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The photography world was taken by storm by the invention of micro four-thirds lenses. For a long time, many people had forgotten about brands like Olympus and Panasonic and only opted for Nikon and Canon. These brands were put back on the radar as these lenses offer tremendous convenience and great quality pictures.
Unfortunately, a lot of people still don't understand how these lenses work and what they offer. Therefore, we have the ultimate guide to the best micro four-thirds lenses, which includes all you need to know about these and the features they offer.
We also have some excellent recommendations suitable for many budgets and photography styles.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Micro Four Thirds Lenses
Comparison Chart of the Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses
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What is a Micro Four Thirds Lens?
A micro four-thirds lens has been around for a while now and is becoming one of the most increasingly popular lenses. It was created by the brand Olympus and Eastman Kodak. The term micro four-thirds lens is from the sensor aspect ratio, which is 4:3.
The size of the lens is smaller than what standard DSLRs carry, which have full-frame or some have cropped sensors. The idea behind this creation was to make telephoto lenses smaller and more lightweight by reducing the sensor size but not inhibiting its properties.
What to Look for When Buying a Micro Four Thirds Lens
There are so many technicalities associated with buying a lens, which tends to make the process overwhelming and daunting for the consumer. Therefore, we have listed the top factors you need to look into when buying one. These will ensure you get an incredible lens.
Maximum Aperture
F/1.4 and f/2.8 are the two desirable maximum apertures to look for in lenses. The maximum aperture is the measure of how wide your lens opens to let light rays in. It majorly impacts how well your product will work in low-light conditions. It also allows the lens to create a beautiful bokeh.
Image Stabilization and Vibration Reduction
These are important characteristics to look for in a lens. They enable the lens to take sharp and clear images or videos even when filming while handheld.
Weight and Size
The unit you choose should not weigh a lot or be too large. This makes the product difficult to travel with or to pack. Furthermore, it causes physical strain if you're shooting for longer intervals.
Review of the Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses
If you go out to buy micro four-thirds lenses without having some idea of what you are looking for, you would pull your hair out in frustration. There are so many brands competing to offer the best of the best. This makes it hard for a consumer to decide on which product to invest in. Therefore, we have some of the best lenses in the market you can get your hands on. Let's take a detailed look at them:
Best Overall:
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm F/1.8 Lens
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers find this unit to be as near as perfection as one can get. The overall construction is an excellent quality metal that allows it to be highly durable. It has a very ergonomic design tailored to the ease of use of the consumer. The incredible features it offers and the stunning design work in conjunction to make it a consumer favorite product.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This unit caught our attention for multiple reasons. It features high-quality metal housing that allows it to be heavy-duty and durable. However, the construction is lightweight and compact. Furthermore, the unit features image stabilization, which allows one to shoot longer handheld exposures. It also features an f/1.8 maximum aperture that makes it wonderful for low-light conditions.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit features an incredible f/1.8 maximum aperture that allows it to work wonderfully well for low light photography, which isn't a strong suit of many lenses on the market. The overall construction is compact and lightweight, allowing it to be great for traveling, as well. Given its features, it is suitable for both beginners and experts.
Bottom Line
Overall, it is an incredibly well-designed camera lens. Its innovative design has many such features that allow it to be very user-friendly and convenient. It is able to produce excellent, quality images. Furthermore, the compact design makes it great to travel with. Therefore, it is an excellent lens to invest in.
Runner-up:
Sigma 30mm F/1.4
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What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers find this to be one of the best lenses they have ever used. Its construction and design enable it to be highly versatile and convenient for the average user. The overall composition is sleek, compact, and stunning. In addition, they report that it is able to produce some great quality pictures.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It captured our interest for multiple reasons. Firstly, it is compact and lightweight even though the construction is heavy-duty with great quality materials, enabling it to be durable. It gives very consistent performance and is able to produce high-quality images, even in unfavorable conditions such as low light.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit is an incredibly versatile lens that's able to perform well under many conditions and for many photography styles. It has a fast aperture of f/1.4, allowing it to work well under low-light conditions and enabling it to produce a soft blurred background for stunning bokeh in portraits. Furthermore, the compact and lightweight construction allow it to be travel-friendly.
