Micro Four Thirds Lenses

Micro Four Thirds

The Micro Four Thirds sensor is physically smaller than that of APS-C or full-frame systems. It incurs a 2x crop factor in full-frame terms – meaning that a 50mm lens, for example, produces a 100mm field of view when mounted to an MFT camera. This allows mirrorless telephoto lenses for MFT to be exceptionally compact and lightweight – something that is further facilitated by MFT’s short flange distance (i.e. the distance between the mount and the sensor plane). If you’re kitting yourself out for sports photography, Micro Four Thirds is an excellent choice, with an abundance of lightweight cameras and telephoto lenses to choose from.

Micro Four Thirds also has a reputation as being a standout system for wildlife photography. Not only are the compact telephoto lenses incredibly useful for photographing distant wildlife subjects, but many of the lenses made for the system offer extensive weatherproofing. There are multiple MFT lenses made under the Panasonic, Olympus and OM System banners offering exceptional levels of weather-resistance, meaning you can shoot outdoors without fear of damaging your equipment if the weather suddenly turns.

There are a fair few MFT lenses that benefit from optical image stabilisation, which helps keep shots sharp at slower shutter speeds by compensating for unintentional camera movement. Look for ‘IS’ in the name for Olympus and OM System lenses, or ‘OIS’ in the name for Panasonic lenses.

Of course, all the extra features in the world wouldn’t matter if the lenses didn’t take fantastic pictures. Fortunately, the optical engineering on MFT lenses is first-rate, and there is an abundance of tack-sharp zooms and primes in the system that will allow you to capture exceptional imagery. Panasonic’s longstanding and fruitful partnership with Leica means that many of its lenses are made with Leica-made optics, resulting in dazzling sharpness. In the Olympus and OM System camp meanwhile, the lenses with the ‘PRO’ designation are the best of the best, offering exceptional image quality in bodies designed to withstand the rigours of professional use.

Also, you don’t have to stick to just the main manufacturers. There are many third-party manufacturers that produce lenses for Micro Four Thirds, including Sigma, TTArtisan, Laowa, Samyang, Lensbaby and more. Some of these are specialist lenses that produce unique perspectives, while others are more affordable versions of popular lens configurations. In both cases, this simply further expands the versatility of one of the most flexible and exciting lens systems in all of photography.

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