OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO Lens Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

OM System presents us with a 90mm f/3.5 Macro lens, equivalent to a 35mm field of view of 180mm, with IP53 sealing, 2x magnification and up to 7 stops IS (Image Stabilisation). Considering that 180mm and 200mm macro lenses have traditionally been almost the Holy Grail of macro lenses in some systems, if well priced the new OM System offering would seem to be an incredibly tempting prospect indeed. To find out if the new lens matches this potential, we team it up with the 20MP top-of-the-line OM System OM-1 to see how it matches up both in terms of handling and, of course, performance.

OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO Handling and Features

This is quite a long lens at 136mm, making the 69.8mm diameter look quite slim. In any event, it weighs in at a very reasonable 453g (without hood or caps) that balances well with either the OM-1 or OM-5 camera bodies. The body of the lens is dust, splash and freeze-proof, with an IP53 rating describing more accurately what this actually means. This gives confidence that using the lens in severe conditions will be fine, providing of course that the lens is used with an IP53-sealed camera body, such as the OM-1 or OM-5. The front element is also provided with a Fluorine coating that helps protect against dust, dirt and moisture, making the lens easier to keep clean.

First up is the provided round lens hood. This bayonets sweetly into position and has a retaining catch to hold it in place. The catch is recessed slightly so that it cannot be accidentally pressed. Within the bayonet fit for the hood is a conventional 62mm filter thread.

The wide manual focus ring is activated by pulling it towards the camera body, releasing a clutch mechanism and revealing a distance scale. This works well in practice and the resistance of the ring to being brought into play is just enough to prevent accidental operation. In the MF mode, the focusing ring has hard stops at either end of the range, whereas in AF mode it is free turning.

Closer to the camera body we have a selection of switches around the lens barrel. The L-Fn button as default is set to cancel AF when pressed and held. In the camera menu, there is the facility to change the function of this button to a wide selection of alternatives. The IS on/off switch selects the lens IS, which offers a 6-stop advantage on its own, or a 7-stop 5-axis Synch IS advantage if used in conjunction with a compatible camera body. This actually even works well at macro distances, which is quite an advantage. This is achieved using a VCM (Voice Coil Motor) motor.

The focus limiter reveals some interesting abilities. The first setting is for a range of 0.25m – infinity. The second is a setting for a range of 0.25m – 0.5m. The third is marked S Macro 2x and allows focusing down to 0.224m – 0.5m in the macro range beyond 1x (1:1) all the way to 2x (2:1). Twice life-size. If more magnification is needed, the lens is compatible with the teleconverters MC-14 (1.4x) and MC-20 (2x). MC-14 will increase the lens magnification from 2x to 2.83x and the MC-20 from 2x to 4x. The closest focusing distance is 0.224m or 0.735 feet, giving an unprecedented amount of space, ideal for giving wildlife macro subjects room without approaching too close and spooking them.

Optical construction is 18 elements in 13 groups, including 4 ED (Extra Low Dispersion), 2 Super ED, 1 HR (High Refractive Index) and 1 Super HR. The diaphragm comprises 7 blades, designed to give a rounded aperture for improved bokeh.

Many macro lenses end up being used in manual focus mode as we move more closely, but in this case, OM System has managed to design an AF system that keeps up even at macro distances. Manual tweaks can be applied if necessary with the simple clutch mechanism, but 99% of the time the AF was absolutely spot on, fast, accurate and virtually silent. Handling of the lens can only really be described as totally smooth.  

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO Performance

Central sharpness is excellent at f/3.5, outstanding at f/4, excellent from f/5.6 to f/11, very good at f/16 and good at f/22. The edges are also excellent at f/3.5, outstanding at f/4, excellent from f/5.6 to f/11, very good at f/16 and good at f/22.

Given that smaller formats such as MFT are more susceptible to diffraction, this is an especially excellent result, with the sharpness holding well even at smaller apertures. This is of course really useful with macro subjects, where depth of field can at best be limited, so excellent sharpness plus the greater depth of field of the MFT format all work well well together.

OM System M. Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO MTF Charts

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is measured with any in-camera corrections switched off, as far as we can know anyway. CA is well-controlled and in the field, there are no real problems with colour fringing on most subjects. If necessary, extreme subjects can be further adjusted using software.

OM System M. Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO Chromatic Aberration Charts

Distortion measures at just -0.12% barrel, virtually rectilinear, ideal for a macro lens.

Bokeh is pleasant and smooth, giving a relaxed feel to those out-of-focus backgrounds.

Flare is well under control and it takes very severe lighting to generate any artefacts. In all normal photography, the lens does not have any problems with flare.

Some modest vignetting can be found at f/3.5 and f/4, but thereafter is reduced almost to nil, one of the lowest vignetting figures ever recorded in EPZ reviews.

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OM System M. Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO Sample Photos

You can view additional images in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

[SECTION]VERDICT[/SECTION] 

Value For Money

The [AMUK]OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO|OM+System+lens[/AMUK] lens is priced at £1299.

Alternative macro lenses for the MFT format might be:

• [AMUK]Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro|Laowa+lens[/AMUK], £429
• [AMUK]OM System Olympus M Zuiko Digital ED 30mm f/3.5 Macro|OM+System+lens[/AMUK], £299
• [AMUK]OM System Olympus M Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro|OM+System+lens[/AMUK], £499
• [AMUK]Panasonic Lumix 30mm f/2.8 G Asph Mega OIS|Panasonic+lens[/AMUK], £269
• [AMUK]Panasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 45mm f/2.8 Macro|Panasonic+lens[/AMUK], £599

All the other macro lenses giving a 35mm-format field of view of 180mm or 200mm seem to be discontinued DSLR lenses, so not really relevant here, except to mention that these tend to have a legendary status. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma and Tamron all had such macro lenses, but clearly, they did not feel a demand to continue with them.

In our current context, the new OM System lens would appear to be virtually unique, and not overly expensive for a lens of its performance level.  

For more lens options, have a look at our lens top lists which feature optics we’ve reviewed and compiled into easy-to-read lists so you can make more informed decisions. 

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OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F/3.5 Macro IS PRO Verdict

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[SECTION]SPECIFICATIONS[/SECTION]

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