M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Long Term Review - The Best Macro Lens Money Can Buy?

[@MicaelWidell]

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[@d.k.1394]

this is the best kind of video for me. walking. talking. in the field.

[@janvangastel6763]

I totally agree with you, that this lens is the best for insects photography. I also use it on the OM-1, sometimes with my 1.4x Olympus converter. I also have the 60 mm Olympus macro lens and I use that for larger objects like mushrooms and toad stools. This will give me a more blurred background then the 90 mm, because you have to get closer to the subject with the 60 mm and, consequently, relatively further from the background.

[@sampodhorsky178]

I don't know, but it seems to me that the weight and dimensions are absolutely appropriate for what this lens offers. And on top of that, when I compare the dimensions and weight the same full frame lens would have to have... God bless the micro four thirds! I received my 90mm 14 days ago together with the OM-1 mark II and I can't imagine having something more perfect for long hikes - weight ratio, power, options. But thank you very much for your video, your photos are amazing! I love them all.

[@eelco6587]

Great video I was able to try the 90mm at macro workshop organised by OM-System last week. Afterwards I compared the build in stacked photo's taken with the OM-1 MKII and stacked photo made with Helicon Focus on my PC. I was surprised by the extra sharpness, also far less crop and somewhat more detail that Helicon software offered. I think it will be worth the investment if macro is an important part of your work. I will definitely consider buying 90mm when funds a there. Although I don't take enough macro shots currently to justify it. I also have the very nice Laowa 50mm f2.8 and bought the OM-1 MKII recently.

[@MicaelWidell]

Helicon is a great software. I bought a lifetime license. Works great together with the OM stacking.

[@ubeeh]

I do agree that size and weight matters a lot in macrophotography. That's why I've recently traded my Sigma 105mm in for the new Panasonic 100mm Macro. On a different note, it would be really interesting to hear people's opinion if the Olympus 90mm works on a, say, Panasonic G9 (II) or GH6.

[@ryanvaze]

Hi Micael! Just wanted to say, i really like the music you've put into this video. I also want to say thanks for sharing your insights regarding the entire OM system. I often come back to your channel when i need some guidance for my olympus gear.

[@MicaelWidell]

Thank you so much!

[@klackon1]

I love my 90mm f3.5. I now using it with my OM1 mark II and, when necessary, with my MC14/MC20. As well as macro, I use it for close up shots of birds landing and taking off from a baited gate post.

[@markattardo]

Awesome results! Great review. Really appreciate your thoughts on the 60mm + Raynox as well👍👍

[@4n6computing]

Hi, Micael. I’m not sure if you know the AF-Option PreMF. On my E-M1 MKII I can manually focus and still shoot stacked with PreMF. I’m pretty sure it exists also on the OM-1. Nice, Video by the way 👍

[@th500e]

Hej, I have the 90 mm M.Zuiko with the OM-1 and it is perfect for me. And the new AK diffuser is excellent as well.

[@markheywood5626]

Another great video. Why don't you get a light monopod. That way you can easily carry and adjust for some stability when needed.

[@MicaelWidell]

A monopod would only make it harder for me and mostly be in the way. Especially since I also have to carry my video camera (and monopod for it) that I am filming the video with.

[@walterpierluissi1379]

its amazing but..... I am a Nikon Shooter.... So my Nikon Z50 and the Laowa 65mm 2x it gives me the macro experience, and I have stack the Raynox DCR 250 with the 150 and put ir on my Laowa 65mm and I have reach to 2.89 magnification and this almost 3x for me is SUPER.... and the quality of the shots are very good... even I have done some stacking using a macro rail from Sirui I bought in Amazon.... I am enjoying my macro's to the fullest with this set up.... and all the ideas have came from you my fried.... THANK YOU!!!!

[@Michael-fw5ef]

For macro and street, I think Micro 4/3rds is the best - OMD EM10 models for street because of the size.

[@Yotengri]

Incredible lens!Bought one myself!And i am still amazed!

[@earlteigrob9211]

The OM 60mm Macro has very very good image quality but also has a crazy amount of focus breathing. When doing macro all the way to landscape focus bracketing, I would generally have to do a 30% crop on the stack. The lens zooms in as you focus closer and my guess is that at 1 to 1, the lens is close to 70 to 80 mm. The Panasonic 30mm Macro has virtually no focus breathing and is great for focus stacking but has such a close focus distance. From the demo I have seen online, the OM 90mm macro has very little focus breathing and would be perfect for wide range focus stacking. Thank you for this video, BTW!!!

