3 Lenses for Bird Photography with a Unique Advantage

If you like to do bird photography, then you’re probably very well aware of how much your back can hurt you after walking around for a while. If you’re not the type to sit in your car and photograph but instead actively go hiking, then you’ve come to the right place. Like many of you, our staff goes out into the wilds to get the best photos of birds we can. And we’re rounding up some of the best lenses for bird photography right here for you.

Editor’s Note: during the month of February, all of these lenses can be bought with a free MC-20 2x teleconverter.

How We Selected these Great Lenses for Bird Photography

Here’s some insight into how we selected these great lenses for bird photography in any situation:

• Our Editorial Policies don’t allow us to speak about products we haven’t done full reviews on in length within these roundups. Lucky for you, The Phoblographer has done the most real-world reviews of lenses on the web! All the product and sample images were shot by this. And while this piece is done in part of a sponsorship with OM SYSTEM, they’re well aware of our hardened, transparent stances on things.
• We chose these lenses by looking back in our full reviews of the products. Once we did that, we saw how we tested them for bird photography, the image quality, and the overall performance. After this, we were able to figure out which ones would be the best lenses for bird photography.
• When considering great lenses for bird photography using cameras like the OM SYSTEM OM-1, know that if it says “PRO” in the name, it’s their highest-end option. Luckily, they’re not beyond the budget of most people into photography.
• ZUIKO is the name OM SYSTEM (and Olympus before them) chose for their lens lineup. It means “Light of the Gods.” Just a cool bit of history we thought you should know! M.ZUIKO stands for their mirrorless lineup of lenses.
• All the lenses on this list have weather resistance. Notice how we’re not saying “weather sealing.” Barely any products out there are weather sealed, but instead resistant to the weather. If you’re picking up a PRO lens, know it’s boasting weather resistance. Also, know this doesn’t only help with durability, it keeps your camera’s sensor pretty clean too. As it is, OM SYSTEM has great vibration technology that keeps dust off the sensor as best it can. The OM-1 also has a very good IP durability rating, and so do these lenses.
• This is the Micro Four Thirds system. So, when you’re considering the focal lengths, you have to multiply them by two. This means a 14mm lens is actually 28mm in traditional photography speak. It makes for excellent photography of wildlife and for getting more of a subject in focus. 
• The OM SYSTEM OM-1 is a fantastic camera that’s insanely capable and has only gotten better with firmware updates. Overall, the system’s zoom lenses are what photographers mostly purchase. 
• The zoom lenses for the OM SYSTEM OM-1 listed in this roundup can be used with any Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus and OM SYSTEM.
• Take a look at our Guide to lenses for professional photographers

M.Zuiko 300mm f4 IS PRO

Pro Tip

Use this lens with Bird Detection autofocus settings and C-AF. We like to turn the autofocus sensitivity down just a bit to keep it locked on a bird sitting on a tree branch.

But How is it?

In our review, we state:

The M.Zuiko 300mm f4 IS PRO lens is wonderful. It renders solid image quality, is built well, is lightweight, and honestly has a whole lot going for it. If you’re shooting wildlife, there’s very little reason why you’d give this one up.

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M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO

Pro Tip

With a teleconverter, this lens can be one of the most effective at photographing birds because of the fast aperture. You’ll have more light hitting the sensor and therefore can use a faster shutter speed with ease.

BUT HOW IS IT?

In our review, we state:

The M. Zuiko 40-150mm f2.8 PRO is a lens that exhibits exceptional image quality that is sharp, contrasty, and detailed, enough to give any Micro Four Thirds user exactly what they want.

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M.Zuiko 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS

Pro Tip

This is hands down one of the best lenses that OM SYSTEM has. The zoom range is incredibly versatile. If you want to ensure that you never miss a shot, use it with ProCapture Mode. Just remember that you might have to go through a lot of extra photos in post-production.

What We Thought

In our review, we said:

“Telephoto lenses, at the best of times, can be a challenge to use. Super telephoto zooms can be even harder to control, especially at the long end due to the very narrow viewing angle they produce and just how much vibration is amplified at such long focal lengths. However, I have to say, the image stabilization in the M.Zuiko 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS is excellent, and it does make this lens easy to handhold, even at 800mm equivalent lengths.”

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This piece is presented in partnership with OM SYSTEM. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the products in this post already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you.

The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.