Adapter guide
Olympus OM lenses on MFT
Yes, this works. Olympus OM has a 46mm flange distance and Micro Four Thirds has 19.25mm, so a 26.75mm mechanical adapter with no glass fills the gap and infinity focus is preserved. Focus and aperture stay manual.
- Olympus OM flange
- 46 mm
- MFT flange
- 19.25 mm
- Adapter thickness
- 26.75 mm
- Optical elements
- None required
Setting it up
Enable Shoot w/o Lens (Panasonic) or leave Release Priority on (Olympus and OM System), then enter the focal length for in-body stabilisation. The 2x crop doubles the apparent focal length, so a 50mm frames like a 100mm.
Automatic diaphragm with the aperture ring at the front of the lens, next to the filter thread. Many Zuiko lenses carry their own depth-of-field preview button.
Olympus OM lenses and their field of view on MFT
Effective focal length changes with sensor size. The lens itself does not change; the smaller sensor simply captures a narrower part of the image circle.
| Lens | Focal length | Aperture | Frames like (Four Thirds (2x)) | Years | Used value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympus OM-System Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.4 | 50mm | f/1.4 | 100mm | 1972-1980s | $70 to $280 |
| Olympus OM-System Zuiko Auto-S 55mm f/1.2 | 55mm | f/1.2 | 110mm | 1972-1984 | $300 to $900 |
| Olympus OM-System Zuiko Auto-W 24mm f/2.8 | 24mm | f/2.8 | 48mm | 1975-1980s | $90 to $300 |
Frequently asked
Do Olympus OM lenses work on MFT cameras?
Yes. A plain Olympus OM to MFT adapter works with no optics. Olympus OM has a 46mm register and Micro Four Thirds has a 19.25mm register, so the adapter is a 26.75mm tube that puts the lens exactly where a Olympus OM body would. Plain adapter ring. Turning the front aperture ring stops the lens down directly on an adapter.
Do Olympus OM lenses focus to infinity on MFT?
Yes. Because the adapter restores the native 46mm register, infinity focus is preserved and the full focus scale on the lens stays accurate. Adapters machined slightly short let the lens focus past infinity by a small margin, which is harmless; adapters machined long stop short of infinity, so buy from a maker with tight tolerances.
What focal length does a Olympus OM lens become on MFT?
On Four Thirds (2x) MFT bodies (Lumix G, GH, GX; OM-D and PEN; OM-1 and OM-5) a 50mm lens frames like a 100mm lens on full frame; the aperture and depth of field at a given distance do not change.
More on this mount: Olympus OM mount reference