Olympus Expands Fast Prime M.Zuiko F1.2 PRO Range

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by Fabian ChaundyNovember 1^st, 2017

The new M.Zuiko 17mm and 45mm join the 25mm in the Olympus F1.2 PRO series of fast prime lenses for the Micro Four-Thirds system.

 Olympus has recently announced two new Micro Four-Thirds M.Zuiko lenses, which join the 25mm in the F1.2 PRO series of fast primes. The smaller sensor of the Micro-Four Thirds system always benefits from lenses with a wide maximum aperture, both for improving low-light performance and achieving a shallower depth of field, which makes these two new lenses a great addition for any professional M4/3 shooter.

M.Zuiko ED 17MM F1.2 PRO

The 2x crop factor of the Micro Four-Thirds system can make it a bit of a challenge to find an all-round lens at the wider end. With its full-frame equivalence of 34mm, this prime lens’ focal length makes it an ideal choice for a walk-around lens, and suitable for anything from landscape to street photography.

In terms of build, the M.Zuiko ED 17MM F1.2 PRO features an all-metal construction that offers splash, dust and freeze resistance up to -10C, all in a small and compact body under 10cm in length.

The lens body also offers a couple of interesting features. A lens function button gives you access to camera controls such as Focus Peaking, AF Stop and Magnify right on the lens. Additionally, you can preset a focus position to which to easily return to from Auto Focus mode.

The optical design is based around 15 elements in 11 groups, and makes use of the Z Coating Nano to keep unwanted visual artefacts in check. The lens will be available in January 2018 at an estimated retail price of $1,199.99.

M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO

The 45mm focal length in this lens corresponds to around 90mm in full-frame world, putting M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO right in the telephoto zone. This makes it an ideal choice for portraits, where you want to blur out and compress the background.

The lens features an Auto-focus mechanism with a single moving element, and promises a very fast Auto-Focus performance even when shooting wide open.

This prime offers the same all-metal build, features and resistance of the 17mm, but is a hair shorter at 84mm of length. This means that you can keep your crop sensor mirrorless M4/3 system nice and compact across all popular focal ranges.

The M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO will also retail for around $1,199.99, but it will available earlier: you can expect it to hit the shelves by the end of November.

Will you be expanding your Micro Four-Thirds arsenal with these two primes? Let us know in the comments!