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M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO my experiences
M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO my experiences

M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO my experiences

Photographers like landscape photography. It has only a few entrance requirements. In Addition as nature is not moving fast, you have enough time to shoot. Therefore you don’t have to know your camera in detail. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO is the third wide-angle zoom from OM Digital Solutions in the Micro Four Thirds standard. Even though that Panasonic has also three wide-angle zooms in their portfolio, the new lens is worth thinking about it. Especially in landscape photography, an open aperture of F4 is not a disadvantage.

Top Ansicht vom M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO Objektiv
M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4 PRO top view

Inner Values of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 Pro lens

The biggest advantage of the lens is the huge zoom range. With 8mm is covers the ultra-wide-angle area and it reaches 25mm the normal area. Therefore it is not only usable in landscape photography, but also for street and portrait photography. In opposite to the 7-14mm lens from Olympus, the front lens is plane. Therefore normal filters without a special adapter are useable. The filter diameter is 72mm the same as the one from the 12-100mm, 40-150mm and 100-400mm lens. In case you already own a filter in this size you can reuse it for the 8-25mm as well. In case the filter thickness is less than 4mm you won’t have any vignetting.

Seitenansicht vom M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO Objektiv

The lens has a retracting mechanism to be as small as possible in case you would like to transport it. In opposite to the 9-18mm lens the 8-25mm lens doesn’t have a button to unlock the retracting mechanism. A very defined resistance, which has to be overcome to make it small. This reduces the complexity of construction and makes it easier to make the lens weather resistant. The disadvantage of this mechanism is that the length of the lens is also changing when you zoom.

Although the 8-25mm lens covers a much bigger zoom area than the 7-14mm it is even smaller and lighter. As all Pro lenses of OM Digital Solutions, the 8-25mm is weather-resistant and freezeproof down to -10°C.

Beispielbild vom Hamburger Rathaus, gemacht mit dem M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO Objektiv
M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4 @8mm
Beispielbild vom Hamburger Rathaus, gemacht mit dem M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 Objektiv
M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 @7mm

Besides the focus ring, which could be used to switch from autofocus to manual focus by pulling it back, the lens has also a programable function button.

Image quality

As all Pro lenses from OM Digital Solution delivers the 8-25mm lens already at open aperture outstanding image quality. Also in the image corners, which are losing only a bit in sharpness. From aperture 11 onwards the lens is getting softer. This is caused by diffraction. In case you would like to have the highest resolution possible I recommend not using smaller apertures than 11. In case you would like to have a bigger depth of field, focus stacking and focus bracketing is supported with the E-M1X, E-M1 Mark III, E-M1 Mark II and E-M5 Mark III.

Resolution and sharpness are on the same level as the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO and also don’t have to be worried about any other lenses.

Distortion is from 25-12mm no issue at all. In case you are using a shorter focal length barrel distortion becomes visible in RAW converters which don’t use the attached lens profile. In case you are using the profile this distortion is perfectly corrected.

Conclusion

The third ultra-wide-angle zoom from OM Digital Solutions is unique. It covers not only the ultra-wide-angle area but with 25mm it is covering the normal focal length as well. Therefore it is very universal and the image quality is in all areas superb. In the wide end, it has one millimetre less than the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO and in case you don’t shoot nightscapes you will not miss the 1 f-stop. Though is the M.Zuiko Digital 8-25mm F4.0 PRO smaller and lighter than the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 and it is its biggest internal competitor.
In case you are shooting landscapes or architecture, I personally would prefer the 8-25mm over the 7-14mm. Also for photographers, who are travelling much and would like to reduce weight and size as much as possible the 8-25mm lens is the better choice. Although it is not essentially smaller and lighter than the 7-14mm lens, it allows leaving one lens behind due to the huge zoom range.

M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO Objektiv vor Metallhintergrund

You get the best Balance in case you are using cameras from the E-M1 series or E-M5 series. Smaller cameras like the E-M10 series doesn’t fit so well, here the 9-18mm lens fits better.


Great usages report from Peter BaumgartOlympus Amerika Webite

Interested in my practical experience with the lens? Then you should read my blog post “Almbach Gorge the natural territory for the E-M1 Mark III and the 8-25mm lens?

One comment

  1. Pingback: Almbach Gorge the natural territory for the E-M1 Mark III and the 8-25mm lens? – Michael Guthmann

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