[@DavidBrown-if8vn]

I'm in Maine, so it's starting mud season, but I'm dying for bugs and buds to test my AK diffuser. So in about a month.

[@iosuanton3632]

How good the change of scenery must have been for you... leaving your cold and sterile winter land and arriving at a green meadow full of flowers... hahaha. I have both optics, I bought the 90 mm a few days ago. I usually take quite a few photos of butterflies, with this lens I intend to work at a longer distance and achieve cleaner blurs...thanks for your videos! Greetings from the north of Spain..

[@MicaelWidell]

Yeah I look forward to trying the 90mm for butterflies!

[@marklaurendet1861]

Thanks for your thoughts on this lens. Being an Olympus Mu-43 user I have been considering this lens. But i mainly do close up work at night when it is easier to find subjects where I live and they are less skitish. Have you tested the auto focus of both lenses at night by torch light ? If not would you consider doing that as I have not seem any night time usage examples with the 90mm yet. Currently I use the 60mm. I have both Raynox and the NiSi 49mm close up lenses. I find the auto focus range a bit limiting and much slower at night using these close up filters, and manual focusing with the 60mm is not easy. If the manual focus is better with the clutch and night / low light AF is as good or better than the 60mm I probably will pick one of these up.

[@MicaelWidell]

I pretty much never do macro photography at night. Might try it someday. The autofocus performance tends to mostly depend on the camera, I guess you will get very similar performance with the 90mm

[@bulbhead3333]

The Olympus M1 is the ultimate macro camera in my opinion. It has micro 4/3 depth of field, maybe the best image stabalisation, two of the best macro lenses (60mm and 90mm). I can easily do up to 100 image handheld focus stacks with this system whilst lying down or leaning on something (like a fence).

[@G.CurtFiedler]

I haven't had my 90mm Zuiko for as long as you have, but I went from skeptical to WOW in a few days. It is amazing! I've even shot this at f/18 and higher with a diffused flash, and seen few aberrations. I would argue it's not heavy compared to what you'd use on a full frame or crop frame sensor camera. Back in my Nikon DSLR days, the 105mm was twice as heavy - with a much heavier camera. I also currently shoot fuji with their 80 mm macro. But this lens is better and hunts less to focus. The only thing I'd like now with my OM system is a better way to diffuse my STF8 macro flash. I love the weather proofing on that flash.

[@MicaelWidell]

Agree it is a bit unfair to call it heavy, considering the weight of 95% of all other macro lenses

[@VladimirMikota]

Perfect video, just for me! You answered my question exactly - which of these two lenses to buy. Thank you very much !

[@MicaelWidell]

Glad I could help! Which one are you getting?

[@VladimirMikota]

​@@MicaelWidell I'm decided on the Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 60mm f/2.8 macro.

[@calvinkwan2805]

For range, how about using the 40-150mm pro zoom with multiple autofocus extension tubes? Also why no one tries using the 75mm with extension tubes? 🤷‍♂️

[@MicaelWidell]

Extension tubes add 1x of magnification if you add a focal length of them. So to get good magnification on the 40-150 mm you would have to add 150mm of extension tubes. Which would not be practical. Same reason nobody uses extension tubes with the 75mm. Much better to use a dedicated macro lens. Or a short focal length lens with extension tubes.

[@edwarddebruyn8717]

Yes...discovered the 90mm on your channel after buying the 60mm. Couldn't resist and must confirm that using the 60mm handheld is a lot easier, even though there is only a 250 gram difference. But since I’ve got the 90mm, I've rarely used the 60mm... It's quite incredible to have the ability to magnify 4x (FF equivalent). Staying further away from the insects also helps the more fearful insects. But handling is indeed easier with the 60mm to keep the piece of leaf or flower + insect stable. And yes, the new AKdiffuser takes up no space, is very easy to assemble, is well built and of good quality. But never had the Cygnustech, so I can't compare.

[@MicaelWidell]

I think the main problem is not the weight of the 90mm, but that it is so long and front heavy. Makes it straining on the hand. But yeah I agree with all your points - wonderful lens!

[@montxsuz]

Good video thanks. I've just bought the lens, even though I own the 60mm as well. It was on special in Australia for $840 brand new incl a cash-back offer. Hopefully I will find other uses except macro. It will be interesting to see if the Panasonic TeleConverters work on it.

[@earlteigrob9211]

I have seen the comparisons in image quality between the 60mm and 90mm and the 90 is clearly significantly better. This surprised me because I already considered the 60 to be a very sharp lens but the 90's detail is just that much better. I just received the 90 so I will be doing my own tests to see how these compare. Thanks again for the Video!!!

