Updated 7/11/17

Here is some lens advice and this will be short and sweet. Zooms really don't come into play with Micro 4/3rds because of the higher f-stops you will have an increased depth of field not matter what you do so this limits creativity except for one thing. Ultra wide interior and landscape shots. For that I would recommend the Olympus Zuiko 7-14 ED Pro f2.8. There is also  a 12-40 f2.8 and a 40-150 f2.8 if you are onto birding or sports. These zooms are the only weather sealed zoom lenses for this system. With that being said, this camera system is all about the primes and I do love primes. So here we go. This is the list of the best lenses out there according to multiple reviews and test data. These are the lenses I either own or will own at some point. All of my testing is done the Pen-F on high-res mode at 80mp and the EM5 Mark II at 64mp which is a major hurdle for most lenses but there are a few that stand out and just shine. These results will also be the same for the EM1 Mark II at 80mp.

This list is updated regularly.

Wide Angle Lenses:

Rokinon 7.5mm f3.5 MF Fisheye - Currently testing it. I feel it's too wide. The apsc 8mm maybe a better option. 35mm eqv = 15mm, viewing angle of 180 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $250

Buy it on ebay

M.Zuiko 7-14mm f2.8 PRO - I have tried it. Liked it. It's big for MFT and you can't use filters but it is weather sealed. 35mm eqv = 14-28mm
viewing angle of 114 to 75 degrees
Buy it here on Amazon $1100

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 7-14mm/F4.0 ASPH - Positive Reveiws, not as sharp as the Zuiko, Untested Not weather sealed and also can't use filters.
35mm eqv = 14-28mm, viewing angle of 114 to 75 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon  $800

Buy it on ebay

*M.Zuiko 12mm f2.0 AF - Currently testing. I had 3 copies of this lens to find the right one. 1st one had losts of ca's, 2nd was soft, 3rd was the best version I have ever seen of this lens and I love it! Tiny, portable and has a snap ring for true manual focus with bump stops . 35mm eqv = 24mm, viewing angle of 84 degrees. My favorite wide angle! highly recommended!
​Buy it here on Amazon $700

Buy it on ebay

*Rokinon 12mm F2.0 MF - Here is my review https://youtu.be/SdpeV86yuFo and I love it!viewing angle of 84 degrees. My favorite cheap, manual focus wide angle! highly recommended! Is it good for Astrophotography? You have to stop down to f2.8 but this is your best bet for wideangle. 35mm eqv = 24mm
​Buy it here on Amazon $300

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic LUMIX G LEICA DG SUMMILUX 12mm / F1.4 ASPH - Untested but initial reviews are good. Weather Sealed. .  35mm eqv = 30mm, viewing angle of 24 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $1300

Buy it on ebay

Normal Focal Length Lenses:

Panasonic LUMIX G LEICA DG SUMMILUX 15mm / F1.7 ASPH - Untested. I do know it has some vignetting issues and barrel distortion issues but it's suppose to be sharper than the pancakes.  35mm eqv = 30mm, viewing angle of 72 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $550

Buy it on ebay

*Voigtlander Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 - My review is here https://youtu.be/7WSXPSSv3xY - Its manual focus and its heavy but the image quality is hands down the best for this focal range. Think Leica R! The first two stops are warm with vignetting but at f1.4 things become close to perfect. A little bit of barrel distortion but not much  35mm eqv = 35mm, viewing angle of 66 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $850

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm / F1.7 II ASPH - Currently testing it. Meh... It's not as sharp as I would like it to be but Pancakes never are. This is the best pancake lens I have ever tested though. So it's good but not great, I also have the first version with slow and loud af, however I leave it on the list for portability because it makes the pen-F pocketable.  35mm eqv = 40mm, viewing angle of 57 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $300

Buy it on ebay

Rokinon 21mm F1.4. I own it and love it.  It is as good as the 12mm F2.8 35mm eqv = 42mm,  
viewing angle of 56 degrees
Buy it here on Amazon $400

Buy it on ebay

*M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 - Currently testing. Really it's more like I haven't got around the review yet. It's a good lens and decently sharp, There is a litle bit of barrel distortion and slightly more ca's then the 12mm or the 45mm primes. The ring for hood occasionally falls off. The Panasonic 25mm f1.7 is the alternative which is close to this but not quite as sharp and slightly bigger. 35mm eqv = 50mm, viewing angle of 47 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $300

