Best Lenses for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

Looking for the best lenses for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III ? Here are our top recommended micro four thirds lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III mirrorless camera.

A camera designed with speed, versatility, and portability in mind, the Olympus E-M1 Mark III ($1799.99 USD – Amazon | Adorama | B&Hphoto)  is a well-rounded Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera suitable for a variety of stills and video needs. Featuring a 20.4MP Live MOS sensor and an updated TruePic IX image processor, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III is capable of up to 60 fps continuous shooting with an electronic shutter and 15 fps continuous shooting with a mechanical shutter, as well as DCI 4K/24p and UHD 4K/30p video recording.

In addition, this reliable, compact and lightweight body offers a sensitivity range up to ISO 25600 while a sophisticated 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization system compensates for up to 7.5 stops of camera shake for sharper handheld shooting.

In this article we list the top recommended and most suitable micro four thirds lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III mirrorless camera including leading prime and zoom options from wide-angle to telephoto, which helps you choosing the exact lens of your demanding situation. 

Best Lenses for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Mirrorless Camera

Full List of Recommended Olympus E-M5 Mark III Lenses

All-in-one Lens | Kit Lens | Wide-angle Zoom | Wide-angle Prime | Standard Zoom | Walk Around & Street Lenses | Portrait Lenses | Macro Lenses | Telephoto Zooms | Telephoto Primes

Best All-in-one Lens for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO ($1,299): The M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO is the only professional high magnification zoom to cover a 35mm equivalent 24-200mm focal range all on its own. It packs the performance of two professional lenses into one, and keeps the overall design compact and lightweight. Every inch of this lens is PRO: weatherproof construction, fast auto focusing and effortless control. Its broad focal length lets you shoot portraits, wide-angle, telephoto, portraits, landscapes, and macro. One lens. Unprecedented versatility.

Lens Price Buy Now
Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO $1,299 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Kit Lens

Olympus 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II ($499): A great value all-in-one lens! Providing a 28-300mm equivalent focal length range, this Olympus 14-150mm lens (28-300mm equivalent) spans a wide-angle to telephoto reach to suit photographing in nearly any situation. Despite its reach, the lens still remains compact for easy portability, and it utilizes a sophisticated optical design, comprised of various aspherical, low dispersion, and high refractive index glass elements, to reduce aberrations and distortion for high sharpness, clarity, and color accuracy.

Lens Price Buy Now
Olympus 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II $499 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Wide-angle Zoom Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO ($1,149): Highly recommended! Looking for an unsurpassed combination for speed, brightness, mobility, rugged build quality and superior optical performance? Look to the new M.ZUIKO ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO ultra-wide angle zoom lens! This lens is compact, lightweight, portable and weatherproof so you can take it anywhere. For enthusiasts and professionals, the Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO is the top ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds, and it is an ideal lens for landscapes/cityscapes/architecture. And with an ultra-wide angle of view and a bright f2.8 maximum aperture, you’ll capture more of every scene, from sprawling daytime panoramas to electric, super-sharp night scenes.

Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4 ASPH ($1,097): For added versatile high performance, this Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4 high-speed wide angle zoom lens offers a F2.8-4.0 ASPH and a focal length of 8-18mm (35mm camera equivalent: 16-36mm) to cover wide-angle to close in shooting. What’s more, the stunning AF performance of this lens records excellent 4K video where precise focusing is essential. And it accommodates 67mm filters for greater creativity in both photos and videos.

Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ASPH ($798): Excellent ultra-wide zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds system camera! surprisingly compact and lightweight, the Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm f/4 lens allows use of the advanced contrast AF system and features smooth, quiet autofocus as well as precise manual focus capability. Compact and with excellent image quality, it’s a superb lens if you can afford the high price. Suggested for landscape or travel photographers looking for a highly portable ultrawide zooms.

Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6 ($549): Exceptionally small and lightweight, this super-wide-angle lens for Micro Four Thirds offers impressive image quality plus fast and silent autofocus, in a tiny package that makes it easily the smallest lens of its type. Suggested for photographers looking for ultra-wide-angle capability in the smallest possible package. And it is also the budget option for landscapes/cityscapes/architecture.

