Panasonic Lumix Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras can use all Four Thirds (FT) lenses, provided that you use an adapter. You can use either the Panasonic DMW-MA1, or Olympus MMF1/MMF2 adapters.
However, you should note that not all FT lenses will autofocus on Panasonic MFT cameras. Only fairly recent lens designs that are prepared for contrast detection auto focus (CDAF), will work. The compatible FT lenses are
These lenses will autofocus on Panasonic Lumix MFT cameras, like G1, GH1 and GF1.
Newer Panasonic cameras like GH2, G2 and G10 feature some improved autofocus functionality using some FT lenses. For example, the GH2 can autofocus using the Olympus 50mm Four Thirds lens, but the focus is very slow. The Panasonic G1, GH1 and GF1 will not autofocus this lens at all.
All Olympus MFT cameras can autofocus with all FT lenses, so Olympus camera users can ignore this list. This also goes for Panasonic FT lenses used on Olympus MFT cameras. The autofocus can be very slow with some FT lenses, though.
This ring is an adapter for using Pentax K lenses on a Four Thirds mount. It is a crude adapter ring, with no aperture stop down functionality, and no electrical contacts. The adapter adds 7mm of spacing. The packet reads "Olympus 4/3-PK". The adapter can be bought for around US$15 on various auction sites.
Naturally, this adapter is made for use with a Four Thirds mount, so it cannot be put directly on a Micro Four Thirds camera. You will need another adapter stacked between them. I used the Panasonic DMW-MA1 Four Thirds to Micro Four Thirds adapter, but the Olympus MMF1 would have done the same job, since they are functionally similar.
Here are both adapters laid out, with the Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lens behind them.
When stacked together, the adapters allow for mounting Pentax K lenses to a Micro Four Thirds camera. You can see this done in the picture below, with the Pentax 50mm f/1.4 mounted to a Panasonic Lumix GH1.
Note that Pentax K lenses with an aperture ring are most suited for this use. If there is no aperture ring on the lens, then it is impossible to use an aperture smaller than the max, which is f/1.4 in this case. That makes the lens difficult to use. Focusing must be done manually, of course.
There are also adapters for Pentax K lenses to be mounted directly on Micro Four Thirds cameras. They tend to be somewhat more expensive, since they are larger, and also because they were introduced more recently.
The two legacy adapters I have explored so far, Nikon F and Pentax K, represent merely scratching the surface. There are adapters that can be used to mount a wide variety of lenses to Micro Four Thirds cameras. From high end Leica M lenses, to crude surveillance camera lenses.
The Four Thirds systems is a DSLR camera system originally developed by Olympus and Kodak. The first Olympus camera was announced in 2003 (the professional grade Olympus E-1), along with four lenses.
While the major players in the DSLR camera market based their digital cameras on their existing film camera mounts and lenses, Olympus did not have a significant user base at this time, and found it better to design a new system from ground up, based on the requirements of digital photography.
Aspect ratio and sensor size
The name "Four Thirds" cleverly refers to two things at the same time:
The image aspect ratio. While the aspect ratio of 35mm film cameras is 3:2, the Four Thirds system has a more square aspect ratio of 4:3. There are many reasons for this, e.g., a typical print size is 8:10, with a more similar aspect ratio to 4:3. And professional medium formats are typically closer to square aspects, like 4.5x6, 6x6 and 6x7. However, since the introduction of Four Thirds, formats that are even wider than 3:2 have become popular. TV sets are now typically 16:9. I still think that 4:3 makes sense for photography. A more square format uses the image circle more efficiently, which is an advantage, assuming, of course, that you're not going to crop it down to a more rectangular format.
The size of the sensor. The sensor has the same size as the imageing area of a 4/3'' diameter legacy cathode ray tube for video cameras. The actual size of the sensor is still significantly smaller than 4/3'', with the diagonal of the imaging area usually being 21.6 mm.
