The OM System OM-3 has styling that harks back to the classic Olympus OM-1 and OM-2 35mm SLR design, recreating the look and feel of those much-loved cameras. Its simple rectangular shape is a world away from today’s distinctly fussy mirrorless cameras and has really struck a chord with fans of retro cameras.
In fact, the OM-3 is one of the best retro cameras on the market today, and it’s not simply a tool for stills photography, either. Powerful new video features from its stacked sensor make it worth considering as one of the best hybrid cameras, particularly for creators who want to travel light and make the most of the Micro Four Thirds system’s size and weight savings.
It’s also a very different camera to the flagship OM System camera. We’ve already published a guide to the best lenses for the OM System OM-1 II, but this is a professional outdoor landscape and wildlife camera targeted at different users ready to adapt to larger and heavier lenses. The OM-3 is different, and more likely to appeal to travel and street photographers.
With that in mind, we’ve chosen smaller, lighter lenses as the best matches for the OM-3, including lighter or more compact zooms and two prime lenses updated and re-released alongside the OM-3.
Best lenses for the OM System OM-3
When it first came out, the M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 Pro seemed to offer only a modest size saving over the 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens and only a little more reach. But as a kit lens for the OM-3 it makes perfect sense. It’s just the right size, offers an excellent zoom range and isn’t too expensive either. Thanks to the OM-3’s excellent IBIS, low light shooting at a maximum of f/4 is rarely a problem, and the optical quality of this lens is excellent, right through the zoom range. It also has very good weather sealing, so it’s the perfect outdoor lens for any conditions.
See our full Olympus M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 Pro review
The M.Zuiko 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ pancake zoom is normally paired with cameras like the OM-D E-M10 IV or older Olympus PEN cameras, but it’s definitely worth considering as an alternative standard zoom for the OM-3. It’s no exaggeration to call it a ‘pancake’ zoom as it really is that slim. And yet this doesn’t seem to affect its optical performance at all, which is above average for any kit lens, never mind one as compact as this. The only downside is that the powered zoom mechanism is a bit slow and irritating – but it’s such a small and effective little lens that it’s easy to forgive.
See our full Olympus M.Zuiko 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ review
If you find yourself constantly swapping between a standard zoom and an ultra-wide lens, then this is the lens for you! It covers a 16-50mm equivalent focal range which is ideal for travel, street and architectural photography where you need to go from an ultra-wide to a standard view from one moment to the next. The M.Zuiko 8‑25mm F4.0 Pro does have a couple of irritations. It’s quite a big lens given its modest f/4 constant maximum aperture, and there’s a retracting mechanism to reduce its size for storage and transport. Optically, though, this is an excellent performer, and offers a unique focal range you might soon find it difficult to live without.
See our full Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8‑25mm F4.0 PRO review
Those specs are worth repeating – the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4 Pro is an effective 80-300mm f/4 lens. That’s pretty amazing given how much a 300mm f/4 prime lens costs in the world of full frame cameras. And you get this great telephoto range in a compact and light retracting design that’s going to fit easily in your camera bag. Would we change anything? Well, the camera IBIS has to work pretty hard when shooting at 300mm equivalent focal length, so it would be nice of this lens had its own stabilization to help, but as long as you respect the magnification you’re shooting at and use an appropriate shutter speed, it’s not really an issue.
This is a new and updated version of the classic 34mm equivalent M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8. This was (and is) a perfect semi-wide-angle prime lens for street photography and general use, and was a classic accompaniment to the Olympus PEN-F, the company’s previous much-loved retro classic. The new version was launched alongside the OM-3, and while it shares the same optical design and great performance, it gains weather-sealing to make it better suited to outdoor use in wet conditions. This has meant that you lose the clever manual focus clutch mechanism of the original lens, but you do now get a lens hood included.
See our full OM System M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 II review
This is the second classic OM prime lens to be updated and re-released alongside the OM-3, and this time it’s all gains and no losses. The original lens did not have a manual focus clutch anyway, so we don’t really miss it here. What we do get is the same excellent edge-to-edge optical performance but now with weather sealing and a lens hood included. Optically, it’s the same as the old lens, but that hardly needed any improvement, and this new version has improved design and practicality instead. It’s the perfect standard prime for the OM-3.
See our full OM System M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 II review
When we talk about ‘portrait’ lenses, what we usually have in mind is big, heavy and expensive, with an awful lot of glass. The M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 is the exact opposite in almost every respect and, perhaps more than any other lens, illustrates the advantages of the MFT format. With its 90mm effective focal length and f/1.8 maximum aperture, it fulfils all the requirements of a portrait lens, but it’s so tiny it can easily fit in a pocket. Of course even at f/1.8 you’re not going to get the same background separation as a full frame portrait lens, but it’s still more than you might expect – in fact this little lens’s optical performance as a whole is pretty remarkable at this price.
See our full Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 review
OM System now makes three different macro lenses, but the M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro is the original and, for the price, delivers terrific optical performance as well as a design optimized for close-up photography. However, it is fair to say that this is probably a lens you would buy for what it can do, rather than for its looks. But don’t assume this lens is only good for macro work. Its 120mm equivalent focal length and f/2.8 maximum aperture makes it a very interesting little telephoto prime lens too, or even an alternative ‘portrait’ lens!
See our full Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro review
See more of the best Micro Four Thirds lenses
