Keep reading for my detailed reviews of selected Micro Four Thirds lenses and sample image galleries! Check prices on the Leica DG mm f1. Alternatively get yourself a copy of my In Camera book or treat me to a coffee! Check prices on the Sigma 56mm f1. Check prices on the Leica mm f2.
Check prices on the Panasonic Leica mm f2. Check prices on the Leica DG mm f2. Check prices on the Leica 12mm f1. Check prices on the Olympus mm f2. Check prices on the Lumix G 30mm f2. Check prices on the Lumix G Check prices on the Leica 15mm f1. Check prices on the Leica 25mm f1. All words, images, videos and layout, copyright Gordon Laing.
May not be used without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Olympus and Panasonic lens terminology The Four Thirds sensors used in Olympus and Panasonic mirrorless cameras mean the field-of-view of all lenses is effectively reduced by two times compared to a full-frame system — so a 25mm lens will deliver a 50mm equivalent field-of-view.
Zuiko Digital mm f4 IS , both of which offer optical stabilisation Portrait photographers are also very well-served with a wide variety of short telephotos with bright apertures to blur the backgrounds. Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses. Leica DG mm f1.
Wide-angle fanatics will prefer the Leica DG mm with its wider coverage, smaller barrel, narrower filter thread and far lower price. The mm also suffered from less field curvature than the mm in my tests and I also have to mention the high price which is comparable to a full-frame mm f2. Videographers have found their holy grail, stills shooters could be seriously tempted, and Micro Four Thirds continues as a compelling format.
Sigma 56mm f1. The focusing is fast and quiet, and the barrel weather-sealed too. In fact the only disappointment is an unremarkable closest focusing distance of 50cm which, while able to fill the frame with a face, a sandwich or a coffee cup, will struggle if you try to get closer still. Owners of older Sony and Panasonic bodies may also lament the lack of optical stabilisation and could end up preferring the Sony e 50mm f1. Cleverly Sigma has also chosen a focal length and aperture with no direct rivals in the Sony e or Micro Four Thirds catalogues, allowing it to slot comfortably between existing options and for me, become the most compelling portrait lens for both systems.
The Sigma 56mm f1. Leica mm f2. This is an ideal range for sports, action, distant portraiture and some wildlife too. The focal ratio may not be constant, but is sufficiently bright to give it the edge in low light and shallow depth-of-field performance over cheaper telephoto zooms. The focusing is fast and quiet, the optical stabilisation achieved up to six stops in my tests, and like all of Panasonic and Leica's collaborations, the build quality is excellent with smooth mechanics and a weather-sealed body.
The compact dimensions and light weight also mean you'll almost always have it with you in your bag, versus larger models which often get left at home.
The smaller size, longer reach and presence of optical stabilisation are the key benefits over the Olympus mm f2. Ultimately though another worthy addition to the Micro Four Thirds catalogue and one I can recommend. The optical quality for subjects near or far is excellent across the frame, even with the aperture wide-open, and the closest focusing distance of just over a meter allows impressive close-ups.
Leica also softens the blow by including a 1. This essentially matches the reach and aperture of the Olympus mm f4 and in my tests virtually matched its quality too. It's this flexibility as a mm f2. But bear in mind the Leica mm or Olympus mm f2. Leica DG mm f2. It may not zoom quite as wide as the Lumix and Olympus mm models, but the extra reach at the longer end makes it more flexible, and crucially the ability to mount standard or even serious ND filters without vignetting will be appreciated by many especially long exposure photographers.
The Leica may not be quite as sharp in the corners as the Olympus mm at wide apertures and it also lacks the constant f2. It also out-performs the older Lumix mm f4, while mostly avoiding the purple flare issues of that model.
Throw in quick and quiet focusing, and a weather-sealed body with smooth focus and zoom rings and you have a lens that's easy to highly recommend.
It's become my favourite ultra-wide zoom for Panasonic and Olympus bodies, and a tempting upgrade for owners of the Lumix mm f4 or Olympus mm. Leica DG mm f Mounted on an Olympus or Panasonic Lumix body, it delivers an equivalent range of mm, giving it a longer reach than any other native lens in the catalogue and making it ideal for wildlife shooters. It also offers a step-up in optical and build quality over the existing telephoto zooms in the system, albeit at a comfortably higher price too.
