3-5x standard range zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds
introduction
comparison table
lens | focal length in 35mm terms | OIS | C-AF | HD video | filter | length | weight | price in US |
Pan. 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 compact | 24-64mm | Mega | Yes | HD | 37mm | 24mm | g | $229 |
Pan. 12-35mm f/2.8 X HD (2012) | 24-70mm | Power | Yes | HD | 58mm | 74mm | 305g | $849 |
Oly. 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof (2013) | 24-80mm | N | Yes | MSC | 62mm | 84mm | 382g | $999 |
Oly. 12-45mm f/4 Pro weatherproof (2020) | 24-90mm | N | Yes | MSC | 58mm | 70mm | 254g | $650 |
Oly. 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ MSC weatherproof | 24-100mm + macro | No | Yes | MSC | 52mm | 83mm | 211g | $399 |
Pan. 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph | 24-120mm | Power | Yes | HD | 58mm | mm | 210g | $499 |
Pan. 12-60mm f/2.8-4 Leica | 24-120mm | Power | Yes | HD | 62mm | 86mm | 320g | $999 |
Pan. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 X PZ Asph | 28-84mm | Power | Yes | HD | 37mm | 27mm | 95g | $399 |
Pan. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 budget H-FS014042 | 28-84mm | Mega | No | No | 52mm | 64mm | 165g | $145 |
Oly. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 | 28-84mm | N | No | No | 40.5mm | | | |
Oly. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II collapsible | 28-84mm | N | Yes | MSC | 37mm | 57mm | 112g | $299 |
Oly. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 IIR collapsible | 28-84mm | N | Yes | MSC | 37mm | 57mm | 113g | |
Oly. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ power zoom | 28-84mm | N | Yes | MSC | 37mm | 23mm | 91g | $349 |
Pan. 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 H-FS014045 | 28-90mm | Mega | Yes | No | 52mm | 60mm | 195g | $280 |
premium wide aperture weathersealed
weatherproof budget lens
Panasonic 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS lens
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announced Feb 2016
5x zoom
Dual I.S. (Image Stabilization) compatibility
smooth, silent stepper AF with 240fps sensor drive
7 rounded blades, metal mount, multicoated
0.54x macro
11 elements in 9 groups incl. 3 ASPH, 1 ED
210g
$US499
Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ MSC macro
super compact
Panasonic 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH MegaOIS
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37mm filter thread
3 aspherical elements and one ED lens; 8 elements in 7 groups
OIS allows 1/8th sec hand held at 32mm with care
7-blade diaphragm
close focus 20cm for 12-20mm and 30cm for > 20mm focal length
24mm long, retractable
70g
no hood
no focus ring - camera has a virtual MF function
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sharpest at f/4 at 12mm and at f/5.6 at other focal lengths
moderate CA at 12mm wide open, but well controlled at other focal lengths or stopped down to f/5.6
1.5EV vignetting wide open, becomes negligible on stopping down
highly recommended - an impressive lens that is sharp, lightweight, compact and nice to use
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some distortion at 12mm but negligible at other focal lengths
as sharp as the 14mm and 25mm primes?
a pleasure to shoot with, showing surprising quality for a kit zoom
Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 X PZ Asph
Panasonic have created a unique extremely compact 3x kit zoom lens which is well worth a look although you do pay a bit more for the smaller size
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best image quality is at 25mm at f/5.6-f/8
sharper than the earlier Panasonic 3x zoom lenses
very fast and quiet AF
Olympus users may need post-processing to reduce CA
minimal distortion
Nano surface coating
9 elements in 8 groups (4 aspherical lenses , 2 ED lens)
POWER OIS optical image stabilisation (better than Mega OIS) but no OIS switch
7 circular blades
close focus 0.2m = 0.17x macro
37mm filter (does not rotate on focusing)
61mm x 26.8mm
95g/3.4oz
electric zoom lever
manual focus lever
$399
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Olympus mZD 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ power zoom
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ultracompact retracting design - when you power it on, the lens will extend out, to a length more than doubling it's original length
5 circular blades
8 elements in 7 groups including 3 Aspherical elements, 1 ED glass element, 1 S-HR glass element
close focus 0.25m (0.23x magnification)
stepper AF motor
power zoom
MF and zoom rings
internal focus
61mm diam x 23mm long - world’s slimmest standard zoom kit lens
91g
37mm filter thread
matched LC-37C is billed as a “stylish automatic lens cap for fast shooting and protecting lenses from dust and scratches” but an expensive optional extra ~$50
no hood
~$349
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compact
Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH. Mega OIS
announced Jan 2013
7 circular blades
adds a 2nd aspherical lens to make it more compact
9 elements in 8 groups
fast stepping AF motor suitable for video
internal focus
minimum focus distance of 0.2 m (14-20 mm) / 0.3 m (21-42 mm) = 0.17x macro (35 mm camera equivalent: 0.34x)
56mm x 49mm long
110g
46mm filter
compact collapsible
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 IIR
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II
announced Nov 2010 along with the PEN E-PL1s camera
adds internal focus for faster, quieter autofocusing
MSC designation
8 elements / 7 groups incl. 3 Aspherical elements
7 rounded blades
close focus 25cm
max. magnification 0.19x
37mm filter
112g
56.5mm diam x 50mm long
$299
adds compatibility with the concurrently announced lens converters (via bayonet attachment):
Fish-eye Lens Converter (FCON-37)
Wide-angle Lens Converter (WCON-37)
Macro Lens Converter (MCON-58)
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very sharp in the centre but less sharp in edges compared with older version I model
very well controlled CA (0.5px)
1.3EV vignetting corrected further in-camera
7.7% barrel distortion at 14mm is corrected in camera
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Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
no longer available, originally introduced with the PEN E-P1
world 1st retractable mechanism design for an interchangeable lens camera
slower, noisier AF, NOT designed for HD video
9 elements in 8 groups inc. 2x aspherical, 1x HR and 1x ED elements
7 rounded blades
close focus 25cm
150g
40.5mm rotating filter
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4.6% barrel distortion at 14mm but this is corrected in-camera to about 1.7%
almost no vignetting (0.4EV)!
very sharp
well controlled CA (0.8px)
other zoom lenses
Kodak 12-45mm f/3.5-6.3 ASPH ED
Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH OIS
cheaper than the original 14-45mm lens, but with plastic mount, less focal length range, closer focusing, longer lens body but lighter
12 elements in 9 groups (1 Aspherical lens)
Mega OIS optical image stabilisation (2-3EV)
7 rounded blades
52mm non-rotating filter thread
close focus 30cm
63.6mm x 60.6mm
165g
H-FS014042
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“AF works basically silent, it's surprisingly fast and highly accurate”
5% barrel distortion at 14mm but in-camera correction reduced this to 0.7%
1.5EV vignetting but in-camera correction reduced this to 1.2EV wide open
very sharp in centre
CA well controlled (1px max.)
“a pretty impressive lens despite its low price tag”
Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH OIS
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Mega OIS optical image stabilisation (2-3EV)
52mm filter (non-rotating)
good build quality
internal focusing
12 elements in 9 groups inc. 1x aspherical element
7 rounded blades
close focus 50cm
60mm x 60mm
195g
H-FS014045
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5.5% barrel distortion at 14mm but in-camera correction reduced this to 1.3%
2.3EV vignetting at 14mm but in-camera correction reduced this to ~1.1EV wide open
reasonably sharp
moderate CA (1-2px) but in-camera correction reduced this to minimal levels