3-5x standard range zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds

see also:

• a catalogue of Micro Four Thirds lenses
• 8-10x super-zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds
• 3x telephoto zoom lenses for Micro Four Thirds
• Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens
• standard camera zoom lenses
• Four Thirds lenses

Comparison of premium quality 3x zoom lenses on an Olympus OM-D E-M1 courtesy of 43Rrumours.com

• I decided to amalgamate all the Micro Four Thirds system standard 3x kit zoom lenses to make it easier to compare

• see:
  • Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 X HD weatherproof lens
  • Olympus mZD 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof lens
  • Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f2.8-4
  • Olympus mZD 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO lens

• see Panasonic 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS lens
• 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

• see Olympus m.ZD 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ MSC weatherproof zoom lens
• the price for its versatility is the slow aperture, and slightly softer images wide open but you do get:
  • world's fastest autofocus for slowish moving subjects when used on the E-M5
  • weatherproofing to match the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera
  • 4x zoom with field of view range equivalent to 24mm ultra wide angle to 100mm short telephoto on a 35mm full frame camera
  • macro to 0.36x activated via a macro button on the lens (0.72x in full frame terms when you consider the smallest field of view)
  • power zoom lever for smoother zooming during video recording
  • near silent AF for video recording
  • versatile, user customisable lens Fn button
  • 10 elements in 9 groups
  • closest focus 35cm in normal mode and 20cm in macro mode
  • 5 rounded blades
  • 52mm filter thread
  • 57x83mm
  • 211g
• Pekka Potka's review

• announced Oct 2013 as a super compact, high quality lens to match the mini Panasonic GM-1 camera
• 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
• ePhotozine review
  • 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
• Tyson Robichaud's review
  • 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 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
• see Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens
• 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
• ephotozine.com review
• SLRgrea.com review

• announced Jan 2014 as kit lens for the Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera
• 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
• Robin Wong's review
• photographyblog review
• http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/olympus-e-m10-ii/olympus-e-m10-ii-field-test-part-ii.htm

• 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

• new “optimised” design announced Jan 2011 - it is not clear what the enhancements are
• MSC AF
• 8 elements / 7 groups incl. 3 Aspherical elements
• 7 rounded blades
• close focus 25cm
• max. magnification 0.19x
• 37mm filter non-rotating
• 112g
• 56.5mm diam x 50mm long
• $299

• 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)
• Ephotozine review
  • 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
• Pekka Potka's review - compares this lens with 12-50mm lens

• 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
• Photozone review
  • 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)

• budget kit lens introduced Jan 2014
• 49mm filter

• 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
• Photozone.de
  • “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”

• the 1st lens for Micro Four Thirds system mount, introduced with the Panasonic G1 camera in 2008?
• 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
• Photozone.de
  • 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