If you're on a budget, the Lumix mm remains hard to beat and if you can afford the Leica, you should also ask if it's worth reaching a little further to the Olympus mm f4 prime. But if it's a high quality super-telephoto zoom you're after, the Leica mm delivers the goods, and fills an important gap in the Micro Four Thirds catalogue.
The default function of the L-Fn button is AF Stop, which temporarily suspends continuous autofocus when an object suddenly appears in front of the lens. On Olympus bodies, this default behavior can be changed via the camera menu to any other programmable lens or camera function, such as the activation of the digital tele-converter or focus peaking.
On Panasonic Lumix cameras, however, the L-Fn button cannot be programmed , so that it can only be used in its default behavior as a focus stop button. Over time, Olympus addressed this issue by complementing CDAF with on-sensor phase detect pixels in its flagship cameras in order to achieve better tracking-AF. Meanwhile, Panasonic developed the Depth-from-Defocus DFD technology, which takes advantage of detailed knowledge of lens characteristics to determine the direction and magnitude of focus adjustments that are necessary to follow a moving subject.
DFD relies on comprehensive lens profiles that are stored as part of the camera and lens firmware. Since Olympus does not use DFD and does not store respective information in its lens firmware, continuous AF of Panasonic cameras fitted with Olympus lenses is relatively slow and less confident.
On the other hand, there is no performance penalty regarding AF-C when using Panasonic lenses on Olympus bodies. The zoom rings on Olympus and Panasonic lenses turn in opposite directions. A clockwise turn zooms a Panasonic lens from wide to long, but an Olympus lens from long to wide. Apparently, Panasonic uses stronger UV filters in its cameras than Olympus does, and some Panasonic lenses are designed in accordance with this strong UV filtration at the camera level.
As a result, selected Panasonic lenses when used on an Olympus body can produce marked purple flare and fringing. These purple blobs tend to be difficult to correct ex-post. As a remedy, Anders W has suggested using UV front or rear filters on the affected lenses to eliminate the purple flare artefacts. Both Olympus and Panasonic have released tele-converters to enhance the reach of selected tele-photo lenses. The Olympus MC is intended for use with the 2. Due to protruding front elements, these converters cannot be used with other lenses.
Moreover, the converter mount design is slightly different , so that the MC does not fit on the Panasonic mm and mm lenses, and the TC and TC cannot be mounted on the Olympus mm and mm lenses. Recent cameras from Olympus and Panasonic support focus bracketing and focus stacking. They thus make it possible to capture multiple photos from slightly different focal positions focus bracketing and combine them into an image with a greater depth of field focus stacking. This is an indiscriminated rule which may be counter productive.
Some combinations of course may be better than others, but why limit yourself without looking at all the possibilities, weighting advantages and disadvantages.
Here is my take concerning MFT bodies and lenses. However note that not all lenses come with optical stabilization neither the 20mm, nor the mm have it and they are still bigger. Two of them are collapsible which makes them very easy to pack and well adapted to the Pen form factor. However the new mm has a reputation to be very sharp and very fast.
The only thing not corrected in Olympus lenses and bodies is the color aberration, the other optical defects are corrected exactly the same as with a Panasonic body and lenses. The color aberration is very easy to correct during postprocessing and it does only show in particular situation : for insance when you have a dark object against a bright background tree leaves against the sky , or in some night shots, with bright lights.
In these conditions using a slider for correcting color aberration in Photoshop or Lightroom is very easy. If you like shooting at that focal length, it would be stupid to not get it, just because it is not an Olympus lense. Same for the kind of lenses not yet available in Olympus system. However if you have a small GF1 and want to have a smaller and lighter alternative, then it can make sense to get the two collapsible lenses or the 17mm.
The most interesting lense IMO for a Panasonic owner would be the mm : it is much smaller and lighter than the Panasonic mm and at these focal length you don't reallly need the OIS the mm doesn't have it either and the optical quality has got good review. You have to define your priorities : what is more important : a small and light package? Image stabilization all the time? How much are you disturbed by color aberration?
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