Olympus Launches Micro Four-Thirds Ultra-Zoom

2019.02.14

Just yesterday, Olympus unveiled their most powerful zoom lens for Micro Four-Thirds. The new M.Zuiko 12-200mm F/3.5-6.3 offers a powerful 16X optical zoom from an 24mm-equivalent ultra-wide end to exceptional 400mm-equivalent telephoto reach. This new variable aperture lens provides exceptional coverage in a lens which weighs just 455g.

Olympus designed the M.Zuiko 12-200mm F/3.5-6.3 for versatility and to enhance benefits of the Micro Four-Thirds system. Although the F/6.3 maximum aperture at the telephoto end is quite dim, they managed to get a 0.47X magnification with only 10cm working distance to allow for quasi-macro photography.

Given that all Olympus Micro Four-Thirds cameras feature built-in image-stabilization, this lens does not need to be made more complicated to support it. Instead, this is the first ultra-zoom ration lens for Micro Four-Thirds to be fully weatherproof. Its construction offers a wide zoom ring and fly-by-wire focusing read to activate a linear stepping motor which is suitable for video recording.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 12-200mm F/3.5-6.3 is scheduled to ship in late March 2019 for $900 USD or $1150 CAD.

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