Photography News 80 WEB

First test

PRICE: £379

OLYMPUS.CO.UK

OlympusM. Zuiko 2x MC-20 teleconverter Olympus’s latest optical accessory doubles the power of its telephoto lenses – and it’s tiny

A teleconverter is a simple, low cost, compact way to expand the potential of your telephoto lens collection. Olympus has two on offer: the M. Zuiko 1.4 x teleconverter MC-14 and the more recent M.Zuiko 2x MC-20.

The MC-20 doubles the focal length of the lens it’s attached to while retaining its minimum focus distance. Its optical design, typical of most top- end converters, means it has limited compatibility, and in this case it works

with the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 40- 150mm f/2.8 PRO and ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO telephotos. The converter comprises nine lens elements and is weather-sealed, and there’s probably not more much to

say about it in terms of its physical attributes – apart from the fact that it’s very compact. It barely takes up any room in the camera bag. Buy this and the MC-14, and you have a pair of optical accessories that greatly expands the potential of the compatible lenses with little extra bulk. I tried the MC-20 with both compatible lenses on a makeshift test chart using a tripod mounted camera, and in practice (notably with the 300mm f/4 IS PRO) photographing grouse in the Yorkshire Dales from a car. The Olympus 300mm f/4 lens is the equivalent of a 600mm lens in the 35mm format, so adding the 2x converter makes it an effective 1200mm f/8 – a seriously long lens. I had the use of an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III for this test, which has an in-body image stabiliser with a 7.5EV benefit (with IS Sync and 7EV without). Assuming 1/2000sec is needed for handheld sharp shooting with a lens of this length, a 7.5EV benefit means – in theory – sharp shots at 1/10sec. I did sets of test shots from 1/10sec and upwards, and while I got nothing pin-sharp at 1/10sec, I got sharp shots at 1/15sec, which is very impressive. Optical quality is very good. With the 300mm lens I got the best sharpness with the lens set at f/4, an effective f/8, and a decent performance at f/5.6; stopping further saw a gradual and continued fall-off in performance. This is acceptable for a lens of this nature. Performance was equally impressive with the 40-150mm f/2.8 and again, sharpness was slightly better at the wider apertures, but still decent at f/16. The converter with this lens gave a more balanced performance through

SPECS ›  Prices £379 ›  Compatibility M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO and ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO ›  Construction Nine elements in four groups ›  Special elements One High Refractive ›  Weatherproof Yes ›  Dimensions (lxd) 25.9x59.8mm ›  Weight 150g › Contact olympus.co.uk

The OM-D E-M1 Mark III (and the 40-150mm f/2.8 and 300mm f/4 lenses) were used with the MC-20 and the combination was mounted on a Gitzo Systematic 4 tripod, with shutter fired with the self-timer. The test chart was a double-page spread of this magazine, mounted onto stiff board. Raws were processed in Adobe Lightroom with no extra sharpening. ONTEST

40-150mmwith 2x MC-20 teleconverter

300mmwith 2x MC-20 teleconverter

f/5.6

f/5.6

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

IMAGES This wall in the Yorkshire Dales was pin-sharp at 1/15sec using the MC-20 with an Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO its aperture range, compared with the 300mm f/4. Adding any optical accessory in between the object lens and the sensor is going to have a negative impact, but with this converter the drop-off is more than acceptable given the potential on offer. WC

f/11

f/11

f/11

f/11

f/16

f/16

f/16

f/16

Verdict With its size and potential for action and nature work, the Olympus M. Zuiko 2x MC-20 teleconverter is well worth the investment. Used with the 300mm f/4 you get the 35mm equivalent of a high performing 1200mm f/8 lens – and that is seriously tempting.

f/22

f/22

f/22

f/22

PROS Size, performance CONS Nothing

Issue 80 | Photography News 25

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