was impressed with what these small camera's could do. That was in November 2012. Almost an year later, I thought I would test the E-M5 but I could find a store that
had one. I went to some camera stores and they were simply unaware of this
system and one guy even said Olympus doesn’t make cameras anymore. I smiled and
said Okay..!
It’s natural
because in India, we can only see Canon’s and Nikon’s and sometimes a rare
Sony. Many doesn’t even know what the Micro four
thirds system is. After some heavy research, I found a store that had one, which unfortunately was in another state. I went there and tested the OM-D E-M5 Mark-1 in the store and I understood that this was the camera I wanted, I waited for. I fell in love with the design, feel and the sheer pleasure of using that camera. And that was the day when I made my mind. And almost 3 years after that first impression, in June 2015 I decided to buy an OM-D for myself. So I started my search to
find an authorized seller to get the OM-D E-M5 Mark 2 and finally ended up buying from the
all India distributor in the capital city, New Delhi.
- This review will mainly contain come of my favorite pictures I shot with this camera, so from the photos you can judge for yourself. I use Aperture priority almost all the time.
- I will look at the pros, cons and also a look at its worth after 4 years after release.
- At the bottom of this article, you will be able to take a look at the edited files for my web use.
- I now use an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II as my main camera but I still use the FZ-200 at times when I need better reach.
DESIGN & HANDLING
The FZ-200 is designed like a mini DSLR and one could easily mistake it to be one. Its when we notice we see the fixed zoom lens and the EVF. Its an all plastic construction but the built quality is great. The buttons are well damped but still have a click sound when a press is confirmed. The rear dial is also good, with good resistance and clicks. It has a button in built to change between different parameters while shooting. For example, when I shoot in aperture priority mode, the rear dial button switches between aperture and exposure compensation and hence compensates for the absence of a second dial.But the dial failed after 3 years of use, but luckily I got it repaired free of charge as the camera was just under the 3 year warranty period.
The shutter button is chrome plated and I think its a nice touch. The ring around it with a small lever lets us zoom in and out but I use the lever in the left side of the lens barrel to perform this function. Using this lever means, there is not need to take our finger from the shutter button to zoom, hence more control over the shots. Its one of the best ergonomic touches this camera has. Near this lever, there is a focus mode selector with AF, AF-Macro and MF as options and a button below this selector to do manual focusing.
The rear fully articulating rear LCD have decent sharpness and brightness but lacks touch functionality, and the EVF is tiny but has great resolution resulting in a tack sharp view. This camera has a mic input jack, but its a 2.5mm port rather than the conventional 3.5mm one. There is a hot-shoe on top for mounting mics or flashes.
THE LENS
The FZ-200 is an amazing camera...and even 4 years after release, I would still consider it as one of the top bridge camera in the market right now. The main reason is the lens. The 25-600mm lens have a constant aperture of F2.8, and it clearly demonstrates the advantage it has compared to other bridge cameras. For example, the hyper zoom Nikon P900 at 600mm has an aperture roughly equivalent to 5.6, which is 2 stops slower than the FZ-200. This means, if the FZ-200 at 600mm F2.8 shoots at a shutter speed of 1/200s, then the P900 can only shoot at 1/50s considering the ISO and exposure values are same. That difference is more than enough tolose the shot. This is just an example, and also keep in mind that the P900 can go all the way to 2000mm, which by any means is just astonishing. (more than 3x zoom of the FZ-200 at its maximum focal length).
The lens in the FZ-200 is sharp from the widest end to the longest end. I got the best sharpness from this lens from an aperture of F4-5.6 at focal lengths above 400mm equivalent, but it doesn't mean that at F2.8 its not. Take a look at this image at F2.8 and 600mm straight out of camera jpeg.
600mm eq, F2.8, ISO-100. 1/50s, -0.7 step
AUTO-FOCUS
The FZ-200 has a decent AF system, but it is no way near as fast as the latest DFD system seen in the Panasonic camera's these days. Single point AF works well, and confidently locks on to subjects but changing focus points from near and far away subjects can sometimes lead to slow hunting. But I have found the AF intelligent enough to lock on to obvious subject in the frame when all 39 F points are employed, but it is not accurate all the time though but still better than the one in my OM-D, which when compared is a great thing. C-AF with tracking is surprisingly good and it still holds even compared to my new OM-D E-M5 Mark 2.
These are taken with all 39 AF areas employed and setting the camera to tracking.
284mm, f2.8, 1/2000s, ISO-100
69mm, f2.8, 1/2000s, ISO-100
204mm, f2.8, 1/1600s, ISO-100
Lack of an LCD touch screen for quick AF position change and shooting is something I started to miss when I started to use my OM-D but before that I didn't care. And besides, Panasonic have upgraded the FZ-200 to the FZ-300 with almost all the features I've craved for, hence, there will be an article coming soon, comparing those two cameras.
IMAGE QUALITY
Image quality from the 12MP 1/2.3" sensor is great. JPEG's have nice colors already and with some small tweaks in the picture profiles, I got even better JPEG's. For maximum detail, it is always better to shoot RAW and edit them in a software, and I use Lightroom all the time.
Here are some images taken with this camera. Keep in mind that all of these are untouched straight out of the camera JPEG's...though little cropping have been done for framing. Also, the images that shows the focal length more than 600mm is because of the slight use of digital zoom functionality.
F4, 1/160s, IS0-100, 536mm
F3, 1/125s, ISO-100, 624mm
F4, 1/100s, ISO-100, 686mm
F3.5, 1/40s, ISO-100, 648mm
F3.2, 1/160s, ISO-100, 84mm
F2.8, 1/250s, ISO-100, 624mm
F4, 1/250mm, ISO-100, 1200mm
F4, 1/200s, ISO-100, 624mm
F4, 1/500s, ISO-100, 600mm
F4, 1/500s, ISO-100, 600mm
As you can see, the colors are vibrant and there is enough detail to play with even in the out of the camera JPEGS.
I've found ISO's above 1000 to be a bit too messy for my use, so that is the limit for me. Here are some high ISO images. But I mainly use this camera in good lit conditions to extract the best out of the sensor and lens.
F2.8, 1/8s, 33mm, ISO-1000
F2.8, 1/8s, 32mm, ISO-1000
VIDEO
This is the area, where I've felt like this camera shines a bit more. There is AVCHD and MP4 formats at 50p and 25p respectively. The video quality is amazing, and there is tons of details when used in conditions with good light.
Here are some samples that I took with this camera and shared in YouTube.
The sunset is without any edits whatsoever. And even the other 3 have minimal contrast adjustments. There are no log modes or high bit-rates for heavy post processing but we have to keep in mind that this is just a 1/2.3" point and shoot camera.
With the good quality video, the availability of the mic jack means high end audio as well, though a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter is needed. In short this camera is amazing in the video front and still could be considered a good option for vlogging. The continuous AF during video is good as well, and I have found it to be as good or sometimes better than my OM-D.
BATTERY LIFE
I get around 600 shots on a single charge and I think it is simply great. Generally, I do not shoot like a maniac, so most of the time, I get back home with sufficient battery life to go through the photos and videos in camera. And even now, after 4 long years, the battery life is brilliant.
