The Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses: 11 of My Favorites

The sharpness is spectacular, even broad open, nook to nook. It’s nice for capturing sharp stars even broad open at f/1.7. That mentioned, for taking pictures close to the minimal focusing distance, I discover that efficiency improves after stopping right down to f/4 or f/5.6.

The lens is minimalistic and compact in design, that includes solely a buttery focus ring and weighing 130 grams / 0.29 kilos. It’s constructed of 12 parts in 9 teams, together with two further low dispersion parts and one ultra-high refractive index aspect.

The broad f/1.7 most aperture is a big promoting level and makes this lens appropriate for astrophotography or low-light pictures. A rounded seven bladed aperture creates a nice background blur, particularly at shut focus.

One of my different favourite points of this lens is the extraordinarily shut minimal working distance. You’ll be able to truly focus as shut as 3.7” which yields a most magnification of 0.25X. I get pleasure from utilizing this lens nearly like a macro lens! Few different lenses might obtain such uncommon views.

Regardless of being a primary lens, it is rather versatile. I take advantage of it for shut focus, panorama, and astro pictures. It even excels underwater. The solely time I discover it limiting is at instances it’s too broad for some landscapes. Being able to zoom in could be good at instances.

These higher-end choices embrace the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7, which might be higher selections for low-light pictures because of the broader most apertures. It’s also possible to contemplate a primary lens if you need a brighter choice, which I’ll cowl subsequent.

One other good various is the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO lens. It has a for much longer zoom vary, and the picture high quality is surprisingly excessive for a superzoom. Nonetheless, additionally it is a heavy and ponderous lens (a minimum of by Micro Four Thirds requirements). And the worth of $1400 is excessive sufficient that I’d suggest the $700 Olympus 12-45mm f/4 PRO as an alternative to most photographers.

Causes to purchase

• Good picture high quality
• Transportable
• Nicely-priced for what you get

Causes to keep away from

• Slender most aperture
• Picture high quality worsens at shut focusing distances

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 II

The Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 II is one of the sharpest and highest-performance Micro Four Thirds lenses on the market. It’s very deserving of a spot on this article.

The primary promoting level (aside from picture high quality) is the brilliant most aperture of f/1.4. It will allow you to take photographs in low mild, and blur the background, with out a lot problem. At 205 grams / 0.45 kilos, it’s a bit heavier than some regular prime lenses, however it’s nonetheless small and transportable. It’s remnicent of “nifty fifty” lenses for full-frame cameras, partially as a result of the equal focal size is 50mm.

That mentioned, it’s one of the higher-end nifty fifty lenses, costing $700. If you happen to’re on a price range or need one thing even smaller, the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7 is $250, and the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 is $400. The efficiency of these two lenses can be very excessive, though the Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 II comes out forward (and captures extra mild).

Listed here are some of Nasim’s samples from the older model of this lens:

This lens is as sharp as a lens will be. Broad open at f/4, the 300mm f/4 captures crisp photographs nook to nook. I by no means felt the necessity to cease down to keep up sharpness; f/4 is already wonderful.

As if being optically good weren’t sufficient, the lens additionally has a superb inner stabilization system. It’s the perfect in lens-stabilization I’ve used. When paired with an Olympus or OM System physique, the system can enable for six stops of picture stabilization, however even with Panasonic cameras, it’s close to best-in-class.

If 300mm is just not sufficient for you, the 300mm f/4 IS PRO telephoto is appropriate with the M.zuiko MC14 and MC 20 teleconverters. These teleconverters increase the focal size to 420 and 600mm respectively. Even with the loss of mild from the teleconverter, they’re nonetheless very usable.

Briefly, it is a Micro Four Thirds powerhouse for wildlife pictures, even in low mild.

A serious weak spot of this lens is that, when absolutely prolonged, the utmost aperture is simply f/6.3. This may be very limiting when you’re not taking pictures in brilliant daylight. Even the f/5 most aperture on the broad finish isn’t supreme. I nonetheless embrace it as one of the perfect telephoto choices as a result of it has good picture high quality, and it caters to a large focal size zoom vary, making it a flexible lens.

That is the biggest Micro Four Thirds lens I’ve ever shot with. At 10.45” absolutely prolonged, and weighing 2.46 kilos (1.1 kilos), it’s fairly cumbersome for a Micro Four Thirds lens. I like to recommend utilizing it with a tripod. That mentioned, it’s nonetheless a lot lighter than a typical full-frame telephoto zoom.

