Sky flocks

 

                                                            

Additional notes about the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro zoom lens

That is an often none fully admitted but finally true that better optics are more expensive and the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro zoom lens is reflecting exactly that. It is not that you cannot take good pictures from cheaper lenses because it can certainly be done but each time you must be aware to be very on the edge from your final image cropping and your exposure setting. With less expensive lenses your latitude is narrowed. With "Pro" or "Premium" optics, you are discovering the comfort to able to perform a more elaborated editing without too much quality dropping.

Along the road of using Olympus Pro and Premium lens models, I cannot prevent myself to be every time amaze by the outstanding optical performances of the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro.

But let be honest about the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2,8 Pro zoom lens, it is a big piece of glass by the Micro Four Third (MFT) sensor format standards. In fact, al "Pro" optic has that tendency to be large and weighty and, in that case, not far from 2 lbs. (880g). With the lens hood attached and extended, the length of the zoom lens is reaching 22cm (more than 8 inches). So yes, it is definitively not a compact lens.

Magnification is ranging from 1.6 to 6X compare to a MFT "normal" lens (25mm) which can be considerate as standard for a modern varifocal telephoto optic. Among the advantages of using the Olympus Ed 40-150mm F2.8 Pro there are a snappy autofocus reactivity, rather large and well damped zoom (focal) and manual focus (with clutch optional) rings, good handling, a reliable tripod accessory ring removable and an ingenious big lens hood.

You can consult my complete review of this marvelous optic here. 

The "luminous" Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75mm F1.8 Premium telephoto lens

Becoming a cult or legend is not an easy task in this always changing world and especially into the photographic gear domain. But oddly, the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75mm F1.8 Premium lens have gotten this pinnacle status almost right from its market introduction in 2012. Many factors have contributed to this phenomenon like its exceptional construction quality and its outstanding picture abilities.

Telephoto lenses with approximative 3X magnification are not new in the photographic gear world. Let's remember alone the 135mm focal length very popular among the 35mm film photographers. Many were sheering this telephoto lens category as the true "portrait" optic. This past heritage is openly present and assumed by the Olympus ED 75mm. Its maximum aperture of F1.8 replicate in term of deep of field the F3.5 aperture seen on many 135mm lens models (in 35mm analog format).

The "made in Japan" Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75mm F1.8 is rather compact lens weighing little over 300g (305). With a physical length of less than 7 cm and a diameter of less than 6.5 cm, the telephoto optic is doted of a filter accessory size of 58mm. A large focusing ring offers a light turning resistance for precise manual focusing but no auto/manual focus clutch* is present as for many Olympus Pro lenses. No accessory lens hood is included into the manufacturer box and it is rather expensive optional accessory to add.

Mid-sized Micro Four Third (MFT) camera models or larger ones are better to select if you are looking for a more equilibrated camera body-lens combination. With an heavier lens like the Olympus ED 75mm F1.8 Premium, your left hand will be more in demand to serve as a stabilization anchor which is always a good habit to do under many photographic situations.

What we are asking from a telephoto lens such as the Olympus ED 75mm F1.8 Premium is to be a "discriminate" optic that privilege the main subject extracted from its foreground and background. And we ask also to get a smooth transition between the focused points and the blurred ones (Bokeh) which is the case for the Olympus ED 75mm F1.8 Premium. When I have first tested it five years ago, I was impressed by its ability to compress the main subject and maintaining a certain deep of field marge for preserving a focusing range factor considering the dimensional volume of the main subject (Architectural, close-up, etc.)

The Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75mm F1.8 Premium lens is certainly a good candidate to do action photography providing its large maximum aperture. The question is more about its focusing speed ability. Although it depends also on which camera model it has been coupled, the overall answer stays favorable especially if you are located near the subject target considering its modest 3X magnification ratio. As usual, the erratic movement trajectories are often challenging the autofocus tracking reliability.

