Camera
Interview: Scott Bourne on new Olympus 150-400mm PRO lens – ‘when I first heard about it, it blew my mind’
| Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO (@284mm equiv.) |
Professional wildlife photographer and Olympus Visionary Scott Bourne is one of the best-known names in bird photography. In this interview, he explains how he got started, why he made the switch from DSLRs to Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras and lenses, and what he thinks of the new M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO lens.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and flow.
What’s your background?
I’ve been a photographer all my life. I started specializing in birds and wildlife about 25 years ago. But I’ve done every kind of photography; I started with motorsports, then I jumped into portraits and weddings, and then wildlife. I’ve always loved wildlife, and I’ve always been a birder. I just didn’t think ever in my mind that anyone would pay me for bird photographs! The more narrow your niche, the more successful you can be.
From motorsports to wildlife seems like a big shift: are there any similarities?
That background was extremely useful because in both cases, you’re shooting fast-moving objects. The only difference is that cars can’t fly yet. You still need to understand light, composition, shadows, aperture and exposure. All the things you learn for any kind of photography, it can all be applied to something else.
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| Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO (@300mm equiv.) |
What drew you to the Olympus Micro Four Thirds system originally?
I had several DSLRs at the time, and I had more than $100,000 invested in that gear, including all the big long primes, the 600mm and the 800mm and all that. And it was just too heavy. I couldn’t do it anymore, spending days standing with those big lenses and a giant gimbal head.
I had used Olympus gear for fun, for several years, but then I read an article about the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, and went down to my local camera store and bought one. I immediately started working with it, I did some tests, found that the Olympus lenses were at least as sharp or sharper than what I had been using, so I sold all my old gear and that was that.
What’s your normal go-to lens for wildlife work?
My standard long lens was the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 300mm F4 IS PRO, until this new 150-400mm PRO came out. With the 300mm and the M.Zuiko 2x teleconverter, all the focus points are still active, and it’s still sharp, and that got me out to the equivalent of 1200mm. Now if you’re a bird photographer, you’re shooting small objects that don’t want to be anywhere near you, and they can fly. So you can never have too much focal length!
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| The Olympus M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO joins a wide range of other fast and weathersealed high-end lenses for M43. Covering an equivalent focal length range of 300-800mm, with an internal teleconverter increasing the maximum reach to 1200mm, the 150-400mm offers a highly versatile zoom range for wildlife and action photography. |
When did you start using the new 150-400mm PRO?
I was hired last fall to do some initial tests on the new lens, before it even had final firmware. I think I had one of only three in the world. I had it for about 18 days and unfortunately that was during the historic fire season that we had up here in the Northwest. So I was working in really horrible conditions, trying to get birds that really didn’t want to come out because of the smoke. Olympus needed pictures that they wanted for the global campaign, so I had some very specific shots that I wanted to get.
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| Augur Buzzard (Buteo augur)Olympus OM-D E-M1X, M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO (@440mm equiv.) |
What excited you about it?
I’ve known that this lens was coming for a long time. And when I first heard about it, it blew my mind. It seemed so ambitious, I remember thinking I didn’t know how they were going to pull it off. I mean, to make a lens that covers an equivalent focal length of 300-800mm at F4.5, and stay sharp, and be compact, and reasonably priced… and – oh yeah – there’s an internal teleconverter in it?
What really blew me away was the speed of the autofocus, and the stabilization
When I got it into my hands and saw how compact and lightweight it is, I was shocked. What really blew me away was the speed of the autofocus, and the image stabilization, with the lens and the camera working together. At 2000mm effective focal length, I can handhold shots at 1/180 sec and it’s sharp. That impressed me.
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| Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 PRO + MC-14 teleconverter (@910mm equiv.) |
What kind of creative possibilities does this lens open up for you?
I love the 300mm F4 PRO, it’s a great lens. But it’s a fixed focal length. One of the problems you have with bird photography, especially if you’re not used to working with long focal lengths, is you’ll have trouble acquiring the subject. The beauty of this lens is you can start at 300mm, then zoom in. So it’s a lot easier to start with.