Buy it on ebay

*M.Zuiko 25mm f1.2  I plan on getting one at some point. Intial reviews are very sharp with excellent image quality and much larger in size. 35mm eqv = 50mm, viewing angle of 47 degrees. This is also weather sealed. 
Buy it here on Amazon $1200

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic Lumix G LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH - Long term use.... I found the hood to be annoying. Here is my review https://youtu.be/ODq-SjhjJE4 and 35mm eqv = 50mm,  viewing angle of 47 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $600

Buy it on ebay

Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Type II - I want it! 35mm eqv = 50mm,  viewing angle of 47 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $800

Buy it on ebay

*Sigma Contemporary 30mm f/1.4 DC DN - This lens is twice the size and price as the Sigma 30mm f2.8 DN lens  but it's also twice as good. I did review this lens on the Sony a6300 and a6000. Stupid crazy sharp and great wide open. It may be the sharpest lens at a a normal foacal length for m43. Eventually I will own one for mft.  Here is my review https://youtu.be/l9Wh-IcUR9I​ 
35mm eqv = 60mm, viewing angle of 51 degrees
Buy it here on Amazon $340

Buy it on ebay

Portrait and telephoto lenses: 

Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 - My review is here https://youtu.be/7WSXPSSv3xY -  Its manual focus and its heavy but the image quality is hands down the best for this focal range. Think Leica R! The first stop is warm with vignetting but at f1.2 things become close to perfect. Maybe one of the sharpest lenses for M43.  35mm eqv = 85mm, viewing angle of 31 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon  $800

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic LUMIX G LEICA DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm / F1.2 - Too expensive! I may buy one anyway. From all of the reviews I have looked at this lens is on par with the Voightlander but with Af and no barrel distortion..  35mm eqv = 85mm, viewing angle of 31 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $1400

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic LUMIX G 42.5mm / F1.7 ASPH O.I.S - I have heard nothing but good about this lens. Reviews have it nearly identical to the Olympus 45mm f1.8 with the Ca's being better on the Olympus - Untested, 35mm eqv = 85mm, viewing angle of 29 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $350

Buy it on ebay

*M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 - Currently testing. Review soon! I rely on this lens daily in my studio for high-res product photography. Love it!
 35mm eqv = 90mm, viewing angle of 31 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $300

Buy it on ebay

*Oshiro 60mm f2.8 Macro - 2:1 Currently testing. Review soon!  Right now ass of this point I am saying it! "Best macro lens for the MFT system". Also known as the more expensive Venus 60mm Macro. This lens surpasses my treasured 55mm Nikkor Macro in the corners and has less CA's. Its as sharp as the Olympus 50mm f2 macro for 4 thirds but has more magnification without backlight ghosting. A little background about this lens. Venus Optics designed and sold it their own brand Laowa but the design was stolen and sold as a Bresser lens. The front of the Bresser lens is slightly different. I'm guessing Venus is selling the off branded Oshiro 60mm to combat their situation with the stolen design. This means we a get a great lens for half the price. This lens was originally designed for APSC size and in macro mode it will cover full frame just barely. 
35mm eqv = 120mm, viewing angle of 20 degrees
Buy it on Amazon $180

Buy it on ebay

M.Zuiko ED 60mm f2.8 Macro - 1:1 untested weather sealed. Reviews are excellent though.
35mm eqv = 120mm, viewing angle of 20 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $400

Buy it on ebay

*Sigma Art DN 60mm f2.8 - The DOF is a little restricting at 2.8 for me but this lens is really sharp wide open with almost no Ca's not to mention it's tiny and light. Just rattles a little bit when you shake it. Great portrait lens on a budget! 35mm eqv = 120mm, viewing angle of 20 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $200

Buy it on ebay

*M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8 - A lot of reviews claim that this the sharpest lens for this system. I had this lens for about a year and half. Never got around to reviewing it. In a nutshell! The 75mm is a very sharp lens. Possibly on of the sharpest lenses out the with clean bokeh, excellent coma and low CA's. The reason I let go of it was because the auto focus on the OMD EM1 II was pretty bad even on phase detection. It hunts a lot! On the EM5 II it's even worse and manual focusing hand held was unbearable. And yes all firmware updates were applied.
35mm eqv = 150mm, viewing angle of 16 degrees
​Buy it here on Amazon $700

