Last update: 18th October 2025
Do you think it's worthwhile to be an expert in basic disciplines like brewing a cup of coffee, having various cooking skills, being a wedding or event photographer, or being a ranger at a legendary African wildlife reserve like the Kruger National Park? Although I may not be a well-known photographer in 2025, I had the privilege to develop a functional understanding of the digital imaging process. Are you comfortable with the technical and optical aspects of digital photography?
Some of the most basic principles of digital photography are exposure, sensor saturation, and SNR. The camera's aperture and shutter speed values determine how much light is reaching the sensor. The reflected light exposing the sensor represents an exact copy of the actual scene. This does not change with computational features like GND filters, Gradation options, or V-LOG profiles. Does this mean social media talking points like dynamic range and noise are factitious at best?
Olympus E-M10 IV with the M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 lens. ISO3200, f6.3, 1/25. I converted the RAW file in Workspace (Low noise filter).
The Olympus E-M1 III and the M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens are some of the finest M43 products. The Olympus R&D team excelled in firmware solutions, which let photographers overcome the inherent technical weaknesses of the image sensor. That meant M43 cameras with high-sensitivity sensors, M.Zuiko Pro lenses, advanced TruePic image processors, computational features, and editing or RAW conversion software like Workspace. Olympus gave new meaning to the idea that the sum of parts forms a perfect solution. Competing manufacturers focused on commercial concepts like resolution, sensor size, and the idea that physical size is a reliable measure for technical efficiency.
Why are Olympus and OM System Zuiko lenses associated with reliability and top-quality optics? How does the M43 segment benefit from such a comprehensive range of high-quality M43 lenses? We can spend months reviewing the design aspects of Olympus cameras, M.Zuiko lenses, and the digital M43 format. Forum experts will simply claim Olympus was irresponsible, unable to manufacture quality products, and randomly launched low image-quality products in a desperate attempt to recover from a corruption scandal. Are forum communities human and trustworthy? See this article.
Figure 1
The above illustration depicts a typical challenge photographers are facing on a regular basis. Why did the shutter speed drop by 1 EV with the camera in aperture mode and an FL of 56 mm, or why did the sensor receive only 0.5 EV more reflected light? The variable aperture of the M.Zuiko 24-200mm lens changed by -0.5 EV, which reduced the light reaching the sensor by 0.5 EV. The resulting shutter speed benefit was +0.5 EV, which improved the noise in the image to the right (see the histograms). Olympus cameras and the large selection of M43 lenses make it possible to select the best camera and lens combination for each application. For example, the Lumix 35-100 f2.8 lens would have improved the SNR and image quality by up to 2 EV from f2.8 to 4.5. See my articles for more info.
The M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens
The M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens is the only super wide-angle M43 option with an f2.8 constant aperture. It delivers exceptional results and is surprisingly small for an f2.8 wide-angle zoom lens. For example, the deep FOV benefit of M43 cameras makes the 7-14 mm an exceptional lens at f2.8. We have no less than five excellent M43 wide-angle lenses with variable and fixed apertures. What makes the 7-14 mm Pro lens unique is its secondhand pricing. Why would one buy a used 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens and not the newer 8-25mm f4 Pro lens? Price is one reason, but more importantly, it's about application and what you expect from a particular lens. The M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 Pro is a creative masterpiece. The images below were taken with the E-M1 III and the M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens. I converted these Enhanced RAW files with my preferred RAW converter, Workspace.
The M.Zuiko 12-200mm f3.5-6.3 lens
What if the comprehensive range of M43 lenses is one of the reasons why M43 photographers hardly ever need more megapixels? The M.Zuiko 12-200mm f3.5-6.3 is an excellent photowalk lens and one of many reasons why I seldom need to crop my images. It's possible to correctly frame and capture almost any scene between 12 and 200 mm, or 400 mm with the 2x digital converter.
A fascinating aspect of the size and handling benefits of M43 cameras is illustrated by the slight color changes between the two images in Figure 1. The image on the left was cropped in Workspace, and the one on the right filled the frame at a focal length of 56 mm. Accurate exposure and white balance metering combined with the TruePic image processor are the reason why Olympus cameras are known for their Kodak-like colors. These more accurate color readings are only possible with a zoom lens. Folks, my advice is to ignore forum "experts" and focus on mastering M43 photography.
My grandson and I enjoyed a photowalk with his Panasonic G3 with the Lumix 14-42 and 45-200 mm lenses, which I bought for $120 in Dec 2024. Our goal was the late afternoon sun and painting with light while enjoying photography and the beautiful Bodensee village. I had so much joy watching my grandson experiment with different creative ideas. The camaraderie of photographing those special moments will stay with us. We have so many ideas for our next photo opportunity.
Olympus E-M1 III with the M.Zuiko 12-200mm lens.
The M.Zuiko 12-200mm f3.5-f6.3 lens is a small option for day-to-day photography. My wife prefers the 14-150 because the 12-200 weighs more and is a little bigger. I think the 14-150mm is a good lens but prefer the 12-200 option. The IQ combined with the physical size and zoom ratio of the 12-200 is unbeatable. I appreciate why photographers need lenses like the M.Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8 Pro. The 12-200 mm is an amazing alternative for those looking for a smaller and capable zoom lens.
The following images were taken with the Olympus E-M1 III and the 12-200mm lens. I converted the RAW files with DxO PhotoLab 7. I have a similar workflow for PhotoLab as Workspace. I don't like the new AI image look, as it reminds me of the surreal HDR days. The sum of parts concept from Olympus is so powerful that it's fun to spot and capture the right moment, knowing that it takes only a few small tweaks in Workspace to get a final version of the captured enhanced RAW file.
