A complete list of macro lenses for micro four thirds

I’ve been shooting micro four thirds for years now, and I love macro. Thankfully, we have tons of beautiful macro lenses for the system, and I’ll tell you about all of them in this article. Typically, I don’t write these sorts of articles since there are already millions out there, but since I really enjoy macro I think I can be more comprehensive than most…

By the way, I took this image with the new Venus Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2X lens at 2X magnification. Can you guess what it is?

OM SYSTEM ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO

Alright, I think the OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO, aside from having a long name, is probably one of the best macro lenses for micro four thirds. It’s a first-party lens from OM System and it’s one of the few that goes to 2:1 magnification and has advanced weather sealing.

There’s very little to dislike about this one, except the price of $1500USD of course.

Venus Optics Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO

This lens will actually only be available at the end of February. But it’s a 90mm macro lens and the only other 90mm that goes to 2:1 magnification.

Laowa sent me a copy to test and I compared it to the older Laowa 50mm in this video:

I think this lens might be a full-frame lens just with a micro four thirds mount, because it does say “FF II” on the lens. It certainly looks like a rehash of a full-frame lens.

The only downside for some is that this lens IS manual focus, after all. But it’s also only $500USD, so it’s a great alternative to the OM SYSTEM lens for those who don’t have a kidney to sell.

Venus Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2X

Honestly, I love this lens because it’s my main macro lens, and it’s designed for micro four thirds. It’s super small and super light! Yeah!

Of course, it also goes to 2:1 magnification and it’s really sharp. Honestly, I think it’s a little sharper than the Laowa 90mm and probably a little sharper than the OM SYSTEM lens from what I’ve seen online, but I can’t be sure about that. (I don’t think you should be worried about sharpness with any of the lenses I’ve mentioned so far!)

OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8

The majority of micro four thirds photographers have heard of this lens. It’s an older one but sharp with weather sealing. I think it’s a great alternative to the newer OM SYSTEM 90mm macro. The only downside is that it only has 1:1 magnification, but keep in mind you can also extend that with extension tubes.

For example, I do own the Viltrox 10+16mm extension tube set, and that would bring the magnification of this lens to 1.6x (i.e. 1 + 26/60). Actually, when I’m using my Laowa, I usually stop at around 1.5x, but 2x DOES come in handy from time to time…

Another thing going for it is that it’s 185g. Not sure how that’s possible but yeah, it’s VERY light!

Olympus 30mm f/3.5 Macro

This lens is kind of overlooked because it’s just 30mm. It’s rather wide for a macro and thus it’s a bit tricky to get close with it at it’s 9.5cm focusing distance. But it IS a little cheaper at $320USD and tiny too.

The secret weapon of this lens is that it has 1.25:1 magnification. That’s a significant increase from 1:1, so there’s that. I think if you’re photographing subjects like flowers and some types of less timid insects, it’s actually still a solid choice. Still, I think the 50-90mm options are a bit better for most people who need more working distance.

Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 / Samyang 100mm f/2.8

I never really got the Rokinon/Samyang thing, but I think these two are the same lenses. They’ve got the same specs and basically the same design so you can choose one or the other. The Rokinon version seems to be a bit cheaper and more easily available. But yeah…

This IS a manual focus lens but let’s keep in mind that it’s one of the longest, probably because it was a repurposed full-frame lens. But who cares, it’s 100mm! You won’t really find a longer macro lens for micro four thirds than this one. The downside that comes with that is that it’s one of the heaviest! 725g! Ouch. But, it’s still lighter than my 600mm, so there’s that.

I think if you DO need a very LONG macro, this could still be worth considering, even though it’s older.

Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH

I’m not sure what to make of this lens. It’s 45mm, so a little short, and expensive too at $800USD. It just goes to 1:1 as well. However, it does have rounded aperture blades and built-in image stabilization, whereas the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 30mm does not.

I might get this lens used, but I don’t think I’d pay $800 for it.

Artra Lab Artolumen 60mm f/2.8 2x Macro

The Artra Lab lens is a bit of a mysterious lens, and it’s not easily available except directly from Artra Lab, which isn’t bad I suppose. It’s got two things going for it: it’s inexpensive at $350, and it goes to 2:1 as its name suggests.

The downside of this lens is that it’s 600g, probably because it has a fair amount of metal in it and it might be a repurpose from a larger format lens.

Brightin Star 60mm f/2.8 2x Macro

This Brightin Star lens is even cheaper than the Artra Lab lens at $229 and it ALSO goes to 2:1 magnification. Unfortunately, it’s even heavier than the Artra Lab lens at 682g!

Still, if you’re looking for a budget lens, this is it!

Yasuhara Nanoha Macro Lens 5:1

This Yasuhara lens is a speciality lens, because it does not go to infinity. Instead, it’s restricted between 4:1 and 5:1, which is an INCREDIBLE magnification. Think: indoor focusing rail with a powerful light. Yeah, you’re not going to be using this outdoors, at least not easily. And just look at this weird thing:

It also has a light source that’s built into the body of the lens, which is probably necessary in a lot of cases since it would be hard to light this thing even with a large ring light, I’m guessing.

If you want this intense magnification, it would be hard to find it elsewhere except with the lens below from Mitakon Zhongyi.

Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm f/2 4.5x Super Macro

This lens has 4.5:1 to 4:1, which is just slightly less magnification than the Yasuhara one.

To be honest, I’m not sure which one I’d choose between this and the Yasuhara.

7Artisans 60mm f/2.8 Macro Mark II

This is one of the cheaper macros for micro four thirds at $152. Expect some compromises in terms of sharpness and chromatic aberrations. But, it’s a step up from extension tubes, so it’s worth considering if you’re on a REALLY tight budget.

TTArtisan 40mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

The cheapest macro of all at $113! Okay, it’s very much like the 7Artisans lens except 40mm, which is even more tricky for macro. But you DO get 1:1.

Like the 7Artisans, you are NOT going to get the same image quality from this lens like you would from the more expensive lenses. But it’s definitely sharp enough and worth considering as well.

Conclusion

Whew! There are a LOT of macro lenses for micro four thirds. It would be very hard for me to rank them. But if someone were to ask, “hey Jason, what macro lens would you recommend?”, then I’d say this:

• If you want 2:1, go for the Laowa 50mm, unless you have money to spend on the OM SYSTEM 90mm.
• If you just want 1:1 and autofocus, the OM SYSTEM 60mm f/2.8 Macro is still a great choice
• If you don’t mind manual focus, I would still recommend either Laowa
• If you’re on the tightest budget ever, consider the TTArtisan or 7ARtisans lens.
• If you want to do something different, go with the Yasuhara or Mitakon Zhongyi.

Hope that was helpful folks!