Once upon a time, there was a photographer who drank coffee. Coffee, no matter brand, was constantly in his car or at his side. He lived for coffee like a Blue Whale lives for plankton. But the coffee made the photographer jittery, so he needed a solution. The manufacturers heard this plea and created image stabilized zoom lenses. But the folks at OM SYSTEM took it one step further and made those lenses small! And now, the photographer can imbibe his coffee while holding his image stabilized zoom lenses and get great photos. So, if you can relate to this chap, behold the gifts granted to him after the jump!
The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
How We Selected the Image Stabilized Zoom Lenses for the OM SYSTEM in This Roundup
Here’s some insight into how we selected the best zoom lenses from OM SYSTEM:
- Our Editorial Policies don’t allow us to speak about products we haven’t tried. Lucky for you, The Phoblographer has done the most real-world reviews of lenses on the web! All the product and sample images were shot by us. And while this piece is done in part of a sponsorship with OM SYSTEM, they’re well aware of our hardened, transparent stances on things.
- When considering the best image stabilized zoom lenses from OM SYSTEM, know that if it says “PRO” in the name, it’s their highest-end option.
- Zuiko is the name OM SYSTEM (and Olympus before them) chose for their lens lineup. It means “Light of the Gods.” Just a cool bit of history we thought you should know!
- The best image stabilized zoom lenses for OM SYSTEM in this list have weather resistance. Notice how we’re not saying “weather sealing.” Barely any products are weather sealed, but instead they’re resistant to the weather. If you’re picking up a PRO lens, know it’s boasting weather resistance. Also, know this doesn’t only help with durability, but it also keeps your camera’s sensor pretty clean. As it is, OM SYSTEM has great vibration technology that helps to keep dust off the sensor. The OM-1 and a few other cameras also have a very good IP durability rating, and so do these lenses.
- This is the Micro Four Thirds system. So, when you’re considering the focal lengths, you have to multiply them by two. This means a 14mm lens is actually 28mm in traditional photography speak. It makes for excellent photography of wildlife and for getting more of a subject in focus.
- The OM SYSTEM OM-1 is a fantastic camera that’s insanely capable and has only gotten better with firmware updates. Overall, the system’s zoom lenses are what photographers mostly purchase.
- The image stabilized zoom lenses for the OM SYSTEM OM-1 we have listed in this roundup can be used with any Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus and OM SYSTEM.
- For some extra fun, dive into this camera’s computational photography settings.
M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f4.0 Pro
What to Like
- Accepts filters
- Weather-sealed and built well
- Compact, retracting lens
- Excellent close focusing capabilities
- Great color and flare that’s full of character
What We Thought
In our review, we state:
The sharpness coming from this lens is perfect at the center: it’s not too soft, but it’s not overly sharpened. At 25mm, this sharpness is maintained almost to the edges. I preferred the lens slightly stopped down to f4.5 to place the subject towards a corner.
M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-100mm f4 IS PRO
What to Like
- Fairly compact
- Feels nice in the hand
- Clutch for manual focus
- Sharp
- Nice colors
- Fast autofocus capabilities
- Image stabilization that works with the sensor
- With the OMD EM1 Mk II, it’s almost impossible to get a blurry shot from camera shake.
What We Thought
In our review, we said:
“Now that we’re talking about autofocus just a bit, what I really like about the M.Zuiko 12-100mm f4 IS PRO is how closely it can focus when zoomed in. It guarantees a lot of great bokeh and you never have to stop down. Additionally, the lens is really speedy.”
M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS
What to Like
- Superb image quality
- Excellent overall build quality
- Remarkable color rendition
- Image stabilization makes this lens easy to handhold.
- IPX1 weather sealing means this lens will face Mother Nature head-on.
- It can be used with the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters to give a maximum focal length of 1120mm and 1600mm.
- In great light, this lens focuses at a rapid speed, and it’s quiet.
- Compatible with focus stacking modes in certain Olympus cameras
- It’s fairly priced at $1,499.
What We Thought
In our review, we said:
“Telephoto lenses, at the best of times, can be a challenge to use. Super telephoto zooms can be even harder to get under control, especially at the long end due to the very narrow viewing angle they produce and just how much vibration is amplified at such long focal lengths. However, I have to say, the image stabilization in the M.Zuiko ED 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS is excellent, and it does make this lens easy to handhold, even at 800mm equivalent lengths.”
This piece is presented in partnership with OM SYSTEM. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the products in this post already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you.