5-axis Twin Sync IS is just not supported by this lens, so solely 3 stops of shutter pace shake are accounted for (versus six when taking pictures with the Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO with a appropriate Olympus or OM System physique). That’s one more reason to make use of it with a tripod or monopod system.

Causes to purchase

• Best tremendous telephoto lens for Micro Four Thirds

Causes to keep away from

• Costlier than a Nikon Z6, Canon R5, Sigma 150-600mm lens and 10 weeks’ price of groceries mixed
• Heavy sufficient that you just’ll need a tripod or monopod

Best Macro Lens

OM System 90mm f/3.5 2x Macro IS PRO

The finest Micro Four Thirds macro lens is the OM -System 90mm f/3.5 2x Macro. Not solely does it have the perfect options of any macro lens for Micro Four Thirds, additionally it is the sharpest I’ve shot with. It’s absolutely climate sealed to a score of IP53, including to it’s versatility. It even has inner stabilization. This lens is a must have for any tremendous macro shooters seeking to transcend 1:1 macro.

In the beginning, this lens is as sharp because it will get. What impressed me essentially the most was its sharpness at slender apertures. For many lenses on this article, I centered on the significance of sharp and broad apertures, however for macro, sharp slender apertures are essential. It’s one thing I lined in my evaluate of this lens.

The lens is just not as tiny and compact because the M.zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro, which I’m additionally fairly fond of (see under). The OM System 90mm f/3.5 is 5.4 inches lengthy and weighs a couple of pound / half a kilo. The 90mm focal size permits for a cushty working distance between you and your close-up topics.

What’s extraordinarily engaging about this lens is that it’s absolutely electronically linked to the camera. Most 2x macro lenses are handbook focus solely. This not solely makes the lens extra versatile, however it additionally signifies that the lens is succesful of focus stacking. That is very helpful for taking pictures at excessive magnifications.

If 2x macro wasn’t sufficient for you, the lens can be appropriate with the M.zuiko MC20 2x teleconverter for excessive 4x magnification. All digital operate, together with autofocus, is retained when utilizing the teleconverter. A bit of sharpness and two stops of mild are misplaced.

The M.zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro might be the lens I’ve shot with essentially the most out of all my lenses. I can say with confidence it’s a particularly excessive performing lens. It has additionally survived loads of use in harsh situations over the previous a number of years. I can communicate to its splash and dustproofness!

I discover the lens to be sharpest at f/5.6, sustaining wonderful sharpness between f/2.8 and f/8. I discover f/11 to nonetheless be sharp sufficient for my photographs, whereas additionally offering a cushty depth of subject for 1:1 macro pictures.

The lens is made of 13 parts in 10 teams together with one further low dispersion aspect, one further excessive refractive index aspect, and two excessive refractive index parts. Impressively, all that is made in a compact lens spanning solely 3.23” and weighing 185 grams / 0.4 kilos.

The autofocus of this lens is great, even once I shoot at night time with solely a dim flashlight lighting my topic. There’s a focus limiter which helps the lens focus in a short time.

There isn’t any stabilization on this lens, although I by no means discovered that to be a problem for my macro pictures, the place picture stabilization tends to not work as properly anyway.

This lens requires an adapter for use on a Micro Four Thirds camera, besides, it’s one of my favourite lenses for the system.

The Laowa 15mm f/4 macro is a particularly distinctive lens. At a working distance of 2.17″, this lens gives a most magnification of 1:1. This implies you possibly can seize some very good, wide-angle macro photographs with this lens.

It’s not a straightforward lens to make use of, particularly tailored. It’s a absolutely handbook lens, that means each the aperture and focus should be set on the lens itself. For macro, I hardly ever see this as a problem. What is hard is the virtually nonexistent working distance when at excessive magnification – however that comes with the territory if you need a wide-angle macro.

The lens additionally sin’t as sharp because the others on this checklist, however regardless of that, it’s sharp sufficient for on a regular basis use. I’ve taken many of my favourite photographs with this lens, which speaks to its utility.

Moreover, this lens is a shift-capable lens, which suggests it will probably decrease converging strains, like buildings or bushes that look to be “falling” backwards, by bodily shifting the lens. That is helpful for architectural pictures and a few panorama pictures.