Buy it on ebay

Panasonic Lumix G X VARIO 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS ​- Currently testing, It has some lateral CA's and the extreme corners are somewhat soft but this expected for a zoom. Its also weather sealed. 35mm eqv = 70mm-200mm 
viewing angle of 34 to 12 degrees
Buy it here on Amazon $800​

Buy it on ebay

Rokinon 135mm F2.0 ED UMC Telephoto Lens - Untested but has great review for manual focus lens. I will own one at some point. 
35mm eqv = 270mm viewing angle of 9 degrees
Buy it here on Amazon $550​

Buy it on ebay

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 40-150 mm f/2.8 ED PRO. Untested. I have seen excellent reviews on this lens so it's safe to recommend it. Weather sealed and with tripod collar. 35mm eqv = 80mm-300mm, viewing angle of 30 to 8 degrees.
Buy it here on Amazon $1300

Buy it on ebay

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO Lens. Again Untested but the reviews are nothing but praise for the most expensive lens for MFT. They claim this is the sharpest lens for MFT too. Unfortunely it is a specialty lens for me so you won't see me with this one. Weather sealed with a tripod collar. 
35mm eqv = 600mm, viewing angle of 4 degrees.
Buy it here on Amazon $2500   ......... I do have a rule "The lens cannot cost more than the camera body". This obviously breaks that rule. 

Buy it on ebay

Just a few notes:

Lenses with * by them are going to be the best bang for your buck! I Can say the majority of the lenses on here are under $600. MFT is the cheapest and most powerful system to get into.

I Bolded all of the weather sealed lenses for those who want them for the Em1 MII.

Why no Cine lenses? While I would use one I wouldn't recommend CINE lenses to photographers. I currently use a few Rokinon CINE lenses and they can be a pain to deal with. Holding the fstop is difficult and you have to constantly look at where the lens is at on the fstop guide or tstop guide. You really need the clicking for photography in fast paced situations.  All of the f.95 Voightlander lenses for MFT have a clickless aperture function.

The list above are best lenses to hold up to the High-res mode of Olympus cameras with pixel shift. There are plenty of good lenses out there that are good but not great. Here is a list that didn't make the cut!

Lenses that didn't make the cut!

Voightlander 10mm f.95 - Too soft and doesn't get sharp enough until f5.6
Rokinon 10mm f2.8 - Too soft
Kowa 12mm f1.8 - Soft corners
Rokinon 16mm f2.0 - Soft corners
Olympus 17mm f1.8 - Too much barrel distortion in raw
Sigma 19mm f2.8 dn - High CA's and f2.8 is really too slow
Sigma 30mm f2.8 dn - High CA's and f2.8 is really too slow
Mitakon Speed Master 25mm - f.95 The price right and the size is nice but the Voightlander is more controlled, easier to focus and sharper.
Mitakon Speed Master 35mm - f.95 It's sharp in the center but really just hot mess with everything else.
Rokinon 50mm f1.2 - It's softer then Voightlander 42.5 and bigger.
Rokinon 85 mm f1.4 - This lens is sharp enough but the CA's are too much wide open and not really usable until f2.8 (I use the Nikon AE version of this lens with a Zhongyi turbo II focal reducer and I love the results of that wide open. 
Rokinon 100mm Macro f2.8 - Just not sharp enough. 
Lumix Leica 100-400 f4-f6.3 - Too slow and soft.

Any variable Zooms for this system fall short and shouldn't even be considered.  

You may have found this post from my YouTube Channel "Lavikka Photography". A lot of fans have asked which lenses I would recommend they buy. Here is my list of what I like and what I used. I haven't reviewed everything but I've tested quite a bit of it. If its not on the list then I'm not recommending it, plain and simple.

First off- what you need to know about lenses.  I rely on good equipment, but I won't waste money on expensive equipment. As a professional I need to make money, not spend it. Enthusiasts want the best at any price. I want the best at the lowest price. Primes are better then zooms as far as image quality goes. This has always been the case. But there are a few on this list, as I try to accomodate those who really want a zoom, but Sony zooms are really boring with a lack of depth of field. They are all ok but none are great.  Here is my latest zoom review of the Sony 24-70 f4 Zeiss OSS ZA FE zoom. https://youtu.be/3EtYdMot0a0
Buy it from Amazon  All of the Sony FE zooms act like this lens.

