I first heard of this pocket wonder of a lens during an interview, where the photographer waxed lyrical the incredible performance of the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 for street photography. Unfortunately, however, it lacks the dust/splash-proof construction of the more expensive f/1.2 model. I spent a month traveling in Europe with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 attached firmly to an Olympus OM-D EM 5 Mark II (reviewed here), and really enjoyed using it.Īs part of the renowned M.Zuiko pro-range of Olympus MFT lenses, the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 benefits from high optical performance and excellent image quality for all shooting environments. This was the first Micro Four Thirds lens that made me take proper notice of MFT cameras in general. If you’ve understood the format, and are now screaming at the screen “what micro four thirds lenses should I buy?!”, I’m glad you asked so politely – let’s dive right in to the reviews! The advantages of a micro four thirds lens over one manufactured for a larger sensor are size, weight, cost and flexibility, in that any MFT lens you invest in now can be used on any brand MFT camera body you switch to in the future. On the other hand, it’s around 9x larger than the 1/2.3″sensors commonly found in budget compact cameras, or smartphones. This is approximately 30% less than an APS-C sensor, and approximately 75% less than full frame. This makes the format a popular choice with photographers, with multiple lens/body manufacturers offering multiple products at competitive prices, all interchangeable across the MFT system.Īn MFT lens is designed to cover the MFT sensor size, i.e. Micro 4/3 lenses are produced by several manufacturers, including Panasonic, Mitakon, Samyang, Sharp, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and Olympus, with all lenses being compatible with all micro 4/3 camera bodies. The Micro Four Thirds system, sometimes abbreviated to MFT or M4/3, is a standard released by Olympus and Panasonic in 2008 for the design and development of cameras and lenses for the mirrorless format. I’ve used Olympus MFT cameras a lot in the past, testing a range of lenses (thanks Olympus Australia) to decide on the ones to include in the selection below. I’ve also included a range of prime and telephoto focal lengths, using the 35mm equivalent focal length as a reference point to the 2x crop factor of MFT lenses. Speaking of ratios, MFT cameras produce images in 4:3, just like many smartphone cameras, which incidentally makes them the ideal size to display in digital photo frames, which seem to favour this format. Micro 4/3 lenses like the Olympus M.Zuiko f/1.2 Pros or the Voigtlander Noktons sure deliver incredible results, but the price:performance ratio pushes them out of the realms of the average MFT camera owner. They all pair well with both older and more modern MFT cameras. This guide to the best micro 4/3 lenses is geared mostly to generalist, all-purpose lenses that I deem most useful and best value for money for a wide range of situations. Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II BEST LONG ZOOM Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 BEST MIDRANGE ZOOM Recommended Micro Four Thirds Lenses Image
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