Olympus has released details of two new M.Zuiko Digital lenses: a compact and versatile ‘all-in-one’ zoom lens, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 PRO fisheye lens, which is now in development.

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The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II super-zoom lens. (Source: Olympus.)

Launched simultaneously with the E-M5 Mark II is a new weather-proof Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II super-zoom lens. This second-generation, 10.7x zoom lens is compact and lightweight, making it ideal for travel and general photography. Only 83 mm long and 63.5 mm in diameter, it weighs just 285 grams and is splash- and dust-proof.

Spanning a range equivalent to 28-300mm in 35mm format, the new 14-150mm lens encompasses angles of view from 75 degrees to 8.2 degrees. Its optical design contains 15 elements in 11 groups and includes one Dual Super Aspherical, one ED Aspherical, one Extra-low Dispersion, one High Refractive Index and two Extra High Refractive Index elements. Olympus’s pro-grade ZERO lens coating is applied to all lens surfaces to minimise ghosting and flare.

The MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) AF drive system provides silent and fast autofocusing. The near focus range of 0.5m is achievable at all zoom settings, giving macro capability even at the 150mm telephoto end. The lens aperture system has also been reworked for improved video exposure stability. This lens comes with a dedicated lens hood (LH-61C).

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The M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f1.8 PRO lens.(Source: Olympus.)

Olympus has also announced the development of a new professional, high-performance fisheye lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras.

The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 PRO will cover the 35mm equivalent focal length of 16mm and will be dust- and splash-proof. Its fast aperture of f/1.8 and high optical performance will be useful for photographers who want to capture spectacular astronomical and underwater wide-angle photos. A new underwater-housing lens port will also be developed for this new lens.

The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f1.8 PRO is expected to be available in the second half of 2015. Full details have still to be released.