Micro 4/3 Lens List

Lens chart

Beginning in Sept. 2008 when Panasonic unveiled the first micro 4/3 format camera, there have been a steady stream of new lenses released for the format. As of mid-2012, there are more than thirty different native lens models available for micro 4/3 cameras, with more on the way.

This list is limited to native micro 4/3 lenses – lenses that can be used without an adapter. It follows the format used by J. Andrzej Wrotniak’s invaluable 4/3 lens list (sadly no longer maintained). Generally speaking, any micro 4/3 lens will be fully functional on any micro 4/3 body. There are a few caveats though:

  1. Manual lenses: Samyang, SLR Magic, Tokina and Voigtlander lenses do not communicate with the camera body (they’re purely mechanical). As a result, they don’t support autofocus, aperture must be set on the lens, and the camera’s EXIF will not record any information about the lens.
  2. Software correction: All Olympus and Panasonic m4/3 lenses are automatically corrected for distortion on all micro 4/3 camera bodies. Lateral chromatic aberration (CA) is automatically corrected only with Panasonic lenses on Panasonic bodies.
  3. Optical Image Stabilization (OIS): Many Panasonic lenses feature OIS. With Panasonic bodies, all OIS functions can be enabled. With Olympus bodies, OIS can only be enabled if the lens has a physical OIS switch (indicated below).
  4. In-body Image Stabilization (IBIS): All Olympus bodies support IBIS. IBIS can be used with any lens. However, OIS and IBIS should not both be enabled at the same time.
  5. Minimum aperture: the minimum aperture on micro 4/3 and 4/3 lenses is f/22, except where noted below.
  6. 4/3 lenses: see below.

The list is broken down between prime and zoom lenses, and ordered by focal length. Prices are current US street prices from B&H. Focal length (FL) is the actual focal length, so to compare with lenses on 35mm cameras, multiply by 2 (a 20mm lens on a micro 4/3 body provides the same angle-of-view as a 40mm lens on a 35mm film camera). Magnification (Mag) is with respect to the micro 4/3 sensor (size is generally 17.3×13.0mm), so to compare with 35mm cameras, it too should be multiplied by 2. Lens size is given in terms of diameter x length. Lens colors are indicated as B(lack), S(ilver) and G(rey).

Current lenses are labeled blue, announced but unreleased are yellow and discontinued are red. All-manual lenses are in italics.

Micro 4/3 lenses

Primes Brand

FL (mm)

Max
aperture

MFD (m)

Mag Filter (mm) Weight (g)

Size DxL (mm)

Color

Release Date

Price Notes
Samyang Samyang UMC 7.5 3.5 0.1   No 145 64×51 B/S 9/2011 $295 MF only, fisheye, also sold under the Bower, Rokinon and Wallimex brands
Panasonic Lumix G Fisheye 8 3.5 0.1 0.2 No 165 61×52 B 6/2010 $630 Fisheye, Rear filters
SLR Magic Hyperprime 12 1.6 0.15   58 330 60×73 B 11/2011 $500 MF only, min. aperture of f/11, limited availability
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 12 2.0 0.2 0.08 46 130 56×43 B/S 6/2011 $800 Black version is ‘limited’ edition
Schneider Super Angulon 14 2.0             Early 2013    
Panasonic Lumix G 14 2.5 0.18 0.1 46 55 56×21 B 9/2010 $305  
Big Photo Shift 15 2.4     No       9/2012   MF only, no filter, 5.3mm shift lens
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 15 8.0 0.3   No       9/2012 $80 Fixed aperture
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 17 1.8                  
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 17 2.8 0.2 0.11 37 70 57×22 B/S 6/2009 $300  
Voigtlander Nokton 17.5 0.95 0.15 0.25 58 540 63×80 B 3/2012 $1250 MF only, min. aperture of f/16
Sigma Sigma EX DN 19 2.8 0.2 0.14 46 140 61×46 B 3/2012 $200  
Panasonic Lumix G 20 1.7 0.2 0.13 46 100 63×26 B 9/2009 $400 min. aperture of f/16
Voigtlander Nokton 25 0.95 0.17 0.26 52 410 58×70 B 10/2010 $1200 MF only, min aperture of f/16
Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25 1.4 0.3 0.11 46 200 63×55 B 6/2011 $550 min. aperture of f/16
Sigma Sigma EX DN 30 2.8 0.3 0.12 46 130 61×39 B 2/2012 $200  
Mitakon AMC 35 0.95   0.26 58 680   B Fall 2012   MF only, min aperture of f/16
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 45 1.8 0.5 0.11 37 115 56×46 S 9/2011 $400  
Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45 2.8 0.15 1.0 46 225 63×63 B 9/2009 $750 1:1 macro, OIS
SLR Magic Noktor Hyperprime 50 0.95 0.6   62 480   B 7/2011 $1000 MF only, converted C-mount lens, min. aperture of f/16
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 60 2.8 0.19 1.0 46     B 9/2012 $600 1:1 macro, weather-sealed
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 75 1.8 0.84 0.1 58 305 64×69 S

