Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25 mm f/1.8 review - Build quality

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Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25 mm f/1.8

30 April 2014

Arkadiusz Olech

3. Build quality

There is a whole group consisting of several standard lenses designed for mirrorless systems to compare the tested lens to. In the following chart we compare the Olympus 1.8/25 and its direct rivals. The Fujinon and the Leica are physically bigger and heavier but it is quite understandable, taking into account their superior aperture fastness. The Samsung 2/30 compares very favourably here – its fastness is a bit worse but it is an example of great optics closed in a tiny casing. The Olympus is smaller and physically lighter than the Sony but you should remember the second device has optical stabilization system built into it and was designed for a bigger sensor.

In the photo below the tested lens is positioned next to the Olympus M.Zuiko 45 mm f/1.8.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25 mm f/1.8 - Build quality

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The Olympus M.Zuiko 25 mm f/1.8 starts with a metal mounting plate which surrounds contacts and a rear element less than 21 mm in diameter. A black ring the contacts are sealed in features also an inscription “MADE IN JAPAN”. As you see the series of fast Olympus primes can’t be called consistent here – the 1.8/17 and the 1.8/45 models are produced in China, the rest comes from Japan.

Passing to the proper casing you see a wider, immobile ring with ribbing on the left and on the right to provide a secure, firm grip. The ring also has information about the focusing range of the lens and its serial number. Another narrow and smooth ring is a place where you can find the name and parameters of the lens.

The next part is a manual focus ring. It is 15 mm wide, it moves smoothly and is well-damped. Here you can notice a difference compared to the 2/12 and 1.8/17 lenses – the ring’s work is based on servomechanisms so it can’t be moved upwards and downwards to change the focusing mode into manual. Also there is no distance scale or a DOF scale.

The next narrow grip band with a blue stripe is made of metal. A hood ring comes out of it and it goes round a non-rotating filter thread, 46 mm in diameter, another ring with the name and the parameters of the lens and a slightly convex front element, 30 mm in diameter.

The inner construction consists of 9 elements positioned in 7 groups. The producer doesn’t boast of any special elements. Inside you can also find a rounded aperture with seven blades which can be closed down to f/22.

The buyers get both lens caps and a hood in the box.