The Four Thirds sensor size is about 30-40% smaller than the APS-C sensors commonly used in other DSLR systems. This has various consequences:
In theory, a smaller sensor usually means worse high ISO capabilities, and worse dynamic range characteristics, given the same number of pixels, and the same sensor technology.
The depth of field is larger with a smaller sensor. This means that given the same distance, field of view and aperture, more will be in focus with a smaller sensor. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. In landscape photography, you will most often want sharpness across the image, and a wide depth of field. On the other hand, in portrait photography, it is often desireable to have a narrow depth of field, to achieve isolation of the subject, and blurring of the background.
A smaller sensor will limit the useful range of apertures more, due to diffraction, again assuming the same number of pixels. Diffraction will make the image blurry at pixel level when using small apertures. This is not due to bad design, but rather the result of the laws of nature.
Designing lenses and cameras around smaller sensors is in some ways easier: They can be made more compact.
A small sensor gives a higher crop factor. The crop factor of the Four Thirds sensor is roughly 2x, meaning that the focal length in mm for a Four Thirds lens must be multiplied with 2 to get the equivalent focal length on a traditional 35mm camera. Hence, a 14mm lens on Four Thirds is a wide angle lens, corresponding to 28mm on a traditional film camera. Some suggest that with this background, systems with a high crop factor are good for people who need long lenses, e.g., for wildlife photography. However, there are lenses to suit virtually all needs in the Four Thirds system.
Lens design
Another important aspect of the Four Thirds mount is the register distance, also called the flange focal distance. The register distance is the distance between the lens mount and the sensor plane. With the sensor size being smaller than for other DSLR systems, the Four Thirds system also has a smaller register distance. This aspect of the camera systems makes designing lenses, especially wide angle lenses, easier.
Olympus lenses are commonly more telecentric than lenses from other systems, especially lenses that were originally designed for film. The telecentric property of a lens means that the light rays coming from the lens hit the sensor at a more normal angle across the field, especially in the corners. This is important for digital photography, since the sensors are sensitive to the angle of the light rays: If the light rays are hitting the sensor at a narrower angle in the corners, a significant portion of the light will be lost in the sensor pixel bins, giving heavy vignetting. More telecentric lenses generally give less vignetting in the corners. However, designing telecentric lenses is more complicated, and some of the size advantage of the smaller sensor is lost with this property of the lenses.
History
The original cameras in the Four Thirds system were not so compact, and, while they were innovative, they were also somewhat strange looking. Later, Olympus launched smaller cameras, with the E-4xx series being the smallest DSLRs on the market at the time of availability. The cameras have also been more traditional looking after the first two-three years. After some years of maturing, the Olympus DSLRs are not very different from the competitors, beyond being somewhat smaller.
Panasonic and Leica have also issued cameras in the Four Thirds system, however with major components Olympus sourced. The Leica branded cameras have largely been similar to Panasonic models, with smaller changes to the design and software. Since this time, both Panasonic and Leica appear to have withdrawn from the Four Thirds system, with Panasonic focusing more on the newer and more compact Micro Four Thirds system, and Leica designing their own high end cameras, e.g., the Leica X1. Leica still appears to have some involvement in the design of lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system, with the Leica branded 45mm f/2.8 macro lens launched in the autumn 2009.
A new standard was announced in 2008, the Micro Four Thirds. This shares the sensor size with Four Thirds, however, leaving no room for a mirror assembly. Panasonic G1, the first camera for this standard, was launched in the autumn 2008. The new system has been very successful in Japan, and Panasonic cameras and lenses have been scarce in Europe and especially the US in 2009, suggesting a high demand.
According to the statistics quoted above, the Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera was the most selling Olympus camera model in Japan 2009. This has prompted some concern that Olympus might discontinue the regular Four Thirds line, and focus exclusively on Micro Four Thirds. I think the chances for this are slim at the moment, since Olympus has a large and good back catalogue of Four Thirds lenses. While the E-P1 camera has sold a lot, I am sure that they have sold a lot of Four Thirds lenses as well, not recorded by the statistics.