7/2012

$900  
Tokina Reflex 300 6.3 0.9 0.5 55 300 55×66 S 5/2012 $370 MF only, mirror lens, fixed aperture
Zooms Brand

FL (mm)

Max aperture

MFD (m)

Mag Filter (mm) Weight (g)

Size DxL (mm)

Color

Release Date

Price Notes
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14 4.0 0.25 0.08 No 300 70×83 B 3/2009 $900 No filters
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 9-18 4.0-5.6 0.25 0.1 52 155 57×50 B 5/2010 $700 Collapsing
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35 2.8 0.25 0.17 58 305 68×74 B 6/2012 $1300 OIS, weather-sealed
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 12-50 4.0-6.3 0.35 0.36 52 210 57×83 B/S 12/2011 $500 Power-zoom, internal zoom, weather-sealed
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 14-42 3.5-5.6 0.25 0.24 40.5 150 62×44 B/S 6/2009   Collapsing, discontinued
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital II 14-42 3.5-5.6 0.25 0.19 37 115 57×50 B/S 11/2010   Collapsing, discontinued
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital II R 14-42 3.5-5.6 0.25 0.19 37 115 57×50 B/S 6/2011 $300 Collapsing, functionally identical to the II version
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42 3.5-5.6 0.3 0.13 52 165 61×64 B 3/2010 $145 OIS (Panasonic bodies only)
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42 3.5-5.6 0.2 0.17 37 95 61×27 B/G 8/2011 $325 OIS (Panasonic bodies only), power-zoom
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-45 3.5-5.6 0.3 0.17 52 195 60×60 B 9/2008 $280 OIS
Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140 4.0-5.8 0.5 0.2 62 460 70×84 B 3/2009 $620 OIS
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 14-150 4.0-5.6 0.5 0.24 58 280 64×84 B 6/2010 $600  
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100 2.8 0.85   58     B 9/2012   OIS, weather-sealed
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 40-150 4.0-5.6 0.9 0.16 58 190 64×83 B/S 8/2010   Discontinued
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital R 40-150 4.0-5.6 0.9 0.16 58 190 64×83 B/S 6/2011 $300 Functionally identical to the non-R version
Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 45-150 4.0-5.6 0.9 0.17 52 200g 62×73 B/G 9/2012 $300 OIS (Panasonic bodies only)
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175 4.0-5.6 0.9 0.2 46 210 62×90 B/G 8/2011 $365 OIS (Panasonic bodies only), power-zoom
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200 4.0-5.6 1.0 0.19 52 380 70×100 B 9/2008 $245 OIS
Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 75-300 4.8-6.7 0.9 0.18 58 430 70×116 B/S 8/2010 $900  
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300 4.0-5.6 1.5 0.21 67 520 74×126 B 9/2010 $500 OIS

Lens Accessories

  1. Conversion lenses: Olympus and Panasonic both offer a set of screw-in conversion lenses that can be used to conver their kit lenses for fisheye, macro and wide-angle capabilities. Panasonic also makes a tele-converter conversion lens.
  2. Extension tubes: Kenko-Tokina has announced a set of 10mm and 16mm extension tubes for close-up photography. The set is available for ~$200.

Specialty Lenses

In addition to the lenses above which are intended for general-purpose photography, there are a number of lenses available in micro 4/3 mount that are designed for specific uses or effects. These include:

  1. Holga lenses: modeled after the Holga – the original ‘low-fidelity’ camera – these very inexpensive plastic lenses feature vignetting, blur and other distortions for a distinctive effect. Each lens includes a set of filters and converters.
  2. Lensbaby tilt lenses: the Lensbaby Composer and similar models allow for selective blurring of portions of the image by tilting the focal plane of the lens. They feature a variety of different optics, some plastic, others glass.
  3. Panasonic 12.5mm 3D lens: the Lumix G 12.5mm f/12 lens creates images that are recorded in a special 3D format. It provides a 65mm equivalent angle-of-view.
  4. SLR Magic toy lenses: recently announced by SLR Magic, these lenses provide are intended to provide special artistic effects including fisheye, pinhole and selective focus.
  5. Yasuhara super-macro: the Yasuhara Nanoha is provides microscope-like optics, allowing extreme close-up photograph, with up to 5x magnification of the subject. (similar to Canon’s MPE-65). It includes a built-in illumination system.
  6. Zeiss cinema lenses: Carl Zeiss’s Compact Prime line is a series of fast prime lenses designed specifically with professional video capture in mind. Features include precise manual focus mechanisms, rugged build and interchangeable mounts. They are priced accordingly.

