Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60 mm F2.8 Lens, Standard Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

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This telephoto macro lens for Micro Four Thirds system cameras from Olympus provides an angle of view equivalent to a 120mm lens used on a 35mm camera, has a silent MSC focusing motor and produces life size magnification at its closest focus distance. I don’t have to try to remember of figure out which stacking images to delete, as I know it will be 10 in all cases. Diffraction starts to limit sharpness at smaller apertures, but clarity is still excellent across the frame down to f/8.

Because the truth is, macro photography is quite niche — unless that’s your passion it isn’t something you’ll do every day — and this lens is pretty darn expensive!ISO-200, handheld in-camera focusing stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 300 mm Olympus OM-D E-M1X + M. You can take smaller kit anywhere with you, and the crop factor and depth of field also works in your favour. I start by carefully moving any vegetation that’s directly blocking my way and begin to visualize my composition. AF isn’t quite as fast as it’s 12mm and 45mm siblings, but it is still quick enough for everyday use. The photo below, which shows a close-up of a battered CompactFlash memory card, shows just how close you can get with a 1:1 macro lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera.

Every once in a while, you’ll see the heptagonal shape of the aperture appear in out-of-focus highlights, but even then, it’s not really distracting. Yes, it is a bit pricy, but it will be something you can always fall back on if you’re feeling a bit stuck in a rut with your photography. A close focusing lens might be great on larger subjects like butterflies and mantis…but if you want to see spider eyeballs you need to be at 1:1 at least. The 60mm has a Focus Limit Switch, which allows you to establish a narrower range of focus and zero in on your subject faster – particularly useful in shallow-depth-of-field macro shooting. For my photography, I can’t imagine the use of the recently announced (in development) Olympus macro “around” 100mm.The only camera I use for macro photography is the E-M1X as I find the articulating screen, double gripped format, and computational photography technologies are ideal for my style of shooting. When I wrote this post, I had only had the lens for a few days but I was already impressed by Olympus’ first attempt at a macro Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens. There is a selection of images throughout the article, as well as a sampling of photographs at the end. Stopping down beyond f/16 results in a marked increase in fringing towards the edges of the frame, so care may need to be taken photographing high contrast subjects using very small apertures. Hence, I was always in a rush to do my blog reviews (though I am contemplating on slowing down in future reviews, to get better collection of images).

This hood sports a novel sliding design, allowing it to be pulled back over the lens barrel when not needed, or when shooting at close distances.Since shooting on the M43 format, I’ve had my share of various bodies and especially lenses in my hands.