This is an unusual lens. Not only is it a macro lens capable of photographing subjects as small as 2x the sensor size (hence the 1:2 designation), but it is also a fast short tele suitable for portraits, with a maximum aperture of f/2. The focal length is 50mm, however, with the 2x crop factor associated with Four Thirds, it will have the same field of view as a 100mm lens on a traditional 35mm camera.
Since this is a Four Thirds standard lens, it cannot be used on a Micro Four Thirds camera without an adapter. It is shown here with the Panasonic DMW-MA1 adapter attached. The Olympus MMF1/MMF2 adapter would have done the same job, as it is functionally the same, albeit usually somewhat more expensive at retail.
Focus
Unfortunately, you cannot use autofocus with this lens together with the first series of Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera bodies (G1, GH1, GF1). The Olympus cameras, and newer Panasonic cameras, on the other hand, can do autofocus with this lens, albeit operating at a slow speed. Here is a demonstration of the autofocus using Panasonic GH2, which takes five seconds to focus down to 45 cm distance:
The closest focus distance is 0.23 m. Be aware, though, that the focus distance is measured from the focal plane (the sensor), and so the distance between the front lens and the subject at closest focus is about 0.1 m.
The lens is also special in that it is one of the few Four Thirds lenses that feature a focus scale.
Size
Compared with the Lumix G 20mm pancake lens, the Olympus 50mm macro, including adapter and hood, is enormous. However, it is of course more natural to compare it with other 100mm equivalent macro lenses, in which case it is remarkably compact.
Most macro lenses have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or slower, e.g., Sigma 105mm f/2.8 and Tamron 90mm f/2.8, both in the same focal length range. Hence, a f/2 macro lens is unusual, and some might say this speed is not needed. You would rarely photograph small subjects with such a large aperture, since the depth of field (DOF) becomes very narrow. Unless the subject is more or less flat, only a small part of it will be in focus at f/2. Stopping down to at least f/5.6 may be needed to have a sensible depth of field at close focus.
Here is a series of photos that illustrate the depth of field at 25cm distance, and various aperture sizes. The focus is set to the centre face. The distance in the axis of the lens between the three heads is one LEGO unit, or 8mm, if your not familiar with this measure. You must stop down to f/16 to get a depth of field that covers this distance.
At such a small aperture as f/16, you are going to see some lack of sharpness at the pixel level due to diffraction. You may still choose a small aperture like this, however, if you need a wide depth of field, and can live with some dullness at pixel level. For web use, for example, where you will normally scale down the image, this should not be any problem.
In macro photography, it is uncommon to use autofocus, since you will need to fine tune the focus anyway to get the desired effect. So the lack of autofocus on Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras is not a problem for macro photography.
Bokeh
I've made a study of the bokeh of the lens. My conclusion is that the bokeh is very pleasing, although the out of focus highlights have a somewhat hard edge. But in general, you're unlikely to be dissatisfied with the bokeh using this lens.
Portrait lens
When taking headshots, it is common to keep some distance to the subject. This is done to avoid perspective distortion. Taking a picture of someones face from a short distance will usually give unwanted distortions, e.g., showing an unnaturally large nose or a large chin. Traditionally, an 85mm lens has been used on a 35mm camera to be able to fill the head and shoulders of a person in a picture frame, and still keep enough distance to the person to avoid perspective distortion. The Olympus 50mm macro lens corresponds to 100mm focal length on a 35mm camera, and so it is useful for portraits.
A traditional portrait lens will be around 85mm f/1.4. The Olympus 50mm macro has one stop slower aperture at f/2, but it is still large enough to isolate the background when taking portraits.
In studio photography, the lack of autofocus is not likely to be a problem. If you're photographing people in a more dynamic environment, you may see the need for autofocus.
Other uses
You could also use this lens for concert photography, given that you're placed not too close to the stage, and the people on the stage are not moving around too much. If you've got something to rest the lens against, you may be able to use longer shutter speeds.