Buy it on Ebay

The biggest question I get is what lenses do I actually use on my a6300?

I carry a bunch, but when I travel or explore I carry the Touit 12mm, Sony 28mm f2 fe and Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN. This gives me a wide, normal and short telephoto. These are also the best (sharpest) lenses at these focal lengths. It also keeps the bag very light!

You just got the a6300! what SD card should you use? For 4k video the card needs to be rated class 10, U3 and SDXC.  This one http://amzn.to/29IApZs​ SanDisk Extreme Plus or Pro.  It will work with all of the features on the a6300 and they hold up over the long term. I physically brake about 3-4 cards a year because the plastic splits (from loading in cards from the bottom of the camera on the a6300, a6000 and Pen-F) on some cards but not the Sandisk's. Lexar Pros 1000x- cracked, Patriots - cracked! Samsung EVO+, - the occasional no card error and no 4k recording! But this month (July 2016) my first Sandisk extreme card finally wore out. It was from 2010! Not a single crack either.

Lets get on with the list! ** Means this is in my bag! * Means highly recommended. 

For APSC sized e mount mirrorless cameras like the NEX 7, 6, 5 and the a6300, a6400,a6600, a6000, a5100 a3000 and a5000:
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And now for the unaffordable for APSC! Lets face it though, I really want these!

Sony Zoom Lenses

I'm not a fan of zooms. Why? Slow apertures with ok quality and high price tags. There are some that stand out though.
BTW It's just a theory but have you noticed that all of Sony's zoom's are f4? They already made these lenses in alpha mount years ago. Why not just shrink the lenses 25% which is what they did. Now what was once a 2.8 aperture is now f4. I would have rather had the f2.8.
 

Full Frame A7 Series Camera Lenses tested on the A7r, A7r3 and a7r4
 

This is a very short list!

I hope you find this list useful.  There are other options too. Like adapting Sigma art lenses with canon mounts. Unfortunately this is Sigma's idea of giving you full frames lenses for your Sony A7 series camera. Works fine on the a6300 and A7rII but flakey on everything else.

Lens Combos

Even though I put this list together, everyone still wants me to tell them what to buy. I'm not comfortable doing that because everyone has different needs. To me, and to anyone wanting to make money in photography, the most important thing is image quality- so I will base this off of that:

The Poverty Package
For the Sony a6000 or a6300 or any other apsc size body:
The Sigma 19mm DN for a normal wide lens an the Sigma 60mm f2.8 art DN lens for portraits and short telephoto. You can shoot an enitre wedding or event with these two lenses.

The Hurdle Package
Again for apsc size. You need the basics to cover any situation but you are on a budget. Rokinon 12mm f2 for wide angle lanscapes, Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN for lowlight street and environmental portraits and everything else including video. Sigma 60mm F2.8 art DN for portraits and short telephoto. Your grandpa's Nikon AI 135mm F2.8 with an adapter for telephoto. You need lighting! Godox TT685s and the XT1 transmitter 

The Pro Light Package
For the a6300! Zeiss Touit 12mm f2 for your wide. Sony 28mm F2 FE lens for lowlight street and environmental portraits and everything else including video. Sigma 60mm F2.8 art DN for portraits and short telephoto and the Sony 70-200 f4 FE lens for telephoto. You need lighting! Godox 860II and the XT1 transmitter for the bag and the Godox AD 360 for the studio.

The Pro full Frame Package
For the A7RII for any a7 series full frame! Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 lens for your wide. If you need to go wider then you have the Zeiss Batis 18mm f2.8 but any wider and you will have to adapt something like 11-24 Canon L with a Metabones adapter. Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 for your normal lens and the Zeiss Batis 85mm f1.8 Lens for your portrait lens and hold out for the Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM lens for your telephoto. You need lighting too! Godox 860II and the XT1 transmitter for the bag and the Godox AD 360 or Godox AD600bm for the studio.

The first problem is the fact that Sony is now coming out with cameras that they are claiming to be weather sealed now with the multi-interface hotshoe and it is not technically weather sealed. If water gets into the edges of the hot shoe along the front edge it will have a tendency to short out the entire camera system or at least the monitor depends upon what pin it actually contacts. To overcome this issue is very simple put tape over your hot shoe.