Bottom Line
All in all, it is one of the most wholesome products you will come across. The pros it features largely outweigh the cons. It is incredibly reliable and convenient, plus it is able to provide consistent results under many conditions. Therefore, it is a great product to invest in.
Best for the Money:
Panasonic Lumix G Macro Lens, 30MM, F/2.8 ASPH
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers are very happy with the construction of this unit. Firstly, it is incredibly user-friendly. The design is very intuitive with no hiccups or delays while operating it. The autofocusing is sharp and silent. Furthermore, it has image stabilization, which allows it to create beautiful and sharp images.
Why it Stands Out to Us
There are many reasons this product caught our attention. Firstly, it features image stabilization so one can shoot in handheld mode all they want without worrying about shaky pictures. The overall construction is travel-friendly too. The aspherical lens element allows it to reduce coma and chromatic aberrations, and thus, produces sharp images.
Who Will Use This Most
If you have been looking for an affordable lens for macro photography, this unit is a great option. It offers clear and sharp images and works wonderfully well for macro photography. The fast maximum aperture allows it to be great for low-light photography and enables it to produce beautiful bokeh.
Bottom Line
Overall, this unit is one of the best you can get your hands on. It is great for those on a budget, and even if you are, it is a wonderful addition to your photography kit. It carries great features that allow it to produce stunning, high-quality pictures.
Best Wide Angle Lens for Micro Four Thirds:
Rokinon 10mm F/2.8 ED AS NCS
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What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers are incredibly impressed with the working of this unit for multiple reasons. First, it has many features that enable an incredibly convenient and ergonomic user experience. Furthermore, it is compact and travel-friendly. They further commented that the image it produced is of great quality and sharp.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It offers aspherical and extra-low dispersion lens elements that reduce coma and many other chromatic aberrations. The fast, maximum aperture enables it to work wonderfully well for low-light conditions as well. Furthermore, it has a nano-coating system that reduces lens flare and enhances light transmission.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit has many uses due to its innovative and versatile nature. It works particularly well for wide-angle photography, which isn't the strong suit for many of its counterparts. It is able to capture so much of the world in the image without any distortion. It works great in low lighting conditions as well due to its fast f/2.8 maximum aperture.
Bottom Line
Overall, it's a great unit. It works well under many lighting conditions. It is wonderful to travel with and is convenient to use. It honestly is any photographer's dream-come-true. The overall construction is of great quality and the internal features are highly commendable as well. All of this makes it a great investment.
Best Micro Four Thirds Zoom Lens:
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F/2.8 PRO Lens
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What Recent Buyers Report
Users report its overall construction to be incredible. It has quickly become a consumer favorite product for many reasons. It offers an incredibly rugged and weatherproof construction that makes it perfect to use despite the harsh temperature conditions. However, it is slightly heavy and expensive, but the performance it provides makes it worth the splurge.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It stands out to us for multiple reasons. Firstly, it features very solid, dust-proof, freeze-proof, and drip-proof construction, enabling it to be highly durable. Furthermore, features such as aspherical and ED lens elements allow it to reduce chromatic aberration and produce a very sharp and clear image.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit is great for many photography styles. If you have been looking to invest in a great overall lens, this one is perfect. It has wide-angle capabilities without displaying distortion. Furthermore, the constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 allows it to be great for low-light conditions. The aperture also creates a dreamy bokeh in portraits.
Bottom Line
This is one of the most versatile lenses on the market. It is great, as it carries many features and has a very innovative design. On the whole, it is highly capable of working for many photography styles, enabling one to have creative freedom. The design is also well-built, allowing it to be a great investment.
