Telephoto upgrade to the 150-600 — great expectations!

853 words; 3 photographs; 5-minute read

I’m thrilled to have upgraded my telephoto to the M.Zuiko ED 150-600mm/5-6.3 IS. Since it was introduced a few years ago, I’ve hummed and hawed and debated and even tried one out, but have been typically reluctant. I’m one of those who want to be sure before committing.

On an outing last year with my friend Tom Stirr (SmallSensorPhotography.com), I used his 150-600mm and was wowed by the results. The sharpness is definitely a step up from the 100-400, but so is the size and weight, not to mention a significant outlay of money. So, I put it off.

I considered it again prior to our birding trip to Costa Rica, but ended not upgrading. So why now? From a financial perspective, I couldn’t resist the sale OM System had on the lens. It was 15% off plus an additional 5% before the end of April. From a photographic perspective, it’s . . .

Reach. Sharpness. Sync IS. AF speed.

Reach: Having an additional 200mm of telephoto at the same aperture is significant. That’s an additional 400mm in 35mm sensor terms. I really noticed it when photographing birds in Ferragudo. The storks were easy enough with the 100-400, as they are so large to begin with. But the bee-eaters and the Iberian Magpies really demanded additional reach, which I didn’t have.

Sharpness: The photos I took with Tom while out photographing clearly showed the improved sharpness. Not only is the lens sharper, there is an additional quality to the files that makes them just that much better. I can’t quite nail it, but it seems to be a combination of improved contrast and colour. Tom was correct when he noted in his review that the files were an edge superior to the 100-400.

Sync IS is also a game changer. The IS on the 100-400 works independently from the the camera’s IS. You get one or the other. With the 150-600, the two systems work in tandem providing an additional 3 stops of stabilization. OM System rates it at EV 6 at 150mm and EV 5 at 600mm. This is significant, especially when hand-holding, which is the way I typically photograph.

The faster AF speed was noticeable from the first time I pointed the lens at a subject. Locking on even a split second faster means fewer missed opportunities.

These four improvements over the 100-400, plus the improvements OM System designed into the lens with additional high-quality glass elements and an IPX1 weather and dust-sealing rating, makes it worth the additional outlay.

The three images presented here were made not long after FedEx delivered the lens. Upon opening the files to edit, the sharpness and file quality were, again, immediately apparent. By the way, with the blue jay and chipmunk being so close, I didn’t want to startle them, so these were all made through the kitchen window, yet they are sharp!

Now I’m looking forward to getting out into the real world with this lens, a world without window glass in front! But what about the elephant in the room? The weight and size.

Yes, there’s a noticeable gain in weight and size. My arms feel it and my back will too after photographing for an hour or more. It’s something I’ll get used to, but perhaps I’ll add some specific exercises to my routine at the Y. We’ll see.

To assist with carrying the lens and other stuff while out photographing, I’ve purchased the Cotton Carrier Hyker Slingbag. They were 20% off last month for Earth Day. I’ve always preferred a sling to a backpack for one simple reason: everything is accessible without having to remove the bag and put it down somewhere. It’s the Cotton Carrier locking mechanism for holding the lens on my chest that will be take some getting used to. I’ll be sure to report back.

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