Today, Olympus has announced a new, lightweight, ultra wide-angle zoom lens for their Micro Four Thirds (MFT) systems. This versatile lens has the image quality people have come to expect of the PRO range, but with a much wider coverage than most lenses in their line-up.
Olympus Cameras worried many of us when they were sold to Japan Industrial Partners Inc, and I was one of them. I wrote something of an open letter to them through a fear that they would melt the company we know down and use their components and facilities for less photography-centric purposes. Many scoff at Olympus because of the MFT hill they refuse to leave, but few understand just how strong their systems are, particularly with what I would consider to be some of the best in-camera tech on the market.
Fortunately, my fears haven't yet transpired and this morning they announced a brand new PRO series lens. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO lens is an UWA zoom with the 35mm equivalent focal range of 16-50mm, making it extremely versatile. At $1,099, it is also an affordable option for those who need a flexible zoom for landscape photography, for example.
The lens has 16 elements in 10 groups, a brilliant minimum focus distance of just 23cm, and a fixed f/4 widest aperture across the entire focal range. While f/4 doesn't make this lens the quickest in the Olympus range, its speed is not its selling point. It is, in essence, an extremely high-quality kit lens, with its dynamism being the USP. Below is a gallery of some example images taken with the lens by Justin Kauffman, provided by Olympus.
Images by Justin Kauffman courtesy of Olympus.
This is the perfect focal range for any urban setting. I hope to see an in depth review!