Looking for the best Micro Four Thirds Lenses? Let’s find out what are those currently available top choices for some specific applications that are sought after by M4/3 enthusiasts.
Although, not all big players in the imaging industry were invested in the system. Nonetheless, Micro Four Thirds had remained formidable and captured a considerable following.
And with Panasonic leading the way by reinventing and enhancing its commitment to developing more lenses… Micro Four Thirds is here to stay for the time being.
List of the Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses
We all know that Micro Four Thirds was the first mirrorless camera to hit the market when Panasonic and Olympus collaborated to give this new system a shot for camera enthusiasts to consider.
Below are images of the lenses for our Lumix GF2 and Lumix GX-9 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras.
Now…
Join me as we examine what are the best micro four-thirds lenses that you can consider for your own need!
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Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses for Video
Videography is one aspect that is always given emphasis when talking about mirrorless cameras. And with the advent popularity of vlogging, lenses that can capture clear videos could equate to a higher following.
Here’s a selected list of the best Micro Four Thirds lenses for video.
1. Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 ASPH
- Versatile prime lens that can handle many photography needs (i.e. video, landscapes, cityscapes, architecture)
- Compact and lightweight
- Sharp images, and high definition captures
Featured key specs:
| Type | Standard Prime Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 25mm | Lens construction | 8 elements in 7 groups (including 1 UHR and 2 aspherical elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/1.7 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ46mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ60.8 x 52 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 125 g |
2. Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 Power OIS
- Covers a wide range of focal distances for video shooting with a near-silent autofocus motor
- Internal focus with stepper motor
- Constant maximum aperture
- Splash and dust proof design
- Nano surface coating to reduce ghosting and flaring
- HD movie capture
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 35-100mm | Lens construction | 18 elements in 13 groups (including 1 UED & 2 ED elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/2.8 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ67.4 x 99.9 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 360 g |
3. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R
- Fast MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) system- perfect for video captures and still shots
- Compact and lightweight for a telephoto zoom lens
- Covers a wide range of focal distances for video shooting
- Can be a good alternative lens for travel
- Affordable
- May not include the hood and tripod collar
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 40-150mm | Lens construction | 13 elements in 10 groups (including 1 ED elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/4-5.6 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ64 x 86 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 190 g |
Best Micro Four Thirds Telephoto Lenses
The telephoto lens is one of the must-have gear in your arsenal. Especially if you like to shoot wildlife and do sports photography. Telephoto lenses are best utilized if you’re not able to get near your subject.
Below is a list of selected best micro-four-thirds telephoto lenses.
1. Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 ASPH Power OIS
- Produce highly detailed shots from a distance subjects
- Weather-sealed, compact, and lightweight
- Provide excellent sharp image at wider focal length
- Slightly less sharp when zoomed near to 400mm
- Very fast autofocus
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 100-400mm | Lens construction | 20 elements in 13 groups (including 1 aspherical ED, 1 UED and 2 ED elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/4-6.3 | No. of diaphragm blades | 9 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ72mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ83 x 172 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 985 g |
2. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS
- Compact and lightweight for a super-telephoto lens
- Solid and well-built construction, weather sealed
- Produces excellent high-quality image
- Excellent image stabilization on still subjects
- Offers fast and responsive AF
- Supports teleconverter
- Smaller side switches that can be moved easily by accident
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 100-400mm | Lens construction | 21 elements in 15 groups (including 4 ED, 2 HR and 2 Super HR elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/5.0-6.3 | No. of diaphragm blades | 9 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ72mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ86.5 x 205.7 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 1120 g |
3. Olympus M.Zuiko ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II
- Affordable telephoto lens
- Compact and lightweight
- Quick autofocus that can be beneficial if you like shooting birds
- Features MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) system that is ideal for shooting video and stills
- Features ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating to withstand scratches and minimize ghosting
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 75-300mm | Lens construction | 18 elements in 13 groups (including 2 ED, 3 HR and 1 Super HR elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/4.8-6.7 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ69 x 116.5 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 423 g |
Best Micro Four Thirds Prime Lenses
Prime lenses are lenses that have a single or fixed focal length.
It can consist of a wide-angle prime lens, a standard prime lens, and it could also be a telephoto lens.
Dedicated prime lenses are highly utilized… for portraits, landscapes, night sky photography, and many other photography applications. These types of lenses normally come with a larger aperture.
See below some of the best micro-four-thirds prime lenses.
1. Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm F1.2 ASPH Power OIS
- Fast and stabilized portrait lens – thanks to Power O.I.S.
- Excellent portrait image output
- Superb low-light capabilities
- Impressively sharp images
- Fast and quite autofocus
- Fairly large and a bit heavy for a prime lens
Featured key specs:
| Type | Prime Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 42.5mm | Lens construction | 14 elements in 11 groups (including 1 ED, 1 UHR, and 2 aspherical elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/1.2 | No. of diaphragm blades | 9 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/16 | Filter size diameter | φ67mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ74 x 76.8 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 425 g |
2. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25mm F1.8
- Affordablility
- High quality, compact and fast prime lens
- Excellent and sharp image
- Good for a portrait as well as low-light shooting
- Good build quality
Featured key specs:
| Type | Standard Prime Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 25mm | Lens construction | 9 elements in 7 groups (including 2 aspherical elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/1.8 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ46mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ56 x 41 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 136 g |
3. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm F1.8
- High-grade fast aperture
- Fast and near-silent autofocus, thanks to MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) feature
- Excellent build quality
- Sharp image
- Suitable for studio portraits, indoor sports photography, stage plays
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Prime Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 75mm | Lens construction | 10 elements in 9 groups (including 3 ED and 2 HR elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/1.8 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ64 x 69 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 305 g |
Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses for Travel
When traveling, one would always consider bringing just one mirrorless camera. Changing lenses while traveling is a very stressful task… especially for beginners!