4/3 lens addendum

The 4/3 system is the ancestor of micro 4/3 and as such Panasonic and Olympus have made some provision for using 4/3 (non micro) lenses on micro 4/3 cameras. This requires an adapter but unlike other adapted lenses, 4/3 lenses do support autofocus, aperture control from the body and other standard functions on m4/3 cameras. As there are a number of high quality 4/3 lenses without current m4/3 alternatives, they can be an attractive option. Optics are generally good and many of the lenses are also weather-sealed. Due to the discontinuation of all but one 4/3 body, many 4/3 lenses are available on the secondhand market for attractive prices.

For a full list of 4/3 lenses, please look below.

Limitations

  1. Single AF only: 4/3 lenses only support single-autofocus (S-AF mode) on m4/3 bodies. Continuous or tracking autofocus is not supported. Nor for that matter is autofocus in video mode.
  2. CDAF-optimized lenses: some 4/3 lenses have been updated to better support the contrast detect autofocus (CDAF) system used by micro 4/3 cameras. These lenses support AF on all micro 4/3 cameras, and generally focus reasonably quietly and quickly with good accuracy.
  3. Non-optimized lenses: most 4/3 lenses have not been updated for CDAF. These lenses will autofocus on all bodies except the Panasonic G1, GF1 and GH1. Autofocus is slower and noisier than with CDAF-optimized lenses and accuracy is less certain.
  4. AF speed: on average, CDAF-optimized lenses focus in 1-2 seconds, while the other take anywhere from 2-6 seconds.
  5. Lens size: 4/3 lenses are larger than m4/3 lenses. Particularly on the smaller m4/3 bodies, ergonomics can be an issue.

Adapters

4/3 to micro 4/3 lens adapters are made by Olympus, Panasonic as well as a few no-name vendors. Functionality is essentially identical and mixing and matching among adapter vendors (say a Panasonic adapter with an Olympus body) is fine. As of this writing, the most affordable name-brand adapter is the Panasonic DMW-MA1 which goes for around $115. Non-brand adapters should work fine, so long as they specify having electronics (purely mechanical adapters will not work).

CDAF-optimized 4/3 Lenses

Primes Brand

FL (mm)

Max aperture

MFD (m)

Mag Filter (mm) Weight (g)

Size DxL (mm)

Color

Release Date

Price Notes
Panasonic Leica D Summilux 25 1.4 0.38 0.09 62 525 78×75 B 7/2007 $850 Seemingly no longer in production, min. aperture of f/16
Olympus Zuiko Digital 25 2.8 0.2 0.19 43 95 64×24 B 3/2008 $250  
Zooms                        
Olympus Zuiko Digital 9-18 4.0-5.6 0.25 0.12 72 275 80×73 B 9/2008 $600  
Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-42 3.5-5.6 0.25 0.19 58 190 66×61 B 9/2006 $250  
Panasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50 3.8-5.6 0.29 0.21 67 435 75×93 B 8/2007 $495 OIS
Olympus Zuiko Digital II 14-54 2.8-3.5 0.22 0.26 67 440 75×89 B 11/2008 $600 This is the mark II version
Panasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150 3.5-5.6 0.5 0.18 72 535 79×91 B 11/2007 $1380 OIS
Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150 4.0-5.6 0.9 0.14 58 220 66×72 B 9/2006 $280  
Olympus Zuiko Digital 70-300 4.0-5.6 1.2 0.5 58 615 80×128 B 11/2007 $400 MFD is 0.9m in MF mode

Non-optimized 4/3 Lenses

Primes Brand

FL (mm)

Max aperture

MFD (m)

Mag Filter (mm) Weight (g)

Size DxL (mm)

