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.

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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 C&D – check best price

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

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5 Star rated lenses: (Gold award)

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

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

• On the heavy side for MFT

Best for: All round use, including wide-angle

Read the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO review

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

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!

Pros

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

Cons

• High price
• Takes time to get use to

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

Read our OM System M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO lens review

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

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.

Pros

• Razor-thin depth of field
• Fast focusing

Cons

• Not the sharpest lens in the box
• Aperture ring sometimes doesn’t work on Olympus

Best for: portraits and bokeh

Read the Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH Power OIS review

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Best Olympus portrait lens: 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.

Pros

• Fast maximum aperture
• Gorgeous bokeh
• Weather sealing

Cons

• Quite hefty
• Pricier than alternatives

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

Read our Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO review

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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
• $329/ £341

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.

Pros

• Great sharpness at wide apertures
• Very good value

Cons

• No autofocus

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

Read the Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS review

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

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.

Pros

• Weather sealed build
• Excellent for close-ups
• Lightweight and portable

Cons

• Susceptible to flare

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

Read the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO review

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

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.

Pros

• High quality throughout zoom range
• Excellent stabilisation system

Cons

• f/4 max aperture

Best for: all-in-one super zoom

Read our Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO review

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4.5 star rated lenses:

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

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

• Focus is slow and noisy
• No optical stabilisation

Best for: General-purpose and travel photography

Read our Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II ASPH review.

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

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.

Pros

• Near-unique in MFT system
• Very small and light
• AF is quiet and fast

Cons

• No aperture ring

Best for: Landscapes and ultra-wide street shooting

Read our Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH review

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

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

• No focus clutch mechanism

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

Read our OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO Review

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

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

Pros

• Excellent handling
• Compact build

Cons

• Some corner softness at wide angles

Read the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO review

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

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.

Pros

• IP53-rated weather-sealing
• Excellent optical quality
• Super-fast autofocus

Cons

• Lacking some physical controls
• Background blur can be messy

Best for: Telephoto zoom, in a compact lens

Read the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO review

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

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.

Pros

• Excellent value for money
• Solid construction
• Good physical size for MFT

Cons

• No AF/MF switch

Best for: longer telephoto portraits with pleasing bokeh

Read the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN review

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Best premium wide-angle: 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.

Pros

• Great for low light
• Splashproof construction

Cons

• Quite expensive
• Aperture ring won’t work with Olympus

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

Read the Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH review

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Best budget portrait lens: 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.

Pros

• Super-affordable
• Useful standard focal length

Cons

• Lots of credible alternatives

Best for: great value, portraits, compact lens

Read the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH review

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Best compact wide-angle prime: Laowa MFT 10mm F2.0 C&D Dreamer

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 C&D 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.

Pros

• Small, super lightweight
• Good sharpness at narrow apertures

Cons

• Vignetting at f/2
• No autofocus

Best for: wide-angle shooting with manual focus

Read our Laowa MFT 10mm F2.0 C&D Dreamer Review.

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4 star rated lenses:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN

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.

Pros

• Edge-to-edge sharpness
• Useful optical coatings
• Performs great wide-open

Cons

• Focus is quiet, not silent

Best for: low-light and portraits

Read the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN review

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Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT

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.

Pros

• Excellent centre sharpness
• Small, lightweight

Cons

• No autofocus
• Not weatherproof

Best for: ultra-wide view and manual focus

Read the Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT review

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

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.

Pros

• Robust and splashproof
• Fast, silent autofocus
• Generally good optical quality

Cons

• Expensive for a fisheye
• On the bulky side

Best for: fisheye, creative landscapes / architecture

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

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

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.

Pros

• Excellent sharpness
• Close focusing distance
• Robust and weather-sealed

Cons

• Somewhat bulky
• f/5-6.3 is restricting

Best for: impressive telephoto reach

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

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

At a glance:

• 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

• Image quality more good than great

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

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

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

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.

Pros

• Huge zoom range
• Weather-resistant
• Good close-focusing distance

Cons

• Middling sharpness
• Autofocus struggles in low light

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

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

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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.

Pros

• Cheaper than rivals
• Great size for travel

Cons

• No weatherproofing
• No stabilisation

Best for: all-in-one super zoom

Read the Tamron 14-150mm f/3.5-5.8 Di III review

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More 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.

Pros

• Useful built-in 1.25x converter
• Versatile zoom range
• Weather sealed

Cons

• Very pricey
• Bird AF slower than rivals

Best for: professional quality telephoto zoom with maximum reach

Read the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC 1.25x IS PRO review

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

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.

Pros

• Broad, useful zoom range
• Smooth, satisfying handling
• Good detail resolving

Cons

• Built-in hood can interfere with zoom ring

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

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

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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.

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Text by Joshua Waller, with contributions from Jon Stapley.

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More 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.

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