This means taking only one lens that can cover both the wide-angle and telephoto shooting needs is the best way to go.
And the best option is to have a telephoto zoom lens that covers both.
Others may opt for a wide-angle standard zoom lens for portability. But will be sacrificing the ability to shoot distant subjects, if you want it captured in a close-up shot.
Below is a list of selected best micro-four-thirds lenses for travel.
1. Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS
- Improved image stabilization
- Updated Power O.I.S. to work with Dual IS and Dual IS 2-equipped cameras
- Splash and dust-proof design
- Compact and lightweight telephoto lens – good for travel
- Good image quality
- Features faster AF
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 35-100mm | Lens construction | 18 elements in 13 groups (including 1 UED and 2 ED elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/2.8 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ67.4 x 99.9 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 357 g |
2. Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS
- Solid build
- Compact and lightweight (a good all-in-one lens for travel)
- Boast 10x zoom range
- Offers near-silent AF, which would be beneficial when shooting video
- Excellent image sharpness, especially at the center
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 14-140mm | Lens construction | 14 elements in 12 groups (including 3 aspherical and 2 ED elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/3.5-5.6 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ67 x 75 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 265 g |
3. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm F3.5-6.3
- Versatile compact zoom lens – good for travel
- Reliable autofocus
- Good image quality
- Weather sealed
- To compensate for the lack of image stabilization, pair this lens with a camera that has in-body IS
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 12-200mm | Lens construction | 16 elements in 11 groups (including 3 aspherical, 2 Super ED, 2 ED, 1 Super HR and 2 HR elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/3.5-6.3 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ72mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ77.5 x 99.7 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 455 g |
4. Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power OIS
- Fast standard zoom lens that could be an option as your travel companion
- Constant F2.8 maximum aperture (throughout the zoom range)
- Splash and dust resistant
- Power O.I.S. optical image stabilization
- Nano Surface coating to reduce flare and ghosting
- High-quality build/construction
- Near-silent focusing that would benefit when shooting videos
Featured key specs:
| Type | Standard Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 12-35mm | Lens construction | 14 elements in 9 groups (including 1 UED, 1 UHR, and 4 aspherical elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/2.8 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ58mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ67.6 x 73.8 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 305 g |
Best Budget Micro Four Thirds Lenses
If you’re budget conscious and the aforementioned lenses are way over your buying capacity?
Don’t worry…
There are affordable alternative lenses that are available for you to consider.
Here are two of the best budget micro-four-thirds lenses.
1. Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH
- Compact and lightweight pancake lens (mounted on my GF2, I can slide it in my jeans pocket)
- Budget prime lens compared with the nearest competitor and with higher image quality
- Performs well in low-light
- Excellent and sharp image
- Fast aperture
- Good build and extremely handy
Featured key specs:
| Type | Wide Prime Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 20mm | Lens construction | 7 elements in 5 groups (including 2 aspherical elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/1.7 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/16 | Filter size diameter | φ46mm |
| Image Stabilization | No | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ63 x 25.5 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 100 g |
2. Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-150mm F4-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS
- Compact and lightweight telephoto lens
- Inexpensive for a telephoto lens
- Fast and accurate AF
- Mega O.I.S. image stabilization
- Nano Surface coating to reduce flare
- Could struggle in low-light conditions
Featured key specs:
| Type | Telephoto Zoom Lens | Lens Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length | 45-150mm | Lens construction | 12 elements in 9 groups (including 1 UHR and 2 aspherical elements) |
| Max. aperture | f/4.0-5.6 | No. of diaphragm blades | 7 (Rounded diaphragm) |
| Min. aperture | f/22 | Filter size diameter | φ52mm |
| Image Stabilization | Yes | Approx. dimension (diameter x distance from camera lens-mount flange) | φ62 x 73 mm |
| Auto-focus | Yes | Approx. weight | 200 g |
Are All Micro Four Thirds Lenses Compatible?
The simple answer is Yes.
All Micro Four Thirds lenses can be mounted to any M4/3 mirrorless camera body without needing a lens mount adapter (i.e. Panasonic, Olympus, OM Digital Solutions).
As you can notice on the above list, the lens mount were all indicated for Micro Four Thirds!
However, you always have to consider that performance may vary when using a lens on another camera body.
Some features may not be supported compared to when using it as a native lens!
Moreover, there are third-party stand-alone micro four third lenses (i.e. Sigma, Tamron, etc)
… meaning these lenses were designed with MFT lens mount and are compatible to use with any Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras.
On the other hand, if you want to utilize another lens mount other than Micro Four Thirds, then you will need a lens mount adapter before you can use them in your MFT mirrorless camera.
Final Thoughts
My first mirrorless camera was Panasonic Lumix GF2 with a standard kit lens.
After learning how to use it and certain needs emerged…
I traded my kit lens and purchased a wide-angle lens that has a low-light capability (Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH) and a telephoto lens (Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm F4-5.6 Mega O.I.S.) that answered all my photography needs at that time.
After more than a decade, my GF2 and its lenses are still working perfectly fine to this day.
As you can see in the above list of best micro-four-thirds lenses, there are plenty of them to select from that could probably suit your need… but of course, there are many more out there.
Depending on what you want to do and your budget… I’m sure one of those lenses listed above could be the lens that you are looking for.
So there you have it, folks, once again thank you for reading. If you find this article helpful or you have some questions please leave a comment and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
About Rowe Medialdea:
Hi, I’m Rowe, a mirrorless camera and photography enthusiast. We have created this site to be of help (especially to beginners) by producing easy-to-understand content about mirrorless cameras! Welcome to our website!