Now the second issue that we are all aware of is actual lighting systems for the Sony multi antes hotshoe. There are several issues with this. First off Sony flashes are just awful. Their big bulky have a tendency to overheat. Then you have Metz flashes which are not much better. But then you have the Phottix Odin and Mitros system, they're completely out of stock on the Sony product and they don't any plans to make any more. Last but not least you have Nissin air1 commander system wtih the DI700a and this is probably your best bet for the Sony setup. This is currently the only true wireless setup for HSS and TTL. The  i40 is the best portable flash you could possibly put on their cameras. There is still no true wireless studio trigger system for HSS and TTL either but as long as you're aware of these limitations and the limitations of the shutter speeds then you'll be fine but this is an issue and it's an expensive issue there's no way of getting around this cheaply.

Third issue about the AF assist beam not working on flashes. DPreview confirmed with Nissin that this is due to Sony E-mount cameras failing to send a signal over the hot-shoe connection when the shutter button is half-depressed.

A few things that have worked but are no longer easy to find. Pixel King wireless triggers for the old Minolta shot shoe mount seem to deliver high speed sync with adapter. I haven't tried it but lots have mentioned that this solution works.

Nissin is planning on expanding the Air 1 Commander to work their new triggers and flash, the Air R and I60 flash. Hopefully we will see something from them soon. I will post a link as soon as they come out. Im guessing October for the i60. I hope this means micro four thirds will be getting a Nissin Air too since they will be making the i60 for micro four thirds cameras. Phottix is coming back with the Odin II so keep your fingers crossed. 

Here is link to my playlist for Sony flashes and fixes; https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw_hMQo1n8OKZ5w9aAv6FyAO-Yg2sjsSe

Over the years I have owned a camera or two. Ok, more like 80 or more cameras! For along time I always seemed to be looking for the perfect camera. I often modify cameras and create cameras with lenses and pin hole cameras out of trash cans, buckets, boxes, paint cans, film canisters and what ever else I see fit to serve my purposes. The mood of the image, the patina, that's what drives these crazy quests.

When I first got into large format the goal was detail but then I started to learn the history behind photography. This meant learning each major process and the hurdles the early masters had to over come especially when it comes to BIG! I love BIG. Big allows you step into the image to explore the image! what defines big in this sense of the word? Turning your head to see the rest of the image! However when it comes to large format, big is expensive! A good 4x5 will cost you $900 with a lens or two, an 8x10 with a good lens $1500 and an 11x14 $4000. So my thought (being low on funds) was to make a box camera on casters but what if you could get in it to change the film? Owning an art gallery, I need a cargo van so then everything fell into place.

I got the white windowless van which in the beginning was known as: the rape van, rapist van, molester van, abduction van, fuck truck, stabin cabin and my favorite, room with a view. So we gave it a funky paint job, some carpet, black out curtains, red lights and now it's a rolling dark room or brothel... I then added two pin holes in the sides. On the passenger side an f324 pinhole for media 24 inches and smaller. The drivers side is graced with an f928 pinhole that can create a 4 foot by ten foot image with exposure times in the hours. The next step were the lenses. I needed a huge image circle but on a tight budget so I found a large Fuji 305mm f5 aerial lens with an image circle was 24 inches. I mounted this lens on the side of the van. This led to a three week quest and I found a Berthelot 520mm f6.3 aerial lens on craigslist of all places. This lens dates back to WWII and was probably mounted on the bottom of a British Spitfire with a solid brass casing with no coatings. The next step was to figure out where to mount it.

The cardboard and tape black out any light leaks.

This is what it looks like inside the van when focusing. The image circle at infinity is 28 inches but portraits are considered macro photography with this camera and the image circle is now 70 inches with a beautifully shallow depth of field wide open. To help aim the camera, a video camera was installed just above then lens with a monitor on the dash.

Most of the media at this size is slow with speeds from iso 0 to iso 10 but sometimes I happen across large film so a curtain shutter from an old Graphlex Speed Graphic 4x5 fits over the lens nicely and offers some common speeds up to 500th of a second.

This is one of the first images shot with the Vamera on Harman Positive fb paper.

So far I've had excellent results with Harman FB positive paper, wet plate collodion on both glass and metal and ortho litho film. I would really like Harman to be sponsor.... Hint hint..

This is the first wetplate image I have shot with the Vamera of a corner store close to my house.

There are lots more images coming over the next few weeks so stay tuned. BTW this camera gets 19 mpg....