[@MicaelWidell]

I haven’t seen any difference in image quality whatsoever. Whose comparison have you watched?

[@sverreedin4229]

Is Godox TT350 also a suiteable blitz for macro and focus stacking? Or do only Godox v350o have the power to do that without waiting for the blitz?

[@MicaelWidell]

The v350 is much more powerful and I don’t think the TT is powerful enough

[@fromia1]

What are some good subjects? I need something small to take advantage of the magnification.😊

[@MicaelWidell]

I would say it is ideal for insects of all sizes

[@disjenmgn]

You can use stacking/bracketing on M mode on the lens. Just put the camera on AF then it will work. With the 90 mm you can get 8 times (equivalent) with the '2.0 converter on it. And I agree the 60 mm is Great, but the 90 mm goes a step further, certainly if you want more MAGNIFICATION! And the 90 mm is nog thát heavy ;-)

[@richball3260]

Micael have you had the opportunity to use the Olympus STF-8 macro flash system? I have one but have not used it extensively. Also the Raynox DCR filters will work on the 90mm macro it would be educational to see how you would use it on the 90mm macro. Thanks for you great videos!

[@MicaelWidell]

Yeah I actually plan on trying the Raynox together with the 90mm. Also curious to try the teleconverter with the 90mm. Will maybe try these things soon :) I did not try the STF-8 flash. I heard it is not as good as the Godox for fast bracketing.

[@jared3622]

That lens looks massive. How much does it weigh?

[@MicaelWidell]

Not sure. Feels very front heavy though which is the biggest issue with it

[@GoldLithium]

hope Loawa's AF develops well for their other lenses

[@pentagramyt417]

Then Price will be the same, lol. Autofocus changes the price A LOT. As same as stabilization.

[@GoldLithium]

@@pentagramyt417 I'm not hoping for an immediately cheaper lens. I'm looking forward for its effect if it pushes the standard quality or competition on market prices.

[@pentagramyt417]

@@GoldLithium sure, laowa is already at the top, but to be honest, as same as filming - macro is mostly manual focus work. You would not use AF for professional work like in product photography.

[@riveraluciano]

What's the best alternative for this on Sony E? I'm thinking the Sony 90mm f/2.8 OSS and a Raynox... I already have a Laowa 100mm f/2.8 APO but I need to git gud with it, and the limited stabilization makes it quite difficult for me to use on the field.

[@MicaelWidell]

If you already own the Laowa 100mm, I would say that is probably the best lens you can get. The stablilization in the Sony 90mm won't do much difference. What you need to get now is hours in the field, practicing.

[@riveraluciano]

@@MicaelWidell I trust you, so I'll skip on the 90 and keep going with the Laowa, just got back from a visit to a botanical garden and the pictures look really good, so I'll just keep practising! Thanks a lot

[@caltari]

On the fence on buying the M. Zuiko 90mm F/3.5, I currently have the 60mm 2.8 what's your opinion on using extensions tubes on the 60mm 2.8 instead of the Raynox lens? Regards

[@MicaelWidell]

I didn't try extension tubes with the 60mm, but sure you can add a lot of them and get good magnification. But I think it is better with the Raynox as it doesnt make the lens super long.

[@berniestang2616]

I was looking at the AK diffuser, but do I need that power bank if my Godox V860iii already has a battery ? what is the power bank for ? Do i need the power bank??? Thxxxxx 😊

[@MicaelWidell]

The power bank is only if you want to use the constantly shining led light that you can get with the diffuser. I personally never use it, but can be good for night photography.

[@emudojo]

I have the 60, but isn't it true that with the raynox the working distance to get to 1.65x is like touching the insect?, whereas with the 90 is not?.. I can prob but one used for like $600

[@MicaelWidell]

I haven't measured, but yeah if you need working distance the 90mm is the better choice

[@dennismwallentin296]

Now you can do Focus Bracketing easily😊 Personally I have only 1.4x magnification on my Canon RF 100mm lens but with focus bracketing.

[@d.k.1394]

amazing details in your photos

[@nidheesh.k.b6105]

Can you do a video of rf 35mm 1.8macro for wideangle shots

[@MicaelWidell]

Probably won't happen since I don't own any Canon cameras right now

[@Oleg_Ivanov]

90mm is cool, but what do you think about macro ring?

[@MicaelWidell]

What do you mean by macro ring? Extension tube? I made a video about that

[@Oleg_Ivanov]

@@MicaelWidell rings, sorry. 10mm plus 16mm. Together or separately may use... Or tube. ))

[@OriolLlv]

I'm thinking of switching my gear for an OM1 camera and a macro lens, but I'm not sure whether to buy the 60mm or the 90mm. I really like the 90mm, but it's very expensive, so I'm not sure if it's worth it. I like the 60mm because it's small. Is there a significant difference in sharpness?

