Olympus lenses on panasonic. Best Micro Four Thirds lenses in 2023

18.07.2023 Talmaran Gadgets

Best Micro Four Thirds lenses in 2023

Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses in 2023

We pick the best Micro Four Thirds lenses from Panasonic, Olympus and OM-System. Find MFT lenses for landscape, macro, portraits and more.

A drum we’re fond of banging over here at AP is that Micro Four Thirds offers something no other system can. Its huge range of compact, lightweight lenses is absolutely formidable when it comes to crafting a travel-friendly shooting setup, and the fact that you can swap between Panasonic and Olympus/OM-System lenses at will gives you real freedom and flexibility.

If you’ve picked up one of the best Panasonic cameras (that is, Lumix G cameras) or the best Olympus /OM-System cameras, your next step will be building up a selection of Micro Four Thirds lenses. Which ones you pick is going to depend on two things, namely your budget and what you want to shoot. That’s why for this guide we’ve come up with a broad selection of MFT lenses, with options at all price points.

The sheer number of MFT lenses out there means we’ve naturally had to be selective; as such, lenses only make this list if they have scored at least 4.5 stars out of 5 from our review team, following a full test. A tall order, but as you’ll see, plenty of Micro Four Thirds lenses are up to the challenge.

Before we get into our full list, we’re going to look in a little more detail at how you might go about choosing the best Micro Four Thirds lens. For more great shooting options, check out our list of the best camera phones.

How to choose the best Micro Four Thirds lens:

Image Stabilisation – IS, Power OIS, or Mega OIS? If you’re using a Micro Four Thirds camera without In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), then having optical image stabilisation in the lens is going to be of particular interest, it’s also worth looking out for it when looking at longer telephoto lenses. Panasonic lenses with optical image stabilisation come with “Power” or “Mega” OIS, whilst Olympus lenses with optical image stabilisation simply have “IS” in the name.

Manual FOCUS or autofocus – The majority of Micro Four Thirds lenses are autofocus, but some, from companies like Laowa, Meike, and Samyang / Rokinon, are manual FOCUS only. If manual FOCUS isn’t for you, then make sure to check first.

Crop factor – The Micro Four Thirds system has a 2x crop factor, so that means a 50mm lens used on a Micro Four Thirds camera, will actually give a 2x cropped view, giving the equivalent to a 100mm lens (in 35mm equivalent terms).

Weather-sealing – If you’re likely to be shooting street or landscape photography and don’t want to stop due to poor weather conditions, then look out for a lens that is weather-sealed, as this will help protect your lens, as well as your camera.

So without further delay, here are the best Micro Four Thirds lenses, the quick list:

5-star lenses:

Best ultra-wide zoom: Olympus M.Zuiko ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO – check best price
Best macro lens: OM System M.Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO – check best price
Best portrait lens: Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH OIS – check best price
Best Olympus portrait lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO – check best price
Best budget prime: Rokinon / Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS – check best price
Best standard zoom lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 PRO – check best price
Best super-zoom: Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro – check best price

4.5-star lenses:

Best standard prime: Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II ASPH – check best price
Best ultra-wide prime: Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH – check best price
Best OM-System prime: OM-System M.Zuiko 20mm f/1.4 PRO – check best price
Best Micro Four Thirds lens for astrophotography: Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 PRO – check best price
Best compact telephoto: OM System 40-150mm F4.0 PRO – check best price
Best Sigma portrait lens: Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN – check best price
Best premium wide-angle: Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 – check best price
Best budget portrait lens: Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 – check best price
Best compact wide-angle: Laowa MFT 10mm F2.0 CD – check best price

Read on for full details of these lenses, plus more, starting with the best of the best:

Star rated lenses: (Gold award)

Best ultra-wide zoom: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4 Pro attached to an Olympus body. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 72mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.23m
Weight: 411g
Price: 1099 / £899

With an equivalent range of 16-50mm, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO lens is a very useful wide-angle walk-around lens. As we noted in our review, it delivers the goods optically throughout its zoom range – it really is sharper than sharp – and Olympus’s ‘PRO’ designation means that build quality is also premium. It’s a lens that feels good to hold and use.

It is a little on the heavy side for an MFT walk-around lens – not ruinously so, just maybe a couple of notches more than you’d expect. However, its close-up capabilities are very impressive indeed, letting you get as close to your subject as 23cm, adding another string to an already stacked bow. Autofocus is nice and Rapid too, which you’ll appreciate if you use the longer end of the zoom for street photography.

Pros

Great quality throughout zoom range
Snappy, silent autofocus
Generally excellent build quality

Cons

Best for: All round use, including wide-angle

Best macro lens: OM System M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO

OM System M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO mounted on OM-1 front view. Photo credit: Amy Davies.

At a glance:

90mm macro lens with 2x magnification
Equivalent focal length of 180mm
Up to 7 stops of image stabilisation (IS built-in)
Price: 1299 / £1299

If you want to get extreme close-up images, this is a hell of a lens to do it with. The equivalent focal length of 180mm and the 2x macro magnification make it exceptionally powerful for filling the frame with tiny subjects. To get something anywhere approaching that in a full-frame system, you’d be looking at a lens that was much, much heavier and significantly more expensive.

In case that doesn’t sound like enough close-up capability for you, it’s possible to couple the lens with either the 1.4x or 2x converter, which will up the magnification to 1.41x/2.83x and 2x/4x respectively. Also, the seven stops on stabilisation on the OM System M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO makes hand-held close-ups a viable option; you may still prefer to lock it off on a tripod for ultra-sharpness, but it’s definitely good to have that flexibility.

The lens also offers weather-sealing, making it a great combination for use with the Olympus OM-1, as well as the OM System OM-5 – both weather-sealed cameras. For the macro photographer, this lens is ideal!

Super close focusing
2x magnification
Compatible with extenders
Manual focusing clutch

Best for: Close-up macro work, even in poor weather

Best Micro Four Thirds portrait lens: Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH Power OIS

Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 Asph Power OIS. Image: AP.

At a glance:

Filter thread: 67mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.5m
Weight: 425g
Price: 1397 / £1149

For portrait photography on Micro Four Thirds, really the first and last word is the Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH Power OIS. It gives you the style and glamour of an 85mm f/1.2 portrait lens and pairs it with the lightweight handling of a 50mm prime. Being able to shoot with extremely shallow depths of field at the maximum aperture allows you to create images with dreamlike bokeh, achieving a quality that lenses with narrower apertures just can’t achieve.

In our review we also noted just how enjoyable a lens this is to use. Sure, it’s not the absolute sharpest on the block, but you don’t shoot at f/1.2 for absolute sharpness – you do it for creativity and atmospheric effect, both of which this lens gives you by the bucketload. The stabilisation is also highly effective, and the completely circular aperture gives the bokeh the rounded quality so many photographers crave.

