Wildlife images typically comes down to achieve and sharpness. You want distance with out shedding element, and that stability often means testing limits—optically and technically. The OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f/2.8 IS PRO lens goals to hit that stability, however how effectively it holds up when you begin including teleconverters is what separates a really perfect setup from a compromise.
Coming to you from Espen Helland, this detailed video places the OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm f/2.8 IS PRO lens by its paces with each 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. The 1.4x setup extends it to 70–280mm at f/4, giving a full body equal of 140–560mm. That’s strong attain with out an enormous penalty to mild or autofocus pace. Helland’s first impressions present the autofocus performing sooner than anticipated: fast, regular, and able to locking onto birds in flight with topic detection energetic. That type of responsiveness issues while you’re monitoring wildlife by branches or below shifting mild. He mentions that the lens doesn’t appear to hunt or decelerate noticeably, a uncommon consequence for zooms paired with teleconverters.
The second half of the check explores the 2x teleconverter, changing the lens right into a 100–400mm f/5.6 (200–800mm full body equal). That vary is formidable. Helland finds the outcomes surprisingly sharp at first look, although the rear LCD doesn’t inform the total story. He notes that true sharpness judgments solely come from viewing full-resolution pictures on a pc, not the digicam’s display. As soon as analyzed extra intently, the 2x setup produces pictures that stay usable and detailed, however not all the time constantly tack-sharp. Helland’s findings recommend minor softness creeping in at increased magnifications, one thing most shooters will solely discover at 100% zoom. Even then, it’s a tradeoff many would settle for for doubling their attain.
The video goes additional than nonetheless picture sharpness, displaying side-by-side autofocus monitoring checks with and with out teleconverters. Helland movies his display to reveal how the system handles actual topics. The autofocus stays impressively fast with none converter and almost an identical efficiency with the 1.4x hooked up. Solely with the 2x does he discover a slight lag in topic monitoring, but it surely’s nonetheless fast sufficient for sensible capturing.
Helland closes by evaluating picture sharpness throughout setups: no converter, 1.4x, and 2x. The variations seem solely below pixel-level scrutiny. The 1.4x converter maintains near-native sharpness, whereas the 2x introduces a delicate softness round high-quality particulars like feathers or fur. Regardless of that, Helland emphasizes that full-screen pictures stay wonderful, particularly for many show makes use of. He concludes that the lens performs finest natively, nice with the 1.4x, and good with the 2x. That readability helps you determine whether or not including attain is price a slight dip in consistency. Try the video above for the total rundown from Helland.
