3x telephoto zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds

introduction

if you have an Olympus camera, go for the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8
if you have a Panasonic camera, go for a Panasonic lens as it has OIS which will be needed in such a telephoto lens
if you can afford it and need the extra reach for wildlife, the OM System 50-200mm f/2.8 is a great lens and also has OIS.

Sept 2025
white pro lens; AF limiter 0.78m-3m and 3m to infinity; AF/MF; IS on/off; L-Fn button; Preset focus switch; tripod collar for Arca-Swiss-style heads;
1,075g; 77mm filter; push-button hood with a sliding cut-out for manipulating polarizers; IP53 rating;
works with the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters; 1:2 life-size macro capabilities; nine-bladed aperture;
very well controlled flare and ghosting even without lens hood;
$US3,699

90-350mm in 35mm terms
HD = fast, silent AF for videos
POWER OIS = 2-3EV optical image stabiliser
PZ = Power Zoom = electric zoom lever for smooth zooming during videos
NANO surface coating for less flare
14 elements in 10 groups (2 aspherical lenses, 2 ED lenses)
Multi-Actuator Floating Inner Focus System
constant physical length across the zoom range
7 rounded blades
46mm non-rotating filter thread
closes focus 0.9m
61.6mm x 90mm long
210g
$399
Photozone.de review
- maximum distortion uncorrected is 1.6% pincushion at 90mm but distortions are well corrected in-camera
- 1.1EV vignetting wide open at 45mm much less at all other settings
- good to very good and consistent sharpness across all focal lengths although worst results wide open are for 120mm at the edges
- minimal CA at 45mm but rises to peak at 1.7px at 80mm, but these are well corrected in-camera
- “a good albeit not superb telephoto zoom lens as some might have hoped from its “X” designation”
Ephotozine.com review
- annoyingly, the lens resets itself to widest setting each time the camera is switched off

updated version with faster AF for MSC designation (HD video) and compatibility with the lens adapters
$299
Photozone.de review
- mod. CA at 40mm but minimal CA at longer focal lengths
- soft corners wide open at 150mm - best at f/8
- not bad for a consumer grade lens

80-300mm in 35mm terms
closest focus 0.9m
13 elements in 10 groups
58mm non-rotating filter
internal focusing
63.5 x 83mm
190g
$299
ephotozine review
- soft edges at 40mm but excellent sharpness at 70mm and very good to excellent at 150mm
- CA well controlled at max. 0.75px
- vignetting well controlled at 0.8EV peak at 150mm
- “excellent value for money”
PhotographyBlog.com
- “nice bokeh” for a zoom lens
Damian McGillicuddy's outdoor fashion portraits at 150mm

introduced in July 2012 as a more compact option than the 45-200mm and presumably faster AF, and it is the shortest lens in this group
90-300mm in 35mm terms
Mega OIS optical image stabiliser
stepping motor makes focusing action smooth and silent for use in both video and photo recording
12 elements in 9 groups inc. 1x UHR and 2x ASPH elements
7 rounded blades
52mm non-rotating filter
closest focus 0.90m giving 0.17x macro
62x73mm
380g
$270?
ePhotozine review
- nice compact zoom lens, a little soft at 150mm

version ii announced in Jan 2017 offers better weathersealing, and smoother aperture variance when zooming
both lenses can support Dual Sync IS (version I needs firmware upgrade)
90-400mm in 35mm terms
Mega OIS (2-3EV) optical image stabiliser
very good build quality
16 elements in 13 groups inc. 3x ED elements
7 rounded blades
52mm non-rotating filter
closest focus 1m giving 0.2x macro
70x100mm
380g
$270
Photozone.de
- very well corrected distortions with maximum of only 1% without in-camera corrections
- moderate vignetting (1EV) wide open
- very good across the field sharpness which is quite consistent for all focal lengths although a slight drop in the longer focal length range
- interestingly at 150mm, MTF50 sharpness does beat the Lumix 14-140mm lens at 140mm but not by as much as one would expect
- moderate CA at 2px maximum but this is largely corrected in-camera
- bokeh quality can be a bit “rough”
- overall a solid performance