13 years later, OM System weather seals its pocket-sized prime lenses – and makes its 100-400mm even more of a monster

If you're a longtime Olympus and OM shooter, today is a day to celebrate; 17 years after the launch of the 25mm f/1.8, and 13 years after the release of the 17mm f/1.8, both pocket-sized prime lenses are now weather-sealed. On top of that, the 100-400mm zoom just got next-level sealing and sync stabilization abilities.

Just announced are the OM System M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 II – a classic "nifty fifty" with an equivalent 50mm focal length in full frame terms – and the OM System M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 II – a 35mm equivalent street and reportage lens.

These much-loved portable primes have been long overdue an update, but there are no optical performance boosts. Both lenses have simply received weather-sealing, and now come with lens hoods – something long requested by the community. Other than that, they have the same optical formula and output as the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 and Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 that they replace.

There are a couple of caveats, one of them being that the new 17mm II actually loses a feature: the manual focus clutch and scale of the original version. In addition, both lenses are currently only available in black with no silver option – though in fairness, black lenses on silver cameras like the new OM System OM-3 look pretty badass.

Physically, both lenses feel almost indistinguishable from their predecessors – but there are slight differences. The new 17mm II is 8g lighter at 112g (no doubt due to losing the focus clutch), is 2.1mm longer at 37.6mm long, and features a new bayonet for the lens hood – which means that if you own the classic metal LC-48 Olympus PEN lens cap, it no longer fits.

The 25mm II, meanwhile, clocks in 20g heavier than the old version at 156g (likely to do with the added weather seals), and is 1.4mm wider at 59.4mm in diameter. I'll say again, though, the two lenses feel virtually identical (aside from the 17mm's focus clutch) in the hand, and on my camera.

When it comes to the new OM System M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 IS II, some significant gains have been made over its predecessor. For starters, it now boasts a fluorine coating and IPX1-rated weather sealing, matching the rating of the flagship OM System OM-1 and Mark II (which boast the best weather sealing certification of any interchangeable-lens camera).

Where the original M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 IS only offered 3 stops of lens-only image stabilization, the mark II version packs 4.5 stops of lens correction. On top of that, though, it also features Sync IS capability that enables the lens stabilization to work with the in-body stabilization of select cameras – offering a maximum 7 stops of compensation at the wide end and 5.5 stops at the long, which even works with the teleconverters.

On top of that, the new lens is 25g lighter at only 1,300g (and is 0.1mm shorter, at 205.6mm) and you can now remove the tripod collar while the lens is attached to the camera for enhanced versatility.

I've tested the new 17mm and 25mm lenses extensively, and will post my reviews of both later today. While I'm sad to see the manual focus clutch disappear on the 17mm, it's a sacrifice I'll gladly make in order to use those lenses in the rain. Our coverage of the new 100-400mm will hopefully be ready next week.

All three lenses go on sale February 27. The OM System M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 II will be priced $499.99 / £399.00, the OM System M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 II will cost $549.99 / £479.00, and the OM System M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 IS II will carry a price tag of $1,499.99 / £1,299.00 (Australian pricing to be confirmed).

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The new f/1.8 primes are perfect for OM's latest camera, so read my full OM System OM-3 review. Check out the best OM System / Olympus lenses to see what other optics the brand makes, and remember that all MFT cameras can use any of the best Micro Four Thirds lenses.