Gary Wolstenholme reviews the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens for Micro Four Thirds

Extremely good optical performance for the price; Excellent build quality; Lightweight; Compact; Sealed against dust and moisture

No hood supplied as standard; Optional sliding hood is expensive

Owners of Micro Four-Thirds systems don't have many dedicated options when it comes to taking pictures of things up uber close, but Olympus may have something for those individuals, in the shape of a 60mm macro lens.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 60mm f2.8 ED Macro is an excellent performer in the optical department. Centre sharpness is outstanding from f/2.8 through f/8, with the f11 and f16 settings also being eminently usable. The borders are also very sharp, with optimum performance achieved at f/5.6 and f/8.

A true macro prime, this lens has a magnification ratio of a full 1.0x or 1:1 at its shortest focus distance of 0.19m. In a nutshell, or other suitably small sized simile, this means that objects are reproduced on the image sensor at full life size.

I like taking close-up photos, not necessarily true macro (1:1) that often, but close enough that a macro lens is about all that is going to work within that distance. I've had the PanaLeica macro since it came out and while I've enjoyed using it, I prefer this one significantly enough that I've...

I have been gradually trading in some of my heavy Canon gear to pay for the more compact Olympus OMD system. I used WEX's excellent hassle free trade-in scheme. Which I can recommend. The first additional lens purchased is the 60mm f2.8 macro lens, which is stunning!

Consistent Output; Durable; Easily Interchangeable; Lightweight; Quick Focus; Rugged; Sharp Focus; Strong Construction

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This review considers two things: the results obtained with this lens, and the overall quality of the product. In what regards the results, I am very happy, very close focus and high magnification, good color rendition, very sharp, can also be used as regular (not macro) lens with good results.

I have used this for a week and can't take it off the camera. It has lovely bokeh. Tested it with my Sony 90mm macro and like the bokeh on this one better. The Sony is a tad sharper but you would never. know it after post editing. This is my go to close-up lens for sure

This is a good lens for portrait and macro photography. 60mm will be hard to get good shot on certain portrait situation but the image is sharp, and the af is fast.

I use this with my Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera. This lens has allowed me to get clear up close photos of subjects like snowflakes and the portrait photos have amazed me. The photos are so good! For macro I hand hold the camera and add light to get faster shutter speed to prevent blur.