It is undeniably a expensive lens, though it costs less than you’d pay to get the equivalent on a Canon, Nikon or Sony full-frame camera. If you’re shooting portraits on an MFT camera, it’s pretty much a no-brainer to save your pennies for the Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH Power OIS, with one note of caution. In our review, we found that on some Olympus cameras, the lens’ aperture ring refused to work. While body-aperture controls worked as normal, meaning it was perfectly useable, it did make the lens less enjoyable to handle.

Cons

Best for: portraits and bokeh

Best Olympus portrait lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO

At a glance:

Filter thread: 62mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.3m
Weight: 410g
Price: 1299 / £863 (used)

The smaller sensor size of Micro Four Thirds doesn’t naturally lend itself to shooting shallow depth of field – unless you have a beautiful lens like the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO to hand, anyway. With an effective focal length of 50mm, it provides a fairly naturalistic perspective that’s great for environmental portraiture and street shooting. Aware that the lens would never provide the same level of background blur as a full-frame f/1.2, Olympus simply resolved to make that blur as pretty as possible. As we discovered in our review, this mission proved a success.

If you’ve never encountered the phrase ‘feathered bokeh’, this lens is a good way to get acquainted with it. Backgrounds melt away beautifully, resulting in images full of character. But the technical stuff is taken care of too, with optical aberrations well controlled-for and vignetting particularly low, even when the lens is used wide open.

Cons

Best for: portraits and bokeh, with a 50mm equivalent view

Best budget prime: Rokinon / Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS

At a glance:

Filter thread: 62mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.5m
Weight: 385g
340 for the Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 version
£341 (UK)

The Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS lens is a manual FOCUS lens, that is available in a number of different lens mounts, including Micro Four Thirds. The lens offers a large f/1.2 aperture, making it one of the “brightest” lenses available in this list, but it’s also excellent value for money, being available for around 340 / £340. If manual FOCUS isn’t for you, then have a look at the Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 lens above. You’ll find it’s also available as a CINE version, with T1.3 aperture, and gearing designed for video creation. In the US, you’ll find a Rokinon branded version of this lens.

This lens arrived at our review desk at a similar time to the 21mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC CS, and we were sceptical as to whether it could deliver the same kind of ultra-impressive image quality. We needn’t have feared – the Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS is absolutely sublime, producing stunning results at its shallowest depth of field with that f/1.2 aperture. For MFT portrait shooters, it’s an ideal choice, as long as you don’t mind putting in the work of manually focusing.

Cons

Best for: manual controls, with bright f1.2 aperture

Best standard lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO on test. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 58mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.12m
Weight: 254g
Price: 699 / £599

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens is designed to be a compact, but high-quality zoom lens, giving a useful 24-90mm equivalent. It weighs in at just 254g, making this very light, and at 7cm long, it’s also compact. It’s smaller than the 12-40mm f/2.8 lens, whilst also offering slightly more telephoto reach. As a PRO lens it is weather-sealed, making it suitable for shooting in poor weather conditions.

We found the lens delivered the goods when we took it out for a full review, with its excellent optics producing terrific images in just about all conditions. Its particular party trick is close-up shooting, which it does at a ridiculously close distances throughout the entirety of its zoom range – so close in fact that it’s easy to get in the way of your own light if you aren’t careful. Still, the quality can’t be faulted, and the aesthetic background blur you can create is delicious.

Cons

Best for: all-in-one wide-zoom, with weather-sealing

Best super-zoom: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO boasts stand-out stabilisation. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 72mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.15m
Weight: 561g
Price: 1399 / £1199

A five-star superzoom? You’d better believe it – the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro is a belter of a lens. With a equivalent range of 24-200mm, it truly covers the gamut between wide and telephoto focal lengths, and it manages to do so without the significant sacrifice in image quality that normally comes with such a broad zoom range. What really sets it apart though is the image stabilisation – we managed to use it with shutter speeds as slow as four seconds and we still got usable results.

All this makes the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro pretty much unparalleled in terms of shooting flexibility. It’s able to handle all manner of compositions and lighting conditions, and do so extremely well. The only real sticking point is the cost; many photographers might balk at paying four figures for a superzoom. Fine if so – but they’re missing out on a truly special lens.

Cons

Best for: all-in-one super zoom

.5 star rated lenses:

Best standard prime: Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II ASPH

The Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II lens on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. Photo credit: Joshua Waller

At a glance:

Filter thread: 46mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.2m
Weight: 87g
Price: 297 / £269

This entry in the feather-weight category of Micro Four Thirds lenses has been around a good long while, but we re-tested it recently to see how it holds up and found ourselves summarily impressed. The Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II, which somehow weighs about the same as a couple of boxes of matches, is a crisp, fast and punchy lens that makes for an excellent day-to-day shooter. Its equivalent focal length of 40mm makes it a natural choice for general, all-purpose photography, providing a similarly naturalistic perspective to a nifty-fifty but getting just that little bit more of the scene in the frame.

Autofocus is certainly not the fastest, no matter whether you use a Panasonic or Olympus camera. The mechanism is also audible, and the front of the lens moves noticeably when hunting – and it will hunt. However, the real test of a lens is of course the image quality, and for a lens this small and this affordable, the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II ASPH really stacks up. We found sharpness to be excellent, with the lens capable of producing crisp and detailed images even at its generous maximum aperture of f/1.7.

Pros

Feather-light, metallic build
Opens up to f/1.7
Impressive quality even wide open

Cons

Best for: General-purpose and travel photography

Best ultra-wide prime: Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH. Photo credit: Amy Davies

At a glance:

Filter thread: 55mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.095m
Weight: 130g
Price: 497 / £449

This wide-angle prime, a recent effort from Panasonic, is a solid addition to the kit bag of any landscape photographer using Micro Four Thirds. It impressed across the board in our testing, delivering sharp results in the majority of the shooting scenarios we subjected it to. It’s also worth noting that this is an autofocus lens, which somewhat sets it apart in the MFT system – generally if you want something this wide (18mm equivalent), your options are manual FOCUS only.

The Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH. is a unique lens that plugs a genuine gap in the MFT system, and its excellent across-the-board sharpness is a winner. Distortion is kept to a minimum, and it’s only once you stop down to around f/16 that you start to see pronounced softness – and for a lens this light and this well-priced, something had to give. This is an ideal walk-around lens for the Micro Four Thirds user.

