The demand for micro four-thirds lenses has increased a lot recently. Many photography blogs and forums are raising questions about the use of these lenses in various kinds of photography. The question is why so much fuss?
I also jumped into this topic and researched for some answers to the question “Are micro four-thirds lenses good for Landscape Photography
?” To be honest, the answer is ‘Yes.’
I have valid reasons for my answer. But for that, we need to know at first; what is a micro four-thirds camera system? I’ll keep it simple.
What is a Micro four-thirds camera system?
A micro four-thirds camera system is a standard formed by Olympus and Panasonic in the year 2008. It states that the sensor has a 2x crop factor. It means that it doubles the focal length of the lens.
Suppose you are using a lens of 35mm and you’re using a camera that has a micro four-thirds sensor, this sensor will double the focal length of 35mm to 70mm.
This means that you have the advantage of carrying a lightweight camera as well as a lens. Thanks to this system carrying a camera and a lens have become very much portable.
Now let’s get back to which micro .
I mean that what matters while buying a lens for capturing a landscape image?
Factors that make a lens suitable for Landscape Photography
As a Landscape Photographer, there are some factors that help you decide which lens can be perfect for you. Most photographers tend to use a wide-angle or ultra-wide angled lens for capturing landscapes.
They want the images captured to have good quality and composition. For these purposes, the following factors will be helpful –
The Focal Length
As I’ve told you before that the first choice of a landscape photographer is a wide angles lens. This sort of lens helps you to capture stunning landscape images.
The most suitable micro four-thirds lens for capturing wide-angle images ranges between 7mm to 150mm. By using such a range, you can separate the most important area of the scenery from the whole image.
Portability
If you’re a traveler or a landscape photographer, then one of the most prior things you’d want is to carry light. A heavy full-frame camera and long zoom lenses will obviously not be flexible for you.
This is why you may use a lightweight mirrorless camera and an M43 lens. This is portable and light in weight.
Small Aperture
Aperture is what helps you control the amount of light entering the lens as well as the depth of field of the scenario. Most landscape photographers use an aperture of about f/5.6 or f/8.
These small apertures help you to decrease the depth of field giving you a clear and sharp image of the landscape. So buy the lens that has smaller apertures because it helps you to take a sharp shot of the scenery.
Overall Image Quality
Great image quality is a must for printing images. If you don’t have sharp edges of the image, then it can harm the quality of the images. Lenses with sharp quality will be very much helpful for landscape photographers.
In this review article, we’ve made sure you get lenses that have all the factors given above. We’ve selected the best lenses which are small in size but give an excellent image quality.
As they follow the micro four-thirds formats, they are obviously the best ones which offer more compared to its price.
Here they are –
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6
Olympus is the leading brand for MFT lenses. This lens of Olympus is also perfect for capturing landscape images. It has a focal length of 9-18 mm which is equal to a 35mm lens.
It means that this lens has a good focal length. It also has a small aperture that ranges from f/4.0 to 5.6. This means that it also has a suitable aperture for capturing detailed scenery images.
And it is small in size which means less weight and more portable to carry while traveling. The image quality also comes great as there are no color issues or sharpness issues.
Therefore I call it the best and most suitable M43 lens for capturing landscapes.
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4
The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4 is one of the best MFT lenses developed by the leading Photography brand Panasonic. It has a 7-14mm focal length which is equivalent to a 28mm lens.
It means that it covers an ultra-wide angle. It also has an aperture of f/4 which helps to reduce the depth of field and capture more sharp shots. This lens is amazingly small in size with a weight of just 300g.
It makes it very easy to carry and portable. This lens would’ve been the first pick if it just has a weather seal. Except that this lens is great and also quite affordable.
Olympus M. Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 ED PRO
One of the best Ultra wide-angled M43 lens developed by Olympus is the Olympus M. Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 ED PRO lens. Probably the best lens for a landscape photographer who wants an Ultra wide-angle.
The 7-14mm focal length gives a zoom of 28mm as it is an M43 lens. It also has a weather-sealed body.
The aperture of f/2.8 makes it suitable for night photography. You can capture great quality night landscape images using this lens. It gives more compared to its typical price.
Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN Lens – Micro Four Thirds Fit
Though sigma doesn’t specialize in designing MFT lenses that much but, this Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN Lens has become quite popular these days.
As it comes in a mid-range and has a 60mm focal length, you can call it another suitable candidate for the best M43 lenses for landscape photography.
It can be used with Panasonic and Olympus cameras because of its M43 lens mount.
Conclusion to Best Micro Four Thirds Lens for Landscape Photography
So these were the best lenses that I have gathered so far as the best M43 lenses for landscape photography. All of their quality helps them to compete with each other. Every camera and lens has its advantages and flaws.
These lenses also had some flaws too, but the advantages they have made their flaws undetectable.
In conclusion, the attractiveness of the image totally depends on the Photographer capturing it with his love and passion.