The perfect lens for Micro Four Thirds

I standardly have the 12-100 on my OM1 mk1. Never had such a versatile lens: wide-angle, telephoto, portrait and even a bit of macro. And besides being versatile, of superb quality. If there's anything left to wish for, a 2.8 version would be absolutely fantastic.

Hi Nando.
Good choice: I have been using this lens for several years now, together with the Olympus EM1 Mark II and more recently the OM5.
Sharp lens, great range, stabilized and not too heavy.
Only downside: f/4 -> relatively little light and depth of field comparable to f/8 on full frame (although as a travel lens this doesn't have to be a downside).
I also have the 12-40 f/2.8 version: this one is smaller, lighter and thus f/2.8 throughout the entire range.
40 mm is sufficient for most photos, although 100 mm obviously offers more possibilities...

I traded in my Canon R5 for an OM-1 with a 12-100 and an 8-25, both f4. Haven't regretted it for a second. For streetphotogradie a 14-42.

Alongside my Nikon FF camera('s), about ten years ago I bought an Olympus as a backup camera (EMD1MII) with a 12-40 lens, in the meantime a wide-angle 7-14 and 12-100 as indeed a very versatile lens with stabilization in the lens combined with stabilization in the body, exceptionally user-friendly and broadly usable. Furthermore, I became a bit addicted to Oly and OM with its special features such as Live Time, Live Compo, ND and Grad. ND in body, also autofocus bracketing stacking, focus recognition, Pro Cap (raw) and consequently now a few bodies with f/1.2 primes and a couple of telephoto lenses, 50-200 and 150-400, really wonderful to work with as a hobby photographer, underrated by most because of the sensor size (Four Thirds) and pixel count (20.2).

I agree with your choice Nando. It’s a great lens, versatile from wide-angle to telephoto and even macro. It’s also nice that the f/4 aperture remains the same throughout the entire range. Makes a very good combo with my OM1.
I was torn between this Oly 12-100 f/4 PRO and the Panasonic Leica 12-60 f/2.8-4. Both are optically of good, comparable quality, but the greater range and the sync IS were the deciding factors for me.

I started with photography in 2012 and started with Olympus. I currently photograph with the OM-1 and have several lenses, but the 12-100 f 4 is on my camera most of the time.
The 40-150 mm f 2.8 is also a wonderful lens and always comes along in my camera bag.
The macro 90 mm lens is also amazingly good and a pleasure to work with.
Ingrid

MacBigfoot wrote on Thursday 12 March 2026 at 23:38  | reply

I have the (pro) trio 7-14, 12-40 and 40-150.
The 7-14 is indeed of limited use, for everyday use.
For walks, city trips and such I have always had to choose whether to take the 12-40 with me, or the 40-150, with the 40-150 being quite bulky for that purpose.
An additional advantage of the 12-100 is extra image stabilisation, so also a reason to be less likely to need to take a tripod with me.

I have just added the 12-100, so I’ll happily head out with that and take my time selling the 12-40, I think. Then trade in the 40-150 for perhaps the 100-400.