Cons

Best for: Landscapes and ultra-wide street shooting

Best OM-System prime: OM-System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO

The OM-System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO heralds a new chapter in the Olympus imaging story. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 58mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.25m
Weight: 247g
Price: 799 / £649

The first lens from OM Digital Solutions, the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO lens lives up to the PRO name and like other Olympus M.Zuiko lenses, delivers excellent optical performance. Andy Westlake reviews the lens, and finds that it gives a great balance between size and weight, whilst offering a bright f/1.4 aperture. It’s also a more affordable option when compared to the f/1.2 lenses available.

We’d been wanting to see a lens like this for Micro Four Thirds for some time – something fast but light, not weighed down by the kind of optical construction required for f/1.2. The OM-System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO is a delight of a lens, a fast standard prime at the underrated 40mm equivalent focal length.

Pros

Portable for an f/1,4 lens
Smooth, attractive out-of-FOCUS blur
Quick, quiet autofocus

Cons

Best for: high-image quality, and 40mm view

Best Micro Four Thirds lens for astrophotgraphy: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Lens. Photo credit: AP

At a glance:

Filter thread: n/a
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.2m
Weight: 534g
Price: 1399 / £1059

Micro Four Thirds is often readily dismissed in conversations about astrophotography, mainly due to the smaller sensor size of the cameras. However, the system has quite a lot going for it when it comes to shooting the night sky, particularly newer Olympus and OM-System cameras, which feature ‘Starry Sky AF’, an innovative system designed to make it simple to achieve pin-point focusing accuracy on distant stars.

If you’re going to capture astro images, you ideally want a wide-angle lens to allow you to fit in plenty of the night sky. A nice wide maximum aperture is ideal for letting in as much light as possible, and weather-sealing is a plus since you’re going to spending a lot of cold, damp nights outdoors. A Micro Four Thirds lens that ticks all these boxes is the superb Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO zoom. With an equivalent focal length of 14-28mm, it’s wide enough for expansive night-time vistas.

Also, as we found in our review, sharpness is excellent for a wide-angle – a little soft in the corners as is usual for a lens in this type, but not enough to seriously compromise images. Sharpness in the centre is absolutely top-notch. The lens is also sealed in eleven places, meaning you’ll have nothing to worry about from that late-night dew fall as you capture your astro images.

Best for: astrophotography, landscapes

Best compact telephoto zoom: OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO

OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO lens

At a glance:

Filter thread: 62mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.7m
Weight: 382g
Price: 899 / £799

Announced alongside the flagship OM-1 camera, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO is its second all-new optic under the OM System brand, after the M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO. It’s a compact, weather-sealed telephoto zoom than employs a space-saving retractable design and promises premium optics. With a zoom range equivalent to 80-300mm on full-frame, it’s designed for use with Olympus and OM System cameras but can also be used on Panasonic Lumix G-series MFT bodies.

Of course, anyone can make claims about a lens’s image quality – but how does this zoom stack up in the real world? Well, we tested it out and found that sharpness-wise, it’s pretty hard to fault the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO. There’s loads of detail from corner to corner, even at the widest aperture setting. With f/4 you won’t get the kind of clean and attractive background you get from faster lenses, but as long as you’re aware of this limitation, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO is a cracking lens.

Cons

Best for: Telephoto zoom, in a compact lens

Best Sigma portrait: Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN

Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is an all-purpose prime that impresses. Photo credit: Michael Topham

At a glance:

Filter thread: 55mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.5m
Weight: 280g
Price: £379 / 475

The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is part of a range of compact prime lenses designed for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. With a bright f/1.4 aperture, this is a great portrait lens, giving a 112mm equivalent on Micro Four Thirds cameras. It’s also relatively compact, and would make a great choice for anyone needing to shoot in low-light conditions, or for portrait photography.

In our review, we especially appreciated how the smaller size of this prime lens means it’s doesn’t dwarf or overbalance even the smaller mirrorless cameras. Also, the sheer value for money here is really quite impressive – getting an effective little telephoto prime for an MFT camera at this price really can’t be sniffed at, especially with that aforementioned generous maximum aperture.

Cons

Best for: longer telephoto portraits with pleasing bokeh

Best premium wide-angle: Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH.

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 Asph

At a glance:

Filter thread: 62mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.2m
Weight: 335g
Price: 1297 / £1049

The Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH lens is a premium lens with the Leica branding, and the wide-angle lens gives a 24mm equivalent. You’ll find an aperture ring on the lens, but you can also control the aperture with the camera. There’s also a solid build quality, thanks to a metal construction, and you’ll also benefit from weather-sealing. Perhaps more importantly, the lens also delivers excellent image quality, with plenty of fine detail, even when shooting wide-open.

We really rated this as a landscape lens when we came to review it, especially given that robustly weatherproof construction that keeps the rain out. It’s also a solid do-it-all documentary lens, with fast and silent autofocus that can be relied upon to nail the shot in varying conditions. We weren’t huge fan of either the manual focusing ring or the aperture ring, the former being too slippery, the latter being incompatible with Olympus. A bit of a shame, with the high price tag of this lens meaning it’s possibly not worth it for MFT shooters who aren’t using Panasonic.

Cons

Best for: shooting wide-open landscapes with high image quality

Best budget portrait lens: Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH.

Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH

At a glance:

Filter thread: 46mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.25m
Weight: 125g
Price: 247 / £149

The Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH lens is an entry-level, and very affordable bright prime lens. Since it gives a 50mm equivalent field of view, you can think of this lens as the “Nifty Fifty” to get for your Micro Four Thirds camera. Being roughly half the price of an Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens, this Panasonic lens is hard to beat.

We were very impressed with the lens in our review – once again, Panasonic shows an ability to listen to its community and produces a genuinely useful and affordable lens. The Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH handles well, focuses fast and delivers decent sharpness. For the price, it’s an absolute bargain.

Cons

Best for: great value, portraits, compact lens

Best compact wide-angle prime: Laowa MFT 10mm F2.0 CD Dreamer

The Laowa MFT 10mm F2.0 CD Dreamer is a tiny lens indeed. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 46mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.12m
Weight: 125g
Price: 399 / £399

Priced at 399 / £399, this manual FOCUS Micro Four Thirds lens offers a 20mm equivalent angle of view, and is just 125g in weight. Being only 41mm long, it’s a tiny little lens that will suit those people looking for a compact, portable lens. This lens may be manual FOCUS, but it has electronic contacts, and the aperture is controlled by the camera.

The Laowa MFT 10mm F2.0 CD Dreamer has been designed to give minimal distortion, and our testing bore this out, with the lens producing very impressive results indeed, especially once stopped down a few clicks. For those looking for a wide-angle lens, this is a great choice, scoring 4.5 stars in our review.