I have so much reach with this lens. I was really worried that the internal teleconverter would be sort of a gimmick, but it works great
The second thing is that with the stabilization being so rock-solid, at most I just use a monopod with this lens. In the past, with a DSLR and an 800mm, I had to be on a gimbal with a very sturdy tripod. And that’s a lot of weight, just for the support gear. This lens is so much lighter I can just sling it over my shoulder and if I see something, I can get a shot really quickly. I have so much reach with this lens. I was really worried that the internal teleconverter would be sort of a gimmick, but it isn’t: it works great. So it gives you so many options.
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| Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo)Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO (@1400mm equiv.) |
What kind of gear would you recommend as a starter kit for bird photography?
The M.Zuiko 100-400mm IS is a spectacular lens. It’s very sharp and very contrasty. I’d recommend that, plus an OM-D E-M1 Mark III or Mark II.
What would you like to see next in the OM-D system?
Well, they’ve already got what I call ‘time travel’ technology with the Pro Capture feature. When I learned how to use that, it blew my mind.
I was sitting next to a bunch of guys with DSLRs once and we were all trying to photograph Northern Cardinals. They’re just about the fastest bird in the world, off the perch. I don’t care how good you are as an ornithologist – and I’m pretty good! You can’t predict when they’re going to jump up from the perch, and it’s just good luck if you’re fast enough to get it. With Pro Capture I can just keep my finger held halfway down on the shutter button [which continuously buffers images without saving them to the card] and boom!
When I learned how to use the Pro Capture mode, it blew my mind
Last year I got a full wingspread shot of a Cardinal, looking right at me. It’s the shot of a lifetime, and it wouldn’t have been possible without that technology. I’d also like to see the AI-based autofocus technology in the E-M1X continue to be developed, and autofocus speed and accuracy continue to be improved. I also want to see more long, fast pro lenses.
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Scott Bourne, ASINWP, is an Olympus Visionary and a professional wildlife photographer, author and lecturer who specializes in birds.Check out more of Scott’s work at his website: scottbourne.com |
Well, everyone, we did it – another week is in the books, which means it’s time to take a look at the new accessories that came across our radar. We’ve found some fun ones, including a somewhat unexpected Nikon product and some inexpensive but fun third-party batteries. But first, let’s look at what’s on sale this week.
The deals keep going
| The Sony A7R V is currently $400 off. |
Usually in this series, we like to point out the best camera deals around. This week, though, Amazon held its Prime Day event, and plenty of our favorite gear went on sale. While that event is technically over, most manufacturers seem to be keeping their gear on sale for the week, rather than limiting the savings to just two days. Since that’s the case, I’ll refer you to the Prime Day article my colleague Dale put together so you can get your deals fix.
NiSi’s joining the magnetic filter game
Filter maker NiSi doesn’t want you to spend all your time screwing and unscrewing filters from the front of your lens. The company has introduced its JetMag Pro system, which lets you screw on an adapter ring once, then use a variety of magnetically attaching filters.
The filters have a twist-lock system, which the company says “ensures the filter stays securely in place during use even when stacked with other filters.” In its announcement video, the company even shows someone shaking a poor Nikon around while just holding on to the filter – though we wouldn’t recommend trying that one at home.
The filters are color-coded, so you can tell at a glance whether you’re picking up an ND filter, a UV filter, a mist filter, etc. All the filters are 82mm, but the company is selling magnetic adapter rings, which step down to various filter sizes, as well as different kits with several filters and accessories like magnetic front and back caps and carrying bags.
NiSi is far from the first company to develop a magnetic filter system, but it’s always nice to have more options, especially from well-known brands. The magnetic adapter rings cost $20 each, and the filters range between $80 and $120.
Find your next shot
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| Image: Nikon |
Nikon is obviously famous for its cameras, but it also invests some of its optical expertise into binoculars. Its latest models, which it announced this week, also feature its optical image stabilization tech, giving you a much clearer view of whatever faraway object you’re trying to look at.
If it weren’t for the power button, you could almost confuse these for regular binoculars. They’re much slimmer and more compact than the StabilEyes models the company sold many years ago, though, in fairness, those models did offer more magnification.
Nikon says you’ll get up to 12 hours of runtime out of two AA batteries. You can still keep using the binoculars once the battery runs out, you just won’t have the stabilization – though it can be hard to go back once you’ve experienced seeing the world like Legolas.
