As for image stabilization, I kept it on most of the time, and the steadiness in the viewfinder was apparent. That said, the difference was not as noticeable as I’ve witnessed on some telephoto lenses, especially at high magnifications. This is normal for a macro lens, but I still recommend keeping IS on unless you’re shooting from a tripod. According to CIPA measurements, it offers an impressive 7 stops of stabilization. Sharpness

In a lot of ways, this lens is perfect for insect photography; you get 1:1 magnification, very sharp optics, even at f/2.8, and a nicely built barrel. In a lot of ways, it’s the ultimate “starter” lens for macro photography beginners; you’re not paying for the 60mm f/2.8, but you still get 1:1 (and beyond) close-up capabilities in a compact, well-made body. Measuring just 82mm x 56mm, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro is surprisingly small and lightweight for a telemacro lens featuring a maximum aperture of f/2.8.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro will have you seeing double, in a good way

That’s why I recommend more serious macro photographers work with an effective focal length of at least 70mm. If you’re going to photograph insects, you’ll want to be able to shoot at 150mm or longer; otherwise, the working distance may be too short to get close to your subjects. Select a Lens With a Wide Maximum Aperture The problem, however, is that the Samyang 100mm f/2.8 offers no autofocus capabilities. This means that you’ll have to focus manually, even when working with moving insects.

This setup works fine, but there is a tad more space between the teleconverter lens and the 60mm macro lens than I would prefer. So I initially did the following in #2: Imatest was only able to detect 0.253% barrel distortion during testing, which is an incredibly low level indeed. This level of distortion is so low that lines parallel to the edges of the image area appear dead straight. How to read our charts Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. On distant subjects, I actually found that the OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO outperformed my old M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro in focus speed, especially in brighter conditions. However, at close focusing distances, the 60mm lens was faster – probably because it didn’t need to examine the whole range from 2:1 to wider magnifications. Ok, on to some images. Each set is the 45mm first and the 60mm next, framing as close as I could get it to the same.When you’re focused at the maximum magnification of 1:1, the in-focus subject will be about 3.1 inches or 8cm away from the front of the 60mm f/2.8 macro. This sounds small, but it’s really not bad for such extreme close-ups. Keep in mind that 1:1 magnification on M4/3 cameras fills the frame withsubjects that are just 0.7 inches or 1.7cm across. So, you will usually be able to put quite a bit more distance between the front of your lens and your subject. In terms of light fall-off in the corners, there is nothing to worry about – the lens performs impressively in this regard.