Olympus V312010BW001 M.Zuiko Digital ED 60 mm F2.8 Lens, Standard Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras ( OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

I just had to buy this. With Amazon discounting it and also offering a £70 voucher, it was too much of a bargain to turn down. I had to wait a few weeks for it to arrive but the immense saving of £160+ made that wait worthwhile. (Even used versions of this lens sell for more.)A 1:1 magnification ratio is the gold standard when it comes to macro lenses, which means that the image on the sensor is the same size as in reality. So, what’s it like to use? Attached to my EM5.2, in a word; brilliant. Weighing in at a mere 6.5oz (185g), the first thing you’ll notice is the three position ‘oh-so-handy’ focus limiter switch and distance scale. To save the lens from hunting it’s entire length, you set a specific range outside of which the lens won’t focus, but you can also jump from a close focus distance to a far one and back again in milliseconds. If you’re using the 0.19-0.4m setting, by moving to switch to the 1:1 position (it will spring back to its previous position) you go to the closest focusing distance then it’s easier to actually move the camera itself until you get the focus you want. Or use manual focus alongside the focus peaking option.Not only that, the large ribbed fly-by-wire focus ring is comfortable to use and precise, but to go from infinity to the closest distance does require a lot of turns, hence the limiter. Unusually, the distance scale is vertical instead of the usual horizontal type. Due to its internal focusing mechanism, unlike many other lenses, this one doesn’t extend, so you needn’t worry about scaring those creepy crawlies. That it doesn’t rotate either means you can carry on using that polariser (or any other filter) if and when needed.Having used this for a week or so, I’ve decided that though f11 and f16 are perfectly satisfactory, it’s at its best from f2.8 to f8 with spectacular centre sharpness. It’s both dust proof and splash proof and it doubles as an excellent portrait lens and medium telephoto one too. Now, some may bemoan the absence of an included lens hood, but Olympus (or should it be OMDS now?) doesn’t include them with their non PRO lenses anyway, so it’s not really a deal breaker.+Exceptionally sharp, even wide open at f2.8.No chromatic aberration (that I have seen).Weather sealing.Focus limiter.Renders nice bokeh.Small and light.Excellent as a slightly longer prime lens.-No lens hood.

UPDATE TO REVIEW:I thought you might like to know how it's been after seven months with this lens now I'm really used to it. The answer is that I'm even more impressed. I upgraded my camera body to an E-M5 Mk II and this lens makes the most of the new 40MP high-res mode. The increase in detail is more than I expected in this mode and fantastic for macro work. But I use this lens for all kinds of things (not just macro) and the images it produces are always outstanding.ORIGINAL REVIEW:I chose this over the new and cheaper Panasonic 30mm macro because of its longer focal length, which has a few advantages. You don't have to get quite so close to your subject for one thing, which is handy when it's an insect that would be frightened away. And you're less likely to cast a shadow. Plus, when you use it as a normal lens, for portraits, it's a nice, long 120mm equivalent focal length.But I'm using it mostly as a macro lens and it is superbly sharp, with lovely colour and good contrast. Out of focus areas are really beautifully rendered – nicer I think than my Olympus 45mm f/1.8. I had a Canon SLR and Canon 60mm macro before I switched to my Olympus Micro Four Thirds system. That was my favourite lens ever and I wasn't sure if this would be as good. Actually, I think it's better.[August 2015 update: I've now used it 'in anger' at a classic car show and I was knocked out by the quality of the photos. It proved that this really is a multi-purpose lens, fabulous long shots of the cars and the ability to go really close on those lovely polished chrome details. Background blur is some of the nicest I've seen on a micro four thirds lens.]The slightly smaller sensor helps a bit I think, because with macro shots, you get more differential focus than you want as a rule and smaller sensors have a bit less of that. Using this on a camera with really fast autofocus helps too, as does having a flip out touch screen to focus on any part of your shot in an instant. Macro shooting can be frustrating so every little thing helps.It also helps to have a three position dial on the lens barrel to limit the distance the lens focuses over to stop it hunting. There's a distance scale too with a moving needle that's rather nice. And you can switch straight to 1:1 for the ultimate close up effect (the dial is sprung to the 1:1 position so you can return there instantly when lens refocuses, but only from the position that limits you between 0.19 and 0.4m). By and large so far though, I've left it on the default setting and hunting has rarely been an issue. The little dial that selects all this is too smoothly profiled and hard to turn though, and I found this somewhat annoying.You can manually focus of course, using the wide ring that turns very smoothly and weightily. There's no 'MF' switch on the lens itself so you have to select in your camera menu. I set my camera initially to magnify the image when the focus ring was turned. This gives you a really close and clear view, but if you're using the lens handheld, it makes keeping the image steady enough to actually focus (remember this a fairly long lens) extremely difficult. And it only magnifies the very centre, meaning what you're focusing on might not be in the magnified view. Best used on a tripod. Focus peaking helps too, if your cameras has that. This works well on my Olympus E-M10.Long and narrow, It's an odd looking lens, and definitely not as sexy as the all metal 17mm f/1.8 for instance, but it's nicely made, rather like the 45mm f/1.8 in feel. It feels quite light in weight but not in any way cheap. There's no case or lens hood.Overall though, I think this is just about the perfect macro lens for me and any downsides pale in comparison with its usability and outstanding image quality.

Absolutely amazed at how small and light it is, for an f2.8 lens.First class optics. I have taken several focus stacked, hand held subjects, on my OM 1 mk2, and the results were great.Very pleased with the purchase.