Cons

Best for: wide-angle shooting with manual FOCUS

star rated lenses:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN

The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN delivers a 60mm equivalent field of view on MFT. Photo credit: Richard Sibley

At a glance:

Filter thread: 52mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.3m
Weight: 265g
Price: 339 / £269

The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN is part of a range of bright f/1.4 lenses designed for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, along with the 56mm f/1.4, there’s also a 16mm f/1.4 lens available. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 gives a 60mm equivalent field of view, making it slightly longer than the “standard” 50mm lens. With an f/1.4 aperture, it’s also a good choice if you need to shoot in low-light conditions.

Just like Sigma’s other f/1.4 mirrorless primes, this lens delivers great quality for an impressively reasonable price. In our testing, we found that it produced sharp-enough images at f/1.4, and sharpness just got better and better as we stopped down. In fact, we recommended that Micro Four Thirds users especially should strongly consider adding it to their kit bags, as the smaller sensor means you’ll see much less vignetting than the APS-C crowd.

Cons

Best for: low-light and portraits

Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT

The Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT looks the part with retro-styled Olympus cameras. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 46mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.12m
Weight: 170g
Price: 549 / £529

The Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is a manual FOCUS lens with direct aperture control, with no electrical contact to the camera. The lens is available in silver or black, and gives an ultra-wide 15mm equivalent. Being made for Micro Four Thirds only, it’s extremely compact, and lightweight making it easy to take with you wherever you go.

Aesthetically, this lens pairs like a dream with retro-styled Olympus and OM System cameras (one of which we picked as one of the best retro-styled cameras). While style points may or may not matter to you, one thing that every photographer should take note of is the top-notch sharpness, particularly in the centre. For a tactile, throwback shooting experience, with aperture and FOCUS controlled by rings on the barrel, this lens is a dream. We had a great time shooting with it.

Cons

Best for: ultra-wide view and manual FOCUS

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO is long for a fisheye lens.

At a glance:

Filter thread: n/a
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.12m
Weight: 315g
Price: 899 / £899

If you’re looking for a fisheye lens, then the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 PRO is a fisheye lens with autofocus (AF), and weather sealing. It’s got a fast maximum aperture, making it suitable for low-light use, and delivers impressive image quality. We found in our review that we got consistently excellent results. We got best results from processing out some lateral chromatic aberration, though this is to be expected from wide-angle lenses of this type. It also served to remove unsightly colour fringing, and improve apparent edge sharpness.

This is a bit of a niche lens – do many shooters need a weather-sealed fisheye? Not many, but if you happen to fall into that niche, you’re in for a treat.

Cons

Best for: fisheye, creative landscapes / architecture

OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS

OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS mid-test. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 72mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 1.3m
Weight: 1120g
Price: 1499 / £1299

The OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS lens is a mid-range telephoto zoom that gives a 200-800mm equivalent, although with a relatively slow aperture, you do need bright sunny conditions to get the best out of the lens and camera. It’s also compatible with the Olympus MC-14 (1.4x) and MC-20 (2.0x) teleconverters if you want even more reach.

We were ultimately a little hesitant on this lens in our review. It’s undoubtedly good, the way pretty much all lenses from the major manufacturers can be described as “good”. However, it’s oddly heavy for an Olympus / OM System lens, and the two-thirds stop aperture disadvantage at 100mm can really get in the way when light levels start to drop. Still, it’s a lens that can produce gorgeous results in the right conditions.

Cons

Best for: impressive telephoto reach

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS

At a glance:

BEST Micro Four Thirds Lenses For Street Photography. Options and Suggestions #lumix #olympus

Filter thread: 58mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.25m
Weight: 210g
Price: 497 / £349

The 12-60mm lens gives a useful zoom range from 24-120mm equivalent, with optical image stabilisation, and a more affordable price tag compared to some lenses. Focus is snappy, and image quality is respectable, making is a great upgrade option for those who have a 14-42mm kit lens.

After having spent some time with the lens for our review, we felt it could be a tempting option for Olympus / OM System users as well as Panasonic. In practice, MFT users tend to stick in their lane more than the marketing material likes to make out, but the weather-sealed build and fast aperture of this lens make it a great pairing with cameras from the other side of the system.

Pros

Very portable
Silent autofocus and aperture mechanisms
25cm close focusing distance

Cons

Best for: all-in-one zoom with good value for money

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 tested by AP’s review team. Photo credit: Andy Westlake

At a glance:

Filter thread: 72mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.22m
Weight: 455g
Price: 899 / £799

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 all-in-one “super zoom” lens offers a somewhat incredible 24-400mm equivalent zoom range. The lens benefits from a weather-resistant construction, but due to the lack of optical image stabilisation, it’s not recommended for use on cameras that don’t feature in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), as it could be tricky to get sharp shots when using more of the telephoto zoom.

As we noted in our review, it’s also not as sharp as other lenses, particularly at the telephoto end of the lens, however, this is often the case with super zoom lenses. We found it highly enjoyable to use, even if it did struggle noticeably in low light.

Cons

Best for: all-in-one super zoom with plenty of reach

Tamron 14-150mm f/3.5-5.8 Di III

At a glance:

Filter thread: 52mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.5m
Weight: 285g
Price: around 250 / £250 used

The Tamron 14-150mm f/3.5-5.8 Di III offers an alternative to the Olympus 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II, and Panasonic 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II super zoom lenses, with slightly more telephoto reach than the Panasonic, and being slightly brighter at the wide-angle end than the Olympus. The lens lacks optical image stabilisation, so it is best paired with a camera body that features in-body image stabilisation.

As we said in our review, this lack of stabilisation does limit its usefulness with the Panasonic side of Micro Four Thirds. Still, with its pricing undercutting the Olympus, Panasonic and OM System equivalents so thoroughly, it’s difficult to think of reason why an MFT shouldn’t at least consider this lens, particularly if you find a great used or second-hand deal on this lens.

Cons

Best for: all-in-one super zoom

Micro Four Thirds lens to consider:

Whilst we haven’t rated these lenses, we have given them a thorough test, and you can find out what we think of them, as well as view sample photos from these lenses to see if they’re what you’re looking for.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO

At a glance:

Filter thread: 95mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 1.3m
Weight: 1,875g
Price: 7499 / £6499

For the professional sports or wildlife photographer, this lens offers a 300-800mm equivalent range, which can be extended to 375-1000mm (at f/5.6) using the built-in 1.25x teleconverter! When used with the Olympus OM-D E-M1X it’s also said to be able to give up to 8 stops of image stabilisation! It’s also considerably lighter than full-frame equivalents. It’s also compatible with the Olympus MC-14 (1.4x) and MC-20 (2.0x) teleconverters if you want even more reach.