Lens Price Buy Now
Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO $1,149 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4 $1,097 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ASPH $798 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6 $549 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Wide-angle Prime Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Panasonic Leica 12mm f/1.4 ASPH ($1,297): A fast and optically refined wide-angle prime lens! Characterized by its truly bright f/1.4 maximum aperture, this Panasonic Leica 12mm f/1.4 ASPH lens (24mm equivalent) is ideal for working in low-light conditions and also affords a wealth of control over focus placement for using shallow depth of field techniques. The optical design employs a pair of aspherical elements, two ultra extra-low dispersion elements, and one extra-low dispersion element in order to control both spherical and chromatic aberrations for a high degree of sharpness and clarity from edge to edge. Benefitting the optical assets, this lens also incorporates a smooth and quiet autofocus motor that is well-suited to both stills and video recording, and a manual AF/MF switch lends direct focus mode adjustment for more intuitive handling.

Olympus 12mm f/2 Lens ($799): Highly recommended! One of the best Olympus lenses for landscapes/cityscapes/architecture. A high quality, metal construction fast wide angle lens. This high-speed, single-focal-length, wide-angle lens is ideal for shooting everything from dramatic landscapes in low-light conditions to hard-to-get, spontaneous street shots. This Olympus 12mm f/2 lens is also great for tracking a moving child or pet, and provides a quick and silent focus mechanism for movies and still photography.

Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 ($597): An excellent wide-angle lens with a super-wide aperture for candids and low-light photography. Its 35mm-equivalent focal length is 30mm, making it ideally suited for everyday shooting applications. The fast f/1.7 maximum aperture benefits working in low-light conditions and also avails greater control over the focus position for shallow depth of field and selective focus techniques.

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 ($499): Great lens. This Olympus M.ZUIKO 17mm f/1.8 lens is a very bright, fast lens ideal for everyday photography as well as street photography in which fast shutter speeds and sufficient light is important. With a wide maximum aperture of f/1.8, this is a fine lens for low-light situations and shallow depth of field imaging.

Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 ($319): Another great wide angle prime lens with an affordable price! Providing a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 24mm and a broad 83° angle of view, this lens is well-suited for architectural, interior, and landscape images. Its fast f/2.0 maximum aperture is further beneficial to working in low-light conditions. You can also choose the cinevised version of Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 – Rokinon 12mm T2.2 Cine Lens – great wide-angle lens optimized for digital cinematography.

Lens Price Buy Now
Panasonic Leica 12mm f/1.4 ASPH $1,297 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 12mm f/2 $799 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 $597 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 17mm f/1.8 $499 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 $319 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Rokinon 12mm T2.2 Cine $374 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Standard Zoom Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro ($999): Superior Versatility! The M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens offers unmatched shooting versatility. It features a wide-angle focal length to capture landscapes, architecture or nature scenes and a super fast fixed f/2.8 aperture for perfect portraits at 40mm. A lens capable of handling everything from night photography to sports and action to weddings—sometimes, all at once.

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II ($997): A versatile zoom covering wide-angle to portrait-length perspectives, this newly refreshed Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II provides a convenient 24-70mm equivalent focal length range. Not only ideal for capturing landscapes while traveling, this lens’s wide diameter gives you top-quality indoor shots too. Perceptive and defocusing effects add to the features, giving you exactly the kind of photos and videos you’re looking for.

Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ($997): This Panasonic Leica 12-60mm (35mm equivalent: 24-120mm) lens provides flexible framing from breathtaking landscapes to beautiful, mid-telephoto 60mm portraits. Four aspherical elements and two extra-low dispersion elements contribute to minimizing chromatic and spherical aberrations and various distortions in order to produce a high degree of clarity, sharpness, and color accuracy. The stunning resolution of this LEICA DG lens renders everything clearly, from corner to corner. Designed for reliable use even under poor weather conditions, this handy and high-quality lens is all you’ll need for challenging.

Lens Price Buy Now
Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro $999 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II $997 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 $997 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Walk Around & Street Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 ($597): One of the best “walkabout” lenses! This Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 lens is a solid prime lens that will give you a “general purpose” lens with superb quality at a fair price. t provides an angle of view similar to a 50mm lens on a 35mm or full-frame digital camera, and the wide f/1.4 maximum aperture can deliver beautiful, bright photos and videos with softly out-of-focus backgrounds. Slightly faster and somewhat more expensive than the Olympus.