I have been a fan of micro four thirds from the introduction of the E-P1 but somewhat disappointed with the camera and lens performance. Having progressed via E-P2 and now to the superb OM-D the need was to select some top quality prime lenses to justify my move from a Nikon D300 outfit to Olympus. The 60mm macro joins the excellent Panasonic 20mm f1.7 and the superb Olympus 45mm f1.8 and so far I am more than satisfied with the results. This focal length is ideal for equestrian photography, dressage etc. and using aperture priority provides the combination of speed and depth of field which I require and results in crisp, contrasty and dynamic pictures. The fast autofocus with the OM-D is fantastic and early results compare favourably with the Nikon and 105mm prime lens!With my experience so far I would certainly recommend this lens as a quality product although it is relatively expensive and Olympus, as usual, do not include a lens hood or even a lens bag!

First impression are very good. Good in low light for macro as it's fast at 2.8. Pretty slow auto focus, though this isn't a big problem. With the OMD EM1 Mk2 the stabilisation is superb even at lo shutter speeds (down to 1/10 handheld !Also tried it as a telephoto for handheld pictures of the moon...yes really and it looks pretty impressiveLight as a feather so you can add it to your kit and you won't even notice (185g). Absolute bargain of a lens at under 300gbpIt looks a bit like a toy lens as it's so small :)

Fast maximum aperture and very sharp. More importantly, image quality at f/2.8 is fully usable. See attached photos taken on this lens.Use of plastics (metal mount) keeps the weight beautifully low: essentially in terms of quality this is an Olympus PRO as it’s fully weather-sealed.Although designed primarily as a true 1:1 ratio macrophotography lens the 60mm focal length with the 2x m4/3 crop factor make this an excellent prime lens for portrait work as well giving an full-frame equivalent angle of view to a 120mm lens. In that respect it reminds me immensely of the excellent 135mm f/2.8 Olympus Zuiko which was sold for their old 35mm system, only that lens was merely good at f/2.8 and hit its sweet-spot at f/5.6. Pretty typical of lens designs back then.Autofocus on this modern macro lens is fast, quiet and accurate. A side-switch helps with that by limiting the focus-range to what you choose so the lens does not have to hunt all the way from infinity.Many other reviewers criticise the lack of a lens hood. As this is sold as a macro lens, it doesn’t include one, nor is there a lens bag included. But if you’re going to use it as a macro lens then it won’t be in a bag but mounted onto your camera. A lens hood could also shade the subject you’re shooting from available light and get in the way of close-focussing distances, and would definitely stop you fitting a macro-flash or ring-flash to the end of the lens. So not including those items keeps the overall cost down a bit for those who may never use those items.Personally, I’d still prefer a storage bag as they cost peanuts to make. The lens hood is easily addressed as well: buy the genuine Olympus item, which is a rigid hood with a nice feature of sliding back over the lens body when not needed (just like on the 40-150mm PRO), or buy the cheap alternative suggested by Amazon which does the same exact job including the slide function for a fifth of the price of the Olympus version. It doesn’t slide as smoothly and definitely feels cheaper, but so what. It works and is cheap enough that you’re not going to worry about damaging or losing it (there are small corners of many foreign fields which may forever contain lens hoods I’ve lost...).Overall, I honestly wish that Olympus would take the bold step of making the rest of their PRO range of good quality plastics and composites like this lens: the benefits of having a compact micro Four-Thirds system are greatly reduced when the best Olympus lenses for the system are mostly so darned heavy. Being so small and lightweight this lens also makes great sense on my reserve m4/3 body, the Pen F, as that’s a lighter and more compact model than my two e-M1 mk2 bodies.

Absolutely fantastic macro lens which is also perfect as a portrait lens; multiple focal ranges to choose from and pushing the selector fully forwards also adjusts the focus to the minimum distance which is very convenient.I use it on a Panasonic camera and it's fully compatible and combined with the in-body stabilisation it's incredibly good handheld too - although for perfect macro a solid tripod is of-course essential.The only complaint is that the lens hood is not included and is very overpriced at £50 for a little bit of plastic - note that cheaper versions of the hood are not worth using!

I was rather resigned to the probability that this lens might be of the equivalent build quality to the average Christmas cracker content, bearing in mind my disappointment with the Olympus M Zuiko 14 - 150 zoom lens build quality. How wrong I was!It is VERY well constructed - albeit the high plastic content in the body construction. It is solid, reassuringly "hefty" in the hand (although not heavy) and very versatile; the macro function is very effective and the image quality potentially available from this lens, in the right hands, is phenomenal.If macro is part of your repertoire, buy it!

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Parfait pour mon usage. Le Zuiko 30mm macro est franchement mou (peut-être un mauvais exemplaire), ce 60mm est excellent: impossible de voir la différence avec un capteur plein format. Vaut largement l'investissement.

Loved this lens.... It works fine for macrophotography and for portraits. Olympus always offers great products!

I’ve been using this 60mm macro for quite some time. Although I later added a 90mm macro to my setup, I still use the 60mm regularly because it has its own advantages.The image quality is excellent, with very good sharpness and detail for insects and other small subjects. What I particularly like about the 60mm is how lightweight and easy it is to handle. This makes a real difference when I’m shooting handheld, especially when taking multiple images for focus stacking.I added the 90mm mainly because I wanted 2× magnification, more working distance and the option of using teleconverters. It gives me more flexibility for really tiny subjects, but it’s also a bigger setup to work with.That’s why the 60mm still has a place in my camera bag. When I want to travel light or shoot handheld stacks, I often prefer it. The smaller and lighter setup makes positioning the camera and taking a sequence of shots much easier.Overall, this is an excellent macro lens. Even after moving to a more capable 90mm setup, I haven’t stopped using the 60mm. Its combination of sharpness, compact size and low weight makes it particularly enjoyable for handheld macro photography.

Work perfectly