If you are just entering the world of Micro Four Thirds cameras, you’re going to want to pick up a few extra lenses to go along with that 14-42mm kit lens your camera came with. Whether you’re using an Olympus PEN or a Panasonic Lumix M4/3 camera, Olympus has quite a few M.Zuiko Digital lenses available for you to choose from. In fact, I’d probably guess that the Micro Four Thirds standard has the most number of available lenses to date of any of the mirrorless interchangeable lens system cameras out there. Not only are there lenses made by Olympus, but Panasonic also makes their own Lumix branded M4/3 lenses with Leica glass, but that’ll be another post. For now, these are the available lenses you can choose coming from Olympus’s M.Zuiko Digital line.
I know it can be difficult choosing which extra lenses to buy and add to your collection as many of them seem to overlap each other in focal lengths. For me, I always try to get the most possible range with the least amount of lenses. That’s just me though. However, you’re going to want to also pick up a very fast lens for low-light situations as well regardless of whether or not it overlaps with another.
Which lenses would I suggest? Well, in most cases, you’re already going to have a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens that came with your camera, whether it’s an Olympus PEN or Panasonic Lumix. Going through the list, I’d pick up the M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 because of it’s speed and it’s good for portraits.  For landscape photography or if you want something to take photos of the sites you’re visiting, I’d suggest picking up a wide angle lens 12mm f/2.0 or the 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 if you need super wide angle. To round out the list, you’ll probably want to pick up a zoom lens for those times where you just can’t get close enough. I’d go straight for the 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 lens.
Lens obviously range in price so you’ll want to buy what you can afford. It’s ok if you can’t get all the lenses at one time as no one ever really does that.
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8
A wide-angle pancake lens with a convenient focal length (equivalent to 34mm on a 35mm camera) for shooting everything from landscapes and portraits to close-ups. A slim design with an overall length of just 22 mm ensures the camera remains compact and easy to carry even when the lens is mounted. With its digital-dedicated design and superior performance this lens maximizes the camera’s performance for clear, high-quality imaging.
M.Zuiko Digital EDÂ 14-150mm f4.0-5.6
The high-power wide-angle to telephoto M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-150mm F4.0-5 zoom lens (35mm equivalent 28-300mm) is 65% smaller and 70% lighter than the comparable 10x ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 18-180mm F3.5-6.3, making it ideal for everything from portraits and interior scenes to sports and landscape photography. Mounted on the camera full-time, it’s ready for any photo opportunity.
M.Zuiko Digital EDÂ 9-18mm f4.0-5.6
The super wide-angle M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 zoom lens (35mm equivalent 18-36mm) offers a 100° angle of view, and overturns the rule that super wide-angle zooms have to be big and heavy. With a length of just 49mm and a weight of just 155g, it less than half the size and 60% of the weight of the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6. With its wide angle of view, it makes it easy to include background scenery in group photos, and can be used to create unique images with a sense of dynamically exaggerated perspective.
M.Zuiko Digital EDÂ 40-150mm f4.0-5.6
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 is extremely light, weighing only 6.7 ounces. With a wide zoom range with a 35mm equivalent to 80-300mm, this lens offers versatility and portability. It’s an affordable complement to the powerfully simple 3x wide-angle zoom lens (M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42 f3.5-5.6) that comes standard with the PEN kit. The M.ZUIKO 40-150mm has two lens elements in the rear focusing mechanism. The focusing mechanism is designed to deliver quiet and precise operation, for an affordable, high quality means to capture your life in still images or HD videos.
M.Zuiko Digital EDÂ 75-300mm f4.8-6.7
The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 with a 35 mm equivalent of 150-600mm is the world’s smallest and lightest 600mm super telephoto lens. Weighing only 15.17 ounces and measuring 2.76 by 4.57 inches, this lightweight lens delivers excellent portability and outstanding image quality when paired with the award-winning Olympus PEN® cameras. The 75-300mm’s rear focusing mechanism is comprised of a single-element unit, to enable remarkably fast and nearly silent HD video recordings with sound.
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II
With the world’s first* retractable mechanism design, this standard 3X zoom lens is extremely compact with an overall length of just 1.7 inches. Covering wide-angle to a moderate telephoto suitable to portrait shooting, this lens is suitable for a wide range of applications, including day-to-day shooting and traveling. With a digital-dedicated design as well as multi-coating on all lens surfaces, this Micro Four Thirds lens boasts very high imaging performance. Bearing the MSC (Movie-Still-Compatible) logo, this lens utilizes nearly “silent†focusing technology, that not only removes annoying lens drive noise picked up during HD movie recording, but offers increases in Auto-Focus speeds when capturing stills.
M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8
This single-focal-length portrait lens has a beautiful shallow depth of field which allows for background blurring effects that are not possible with the 14-42mm kit zoom lens. The Movie-Still-Compatible (MSC) mechanism utilizes nearly “silent†focusing technology. It is great for tracking a moving child or pet, and provides a quick and silent focus mechanism for movies and still photography.
M. Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f2.0
This high-speed, single-focal-length, wide-angle lens is ideal for shooting high-quality, dramatic landscapes and street scenes in low-light conditions. It has a beautiful full-metal body and a snap ring that enables photographers to pan focus with a distance indicator. The Movie-Still-Compatible (MSC) mechanism utilizes nearly “silent†focusing technology. It is great for tracking a moving child or pet, and provides a quick and silent focus mechanism for movies and still photography.
M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 R
The latest generation of the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150 mm f4.0-5.6 R (35mm equivalent focal length: 80-300 mm) has now arrived. It features a brand new, optimized overall design in a stylish black or silver body. It’s small, lightweight and variable in performance – perfect for close-up portraits or long-distance scenes – and it is flexible for indoor or outdoor use. You can use this high-power zoom as the perfect companion of your standard kit lens without being burdened by travelling with too much equipment. It features an MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) focusing mechanism that is designed to deliver quiet and precise operation, for an affordable, high quality means to capture your life in still images or HD videos.
14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R
Boasting a brand new, optimized overall design, the latest generation of the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R (35 mm equivalent focal length: 28-84 mm) has now arrived. This ultra-compact zoom lens delivers magnificent 3x zoom performance in a form factor as small as before in a renewed design. It is also equipped with MSC technology for superb videos and still pictures – with extremely high-speed, practically silent auto focusing and great movie sound even when zooming in and out. However fast your subject and however far away, this lens has the specialist capabilities to rise to the challenge and deliver stunning visual results. The lens ships with interchangeable decoration rings that perfectly match the colors of different PEN cameras.
M.Zuiko Digital EDÂ 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ
This zoom lens has a maximum magnification 4.2X, covering a range that extends from a wide angle of 24mm (35mm camera equivalent) – ideal for taking wide shots even indoors – to a medium telephoto focal length of 100mm (35mm camera equivalent), – optimal for portraits. A newly developed motorized zoom mechanism makes smooth, quiet zooming while shooting movies possible. The AF system is based on the MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) mechanism enhanced by a newly developed linear motor drive that enables faster, quieter focusing. Dust and Splash Proof construction lets you shoot in harsh conditions without worry.
