Designed for MFT format cameras, Olympus introduces a new 8-25mm f/4 zoom lens that, in terms of field of view, equates to a 35mm-format 16-50mm. This is of course an extremely useful, general-purpose range and although an f/2.8 lens might be the norm, trimming the maximum aperture to f/4 holds the promise of a more compact optic. Armed with the 20MP Panasonic Lumix G9 camera body, let's see how the new lens performs and handles, and whether or not it could be an ideal travel companion.

One image can change us.

A picture, a moment can change the way we feel. Change how we see ourselves. Change our understanding and change the rules. Provoke and change history.

MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 8-25mm f/4 PRO Handling and Features

The lens is reassuringly solidly built, weighing in at a reasonable 411g. It is splash and dust resistant and specifically claims to resist water to the IPX1 standard. This basically means that it will be resistant to condensation and to drops of water “falling vertically” on the lens. Maybe heavy rain should be avoided, but full marks for being specific about what splash resistance might actually mean.

Taking our tour of the lens from the front, there is a supplied petal lens hood that is necessarily quite slim to avoid vignetting at 8mm. It clips smoothly into place and is retained by a small catch. Within the bayonet, fit is a standard 72mm filter thread. Immediately behind this is a slim focusing ring. When pushed forward AF mode is engaged and when pulled backwards a distance scale is revealed and MF is engaged. It can be quite easy to accidentally engage MF, in which case it takes a moment to realise that AF is no longer operational. Focusing is down to 0.23m, or 9.1 inches, giving a maximum magnification of 0.21x. Although not macro, this is usefully close and adds to the versatility of the lens.

A wider zoom ring instantly reveals that this is a compact lens that is stored retracted and needs to be extended to the 8mm position for use. The mechanism for this is very smooth and stable and there is no stickiness or wobble in the construction.

There is one small button marked L-Fn which, when pressed, will deactivate AF. It may be programmable for other functions, depending on the camera body used. AF uses a linear motor and is silent and fast. The AF locks on reliably.

Optical construction is 16 elements in 10 groups, including 1 Double-Sided Aspherical, 2 Aspherical ED, 1 Super ED, 1 Super HR and 1 HD. The diaphragm consists of 7 blades.

The lens is versatile and handles well, perhaps with the exception of the push/pull AF/MF operation, which could do with being slightly firmer to prevent accidental movement. Otherwise, operation is smooth and hazard-free.