Olympus has been developing its PRO series of lenses since late 2013, the year in which the original OM-D E-M1 was released. The first lens in the series was the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO which rapidly became a favourite amongst many advanced amateurs and professionals, ourselves included. It was later joined by five more lenses, the latest of which is the M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 PRO, whose announcement coincided with the release of the E-M1 II.
Micro Four Thirds lenses
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.2 PRO vs. Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 – The complete comparison
Lenses with the equivalent field of view of a 50mm (35mm format reference) are amongst the most popular because they provide a perspective close to natural human vision, or the angle of view of the human eye excluding the shift to the left or right. In addition to daily snapshots and street photography, they also work well for environmental portraits if the aperture is fast enough.
As of late 2016, there are four autofocus lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system that fall into this category. The two we’ll be comparing today have the fastest apertures of the four: the brand new Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.2 PRO and the Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4.
Olympus M.Zuiko 30mm f/3.5 vs. 60mm f/2.8 macro – The complete comparison
The Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 was one of the very first lenses we bought after purchasing the OM-D E-M5 back in 2013. Before then, I’d been using the 14-42mm kit lens for all my macro photography, which was sufficient for casual use but not enough to capture minute details. Even to this day, the 60mm remains one of my favourite lenses thanks to its small and lightweight construction, excellent sharpness, external controls and focal length.
At Photokina 2016, nearly four years after the release of the 60mm, Olympus announced its second macro lens, the M.Zuiko 30mm f/3.5. Although both are specifically designed for macro work, they fulfil a different set of needs as we will discover in the following comparison. Let’s get started!
Olympus 45mm vs. Panasonic 42.5mm vs. Nocticron 42.5mm vs. Voigtlander 42.5mm – Portrait lens battle!
One aspect I love about Micro Four Thirds is the sheer amount of choice users have when it comes to standard portrait lenses for the system. On one hand, there are three autofocus lenses: two compact and affordable primes from Olympus and Panasonic (the M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 and Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7) and the premium Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 from Panasonic / Leica. On the other, we find two manual focus options: the Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 and the Zhongyi Mitakon 42.5mm f/1.2.
Olympus 75mm f/1.8 vs Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 – Apples vs Oranges
If you are a professional events photographer, you can go one of two routes when choosing a telephoto lens.
On one hand, you can opt for a telephoto prime with a very bright maximum aperture. The advantage of a lens like this isn’t just the extra shallow depth of field; there is also the fact that you can work in poor light conditions without having to raise your ISO or reduce your shutter speed too much.