Sharpness
This lens is generally considered to be among the best in the Olympus Four Thirds lineup. It is remarkably sharp from f/2, but close it down a bit for even better sharpness. At f/5.6 it is probably around the sharpest.
Chromatic aberrations
I have made a study of the chromatic aberration (CA) artifacts of this lens, and some other prime lenses. It shows that there are quite some red/green fringing artifacts even in the centre of the image. You will note this if you photograph high contrast images.
Image stabilization
Using this lens with a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera, there is no image stabilization available at all. You'll normally want to use a fairly short shutter speed, e.g., 1/60 second or faster, to avoid camera shake affecting the image when handholding the camera.
Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras have image stabilization built into the bodies, which will work with this lens.
It is perfectly possible to use this lens when recording videos. However, you can only focus manually on Panasonic cameras. With the lack of image stabilization, and a pretty long focal length, it is more or less impossible to handhold the camera stably while recording movies. Using the electronic viewfinder and pressing the camera against your face may help you to stabilize it a bit. But using a tripod is preferred when filming with this lens.
Hood
The lens comes with a bayonet hood, to protect against stray light. I found the hood to be a tad bit long, making it difficult to fit the camera with lens and hood inside my small camera bag, so I chose to use a 52mm screw-in hood from B+W. The hood also protects the front lens element from objects touching it accidentally.
Example picture
Here is an example picture of a broken Leatherman tool taken at maximum magnification (closest focus distance), f/10, 1/5 s, ISO 100.
Other macro options
It is also possible to achieve macro close up photos by using macro extension rings.
I have made some tests of the autofocus speed of the Panasonic Lumix GH1 camera with various lenses. The camera focused from infinity (the default position of the lens when powering down) to near the minimum focus distance, and I used a LEGO figure as the subject.
The test was done in indoor lightning, about EV6. The focus time is measured as the time from my finger presses the shutter button until the green focus confirmation light comes up in the display. The picture is taken immediately after focus is achieved, within one tenth of a second.
You will hear the shutter operating twice, since the camera was in multi exposure mode. I did confirm that all the images were indeed in focus, as is expected with a contrast detection autofocus system (CDAF).
Summary
Before going into the details, here is a quick summary
Lumix G 20mm
1.23 seconds
Lumix G HD 14-140 @ 18mm
0.53 seconds
Lumix G HD 14-140 @ 50mm
0.40 seconds
Lumix G HD 14-140 @ 140mm
1.63 seconds
Lumix G 45-200 @ 45mm
0.33 seconds
Lumix G 45-200 @ 100mm
0.36 seconds
Lumix G 45-200 @ 200mm
0.87 seconds
Olympus 4/3 9-18 @ 9mm
2.90 seconds
Olympus 4/3 9-18 @ 18mm
1.50 seconds
What is a bit surprising here, is that the 45-200mm lens is quicker than the HD 14-140mm. The latter is marketed as a very quick focusing lens, optimized for video, hence the HD designation. However, the 45-200mm lens has an advantage, since it's close focusing distance is 100cm, twice that of the HD 14-140mm. So when focusing from infinity to the minimum focusing distance, the HD 14-140mm has a longer way to travel.
Focal length 18mm (36mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/4.3:
Autofocus from infinity to 53cm: 0.53 seconds.
The minimum focus distance of the lens is 50cm.
Focal length 50mm (100mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/5.6:
Autofocus from infinity to 53cm: 0.40 seconds.
The minimum focus distance of the lens is 50cm.
Focal length 140mm (280mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/5.8:
Autofocus from infinity to 53cm: 1.63 seconds.
The minimum focus distance of the lens is 50cm.
The outcome for f=140mm deserves some more comments. As you can see from the video, the focus is hunting a bit before settling. I tried to redo this experiment several times, and found that the outcomes were very consistent. My speculation is that I have been operating close to the minimum focus distance, and that perhaps this distance is slightly longer in the tele setting. Indeed, moving the subject a bit further away from the camera gave focus speed consistent with 18mm and 50mm focal lengths.