Best Micro Four Thirds for Video:
Panasonic Lumix Professional 12-35mm
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CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers are very happy with this unit for a number of reasons. Firstly, it offers consistent performance in many lighting conditions. Moreover, it has a very versatile nature, allowing it to work for different styles of photography and enabling it to be a great lens overall and a consumer favorite.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It caught our attention for a number of different reasons. Firstly, it has great overall construction, enabling it to be durable. Moreover, features like the f/2.8 constant maximum aperture allow it to work exceptionally well in low-light conditions as well as for capturing beautiful bokeh.
Who Will Use This Most
This product gives great creative freedom and offers a lot of room to learn and practice new skills. You can get wide-angle shots from it with practically no distortion and you can get beautiful bokeh as well. This works wonderfully well to shoot videos, given its incredibly advanced optical image stabilization.
Bottom Line
Overall, this unit is incredibly well-built and great for a number of reasons. It is on the higher end of the spectrum but is worth splurging on, given its incredible performance and image quality. The construction is very heavy-duty, allowing it to be highly durable and reliable, as well.
Best Macro Lens for Micro Four Thirds:
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm F/2.8
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
This unit is a consumer favorite for a number of reasons. Even though some people want a full metal body, its plastic construction makes it lightweight and, therefore, convenient to travel with. Buyers really appreciate its high-quality build. Furthermore, it is versatile and can work for a number of different scenarios.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This unit stood out to us for a number of reasons. Firstly, the features it carries, such as maximum aperture that enables excellent low light performance and great bokeh, are often found in its much higher-end counterparts. Furthermore, the construction is so well-thought-through, rugged, and solid.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit is incredibly well built and offers multiple features for smooth operation. It is also incredibly user-friendly, allowing it to work for beginners as well. The overall construction is sturdy, therefore, it works for harsh weather conditions as well. It works great for macro photography, given its incredible magnification.
Bottom Line
Overall, this unit is a gem. It is rare to tumble upon lenses which are this innovative at a good and reasonable price range. It is highly versatile and well-built, enabling it to be a long-term investment. It carries a very ergonomic design jam packed with features to give creative freedom.
Best Portrait Lens for Micro Four Thirds:
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm
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What Recent Buyers Report
This unit is a consumer favorite product for multiple reasons. The overall construction is lightweight and portable, which allows it to be great for travel. It even offers image stabilization, which makes it user-friendly. Furthermore, it offers incredibly efficient and silent autofocus, which users really like.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It stands out to us for multiple reasons. Firstly, it features image stabilization that allows it to create sharp and clear images, even with handheld shooting. The autofocus feature is efficient and silent, so your subject isn't disturbed. Plus, its maximum aperture allows it to be great for creating beautiful bokeh, therefore making it great for portraits.
Who Will Use This Most
This unit will work wonderfully well for portraits, outdoor, and indoor shoots. The overall construction is lightweight and portable, which allows it to be travel-friendly. The incredible zoom enables it to have such a versatile nature. It is incredibly affordable as well, which makes it accessible for many people. Furthermore, the great maximum aperture makes it perfect for portraits, as well.
Bottom Line
All in all, it is a great unit. It is incredibly affordable and a great investment as it features a well-built and innovative design. It carries features like image stabilization to allow better handheld shooting experience, which isn't the best suit for many of its counterparts.
Best Micro Four Thirds Prime Lens:
Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Summilux Lens, 25mm, F/1.4 ASPH
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers are very happy with this unit. Many consumers compliment their aesthetic and ergonomic design and find it to be one of their most-used lenses. However, some buyers did complain of the heavyweight and large size, but the performance it provides, it is worth the hassle. They also state that it is great for low-light conditions and for creating beautiful bokeh.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It stands out to us for multiple reasons. Firstly, it is incredibly well-built and is constructed from great, quality materials, enabling it to be highly durable and reliable. It provides consistent quality images despite the lighting conditions thanks to the wonderful fast, maximum aperture. Furthermore, it creates wonderful portraits with beautifully blurred backgrounds due to the f/1.4 maximum aperture.
Who Will Use This Most
The fast f/1.4 maximum aperture it offers enables it to work wonderfully well for low-light conditions. It also enables it to provide a beautifully blurred background for bokeh to create stunning portraits. It isn't accessible to everyone as it is slightly expensive, however, it's worth saving up for as it is incredibly durable and reliable.