Color

Release Date

Price Notes
Olympus Zuiko Digital 8 3.5 0.14 0.22 None 485 79×77 B 1/2006 $800 Fisheye, weather-sealed, no filters
Samyang MC Fisheye 8 3.5 0.30   None 430 75×80 B 3/2010 $300 MF only, fisheye, also sold as Rokinon
Samyang UMC 14 2.8 0.27   None 560 87×101 B 3/2010 $400 MF only, also sold as Rokinon
Samyang UMC 24 1.4 0.25   77 680 83×95 B 8/2011 $700 MF only
Sigma EX DG Macro 24 1.8 0.18 0.37 77 485 84×83 B 1/2007    
Sigma EX DC 30 1.4 0.4 0.10 62 400 77×59 B 2/2006   HSM, max aperture of f/16
Samyang UMC 35 1.4 0.3   77 720 83×117 B 9/2010 $500 MF only, also sold as Rokinon
Olympus Zuiko Digital 35 3.5 0.15 1.0 52 165 71×53 B 12/2005 $230 1:1 macro
Sigma EX DG HSM 50 1.4 0.45 0.14 77 505 85×68 B 9/2008   HSM
Olympus Zuiko Digital 50 2.0 0.24 0.5 52 300 71×62 B 6/2003 $500 1:2 macro, weather-sealed
Samyang MC 85 1.4 1.0   72 520 78×80 B 3/2010 $300 MF only, also sold as Rokinon
Sigma EX Macro 105 2.8 0.31 1.0 58 450 74×95 B 2/2006   1:1 macro
Olympus Zuiko Digital 150 2.0 1.4 0.13 82 1465 100×150 B 10/2004 $2500 Weather-sealed, tripod mount
Sigma EX DG HSM Macro 150 2.8 0.38 1.0 72 895 137×80 B 2/2006   1:1 macro, HSM, tripod mount
Olympus Zuiko Digital 300 2.8 2.4 0.15 43 3290 127×285 B 6/2003 $7000 Weather-sealed, tripod mount, rear filters
Zooms Brand

FL (mm)

Max aperture

MFD (m)

Mag Filter (mm) Weight (g)

Size DxL (mm)

Color

Release Date

Price Notes
Olympus Zuiko Digital 7-14 4.0 0.25 0.11 None 780 87×120 B 2/2005 $1800 No filters, weather-sealed
Sigma EX DC HSM 10-20 4.0-5.6 0.24 0.15 77 465 84×81 B 2/2008   HSM
Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 2.8-3.5 0.28 0.13 72 485 75×93 B 2/2004 $800 Weather-sealed
Olympus Zuiko Digital 12-60 2.8-4.0 0.25 0.28 72 575 80×99 B 11/2007 $1000 Weather-sealed, SWD motor
Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-35 2.0 0.35 0.12 77 900 86×123 B 2/2008 $2300 Weather-sealed, SWD motor
Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45 3.5-5.6 0.38 0.16 58 285 71×87 B 10/2004    
Panasonic Leica D Vario Elmarit 14-50 2.8-3.5 0.29 0.32 72 490 79×97 B 7/2006 $870 OIS
Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-54 2.8-3.5 0.22 0.26 67 435 74×89 B 6/2003   Weather-sealed
Olympus Zuiko Digital 17.5-45 3.5-5.6 0.28 0.23 52 210 71×70 B 9/2005    
Sigma EX DC 18-50 2.8 0.2 0.33 72 450 79×86 B 2/2006    
Sigma DC 18-50 3.5-5.6 0.25 0.2 58 245 67×60 B 3/2004    
Sigma DC 18-125 3.5-5.6 0.5 0.19 62 385 70×78 B 9/2004    
Olympus Zuiko Digital 18-180 3.5-6.3 0.45 0.23 62 435 78×85 B 9/2005 $500  
Olympus Zuiko Digital 35-100 2.0 1.4 0.09 77 1650 97×214 B 10/2005 $2500 Weather-sealed, tripod mount
Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150 3.5-4.5 1.5 0.12 68 425 77×107 B 10/2004    
Olympus Zuiko Digital 50-200 2.8-3.5 1.2 0.21 67 920 83×157 B 6/2003   Weather-sealed, tripod mount
Olympus Zuiko Digital SWD 50-200 2.8-3.5 1.2 0.21 67 995 87×157 B 11/2007 $1200 Weather-sealed, SWD motor, tripod mount
Sigma EX DG HSM 50-500 4.0-6.3 3.0 0.19 86 1650 94×218 B 2/2006   HSM, tripod mount
Sigma DC 55-200 4.0-5.6 1.1 0.19 55 310 70×85 B 3/2004    
Sigma EX DG HSM 70-200 2.8 1.0 0.29 77 1370 86×184 B 2/2008   HSM, tripod mount
Olympus Zuiko Digital 90-250 2.8 2.5 0.08 105 3270 124×276 B 11/2005 $6000 Weather-sealed, tripod mount
Sigma DG 135-400 4.5-5.6 2.0 0.19 77 1245 89×184 B 2/2006   Tripod mount
Sigma EX DG HSM 300-800 5.6 6.0 0.14 46 5880 157×544 B 2/2006   HSM, tripod mount

Last update: September 14, 2012