We put this lens in the hands of professional photographer Andrew Fusek Peters for a full field test, and he came away very impressed indeed. Sharpness remained consistently good throughout the zoom range, and when light levels were just so, the images the lens produced were nothing short of sublime.

Cons

Best for: professional quality telephoto zoom with maximum reach

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO

The Olympus OM-D E-M1X is designed to balance well with larger lenses like the 40-150mm f/2.8

At a glance:

Filter thread: 72mm
Minimum FOCUS distance: 0.7m
Weight: 760g
Price: 1499 / £1299

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens is the go-to lens for those who want high-quality images, and a bright f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. It’s well matched to the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens, as the zoom range follows on from this, giving an 80-300mm equivalent zoom range. It’s also weather-sealed, and has an internal zoom mechanism so that the lens doesn’t change length when you zoom.

With a metal build and well-engineered handling, this is a pleasant lens to use. Time marches on, and with the OM System version out there for a cheaper asking price, there may not be much call for this zoom – but it’s an excellent optic in its own right.

Cons

Best for: telephoto zoom with bright aperture, ideal for sports

Micro Four Thirds lenses: frequently asked questions

FAQ: Does Micro Four Thirds have a future?

Micro Four Thirds is the oldest mirrorless system, having been around for more than 15 years at this point. The original advantages of the system included the portable dimensions of its cameras and lenses. They stood in stark contrast to the DSLRs that were popular at the time – however, these days, with mirrorless systems in their ascendancy, the difference is less clear-cut. A full-frame Sony setup or an APS-C Fujifilm setup won’t be all that much bigger and heavier than a Micro Four Thirds setup using top-end Panasonic or OM-System kit.

There are certainly some who think the format’s day in the sun is coming to an end. Earlier this year, Sigma announced it would no longer be developing Micro Four Thirds lenses, stating that its future priority would be full-frame lenses.

However, rumours of the death of Micro Four Thirds are greatly exaggerated. The reinvention of Olympus as OM-System has breathed new life into the format, resulting in a raft of weather-proof cameras and lenses. Panasonic, meanwhile, still has a hugely popular video range in the form of its Lumix GH cameras, including the recent Panasonic Lumix GH6.

Recent Micro Four Thirds releases have leant into computational features such as LiveND, hi-res multi-shot in-camera, FOCUS stacking and live bulb / live composite modes. Also, while the weight advantage of the system isn’t what it once was, it’s still definitely a factor, and if you’re looking to build a lightweight travel-friendly setup with a camera and multiple lenses, Micro Four Thirds is going to offer you something no other system can.

We can expect to see more Micro Four Thirds cameras and lenses in the future, including likely an OM-System OM-10. It’s safe to say the format has a future for now.

FAQ: Will Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses fit Panasonic?

Yes, Olympus and OM-System Micro Four Thirds lenses will fit Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras, and perform with full functionality of electronic features such as autofocus. Stabilisation is a slightly more complex thing – generally if you want the most powerful stabilisation effect, it’s best to use cameras and lenses from the same brand as they are calibrated to work together. Otherwise, you can feel free to swap between makers at your discretion.

One important thing to note, though, is that only Panasonic Lumix G cameras and lenses are Micro Four Thirds-compatible. Panasonic has also introduced a full-frame range, the Lumix S series, and these cameras and lenses use the L-mount, which was jointly developed by Panasonic, Leica and Sigma. A completely different system, L-mount lenses will not work with Micro Four Thirds cameras, and vice versa. So when shopping for Panasonic Micro Four Thirds optics, double-check you’re getting a ‘G’ lens, not an ‘S’ lens.

FAQ: Which Micro Four Thirds lenses are weather-sealed?

This is something you have to check on a case-by-case basis, as it varies from lens to lens in the MFT system. With that said, if you want a weather-sealed Micro Four Thirds lens then it’s worth looking at newer OM-System lenses, as these tend to feature class-leading IP53 weather sealing. On Olympus-branded lenses, look for the ‘PRO’ designation, as this denotes the top-end lenses in the range, which are generally weather-sealed. Panasonic doesn’t have a letter designation for weather-sealed lenses, though as a general rule of thumb, expensive lenses tend to be weather-sealed, and cheap ones tend not to be.

FAQ: What is the full-frame equivalent of Micro Four Thirds lenses?

The smaller sensor size of the Micro Four Thirds camera sensors incurs what’s called a crop factor. This refers to the ratio of the sensor size to a full-size full-frame sensor – a sensor with a smaller imaging area incurs a smaller field of view where the edges of the image appear to be chopped off, or cropped. In turn, this causes lenses to provide a narrower field of view than they otherwise would.

You work out a lens’ full-frame equivalent focal length by multiplying the crop factor by the actual focal length. With Micro Four Thirds, the crop factor is 2, so working it out is quite easy – simply double the stated focal length. A 35mm lens mounted to a Micro Four Thirds camera will provide an effective field of view of 35×2, which is 70mm.

While many photographers turn their noses up at small sensors, a significant crop factor like this can actually be a considerable advantage. It enables photographers to shoot at telephoto focal lengths while wielding much smaller lenses than they would be if they were working with a full-frame sensor. This can be a boon for disciplines like wildlife photography, where you need a significant amount of telephoto reach, but don’t necessarily want to be carrying a lot of heavy kit.

Text by Joshua Waller, with contributions from Jon Stapley.

reading:

If you’re looking for more zoom lens options, then have a look at our round-up of the best zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds, or have a look at our latest lens reviews.

Micro Four Thirds Lens Roadmap – New Lenses Release Dates 2022

All things considered, 2021 has been a great year for micro four thirds shooters.

Olympus, who’s slowly rebranding to OM System, has shown signs of life with the release of the spectacular M.Zuiko ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO last year as well as the announcement of a halo camera that is promised to take advantage of next-gen computational photography tech.

Panasonic on the other hand launched the Panasonic Leica 25-50mm F1.7 (which we reviewed here) late last year, a follow up to the massively successful Panny-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 (see our review).

Now it’s time to look ahead and see what 2022 has in store for the m43 community.

One little problem though. Both Olympus and Panasonic are being a little coy with sharing any development for the system, Panasonic even more so.

So today, we’re scouring the ends of the internet for micro four thirds lens releases officially announced, or rumored, to drop sometime this year and beyond.

OM System M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO

Olympus, now OM SYSTEM, ended the year strong with the announcement of the aforementioned rebranding and the very first OM SYSTEM-badged lens — the M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO. It was officially launched by the end of December 2021, but we can expect more units to hit the shelves this Q1 of 2022.

Bearing the PRO badge, the 40mm equivalent standard lens features professional-grade weather sealing. While the premium prime lens is a featherweight at approximately 250 grams, the newest OM SYSTEM lens features a complicated optical design made up of 11 elements in 10 groups, and three extra low-dispersion elements or Super ED elements, in OM terms.