Bottom Line
Overall, this is one of the best units you can get your hands on. Granted it is on the pricier end of the spectrum, the performance and quality of image it produces make it worth the splurge. The quality construction and incredible features it offers enable it to be a great investment. It is surely worth checking out.
Best Pancake Lens for Micro Four Thirds:
Panasonic Lumix G II Lens, 20MM, F/1.7 ASPH
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
The unit seemed to have greatly impressed consumers for multiple reasons. Its overall construction is durable and highly reliable. You can expect consistent results from the unit, regardless of what the lighting conditions are. It is even equipped to combat chromatic aberration. Furthermore, the autofocus is very efficient and sharp, too. All of this combines to make it a consumer favorite lens.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This unit features an f/1.7 maximum aperture that allows it to work wonderfully well in low lighting conditions too. The overall construction is rugged and compact, which makes it travel-friendly. Plus, it features aspherical lens elements to reduce chromatic aberration. Furthermore, it has a fast and sharp autofocus.
Who Will Use This Most
This would work for many people. Firstly, the construction is user-friendly and ergonomic. Therefore, it can be used by amateurs and beginners, as well as professionals. Furthermore, it features multiple features to reduce lens flare, coma, and chromatic aberrations. The fast, maximum aperture contributes to it working wonderfully in low lighting conditions as well.
Bottom Line
Overall, this unit is incredibly well-built. It even offers multiple features to enhance its image quality and overall performance. Furthermore, it features a very stylish and ergonomic design, which makes it convenient to use. All of this contributes to make it a great investment.
Perks of Getting a New Micro Four Thirds Lens
There might be people who are still on the fence about getting a new micro four-thirds lens. Therefore, we have gathered some of the many benefits they offer to help you decide whether these are worthy of your time and investment. Let's take a look at them:
Travel-Friendly
One characteristic of micro four-thirds lenses is their compact and lightweight body. This allows one to capture stunning portraits, low-light photos, and wide-angle or telephoto pictures without having to carry those heavy, full-frame camera lenses which cause physical strain when having to film with them for long.
Versatile
They are all interchangeable and, therefore, they will work for MFT-compatible camera bodies of many brands. Furthermore, they offer multiple features such as fast maximum aperture, quiet and efficient autofocusing, etc. that enable them to work for a number of different shooting conditions.
Brighter Corners
They feature a mechanism known as a technical optical path, which allows the light hitting the sensors to travel at a 90-degree angle towards the sensor, thereby reducing bright corners and enhancing the resolution.
Conclusion
The reason micro four-thirds lenses rose to popularity is their incredibly compact and convenient design combined with stunning features to provide great-quality pictures. They have quickly become a favorite of professionals and amateurs for multiple reasons. Some appreciate their versatility, whereas others like their consistency.
They have something to offer to everyone, as they are available at a number of different price points as well. All of this translates to them being a great lens to have in your kit. Buying these can surely be an overwhelming process. Therefore, it is important to know what you seek from them and research the product well before buying it.
Hopefully, this post was able to provide you all the relevant information you came here looking for and has proven to be helpful.
People Also Ask
Micro four-thirds lenses have quickly risen to popularity and seem to have a big fan base. However, a lot of people have questions about how they work and the features they offer. Therefore, we took some of your most frequently asked questions and decided to answer them.
Are all Micro Four Thirds Lenses Compatible?
Yes, they are! All micro four-thirds lenses work on MFT-compatible camera bodies of any brand.
Is Full-Frame Better Than Micro Four Thirds?
It depends upon personal preference. Micro four-thirds are used by professionals, however, they are more inclined to work for photography enthusiasts, beginners, and travelers, given that they are a fraction of the price of a full-frame lens and are portable. However, full-frame camera lenses provide better low-light performance.
What's the Difference Between Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds?
Micro four-thirds lens system is, in fact, a projection of the four-thirds system. The latter was also a system of interchangeable lenses, however, the new versions are even more compact and lightweight.
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