Hands on with the OM System M. Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro

OM System M. Zuiko 90mm F3.5 PRO

Images by Lauren Haslett

Micro Four Thirds has been a special system for macro photography for a long time now. The crop factor by itself gets you 2x closer than full frame, a frequent benefit in wildlife telephoto photography, while in macro work the smaller lenses can be handy for poking into and under flower petals, leaves and such. (Some camera models also feature in-camera focus stacking, another benefit.)

Leveraging the strengths of its Pro lens reputation, OM Digital Solutions have gone all-out to create a macro monster in the new 90mm F3.5 Macro IS Pro lens. This gives photographers a super telephoto option that can complement the system’s existing compact 30mm F3.5 Macro and beloved 60mm F2.8 Macro lenses.

Key specifications

• 90mm focal length (180mm equivalent) with a 14° field of view
• F3.5–F22 aperture range
• 7 rounded aperture blades
• Optical image stabilization with 6 stops of CIPA-rated stabilization
• IP53 weather sealing
• 2:1 magnification, up to 4:1 magnification with teleconverters
• 62mm filter size
• 136mm x 69.8mm (5.35 in x 2.75 in)
• 435g weight (0.96 lbs)
• $1,499.99

What stands out?

Although there have been other macro lenses in the Micro Four Thirds catalog, this 90mm has the longest focal length of all the autofocus macros out there. It is also the very first 2:1 autofocus macro lens in the system, and as far as we can tell, the first 2:1 macro autofocus lens on any system.

When you pull back the manual focus clutch you can see that OM System has thoughtfully included not only the focusing distance scale, but also the magnification at that point in the focusing range. Like other OM System and Olympus lenses, the manual focusing ring has hard stops at either end. Sadly the focus clutch doesn’t engage manual focus on Panasonic bodies, so you’ll need to do that yourself.

Moreover, its IP53 weather sealing gives users reassurance that the lens is plenty rugged, so bug and animal macro can be achieved no matter what the weather.

Handling and design

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up the lens is how balanced it feels. We expect an MFT lens to be light – after all, light weight and portability are top reasons to choose the system – but it isn’t always a given where the fulcrum lies on a lens and how it feels to operate. Will it be heavy in the base where it meets the camera body, adding weight to the body, or will it be heavy at the front glass and focus ring, running the risk of pitching forward? Thankfully, this 90mm is neither; when using it on an OM System OM-1 it felt very balanced, neither pitching in any direction nor adding uncomfortable weight to the body.

There’s a set of slider switches about midway down the lens and to the left (just above my thumb in the image above) that are very easy to reach and operate with just the thumb alone. They have a nice click when moved to a new setting, giving physical and audible confirmation that focus range or IS has been changed.

Just outward from the switches is the focus ring, which also houses the pull-down clutch to instantly activate manual focus. The layout of the switches and the ring allowed me to slide the focus limiter switch with my thumb, shift my thumb up to pull back the clutch, then seamlessly adjust manual focus with thumb and forefinger on the ring.

I found the lens to be rather slender and I had no trouble holding it comfortably in my hands (I wear men’s large gloves); for reference I was able to wrap my hands around almost 3/4 of the barrel.

Turn me on (or off)

On a 180mm equivalent lens, especially one designed for shooting itty-bitty subjects, we’d hope for a focus limiter, and the M.Zuiko 90mm Macro doesn’t disappoint. It has a full range setting, a smaller 0.25-0.5m setting, and an S Macro setting for getting to the 0.224m super close focusing distance, which is where you get the headlining 2x magnification.

Beneath the focus limiter switch is a switch for image stabilization. The lens has its own stabilization, and on recent Olympus/OM System bodies provides Sync IS, and body work in tandem. OMDS rates the in-lens optical stabilization for up to 6 stops of CIPA-spec shake protection and up to 7 stops when used with Sync IS.

Finally, the addition of an accelerometer in the lens helps improve the accuracy of shift movements, which is of particular benefit when shooting macro images.

What’s it like to use?

We used the lens on an OM-1 for a few weeks and took to the streets, shooting landscapes, portraits and extreme macros, and by toggling the focus limiter as needed we found the focus to be quick and accurate. Even macro images were sharp during handheld use thanks to the Sync IS you get with that body.

The focus clutch ended up being a highlight of the lens and we enjoyed how quick it was

In a few cases we did need to click back the manual focusing clutch for fine focusing, mainly when battling handheld shake and shift, complex layers of tree branches, or low light.

The focus clutch ended up being a highlight of the lens and we enjoyed how quick it was to engage, enabling rapid on-the-fly switching between manual and autofocus. In a way, it felt like a throwback to mechanical lenses like a ’70s era Nikkor lens: sturdy, tactile, simple to use without taking your eye off the viewfinder.

The combination of the clutch and well-laid-out placement of the switches allowed me to spend less time looking at sliders and readjusting my grip, more time making images in the moment. This came in handy not just during macro frames but when shooting portraits, where I’d rather be engaged with the people I’m photographing than the camera settings.

Steady now

A feature of the OM System 90mm Macro that’s been somewhat on the downlow is the ability to mount a tripod collar. While OM Digital Solutions isn’t officially promoting this use case, you can take the collar off the M. Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 Pro lens and mount it to the 90mm.

It’s a little tricky to remove the collar from the 40-150mm F2.8 Pro lens: once the screw lock is loosened the collar must then be rotated until four slots on the collar line up with four pegs on the 40-150mm lens. There are no markings on the lens or collar to indicate this is how to remove it and it can take a little guessing and checking to get the slots and pegs lined up. Be patient and don’t force it or you risk damaging the lens, tripod collar or both.

The 90mm has no pegs and the tripod collar can be slide on in any orientation from the lens mount end until it audibly clicks into place just below the bump for the toggle switch controls. The only way to truly be sure the collar is seated properly on the 90mm is by looking for a thin strip of the underlying bump that the collar sits on top of to be visible (hint: look back at the previous image for the ‘what’s it like to use’ section and you’ll see this band just above the 90mm text).

It’s nice to be able to use the 40-150mm collar on the 90mm, but a little extra care must be taken to confirm alignment when attaching it. For those with a collection of Pro lenses, this interoperability helps make the OM System feel…well, like a system. That said, this ability has not been tested to work on every camera so your mileage may vary.

The tripod collar is available separately either on the OM System website in the US or, in principle, through your region’s customer support.

Get even closer with teleconverters

While a long macro lens was on the OM System lens roadmap for quite some time, there was still a big surprise left in store. The M. Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro is designed to work with the two Olympus-branded teleconverters. These add either 1.4x or 2x to the 90mm, giving you an effective focal length of either 126mm (252mm equiv.) or 180mm (360mm equiv.). This enables OM Digital Solutions to state that the lens offers up to 4x magnification, albeit with a penalty to the effective aperture from the teleconverter.

While you might not want to trust your handheld macro skills with either of these magnifiers, they can get you even closer to your subjects, for example to do tripod-based reproduction or, when out in the field, with a flick of the focus limiter nab that rare bird alighting high above you.

The list price of $1,500 might be a bit off-putting but, taken as a whole, the OM System M. Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro Pro offers a range of features not readily replicated elsewhere.