Olympus 300mm Lens Finally Arrives Review

LAS VEGAS—Olympus is using CES to launch a lens that is sure to whet the appetites of sports and nature photographers.

The M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO covers an extreme telephoto view on a Micro Four Thirds camera—about the same as a 600mm lens mounted to a full-frame body. But it's much smaller and lighter than a full-frame lens. It measures 8.9 by 3.6 inches (HD), supports 77mm front lens filters, and weighs about 3.2 pounds with its tripod collar attached, 2.8 pounds without it. A beauty ring is included to cover the area normally occupied by the tripod collar when it's detached.

As part of the Olympus PRO line the lens is sealed against dust and moisture. And, despite Olympus traditionally relying on in-body image stabilization, the 300mm has its own in-lens stabilization system. It works in concert with compatible Olympus cameras to provide 6 stops of stabilization, based on CIPA standards. When used with a Micro Four Thirds camera without in-body stabilization, which includes most models from Panasonic, the in-lens IS is rated for 4 stops of stabilization.

The lens focuses to 4.6 feet (1.4 meters) as measured from the image sensor. The working distance from the front element is about 3.8 feet (1.15 meters). That translates into roughly 1:2.1 macro magnification, which will project objects at roughly half-size onto the image sensor at the minimum focus distance. There is a focus limiter switch on the lens barrel, which can be used to prevent the lens from hunting across its focus range when shooting distance subjects. There's also a focus clutch to quickly switch between manual and autofocus.

The lens is available to buy today.

Olympus is also updating its entry-level rugged compact. The TG-860 is being replaced by the Tough TG-870. The tough camera is waterproof to 50 feet, and rated to survive drops from 7 feet, as well as up to 200 pounds of pressure. It's sealed against dust, and can be used in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

It uses the same 21mm wide-angle lens and 16-megapixel image sensor as its predecessor. In-camera Wi-Fi is available, and the GPS system can utilize both GPS and GLONASS satellites for quick, accurate location acquisition. The front-facing LCD is the same resolution as on the TG-860, but is slightly brighter.

While there aren't a lot of changes to hardware, the camera supports some operating modes that weren't available in the TG-860. The marquee addition is Live Composite, which is useful for light painting, as well as capturing lightning strikes, fireworks, and star trails. There's also a movie mode that's tuned for capturing fireworks, and a time lapse movie mode that's tuned for use at night.

The TG-870 will be available in April for $280 in the U.S. It's priced at $330 in Canada. Three colors are coming to market: Gunmetal Metallic, Metallic Green, and Pure White.

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