[@MicaelWidell]

No the difference is not in sharpness or image quality. Rather it is in all the other things I discuss in this video. Both are perfect when it comes to sharpness.

[@OriolLlv]

@@MicaelWidell Thank you very much, I watched the video and found it very interesting. I wasn't sure if the 90mm was sharper than the 60mm, I think I'll try the 60mm first.

[@earlteigrob9211]

I've seen some tests between the two lenses and the 90 is definitely sharper. I have both now so will test them myself as well.

[@xinqiwang3301]

Your videos are always inspirations to me. I thought the fly species is unique to my backyard😂😂😂😂. Can you please spell the filter on the 60mm macro lens?

[@MicaelWidell]

Raynox DCR-250

[@xinqiwang3301]

@@MicaelWidell thanks for the quick response Michael ! I will get one. I 've become a macro genre lover. Will add one to my macro gears.

[@KamilRusiecki]

@MicaelWidell Did you have to buy a new AK Diffuser for the 90mm, or do you use the one you had for the 60mm? I'm planning to buy a 90mm one and I'm wondering if I'll have to change the diffuser as well.

[@MicaelWidell]

I have a special one for the 90mm. AK diffuser are nice enough to send their latest diffusers to me for marketing purposes. Anyway, the 90mm is a lot longer than the 60mm, so it is probably best to have a diffuser made for your lens. But it is possible the smaller AK could still work with the 90mm - I haven't tried.

[@NotSoGoodGamingTV]

Great video! And i like the way it works with the new format, feels very Micael Widell with a new format! :D

[@MicaelWidell]

Thank you! Happy to hear that! Yeah I want to renew this channel while keeping its soul and core.

[@KPAki1Ler]

Think I'll be buying this diffuser cheers

[@MicaelWidell]

It’s great. Link in the video description

[@barryfoster5031]

Here in Northern California the dammed farmers have sprayed so much pesticides there are almost no insects to be seen. I haven’t seen a single bee on my two peach trees while they have been in blossom this year. Last year all my three beehives totally disappeared apart from a few dead ones in the hives😢 I grow a few flowers so I can at least photograph them( I’m not very mobile)

[@tonigenes5816]

Did you thought using MC-20 teleconverter in order to get 4x magnification ? Or TC will degradate the image ?

[@MicaelWidell]

I haven't tried it yet. A TC will typically degrade the image quality a little bit. I think you probably get a better experience by attaching a Raynox DCR-250 to the front. I will try that first.

[@earlteigrob9211]

Olympus TC's are extremely sharp, the best I have ever seen. You will lose a lot of light and autofocusing will be harder in low light but the image quality should still be very good. I use the 1.4 on the 300 F4 and my many tests prove it to be way better then cropping the non-tc image.

[@JemimahMai]

Have you tried the cygnustech diffuser with your OM 90 mm macro?

[@MicaelWidell]

My cygnustech diffuser is made for 60mm so I don't think it would work well. I have an AK made for the 90mm so I'm using that. They give pretty much exactly the same look - see my diffuser comparison video.

[@JemimahMai]

@@MicaelWidell do both diffusers work fine when you attach the raynox to the lenses?

[@MicaelWidell]

Yes, no problem at all

[@printrun5]

what do you think about canon macro mp-e 65 (1x-5x)?

[@MicaelWidell]

Haven't used it, but seems like a great lens. But it is expensive and heavy, so maybe you get more for your money with the Laowa 2.5x -5x or the Astrhori 2x-5x.

[@MegaHenrikson]

Wonderful! As always.

[@creativeip]

Hi, always loved your videos. A quick question (as you also use Sony) - Do Godox Sony version flashes work with om-1 in manual mode? They may not work in TTL mode which is fine for me.

[@MicaelWidell]

Unfortunately Sony flashes do not work on MFT cameras. They are completely incompatible. I had to buy MFT versions of my flashes and transmitters.

[@creativeip]

@@MicaelWidell Thanks a lot! I am worried now as I have 3 Godox v860 ii S flashes.

[@pjz6737]

focus clutch has to be in autofocus mode to stack. but you can switch to manual in menu from camera and than you can focus stack in manual mode.

[@MicaelWidell]

Yes true. But the focus clutch in manual mode is the only thing that feels like true manual focus to me

[@pjz6737]

i am still using focus ring to focus, even if focus clutch is in autofocus mode. does work pretty well for me.

