This article discusses the use of M.Zuiko 150-600 Sync-IS technology and shares a selection of images captured handheld at Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls, Canada.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

On a personal basis I think it is rather pointless to test Sync-IS in an artificial setting by photographing test patterns and other static subjects. Folks who are interested in the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS will be using it out in nature, photographing living subjects.

One of the challenges when using a lens of this type is how shallow the depth-of-field can be. For example, the large beaks of some birds can quickly go out of focus. Stopping the 150-600 down slightly when capturing the image above would have helped to get the righthand edge of the beak in better focus. The beak of the bird in image 5 could also have benefitted from me stopping my lens down slightly.

To get as many image opportunities as possible, I decided to make Bird Kingdom my very first photographic venue to field test the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS. While it is a captive venue, the vast majority of birds are free flying. Some of the birds can be skittish which can add to the challenge.

The M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS is rated for 6 EV stops of Sync-IS at the telephoto end of the zoom when used with a compatible camera body. And 7 EV stops when used at the short end of the range. Most of the images featured in this article were at the longer end of the focal length range, with many of them captured at 600 mm (efov 1200 mm).

Since the 150-600 mm has an equivalent field-of-view of 1200 mm, 6 EV stops of image stabilization would result in the use of a shutter speed of about 1/20 of a second. That became my target shutter speed for this Sync-IS test.

One subject bird, a Laughing Kookaburra, was in a wire mesh cage. I had to take my lens hood off and shoot with the front of my lens up against the wire mesh so I could shoot through it, and not have it obstruct the bird. This turned out to be a good test as the subject bird was only 1.2 metres away from my camera. I was able to use a handheld shutter speed of 1/13.

I had to use the same technique to photograph an iguana that was also in a wire mesh cage. It stayed towards the back of the enclosure and I was able to capture an image with my 150-600 fully extended to 600 mm (efov 1200 mm). I was able to maintain the shutter speed of 1/13 of a second which is slightly better than what the Sync-IS is rated to deliver.

Using the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS at slower shutter speeds was reasonably easy to do. When fully extended to 600 mm (efov 1200 mm) I was able to capture very good images with shutter speeds ranging from 1/100 down to 1/40 without any issues at all. As I pushed my shutter speeds slower, the timing of my shutter release became increasingly important as even slight subject movements could cause some noticeable blurring.

Some of the small birds were constantly on the go and it didn’t make any sense to even try to capture them at slower shutter speeds. I didn’t bring my stool with me, so most of my images were captured from a standing position. I tried some image captures at 1/10, 1/8 and 1/5 of a second. I was able to get some success, but not on a consistent basis.

If I would have had my stool with me, I think I could have gotten reasonably consistent success at 1/8 of a second with my lens fully extended. That’s a challenge for another day.

With my M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 fully extended to 600 mm (efov 1200 mm) I was able to get good captures on a consistent basis using shutter speeds of 1/20 down to 1/13.. On a personal basis I would be comfortable using this zoom lens these slower shutter speeds with little hesitation.

Every photographer will need to do their own testing to determine where their individual slow shutter speed threshold lies. With good handheld technique I think many folks would be able to be successful using shutter speeds of 1/40 to 1/100 on a regular basis.

Using the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 handheld at slower shutter speeds is a joy. There is no comparison at all with using the M.Zuiko 100-400 mm in this type of situation. The Sync-IS in the 150-600 is superb. I captured a couple of hundred images at Bird Kingdom that I probably wouldn’t have even attempted with the 100-400 mm.

Just look at the detail in the image above. It was captured at 600 mm (efov 1200 mm) at f/6.3, from a distance of 2.8 metres… using a shutter speed of 1/13. The M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS definitely expands photographic potential with its increased reach, and Sync-IS performance.

I was at Bird Kingdom for about 3 hours shooting handheld with very few pauses in the action. I was wearing my Cotton Carrier G3 Harness but pretty much only used it when I was moving from one display area to another.

After 3 hours of shooting handheld with the 150-600 mm I had no arm, neck or back fatigue at all. This is a testament to the comfort, handling and ergonomics of my E-M1X.

There’s no doubt in my mind that I could not have achieved these results if I had been using my wife’s OM-D E-M1 Mark III.  Everyone is different of course, and other photographers may be better suited to using a smaller camera body with this super telephoto lens.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld with the equipment noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files using my standard process. This is the 1,363 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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