Olympus has pulled the covers off a new wide-angle lens that sits in the brand’s acclaimed PRO series line up of optics. Thanks to the 2x crop factor on Micro Four-Thirds Olympus and Panasonic cameras such as the E-M1 Mark III or the recently announced GH5 II, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO returns an effective focal length of 16-50mm.
Built around a 16-element, 10-group lens configuration, the design includes Super ED, ED, and EDA elements to enhance image quality and the lens also includes a large DSA lens that Olympus says was specifically included to significantly reduce sagittal chromatic aberration.
Despite all those elements, the 8-25mm f/4 lens is lightweight and portable, tipping the scales at just 411g. Suitable for professional photographers, the lens offers enhanced IPX1 levels of weather resistance, protecting against dust, moisture and is freezeproof, with the optic able to operate in temperatures as low as -10°C.
With the effective focal length of 16-50mm, the lens is suitable for a number of photographic situations; from landscape and architecture, right up to portraiture and general travel photography. What’s more, the lens features a closest focusing distance of 0.23 meters across the entire zoom range.
The M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25 mm F4.0 PRO also supports Focus Stacking, which merges multiple images into a single photo to create an image with focus from the foreground to background in the camera, and is a useful technique to try when capturing shots of smaller subjects.
Featuring a filter thread of 72mm, photographs will be able to find plenty of ND filters to add to the lens and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25 mm F4.0 PRO also features a Manual Focus Clutch that enables instant switching between auto and manual focusing and an L-Fn (lens function) button is available on the side of the lens so users can change settings with a single operation using their thumb while holding the camera.
Other features include Olympus’ ZERO Coating to suppress ghosting and flares during backlit shooting, and the 8-25mm could also serve as a wise selection for movie making as the constant aperture of the lens at all focal lengths allows for easy control of exposure while shooting footage. The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25 mm F4.0 PRO is available from the beginning of July and will cost around £899.