Olympus 25mm f/1.8 ($399): Slightly slower than Panasonic’s 25mm, but still quite sharp and a fair bit cheaper too. The M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 is your ideal all-around lens for shooting stunning images both day and night. With a 25mm focal length and 47 degree angle of view, this lens sits right between wide and telephoto design. Its fast f1.8 circular aperture delivers beautifully soft defocused backgrounds, perfect for portraits. It also delivers superb detail even when lighting is less than optimal, which means you can skip the flash in many low-light situations. Unless you need a wider aperture, Olympus’ more affordable 25mm prime lens may fit the bill.

Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 II ($297): Great value! The Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 II is one of the most popular Mirco Four Thirds lenses on the market. Compact and lightweight (only 3.5 ounces), this Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 II delieves impressive sharpness, bokeh, and low light performance. It boasts dramatic compactness and light weight despite its F1.7 aperture that enables beautiful soft focus in the background, allowing the subject to stand out impressively. Suitable for wide variety of photography including everyday & street photography, and scenery such as sunsets and dimly lit indoor shots.

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 ($499): This Olympus M.ZUIKO 17mm f/1.8 lens is a very bright, fast lens ideal for everyday photography as well as street photography in which fast shutter speeds and sufficient light is important. With a wide maximum aperture of f/1.8, this is a fine lens for low-light situations and shallow depth of field imaging.

Lens Price Buy Now
Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 $597 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 25mm f/1.8 Lens $399 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 II $297 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 17mm f/1.2 Pro $1,199 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 17mm f/1.8 Lens $499 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Leica 15mm f/1.7 ASPH $548 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Portrait Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ($1,398): High-end portrait prime lens with superb performance. It offers a 35mm focal length equivalent of 85mm and a fast aperture of f/1.2 making it well-suited for portraits. The only downside is: it is a little expensive! If you can’t afford it, the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 is a budget option with a beautiful bokeh background defocus effect.

Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro ($1,199): An ideal portrait-length lens for Micro Four Thirds shooters, the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro pairs the desirable 90mm-equivalent focal length with an ultra fast f/1.2 maximum aperture. You’ll shoot wide open at f1.2 and capture tack sharp subjects and smooth feathered bokeh with a depictive three dimensional result. The combination of the slightly narrow field of view and bright aperture enable producing distinct shallow depth of field imagery, and also suit working in difficult lighting conditions. Beautiful background bokeh and it is a perfect portrait lens. If you can’t afford it, the 45mm f/1.8 version is also a very fast, very light portrait lens that is compact in size and affordably priced.

Olympus 75mm f/1.8 ($749): Perfect for portraits and challenging lighting conditions. A high-grade fast aperture portrait lens featuring metallic construction and a light weight of just 10.7 oz. With a 35mm equivalent focal length of 150mm, it is suitable for studio portraits, theatre stage and indoor sports photography.

Lens Price Buy Now
Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 $1,398 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro $1,199 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 75mm f/1.8 $749 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 $399 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Lumix 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH $348 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Macro Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro ($499): Best Olympus lens for macro photography! Designed for sharp close-up shooting, the Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 ED Macro Lens features a closest focusing distance of 7.4 inches, 1x magnification, and dust/splash-proof construction. The wide, fast f/2.8 maximum aperture creates a shallow depth of field and improves image quality in low-light conditions.

Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro ($798): Best Panasonic lens for macro photography! Extremely compact and lightweight, the Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm F2.8 ASPH is a very appealing little lens, and its diminutive size captures the gestalt of the format perfectly. True 1:1 macro work, where this lens’s strengths really shine.

Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 Macro ($298): Designed for close-up shooting, the Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 Macro lens (60mm-equivalent) enable a minimum focusing distance of 4.1″ along with a 1:1 magnification ratio for life-size imaging of nearby subjects. One aspherical element helps to control spherical aberrations and distortions and a multi-layer coating reduces ghosting and lens flare for increased contrast and color fidelity.

Lens Price Buy Now
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro $499 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro $798 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 Macro $298 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO ($1,499): The Olympus 40-150mm f2.8 Pro is a professional grade telephoto zoom lens with a fast constant f/2.8 aperture. With equivalent coverage of 80-300mm, the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO is ideal for portraiture and street photography, along with nearby sports and wildlife. It offers quick, quiet autofocus and delivers very sharp and high contrast images right into the corners even at the maximum aperture. Perfect for wedding or event photography thanks to a minimum focus distance of just 20 inches, which gives you the option of zooming in or zooming out to take beautiful portraits and live event shots.

