Verdict
Pros
- Small, fast aperture, sharp and low fringing
Cons
- No ratio scale, no focus limiter
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £355
As part of the Four Thirds system, Olympus lenses effectively double equivalent focal lengths, so this lens offers a similar angle of view as a 100mm lens on the E-system cameras. One of advantages of this is that lenses are much smaller than their 35mm or APS-C compatible equivalents. Zuiko lenses have always been high quality, and this one is no exception with dust-proof and drip-proof construction, ED glass and a fast f/2.0 maximum aperture and f/22 minimum aperture. Bear in mind though, that the smaller imaging circle will produce more depth of field, so extremely small apertures are unnecessary.
The optic has a multilayer film coating, and minimum focusing is 24cm with a 1:2 magnification ratio. Unlike on some others, there is no size ratio guide on the lens, which is a disappointment. Performance is good, particularly in JPEG shooting rather than unsharpened RAW. The MTF charts show very high performance with natural camera sharpening in JPEG, but performance is more on a par with the Pentax lenses in unsharpened RAW mode. Where the lens performs well is in the chromatic aberration area, with low edge-to-centre fringing throughout the lens.
Verdict
High quality and fast lens that produces the goods.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Value 9
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Design 9
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Image Quality 9
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Features 9
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Professional conduct
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
