Welcome to the first in many new reviews on the equipment I have bought to aid in my photography journey.
These reviews won’t be so much into the nitty gritty technical reviews that you might come to expect of professional photography review websites and instead be more focused on what works (and doesn’t work) well for me with this equipment. This simplified viewpoint might make things easier for you in making your next purchase.
If you’re just looking to see photos I’ve take with this lens then scroll to the bottom.
Background
If it wasn’t obvious from the name the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro is a dedicated macro lens for the Micro Four Thirds system with a 1:1 magnification.
As it is part of the Micro Four Thirds system it can be used on other Micro Four Third brands, but at the time of writing I primarily use this lens with my Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark III (the sample images at the bottom of this page are with that camera body).
Why I bought this lens
I love macro photography and it’s an area that I keep trying to improve in.
I was torn between this lens and a Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO. After reading a post on DPReview about adding extension tubes to the Olympus lens and seeing some excellent examples my mind was made up. Unfortunately the extension tube plan for increased magnification didn’t work out and I’m hesitant to buy a different brand of extension tubes and risking further failure. Never the less the lens so far has not disappointed and has got some results that I’m very happy with.
What I like
Weight
The first thing that really stood out for me with this lens was the weight. It only weighs 185g and is super small for a lens of this caliber. Considering before this lens I was using a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro which weighs 726g the difference is amazing.
What this weight difference means for my usage is a much more comfortable experience when using the lens for macro, especially when I have to stretch my arms out to get the camera into those hard to reach places.
Dedicated 1:1 Switch
This is usually the norm on macro lenses, or at least the ones I’ve used. What I really like though is that this toggle is easy to find. Rotate the dial all the way and that’s in, you’re in 1:1 magnification. Then all you have to do is concentrate on taking photos.
What I don’t like
There isn’t much to dislike about this lens. As with any other lens in this category I always find myself wanting a little bit more reach. If money was no object I would go for the M.Zuiko ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO, but for the price you can’t go wrong with this lens.
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