The Olympus ED 75mm F1.8 Premium lens has been for a while one of the most reputable flagship optic of M.Zuiko lens series, before the introduction of the Pro lens series. The absence of the autofocus-manual clutch system optionality* and of the weather resistant characteristic prevent the ED 75mm to be classified as a "pro" lens but, in fact, many professional photographers have adopted it anyway for portrait and even fashion subject purposes.

Details from the above picture

The picture quality output of the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75mm F1.8 Premium is unquestionable and simply outstanding. This lens can be highlighted for its fine resolution and its genuine color rendition as for its monochrome tonal distribution.

One of the major handling differences between focal fix lenses such as the Olympus ED 75mm F1.8 and the now very popular zoom (vari-focal length) lenses, is a question of mobility from the photographer point of view. You must do framing adjustment by physically moving yourself instead of simply zoom in or zoom out your subject with the vari-focal optic. By doing so (moving yourself) it can also change the contextual perspective of your entire picture. In one word, the focal fix lengths are more demanding optics, but they are forcing the photographer to be more careful and be less frenetic trigger.

A telephoto lens is often the second optic you will be tempted to get after the one you have already first combined with your camera body. The Olympus M.Zuiko lens line-up offers us a good selection of different zoom or fix focal telephoto lenses. Among them, there are the 45mm F1.8 Premium an affordable small, short telephoto (1.8X) with superb resolution and the more sumptuous ED 75mm F.8 Premium with its higher magnification ratio (3X). Any of these two Olympus lens models among others will be a good creative lens tool that have a large maximum aperture but the ED 75mm F1.8 Premium is certainly the finest one in term of picture definition. And even at its high price level, it won't disappoint you in any ways.

                                                         

* Which can be compensated by configuring the camera to the Autofocus + Manual setting optionality.

Curtain my look

 

e-Konik-skies

Geometric can be a photographic feast for the pleasure to experiment. If you add the architectural value of those drawing lines marriage, you obtain a never ending graphic fascination!

A photographic interest

 Videography is everywhere and people love to follow the animated pictures and listening the sound variations of any kind. Static imagery seems to be relegated to an illustrating status for operating manual and bestseller books (caricatural speaking!). But there is always somehow, somewhere, some among us that are still preferring to do photography and share their pictures around the Web planet. And maybe because photography appears to be more reliable to prolong our subject and context impression, a kind of a more durable visual memory.

Everything is changing and everything stay the same! It is a known contradiction throughout our small human history. The actual pandemic frenzy situation is no exception of this affirmation. Although some would like to turn back to the past "before Covid-19" context, there is no way to return in this world of frantic individual and unconscious consumerism with absolute physical security. In fact, it has been never the case but to be more conscious of it has been, may be, one of the true legacies of the present pandemic crisis.

In the history of traditional photography, many had predicted death of the medium and its eventual replacement by all kind of cinematographic counterparts. But a "stop" and registered picture has nothing to do with a constant flux of imagery. It is a rare testimony of a freeze moment of this universe that can be observed, analyzed and compared to others and even criticized by the looker. In fact, each picture has its own history to discover and to share.

It often begins by choosing an interesting angle of view for your intended photographic subject. Already a discriminating process have started in your mind. Photography is not a fully automated and spontaneous creative way to register imagery. It is a very selective medium due not only to its technical limitations but mainly by the photographer intervention in using it. The act and the art of photography are very subjective ones. But the absence of objectivity does not necessarily mean the full vacuum of an authenticity research. It is up of its author to cope with his/her own integrity about the subject treatment.

Many photographers are intuitive ones (like me). It is not to say that the technical photographic point of view is not important, but they are simply prioritizing the subject before the medium. Or better, they subjugate the medium to the subject. Cameras are beautiful and complex imagery tool which is full of already configured (programmed) behavior by their manufacturers and they represent in a certain way a specific vision of this world. As a creator, you may have to "overpass" these technical ways of producing pictures and try to get a more original point of view of your subject.

Still imaging or classic photography is, even today, a perfect visual art medium to express our concerns about our changing world as for others art medias such as painting, sculpture or book writing. And there is always a photographic interest to do so...