OM System (formally known as Olympus) is one of the most sought-after camera and lens manufacturers in the smaller sensor sector. Like Ricoh, OM System has a much smaller market share, yet they have always produced cameras that have been quite successful among their target audience. For instance, the Pen F series is still revered by many today. Just like their cameras, OM System has also designed some spectacular lenses, each managing to win us over in every way. Today, we look at some of the best optics launched by OM System over the past decade and why we like them so much even today.
Olympus 7-14mm f2.8 Pro
Created with 14 elements in 11 groups, the 7-14mm has a minimum focusing distance of 7.87 inches and comes with seven rounded diaphragms. For a lens of this nature, it is extremely sharp, has low distinction, and has weather sealing. This is also great for astrophotography and shooting ultra-wide landscapes and articles. However, the OM System lens requires some getting used to.
Olympus 12-40mm F2.8
Launched in 2013, the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 has a close focusing distance of 7.87 inches, a 0.3x magnification ratio, and a seven-bladed diaphragm. It is created with 14 elements in 9 groups and weighs 382g. What we liked about this lens was its fast focusing, a snappy focusing ring for a manual lens, and excellent color rendition. It is also a very versatile zoom lens, features great sharpness, and is weather-sealed. This OM system lens is perfect for astro and landscape photographers.
Olympus 12-100mm f4 Pro
A 24-200mm equivalent, the 12-100mm weighs just 561g, has seven rounded diaphragm blades, and has a 0.3x magnification on the wide end. This lens is ideal for various genres of photography, from studio work to photojournalism. In addition, the compact design, manual switch, and image stabilization make it an ideal choice for users. The OM System lens can also produce sharp images with great colors, and has a fast autofocus.
OM System 20mm f1.4
An ideal focal length for street, landscape, documentary, and astrophotography, OM System’s 20mm features a splashproof and dustproof design with a 0.25m close focusing distance. It has a nine-bladed diaphragm, 58mm filter thread, and weights only 257g. The lens is perfect in every way. It produces creamy bokeh but sharp images at an open wide aperture. The lens also has a small size, is light weight, and comes with fantastic IP-rating.
Olympus 25mm f1.8 V1
“The 25mm f1.8 is one of the most affordable and bang for your buck lenses out there for the Micro Four Thirds system,” we said in our review about the OM System lens. The 25mm features nine elements in seven groups, has a minimum focusing distance of 9.4 inches and comes with a seven-bladed diaphragm. It is lightweight (136g), super sharp, has a quick autofocus, and produces smooth bokeh.
Olympus 40-150mm f2.8 Pro
The OM System telephoto lens features an excellent build, while on the MFT sensor, one will achieve the focal range of 80-300mm f2.8 in a compact body. This makes it a perfect choice for wildlife and bird photographers who want sharpness at wide apertures. There is also a retractable hood, which can be removed when needed. As we reiterated in our review: “It’s lightweight, fairly small for what it is, fast to focus, offers crisp image quality, is weather sealed, and won’t fail you when working.”
OM System 90mm f3.5 Macro IS Pro
With a close focusing distance of 224m, the 90mm offers weather sealing, a 2.0x magnification ratio, and a 62mm filter thread. Some of the things we liked were its ability to autofocus on minuscule objects, 7-stop IS, in-camera focus staking compatibility, and lightweight build. The lens also offers character and color, but its macro setting “limits the effective aperture to f8 at 4x macro equivalent,” while autofocus can be sluggish and loud.
Olympus 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS
A 200-800mm equivalent, the 100-400mm is designed with 21 elements in 15 groups and features nine circular aperture diaphragm. It has a 3-step IS, a 72 mm, and dustproof construction. The 100-400mm has a 0.17x magnification on the wide end and 0.57x on the telephoto end, as well as a 1.3m close focusing distance. In our review, we found: “Thanks to the incredible optics, gorgeous color rendering, and overall excellent autofocus performance, the Olympus 100-400mm f5-6.3 should be considered a must-have for Micro Four Thirds shooters who want maximum reach at an affordable price point.”
Olympus 150-400mm f4.5 Pro
The OM System lens has a 95mm filter thread, a 12.4-inch length, and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.12 to 0.29x. The 4.1lbs lens is super fast, quite light, weather resistant, and produces sharp and gorgeous images. There is a built-in teleconverter and an internal zoom, and it is convenient for long-day use. However, we wanted the lens to have a much faster aperture, as it would make it easy to shoot in low light.
Olympus 300mm f4 IS Pro
A prime telephoto lens, the OM System’s 300mm got 5 out of 5 stars in our review. “The Olympus 300mm f4 IS Pro lens is wonderful,” we wrote in our test. “It renders solid image quality, is built well, is lightweight, and honestly has a whole lot going for it. If you’re shooting wildlife, there’s very little reason why you’d give this one up.” The lens is 600mm equivalent on the MFT sensor, is weather resistant, and weighs 1270g without the tripod stand. However, it is still quite expensive.
