Alexander Koenders OM magazine

INTERVIEW
OM | ISSUE 001 | JAN-MAR 2021
Alexander Koenders

Photographer bio
Making use of Pro Capture and the superb in-body stabilisation on
the OM-D E-M1X, Alexander records stunning moments in nature

Country: The Netherlands
Speciality: Wildlife and
landscape photography
alexanderkoenders.com
Lees in het Nederlands
How did you get into wildlife and
nature photography?
Nature fascinates me, and when I
began to understand the relationship
between nature and humans, I was
captivated. Shooting and sharing
what nature has to offer was the
start of a beautiful photography
career for me.
What are your current main bodies
and lenses?
I mainly use the OM-D E-M1X with
the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO,
M.Zuiko 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO,
M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO and the
M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO lens. The
7-14mm F2.8 PRO offers an extreme
wide-angle that is useful for working
in small spaces, or to change
perspective on a subject.
The 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO can be
used very well for both landscape
and large animals, and has a
very fast autofocus, but the best
thing about this lens is the image
stabilisation, which works together
in harmony with the stabilisation
in-built to the camera. This makes it
possible to use the lens in low-light,
for example, even handholding for
up to five seconds!
The 40-150mm F2.8 PRO lens is
perhaps one of the sharpest lenses
in the M.Zuiko collection, and I like
to use it for all types of wildlife
photography. The fast autofocus
and clear glass enables me to
achieve excellent results even in
poor light conditions. This lens in
combination with the MC-14 or
MC-20 teleconverter gives me even
more millimetres, while the whole
combination remains light.
The 300mm F4.0 IS PRO is perhaps
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2

3
the best lens for bird photography
at the moment. A prime lens that
is unprecedentedly sharp and has
super-fast autofocus.
simply held the camera above water
and shot using the flip-out screen:
the otter has a great expression (3)!
My landscape photography has
been taken to a new dimension
thanks to the E-M1X because of the
ability to shoot handheld using Highres Shot Mode, which gives photos
so much more detail and depth.
During my visit to Japan, I made
extensive use of this (2).
Talk us through some of your
favourite photographs.
While visiting the Pantanal
wetlands in Brazil, I was in a canoe
approaching a giant otter. Because
my equipment is so lightweight, I
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(1) OM-D E-M1X | M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
MC-14
1/5000s | F4 | ISO 800
(2) OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 12-100mm
F4.0 IS PRO
1/1250s | F4 | ISO 400
(3) OM-D E-M1X | M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO
1/600s | F4 | ISO 800

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