Another highlight for this lens is that OM SYSTEM claims that the 20mm F1.4 PRO is optimized for their famed High-Res mode, which lets you stack numerous images to create a highly detailed image. The standard focal length, fast aperture, and compact form factor can potentially make the 20mm F1.4 PRO an amazing street photography go-to lens.

OM System M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4.0 Pro

When OM SYSTEM updated their roadmap at the last quarter of 2021, they slapped on the 20mm F1.4 PRO and the 40-150mm f/4.0 Pro among other interesting lenses. So far, only the 20mm f1.4 PRO has seen some media coverage since the revision.

We however don’t have much to report in the case of the 40-150mm f/4.0 Pro, except that it’ll get the same level of weather sealing as with every PRO series lens. Sources also have reason to suspect that the 40-150mm f/4.0 Pro won’t be compatible with any of Olympus’ teleconverters as hinted by the way it’s presented on the roadmap.

What’s interesting is that the 40-150mm f/4.0 Pro is positioned to directly compete with its 40-150mm f/2.8 older brother. If OM System can bring the price down to around 800 (versus the f2.8’s 1,300), I think many sports shooters and wildlife enthusiasts will be more than glad to have an affordable pro-level telephoto glass alternative.

Revised OM System Roadmap Hints at Three Mystery M.Zuiko Lenses

Olympus’ revised roadmap revealed three unnamed lenses to be in development. Macro shooters on the m43 platform are in for a treat because we’ll be getting a macro lens that sits somewhere between 75-150mm.

The other two super telephoto lenses start at 40mm and can potentially reach 300mm at the long end, possibly with the help of teleconverters. OM SYSTEM could very well be playing to their strengths and focusing more on their sports/wildlife audience, thanks to the platform’s inherent extra reach it gives to pros and enthusiasts alike.

artisans Launches Vision Cine Line

What a great time to be a filmmaker on the MFT system. 7artisans just made the first three entries to their Vision Cine Line and they’re all under 600. And oh, they all have stupidly fast t/1.05 t-stops.

For the uninitiated, T-stops (or transmission values) are a little different from F-stops in that they are a measurement of light being transmitted from the lens and into the sensor. That’s to say an 85mm f1.4 lens may only have a t-value of t1.8. T-stops are primarily used in cinematography where accurate exposure readings are critical.

BH says the Vision Cine Line features robust metal housings and the expected gearings and long FOCUS throws you’d want from a cine lens. The following cine lenses are now available for pre-order. All three are available in MFT, Leica L, Fuji X, Canon RF, and Sony E mounts.

7artisans Photoelectric 25mm T1.05
7artisans Photoelectric 35mm T1.05
7artisans Photoelectric 50mm T1.05

Irix 21mm T/1.5 MFT Cine Lens

Yet another beast of a cine lens option for videographers. The Irix 21mm T/1.5 is surprisingly compact and lightweight at just 1.1kg, considering it’s built with solid magnesium alloy. The lens manufacturer says this cine lens is designed to be shot with 8K cameras.

Irix, as they did with all previous cine lenses, claims that these lenses have a unique, “Irix look” which creates a distinct cinematic image. The Irix 21mm T/1.5 is now available for preorder and comes in 7 different mounts including: MFT, RF, Sony E, and Nikon Z.

Updated Kenko 400mm F8 IIS MFT

Word on the street is that Kenko is planning to pull out the previous 400mm mirror lens and replace it with a newer version, although we don’t have any details on potential improvements made over the older unit.

Mirror lenses are a great way to get telephoto reach without spending telephoto money. The older 400mm mirror lens can be had for 250. The downsides being mirror lenses have a fixed aperture and can produce noticeable vignetting. But if you’re a landscape or budding wildlife photographer without 12k to spend on a lens, a nice 400mm mirror lens is the next best thing.

Canon Patents a 17-170mm f/2.2-4.6 Micro Four Thirds Lens

Here’s something fun. Photography tech sleuths had come across a patent for a super-zoom style lens from Canon, which is likely to be intended for a fixed-lens, micro four thirds camera in the future. It’ll be a lot more interesting if this makes its way to the MFT ecosystem as a shell-shocking third party lens offering.

Wrapping Up

Unfortunately, things had become rather dry in the Panasonic MFT rumor mills. While many may take this as one of the MFT progenitors sidelining the system in favor of their full-frame S series, Panasonic did release the prime-killing Panasonic Leica 25-50mm f1.7 and the GH5 II last 2021. See some of our favorite video lenses for Panasonic MFT cameras here.

With the global ship shortage delaying the launch of the GH6, I still think there’s nothing to panic about, as this could just be a manufacturing issue and not a prioritization issue, especially with OM SYSTEM looking to heat up the competition in the coming months.

While we have you here, have a look at these micro four thirds lens resources if you’re interested.

Jay Soriano

I am Jay Soriano. Founder of 1kCreatives. Entrepreneur, Photographer and YouTuber. 1kCreatives is about inspiring creatives to earn their first 1000/mo doing what they love (and with less gear!). I’m more than happy to give interviews on this topic and anything related to photography and filmmaking. Please reach out to me at directly at [email protected]

1 Comment

Earl Teigrob November 30, 2022 at 2:58 pm Thank you for this. What Olympus is missing is a fast rectilinear 9mm pro lens that is insanely sharp for general shooting and astrophotography.

About me

1kCreatives is about inspiring creatives to earn their first 1000/mo doing what they love (and with less gear!).

I am Jay Soriano. Photographer and Filmmaker based in Las Vegas. Stay in touch, or ask me anything on IG.

See my latest on Instagram @jaysoriano:

December 21st, 2005

Hi. Just a general opinion question: To those who have Olympus bodies (not necessarily the the Pen-F, which I currently have) and have used both Panasonic and Olympus lenses. do you feel the Olympus lenses render better on the Olympus bodies? The question is because I am currently playing with the two Pancake lenses on my Pen-F (Olympus 14-42EZ and Panasonic 12-32) and trying to decide which one to keep. I like the wider FOV of the Panasonic and the manual zoom, but even though the Panasonic looks VERY slightly sharper, to my eyes the overall rendering (taking into account color, contrast and sharpness) of the Olympus lens. at least on the Pen-F. seems better. 1:48PM, 2 July 2016 PDT (permalink)

romandossenbach says:

using the 12-32 Panasonic on OM D 5Markii. Its a tiny lens with crisp sharp Pics. Great combination. Look at my last Pictures. Using also Meike 6.5mm and old Glass Rokkor 50mm 1.4. The Pictures speaks for itself. I recommend this cheap 12-32mm fits perfect and i use it as standard lens. 40 months ago (permalink)

My Photo-stream says:

On my OMD E-M1 when an Olympus lens is mounted on the camera the camera body witll automatically correct for lens distortions. However, if a Panasonic lens is mounted on the camera the camera will NOT correct for lens distortions. I am not sure if this applies to other Olympus camera models. Seems there is a definite advantage to using Olympus lenses on Olympus bodies. 31 months ago (permalink)

Pak T says:

For some years I used a Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 (so a more expensive model than the two you are considering) on my E-M1 and never noticed the photos looking any different than other Olympus lenses. It always performed very well for me. I only sold it because I switched to the Oly 12-100 PRO and needed to sell the Panny to help fund that purchase.

