The Olympus 40-150mm lens is a budget telephoto lens made to accompany the Olympus 14-42mm lens. You can get this lens from either Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
This lens is usually sold as a kit lens but it is also available for a very cheap price separately. When used in a four thirds DSLR camera, the focal length will be equivalent to 80-300mm.
The thing that stands out from this lens is the compactness and lightweight characteristics. You can pair this lens with the 14-42mm and you will have an excellent range to shoot from.
If you’ve read my review on the Olympus 14-42mm, you know how much I like that kit zoom lens because of the optical performance.
Will this lens also fare well in terms of optical performance?
Let’s find out in the Olympus 40-150mm lens review below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Olympus 40-150mm Specs
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Official Name:
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6
Focal Length Markings:
40, 50, 70, 100, 150mm
Features:
ED – Extra Low Dispersion Glass – Technology to make the image sharper by correcting the light wavelength that travels through the lens.
Full Technical Specs (from Olympus’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 9 / 12 |
| Angle of View | 30 – 8.2 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.9m |
| Filter Thread | 58mm |
| Weight | 220g |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 65.5 x 72mm |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.14X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Olympus 40-150mm Sharpness
This lens is very sharp on the center at any aperture and focal length, even at the widest one!
Border sharpness are also great at any aperture and focal length.
See the table below for the full sharpness test result.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 40mm | Excellent | Excellent | Great | Great |
| 100mm | n/a | Excellent | Great | Great |
| 150mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 40mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 100mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
| 150mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Barrel distortion is apparent at 40mm. However, it is not to a large degree and can be easily corrected.
Both 100mm and 150mm has a slight pincushion distortion that can be safely ignored at all shooting conditions.
See the distortion test result below.
Vignetting
Vignetting is visible at the maximum aperture at any focal length. When you stop down by one stop, it will be essentially gone from any focal length.
See the full vignetting test result below.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is very well controlled on this lens. It is very low at any aperture and focal length.
See the full chromatic aberration test result in the table below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 40mm | Low | Low | Low | High |
| 100mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 150mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
Build Quality
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Materials
Plastic, but quite decent.
Zoom Ring
Zoom ring is quite smooth with just enough friction to prevent zoom creep. The lens will extend when you zoom it towards the telephoto end.
Focusing
Focus ring operates similarly like the zoom ring. The autofocus is relatively slow in this lens compared to other lenses on the same league.
The autofocus is pretty accurate here though.
Image Stabilization
In the Olympus DSLR world, Image Stabilization is installed in the sensor, not on the lens. Check your DSLR body if it support Image Stabilization.
Compatibility
This lens is compatible with both Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds camera (via a special adapter).
Sample Image
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Below are some sample images that I took with this Olympus 40-150mm lens. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the images.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
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Here is the conclusion for this Olympus 40-150mm lens.
For a budget lens, this lens performs very well optically. It is very sharp at any focal length and aperture, both on the center and on the borders.
Distortion is only visible at 40mm (barrel), but it can be ignored at other focal lengths.
Vignetting is only visible at the widest aperture. Stop down one stop to completely eliminate it.
Chromatic aberration control is excellent on this lens. You can ignore it at any aperture and any focal length.
The only downside on this lens is the relatively slow autofocus. You can always switch to manual focus if you think the autofocus is too slow for your taste though.
Best of all is the price of this lens. I would consider this lens to have close to professional quality grade in terms of optical quality and having an appealing price at the same time.
Drawbacks
- Slow autofocus
- Barrel distortion at 40mm (slightly visible)
- Vignetting is apparent at the widest aperture at any focal length
Positives
- Very sharp on the center and borders at any focal length and apertures
- Good distortion control above 40mm
- Excellent chromatic aberration control
- Excellent value for money
Good For
- Telephoto shooting under bright light conditions
Not So Good For
- Fast moving sports photography under dim condition due to the slow max. aperture
What Others Are Saying…
by “Anne”
When my”therapist” at the local camera store told me he could sell me this lens for $100 I thought, “It’s Olympus, how bad could it be?” So I bought it and took some time to…
Click here to see the full review
by “bdgilfry”
Okay, it’s inexpensive. The ring where it attaches to the camera is plastic. But, are you going to use this as a hammer? It is that very construction that makes this camera a heavyweight in the…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Olympus 40-150mm lens from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
See the following related lens reviews to see more Zuiko lenses options options.
Alright, thanks checking out my Olympus 40-150mm review and I will catch you in the next one!
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