Panasonic 100-300mm f/4-5.6 II ($648): Highly recommended! This new Lumix 100-300mm f/4-5.6 II lens deliver a no-compromise approach to optical performance for modern interchangeable camera enthusiasts and it has been updated for the outdoors with a splashproof and dustproof design. The Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4-5.6 II spans an equivalent 200-600mm range, making it well-suited to wildlife, nature, and sports shooting. Linear autofocus motor delivers fast AF performance that is also precise, smooth, and near-silent to benefit both stills and video applications. Splash and dustproof design benefits working in inclement weather conditions.

Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II ($1,097): With an ultra-long range of 35-100mm (35mm equivalent: 70-200mm) at a high-speed F2.8, this lens lets you softly blur the background for portraits and close-ups. And it delivers high shutter speeds to freeze-frame fast-moving subjects such as action and sports. At the same time, its splash/dust/freezeproof design also makes it durable enough for shooting outdoors, so you can go out in nearly any weather with a splash/dust/freezeproof LUMIX camera and be creative. In addition, featuring Power O.I.S. optical image stabilization compatibility with 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2.0 (Image Stabilization) you’ll shoot with unprecedented hand-held stability across both video and still.

Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6 II ($448): This Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6 II provides a 90-400mm equivalent focal length range for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. Easy to use in every way, this telephoto zoom lens is a must-have for your gear. A linear autofocus motor is also featured, for quick and quiet focusing performance, and the lens sports a splash and dustproof physical design to suit working in harsh climates.

Panasonic Leica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 ($1,697): A flexible optic ideal for wildlife, outdoor, and nature photography, the Panasonic Leica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens is a 100-400mm equivalent zoom lens that provides the ultimate optical quality and performance. The long reach is complemented by a bright f/2.8-4 maximum aperture range, which benefits working in low-light conditions and also affords control over depth of field for isolating subjects. Enjoy brilliant, edge-to-edge clarity and prevent distortions of all kinds to assure precise, sharp picture rendering.

Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH ($1,798): A high quality super-telephoto zoom lens with excellent sharpness. With an equivalent range of 200-800mm, the Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH lens boasts a longer reach than any other native lens in the catalogue and making it ideal for wildlife and sports shooters. Benefitting both stills shooting and video recording, a 240 fps high-speed AF motor is both quiet and precise, and a focus limiter function can be employed to constrain the focusing range for even quicker performance. And while its lightweight, compact form factor is suitable for handheld shooting, the 100-400mm f/4-6.3 also features an integrated rotating tripod collar for fast switching between horizontal and vertical shooting orientations when working atop a monopod or tripod.

Lens Price Buy Now
Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6 II $448 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO $1,499 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II $1,097 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm f/4-5.6 II $648 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II $549 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Leica 50-200mm f/2.8-4 $1,697 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH $1,798 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Olympus E-M1 Mark III

Panasonic Leica 200mm f/2.8 ($2,997): This Panasonic Leica 200mm f/2.8 is a big 400mm-equivalent super telephoto prime, developed in partnership with Leica, that promises sharp imagery and excellent handling. With a fast f/2.8 maximum aperture users can work in low-light conditions and create images with a shallow depth of field. Ensuring optimal image quality, the design incorporates two Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion (UED) elements that combat aberrations while a Nano Surface Coating is applied to minimize flare. With its 400mm-equivalent ultra telephoto focal length and stunning descriptive performance, it is suitable for wildlife or sports photography. The 1.4x Teleconverter (DMW-TC14) is included to extend the focusing distance to 280mm (560mm equivalent) for more close-up shots.

Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO ($2,499): Olympus M.ZUIKO ED 300mm F4 PRO is the first single-focal-length super telephoto lens in the M.ZUIKO PRO series at 600mm (35mm equivalent). This lens has superb depictive performance as well as mobility and dustproof/splashproof performance that are perfect for even professional use. World’s most powerful 6-steps of compensation synchronized in-lens and in-body Image Stabilization. Ideal for wildlife and sports shooters!

Lens Price Buy Now
Panasonic Leica 200mm f/2.8 $2,997 Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO $2,499 Amazon | B&H | Adorama

One thought on “Best Lenses for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III”

  1. Ignoring the fact that the Olympus 300mm F-4 Pro Lens also works with either of the 1.4 or 2X Extenders skewed the results of this comparison. A 1202mm capability wins hands down!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *