Must-have Lenses for Micro Four Thirds (and for Olympus OM-D E-M5)
See my Micro Four Thirds gear page and my Guide to AllView Cameras.
I’ll be greatly expanding my coverage of the Micro Four Thirds format, for reasons I explained in my July 17 blog post.
This list is surely not complete as I have yet to explore several lenses, but it captures what I have found (so far) are the must-have lenses for use on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 or similar Micro Four Thirds cameras— based on performance + size and weight (but performance is a requirement, lenses that don’t perform just don’t make the cut no matter what).
- Olympus Zuiko 12mm f/2 ED: outstanding performer, compact and lightweight.
- Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 ASPH: high performer, compact and lightweight.
- Olympus Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 ED: good performer, but so small and so light that it can always be in the bag. Perfect portrait lens.
- Panasonic Lumix G LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm f/2.8 ASPH MEGA O.I.S.: ridiculous naming, but extraordinary performer with superb color correction.
I have restricted the above list to Micro Four Thirds lenses; the Olympus Super High Grade lenses are all superb, but they require the MMF-3 or similar lens adapter and are huge and heavy by comparison.
All of these lenses are exceptionally friendly to carry, yet very high performers.