But you have both the lenses you are trying to decide between so it should be easy enough to directly compare them. You just need to carry both lenses and take same photos of the same things once with each lens. 31 months ago (permalink)

Would you like to comment?

Using the Olympus EP3 with Panasonic Lenses

After our Olympus EP3 review, (you guys call it the E-P3, EP-3 or EP 3) we started to get questions in asking us to do tests with Panasonic lenses. I was able to get my hands on the Panasonic 14-42 kit zoom lens and the 20mm F/1.7. Afterward, I did some quick photo tests with the lenses. So are they up to par with the very stellar Olympus lenses?

Autofocus Test Videos

First, here’s the test with the Olympus 17mm F/2 on the EP3:

Now here’s the test with the Panasonic 14-42mm on the Olympus EP3:

And now here’s a test with the Olympus 12mm F/2 vs the Olympus 17mm F/2.8 on the Olympus E-P3:

Finally, here’s a test with the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 lens on the Olympus EP-3:

So what are the differences? The 12mm F/2 is an MSC lens designed to work with the brand new FAST AF system in the Olympus cameras. Is there a noticeable difference in the focusing speed? For most people, not really. For street photographers and candid shooters, heck yes there is.

Indeed, the MSC lenses seem to be the creme-de-la-creme of Olympus’s Micro Four Thirds mount (at least the primes do).

Image Quality

14-42mm Test

Most micro four thirds users believe that their cameras should have small prime lenses in order to make the best out of the system. So when the 14-42mm was attached, I used it like a prime lens for most of the time. Maybe it’s just my eyes, but the color rendering from this lens seems much deeper than with the Olympus lenses, though it’s not at sharp.

Despite this, I’m positive that most photographers wouldn’t be able to tell the differences in the lenses. What matters most is their real life performance.

The 14-42mm seems to be a lens designed for the casual photographer crowd. Most lovers, high end enthusiasts and even professionals will much prefer the smaller pancake and other prime lenses. So for the casual crowd, these lenses are good enough.

With that said though, I’d advise that the casual crowd go for the lower end camera bodies like the Olympus EPL-3 or even the Pen mini.

20mm F/1.7 test

Seen by many as one of the best lenses ever made for the Micro Four Thirds system, the Panasonic 20mm F/1.7 is owned by many.

First off, note that the lens immediately turns the sensor into a light sponge. The super fast F/1.7 aperture lets you lower the ISO levels down a bit. We’ve seen that the EP3’s sensor is already very decent at 1600 and above. Now, even if you have the use those ISOs, you’ll be able to shoot at a faster shutter speed with the faster aperture.

With this lens attached, I noticed that the Olympus sensor started to go back to its old tendencies of rendering colors in shades of blue. If you don’t mind that (especially if you’re shooting in RAW) then you shouldn’t face a problem with this. Conversely, the 12mm F/2 rendered images to be very accurate and lifelike.

Something that I did suffer from though was camera shake combined with the thinner depth of field. As you know, this is a recipe for disaster when trying to take photos in low light. You can see this in the photo above. I tried to FOCUS on the words around the lens, and they ended up a bit soft.

For what it’s worth though, I actually believe the new 12mm F/2 to be sharper than the 20mm F1.7.

If you’re interested take a look at

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Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris’s editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He’s the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He’s fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he’s legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men’s lifestyle and tech. He’s a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He’s also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like Secret Order of the Slice. PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at BH Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he’s evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he’s done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, WordPress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he’s learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn’t get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don’t do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.

Review: Olympus 12mm F2 Lens on the EP2

Review: Rokinon 14mm f2.8 (Canon EF Mount)

In this blog post, we review the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 lens for Canon EOS cameras. Read more at The Phoblographer.

The New Nikon P1000 Has a 125x Optical Zoom with a Laughable 1/2.3 inch Sensor for 999.95

Today, for some odd reason, the Nikon P1000 point and shoot camera is being announced. Odd, you ask? The fact that it is a point and shoot isn’t such a big issue at all; but the fact that it’s a superzoom camera being marketed as one with a 125x optical zoom is what’s insane. Kudos to Nikon for being able to do something like this; but then you read the fine print (or in this case, print that’s not even in the press release) and see the bait and switch–this Nikkor lens is having its potential wasted by being placed in front of a 1/2.3 inch sensor.

Opinion: The Fujifilm XT3’s Sensor Still Doesn’t Output Images That Look Totally Like Film (But They’re Nice)

The Fujifilm XT3 (or as they call it, the Fujifilm X-T3) is the company’s latest evolution to their SLR style camera body designed to be a workhorse for many photographers. Despite a whole lot of great and absolutely fantastic things built into the camera, I personally am wondering what Fujifilm’s goal is here with the idea of the X Trans sensor and Film Simulations. One of the reasons why I was so smitten with the X Pro 1 was the fact that it delivered images that really looked like well shot and developed film. To some extent, the Fujifilm XT2 did too but only really with Acros. With the latest iteration, the Fujifilm X-T3, the company is delivering a new 26.2MP X Trans Sensor that delivers the most beautiful colors of any APS-C sensor that we’ve seen. But at the same time, the film simulations just don’t feel right.

Which Olympus Features Will Work with Non-Olympus Lenses

Olympus cameras are packed with special features like Live ND, Focus Peaking, Pro Capture, etc. Of One of the questions that I frequently get asked is which of these features won’t work with 3 rd party lenses.

I set out test these features on non-Olympus lenses. For this test, I grouped the lenses into three categories: Autofocus, Manual Focus Lenses with Electrical Contacts, and Manual Lenses.

Autofocus lenses have electrical contacts that communicate with the camera and also enable autofocus.
Manual Focus Lenses with electrical contacts allow the aperture to be changed in the camera and also record aperture information in the photgraph exif data.
Manual lenses do not have electrical contacts and also do not autofocus.

