Sharpness was sometimes an issue at extreme magnifications, but not due to the sharpness of the lens – instead, it was due to the depth of field. At high magnifications, depth of field is always an issue because it’s inherently narrow. You’ll need to stop down to apertures like f/8, f/11, and f/16, which have increasingly more issues with diffraction. All of this will sound familiar if you’re a macro photographer, because it’s true of every macro lens. So, to sum it up, the M.Zuiko 60mm macro is really the best macro lens for Micro Four Thirds right now. It’s the only option for an autofocusing macro lens that can achieve a 1X magnification at a reasonable working distance. Normally, having just one lens option to choose from isn’t ideal – but here, it’s not an issue because the lens performs so well anyway. DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 250, 1/250, f/11.0 Conclusion Here’s another with a stronger crop: DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 160, 1/250, f/11.0 DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 160, 1/250, f/11.0 This is my first foray into macro and may not cover items of interest to more experienced users. If there's anything I can add or answer, just ask :smile: In particular, when shooting at2x magnification with the OM System M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO, the tip of the lens is about 6.5 cm / 2.5 inches from the subject. At 1x magnification, this distance increases to 9.5 cm / 3.7 inches.

The Leica is the only one to be supplied with a lens hood as standard. A hood is optional on the Olympus lens, but there’s nowhere to mount one on the Lumix 30mm. In terms of filters, all three share the same 46mm thread. Though both lenses begin to suffer from diffraction from f/11 onwards, it is interesting to note that the 30mm seems to retain better sharpness overall at these slower values. This can only be good news for 30mm owners since macro photography requires a deep depth of field to bring as much of the subject into focus as possible. In short, the high magnification and large working distance of the 90mm f/3.5 Macro are two of its biggest strengths. I was able to use these features to capture images that would have been impossible with almost anything else on the market. Handling and Build The 60mm has an aperture range of 2.8 to 22, which provides a little more flexibility than the 3.5 to 22 range of the 30mm. A weakness with all macro lenses is that, with extreme magnification, the effective aperture gets narrower. Specifically, at 1:1 magnification, the maximum aperture on the lens is effectively f/5.6, resulting in a darker image if you don’t compensate for it. This darkening effect begins to look noticeable around 1:4 magnification.Optically, I haven’t experienced any significant weaknesses on the 90mm f/3.5 Macro. The sharpness is breathtaking, even compared to the M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro that has always been my sharpest lens. Not to mention that the working distance of this lens is comfortable, and the image stabilization works as it should. Between the two, the 60mm is more well-suited to a variety of subjects. The minimum focus distance of 19cm, combined with the 1:1 magnification ratio and 60mm focal length (120mm in 35mm terms) make it the perfect all-purpose macro solution for both animate and inanimate subjects because you can achieve a good level of magnification without getting so close that you’d risk scaring off the subject. E-M1, 5s, f/8, ISO 200 – M.Zuiko 60mm (minimum focus distance) – Bracelet In some cases, the smaller MFD could actually be an advantage also. In certain positions like small insects on trees, I actually like to get a bit closer so I can brace the lens against the tree. In a few other awkward “bracing” situations, I find this smaller MFD to be useful also, which is why I think a larger MFD isn’t universally superior.

Interestingly, the OM System 90mm f/3.5 surprised me in remaining quite sharp even at narrower apertures. Diffraction still caused some loss in sharpness, of course, but my impression is that the only sharpness loss I saw at these apertures was from diffraction. The lens didn’t seem to contribute any additional issues of its own. You’ll see in a moment how much sharper the 90mm f/3.5 is compared to my M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 even when both were are narrow apertures of f/16 and f/14. Finally, there is the advantage of dust and moisture resistance. Given that many recent Micro Four Thirds bodies are also weather-sealed, you have the green light to shoot in varied conditions, including rain and snow. I did a little bit of testing last night with the new Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro and I compared it with the only other dedicated macro lens for Micro 4/3, the Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 OIS. The minimum focus distance, magnification and focal length are the main characteristics that distinguish these two lenses from each other. What’s more, it can even double up as a casual portrait lens thanks to its focal length, excellent sharpness and 2.8 aperture. E-M1, 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 200 – M.Zuiko 60mm

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Light transmission performance was the same for both lenses, with the Panasonic Leica lens also measuring 0.4EV lower than the manufacturer’s f/2.8 claim with a 3.2TStop score like the Olympus. The Distortion scores were similar as well with both lenses scoring below the 0.2% threshold, indicating that there was no noticeable distortion measured in either lens. Both lenses displayed slight chromatic aberration with scores of 8µm and 10µm respectively for the Olympus and Panasonic lenses.