The 10×25 zoom model will sell for $640, and the 12×25 zoom model will cost $650. The company says they’ll be available in early November.
New camera, new cage
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| Image: Tilta |
If you recently purchased a Canon R5 II and want to rig it out for video, you now have another option. Tilta has announced a variety of accessories for the camera, including a half cage, a full cage and a cage kit that includes a handle and cable clamp for locking down any attached HDMI or USB-C cords.
The cages are made of aluminum and are relatively utilitarian-looking. Still, if you just want to add a ton of 1/4″ threads on your camera, they’ll provide an inexpensive way to add them.
More colorful batteries
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| Image: SmallRig |
A while ago, we covered Manfroto’s expansion of its third-party battery lineup, which happen to come in a fun red shell. Now, SmallRig is offering something similar; its camera batteries, which can be charged directly via USB-C, are now available in vibrant safety orange.
SmallRig’s lineup is extensive. It sells equivalents of the:
It’s worth checking compatibility before purchasing; some note that they’re not compatible with certain cameras that could physically fit them, such as the EN-EL15C, which doesn’t currently work with the Nikon Z6III. Pricing on the models varies, but they’re generally a fair bit cheaper than the first-party options.
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| Image: SmallRig |
SmallRig is also now making its VB50 and VB99 mini V-mount batteries available in green and orange, though only in the US. Unlike regular camera batteries, the color will actually work to accessorise your rig, as V-mount batteries are located on the outside of the camera rather than inside. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that the colorful versions of the VB50 and VB99 cost $13-20 more than their black counterparts.
Every video a masterpiece
A month ago, we covered Every Frame a Painting’s temporary return to YouTube. This week, the filmmaking essay channel released another video, this time looking at the work of filmmaker Billy Wilder, director of classic films like The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, and Sunset Boulevard. As always, it’s a great watch for anyone who’s interested in movies and the craft behind them.
Click here to see last week’s roundup
| NASA photo / Matthew Dominick |
Hurricane Milton is barreling across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida, putting almost 15 million Florida residents under flood watches and prompting the evacuation of millions from the central part of the state.
Earlier today, NASA astronaut and photographer Matthew Dominick shared photos and video of Hurricane Milton through the window of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently waiting to undock from the International Space Station to return to Earth.
The National Hurricane Center continued to classify Milton as a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 265 km/h (165 mph) and warning of “life-threatening inundation from storm surge.” However, the view from space belies the terrifying wind and rain on the ground, clearly showing the pinwheel shape of the hurricane with an identifiable eye at its center.
Additionally, Dominick posted a timelapse video from Dragon Endeavour on X, giving a sense of what it’s like to pass directly over the hurricane.
Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps pic.twitter.com/p5wBlC95mx
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024
In addition to Dominick’s posts on X, NASA has shared two videos of the hurricane from the International Space Station that provide different views:
Although Milton may appear serene from space, and maybe even beautiful, it poses a real risk to life and property down on Earth and will impact millions. If you’re anywhere in the path of the hurricane, you can visit the National Weather Service’s feed on X, where the agency is posting regular updates and information.
| NASA photo / Matthew Dominick |
Hurricane Milton is barreling across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida, putting almost 15 million Florida residents under flood watches and prompting the evacuation of millions from the central part of the state.
Earlier today, NASA astronaut and photographer Matthew Dominick shared photos and video of Hurricane Milton through the window of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently waiting to undock from the International Space Station to return to Earth.
The National Hurricane Center continued to classify Milton as a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 265 km/h (165 mph) and warning of “life-threatening inundation from storm surge.” However, the view from space belies the terrifying wind and rain on the ground, clearly showing the pinwheel shape of the hurricane with an identifiable eye at its center.
Additionally, Dominick posted a timelapse video from Dragon Endeavour on X, giving a sense of what it’s like to pass directly over the hurricane.
Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps pic.twitter.com/p5wBlC95mx
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024
In addition to Dominick’s posts on X, NASA has shared two videos of the hurricane from the International Space Station that provide different views:
Although Milton may appear serene from space, and maybe even beautiful, it poses a real risk to life and property down on Earth and will impact millions. If you’re anywhere in the path of the hurricane, you can visit the National Weather Service’s feed on X, where the agency is posting regular updates and information.
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