Focal length 45mm (90mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/4.0:
Autofocus from infinity to 1m: 0.33 seconds.
Focal length 100mm (200mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/4.6:
Autofocus from infinity to 1m: 0.36 seconds.
Focal length 200mm (400mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/5.6:
Autofocus from infinity to 1m: 0.87 seconds.
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6
Note that this is not a Micro Four Thirds standard lens, but rather a lens for the Four Thirds DSLR system. To mount this lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera, you will need and adapter. I used with the adapter Panasonic DMW-MA1, but the Olympus MMF-1 adapter is functionally the same, and would have done the same job.
Not all Four Thirds lenses can autofocus on Panasonic Micro Four Thirds bodies, like the GH1. Here is a list.
Focal length 9mm (18mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/4:
Autofocus from infinity to 25cm: 2.90 seconds.
The minimum focus distance of the lens is 25cm.
Focal length 18mm (36mm in 35mm camera equivalent), f/5.6:
Autofocus from infinity to 25cm: 1.50 seconds.
The minimum focus distance of the lens is 25cm.
Conclusions
The autofocus speed of the Lumix G HD 14-140mm lens is the fastest in this comparison, which is as expected. The unexpected result in this context was the significantly slower autofocus speed at full tele, 140mm, however there is reason to believe that this was related to operating close to the minimum focus distance, as discussed above.
Just as with the superzoom above, the Lumix G 45-200mm features very impressive autofocus speed. The exception is at full tele, however, the speed at 200mm is still very good. The autofocus is virtually inaudible.
The Lumix G 20mm lens does indeed focus slower than the HD lens, and also somewhat more audibly.
Using autofocus with the Olympus 9-18mm Four Thirds lens is possible, but pretty slow. Especially at the wide angle setting. Focusing with this lens is also quite noisy. Taking pictures of moving subjects, e.g., children, with this lens could pose some difficulty with autofocus. In this case, it could be wise to prefocus, and set the camera to manual focus (MF) while composing the image. That way, you can take the picture nearly instantly when pressing the shutter, rather than having to wait some seconds for the autofocus to settle.
Lumix G 20mm
1.23 seconds
Lumix G HD 14-140 @ 18mm
0.53 seconds
Lumix G HD 14-140 @ 50mm
0.40 seconds
Lumix G HD 14-140 @ 140mm
1.63 seconds
Lumix G 45-200 @ 45mm
0.33 seconds
Lumix G 45-200 @ 100mm
0.36 seconds
Lumix G 45-200 @ 200mm
0.87 seconds
Olympus 4/3 9-18 @ 9mm
2.90 seconds
Olympus 4/3 9-18 @ 18mm
1.50 seconds
Mostly, you will not focus down to near the minimum focus limit of the lens, and so autofocus will usually be faster than these examples. The Olympus 9-18mm lens is a bit of an exception to this, however, as even focusing on a distant subject takes virtually as long time as focusing close.
Rumors say that future Panasonic models, like Lumix G2 and Lumix G10, will focus faster with Four Thirds lenses on an adapter.
This blog is a user's perspective on the Micro Four Thirds camera system. While I intend to keep the contents fact based, there are many areas where no objective truth is available, and hence there is room for different opinions and discussions. I would like to encourage you to contribute with your own experiences or opinions to this blog through the comments fields.
The Micro Four Thirds system was announced jointly by Olympus and Panasonic on August 5th, 2008. The first camera model was launched in November the same year.
Since this time, a number of cameras and lenses have become available for this system. While you can use Micro Four Thirds Olympus lenses with Panasonic cameras and vice versa, they have effectively made two different subsystems due to a different approach to optical image stabilization (OIS): Olympus cameras have images stabilization based on sensor shift inside the body, and no lens based OIS. Panasonic, on the other hand, do not use sensor shift image stabilization at all, but rather employ OIS through some lenses, by having some moving lens groups that are intended to cancel the negative effect of camera shake. These Panasonic lenses are denoted with the trademark "Mega O.I.S.".