I recently purchased the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and Sigma 16mm f/14 lenses during the holidays sales. I’m interested if I’m missing any features using the Sigma lenses vs. the new Olympus 30mm f/1.4 lens.

Lenses that I used to test the special features in Olympus cameras on 3 rd party lenses:

All of the feature / lens tests were completed with the E-M1 Mark III except Bird Detection AF which was done on the OM-D E-M1X which is the only camera that supports this feature. Not all of the features that I tested may be available on your Olympus camera.

Below are my results for testing both Autofocus, manual FOCUS with electrical contacts and manual lenses with various Olympus’ features. I’m sure I missed a few Olympus features. So, if you have a feature that you’d like to know about, leave a comment or contact me and I’ll add it to the blog.

If you don’t want to read the entire blog, I’ve added a quick reference table at the bottom of the blog post.

Focus Peaking

Focus Peaking is a feature that helps assist with manual focusing by highlighting the areas of the image that are in FOCUS.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes
Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm f/2 Super Macro Manual Lens – Yes

For manual lenses, you will need to assign FOCUS peaking to one of the buttons on the camera since there are no contacts on the lens to indicate to the camera when the FOCUS ring has been turned. This is also handy when shooting in manual FOCUS mode with autofocus lenses.

To assign FOCUS peaking to a button on the camera, use the Button Function (gear icon) on the lower right hand corner of the Super Control Panel.

MF Assist

MF Assist is a manual focusing aid that will magnify the image, turn on FOCUS peaking, and display a Focus Indicator that displays a scale to indicate the direction and how far you are focused in on a subject.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – No
Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm f/2 Super Macro Manual Lens – No

Focus Bracketing

Focus Bracketing takes a series of images in camera with each image focused at a slightly different point on your subject. When merged together (stacked), the image will be in FOCUS from front to back. Focus Bracketing is frequently used for macro and landscape photography. Focus Bracketing does not stack the images in camera. Stacking will need to be done with computer software in post processing. Focus Bracketing can shoot up to 999 images.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – No
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – No
Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm f/2 Super Macro Manual Lens – No

Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses 2023 [Top 10 Picks Reviewed]

Focus Stacking

Focus Stacking uses Focus Bracketing but also stacks the images in camera. Focus Stacking can shoot up to 15 shots.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – No
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – No
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – No
Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm f/2 Super Macro Manual Lens – No

Focus Stacking only works with certain Olympus Lenses. Here is a link to the Olympus Support Site with a list of all M.Zuiko lenses that work with Focus Stacking.

Exposure Bracketing (From the Bracketing Menu)

Exposure Bracketing takes multiple images at different exposures. This can be used to ensure you get the right exposure of a photograph or can be blended together to create an image with a greater dynamic range so you don’t have blown out highlights or lost data in the shadows. In Exposure Bracketing Mode, the images need to be blended using software in post processing.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

Exposure Bracketing / In Camera HDR (From the HDR Menu)

In addition to the Exposure Bracketing feature, Olympus Cameras also have exposure bracketing in the HDR menu. The HDR menu only has a fixed number of exposure compensation and number of image combinations available. There is also HDR1 and HDR2 options where 4 images are taken and merged in camera.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

High Res Shot

In High Res Mode, the camera takes a series of photographs, moving the sensor a tiny amount in each image and then merging the images in camera to produces a higher resolution image.

For the Tripod High Res shot, the camera will produce an 80 MP image. Tripod or Handheld mode can be selected by pressing the Info button when High Res Shot is selected and displayed in the Super Control Panel.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

For the Handheld High Res shot, the camera will produce a 50 MP image.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

Live ND

Live ND replicates the effect of putting an ND filter on your lens to give the effect of long exposures. This can be used to create smooth, blurry waterfall photographs during the daytime without using an ND filter or even a tripod.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

Starry Sky AF

Available on the OM-D E-M1 Mark III only, Starry Sky AF is an algorithm that will autofocus on stars in the night sky.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – No
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – No

Live Composite

In Live Composite mode, the camera shoots a series of images continuously with the same exposure time. The camera only uses the first image to record the exposure of the background or foreground. After the first image, the camera only adds brighter pixels to the exposure producing a single image at the end.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

Pro Capture

Olympus Pro Capture Mode allows you to more easily catch action sequences (bird take off, sports, etc.). In Pro Capture Mode, a predetermined number of images are stored in the cameras memory when you half press the shutter button. Once the shutter button is fully pressed, the images in memory are written to the SD card along with a preset number of images after the shutter button is pressed.

Pro Capture High

Pro Capture High can shoot up to 60 frames per second but does not autofocus between frames.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – Yes
Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm f/4/ 5.6 – Yes
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

Pro Capture Low

Pro Capture High can shoot up to 18 frames per second but does autofocus between frames.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – No
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – No
Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm f/4/ 5.6 – No
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – Yes

You can select Pro Capture Low on the Manual 7Artisans lens while it cannot be selected with the Sigma, Loawa, and Panasonic lenses. However, you do not get any AF capabilities between each shot on the manual lenses.

Bird Detection AF

Available only on the E-M1X, Bird Detection AF will identify and track both stationary birds and birds in flight.

Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm f/4/ 5.6 – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – No
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – No

Face / Eye Priority AF

Olympus Face and Eye Priority AF can detect and FOCUS on a subject’s face and eyes. This feature can be set to FOCUS on the face or several combinations of face and eyes.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens – Yes
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2 Lens (Manual Focus with Electrical Contacts) – No
7Artisans 50mm f/.95 Manual Lens – No

You can turn Face / Eye Priority AF on with a manual lens but it will not provide any benefit on the manual FOCUS lenses.

Summary

Overall, most of the Olympus features that I tested were available on 3 rd Party Autofocus lenses. The exceptions being: Focus Stacking and Pro Capture Low.

For manual lenses, none of the features that require autofocus are available on the manual lenses. This may be the most significant for macro photography since in camera Focus Bracketing and Focus Stacking are not available.

The manual FOCUS lenses with electrical contact, don’t get you many more Olympus features than the pure manual lens, only adding MF assist. You will be able to set your aperture using the camera and your aperture will also show up in the photograph’s EXIF data.

Olympus Features and Whether they Work on 3rd Party Lenses

Yes, but will not FOCUS between shots.

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Sources:

https://amateurphotographer.com/buying-advice/best-micro-four-thirds-lenses/
https://1kcreatives.com/micro-four-thirds-panasonic-om-system-new-lenses/
https://www.flickr.com/groups/60656298@N00/discuss/72157670528121685/
https://www.thephoblographer.com/2011/07/11/using-the-olympus-ep3-with-panasonic-lenses/
https://blog.martinbelan.com/2021/12/15/which-olympus-features-will-work-with-non-olympus-lenses/