[@BMadPhoto]

@@pjz6737 oh Wild - I already do the 'shotgun' approach, but this is interesting cant wait to try it in the morning!

[@pjz6737]

the only thing that does not work is, you dont see the numbers like magnification and that stuff on the lens. but i am not missing these numbers. got used to it.

[@BMadPhoto]

@@pjz6737 I never noticed the magnification numbers to begin with, maybe its an option or not on the EM5.3 - do you know if that also ends up in the metadata viewable in lightroom?

[@carbonium1264]

@MicaelWidell Does 2X magnicfication on micro four thirds equal 4X magnification on full frame since mft has crop factor of 2.0 ?

[@MicaelWidell]

Yeah the images would equal that.

[@arturmagomedov5672]

Mindblowing quality!

[@tonigenes5816]

Nice photos !

[@MicaelWidell]

thanks! 😊

[@alexmaccape8411]

You can use MF in stacking, if you select MF from the camera menu instead of using the MF clutch. I have mapped a button for MF selection.

[@MicaelWidell]

Yes, true. And maybe I did not express myself clearly, but my frustration is not being able to stack while in the manual focus clutch mode.

[@spiderschaf]

The Raynox filter damages OM lenses. So be careful with it.

[@MicaelWidell]

Possibly if you leave it out in the sun for a while without a lens cap, and are really unlucky with the angle towards the sun. Is that what you mean?

[@drumdrumcymbal1594]

@ 00:58 that would have been a nice image.

[@pentagramyt417]

The issues of focus stacking: in World Contests in macrophotography, focus-stacked images doesn't qualify. It has to be "one shot"

[@d.k.1394]

great video

[@ericlundquist3466]

Heard that also that the 60mm is sharper. Oh well. I spent 1200 on the 90 so I'm not dishing out 600 more lol

[@earlteigrob9211]

I've seen online comparisons and the 90 is significantly sharper then the 60, to my surprise, because I always considered the 60 to be extremely sharp. I just got the 90 so will do my own comparisons too.

[@wojciechskorza3051]

W marce Pentax wydano nowy obiektyw HD 100 mm makro, mały lekki i bardzo ostry dający powiększenie 1:1. Pozdrawiam z Polski z miasta "Twierdza Przemyśl".

[@TechWithBruno]

Nice!

[@wasylbakowsky5199]

You are taking in the weediest, most disturbed habitats...try going out into real natural habitats, or as close as they come in Portugal

[@MicaelWidell]

Why would I go through that effort when there are plenty of insects in the park?

[@denisewilliams1374]

It's hard to access insects in most natural habitats -- they're up high in trees or under bark or down underground. You get a lot more photos in weedy habitats and there's a surprising amount of biodiversity.

[@MicaelWidell]

This is my experience as well, after doing macro photography for 7 years. A grassy field like this with lots of flowers and beehives closeby, is usually an ideal environment to find lots of different insects.

[@tiktokfavorite3070]

I am devastated; I have been taking macro pictures for almost 2.5 years now, but I never wanted to try continuous flash for focus stalking pictures because I was worried it could blind those insects. However, after watching differenr reels in social media, two days back i tried it with a bumblebee. I probably shot 6 or 7 with flash, and the poor bee just died. At first, I thought it was just frozen, and I checked after an hour, but it was still sitting in the same position. The next day, it was still there, dead. I don't know how flash is going to affect these critters, but I will never in my life do continuous shooting for the purpose of stalking. Whatever I can get from a single shot, I am good with that.

[@MicaelWidell]

Never happened to me. And I photographed many, many insects. My guess is that the bumblebee was already dead when you found it - bumblebees very seldomly sit still unless they are sleeping at night. The flash is not stronger than the light from the sun, so I doubt it can harm the insects.

[@edwarddebruyn8717]

Yes. Was thinking the same...or maybe a bumble bee with bad coronary arteries 😅😇

[@tiktokfavorite3070]

@@edwarddebruyn8717 🤣

[@tiktokfavorite3070]

@@MicaelWidell thank you, I was worried

[@maclenna001]

You are not going to blind or otherwise harm insects (or any anthropods) by using your average speedlight (strobe flash), even using continuous flash. Insects eyes operate very differently than human eyes and they see in a slightly different visible light spectrum range, including the UV spectrum, than humans. They do not have eyelids and their eyes are their adopted to a wide range of lighting conditions. Much more likely the insect may be disturbed by your presence and movement than any flash and will fly away. Using flash for animals and birds, particularly continuous flash or in dark conditions, is another issue - as a nature photographer you want to avoid altering your subject's behavior.