Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45 mm F1.8 Lens, Fast Fixed Focal Length, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Silver

Product Information

Lateral chromatic aberrations, typically seen as blue or purple fringes along contrasty edges, are very well controlled with this lens - the example below shows the worst-case scenario you are likely to encounter. Chromatic aberrations are kept well below levels that may become noticeable, in either large prints or harsh crops from the edges of the frame. At their worst, CA levels reach 0.45 pixel widths at f/22. This is another perfect lens for live performances where you can get closer to the action. Local venues are often quite dark so F/1.8 is perfect. And the fact that we get the equivalent depth of field of F/3.6 due to the crop factor makes it even better in these scenarios. It means you get more of the image in sharper focus. I prefer that compared to a razor thin sliver when someone is moving. You have a greater chance to actually keep your focus point in focus. I've used this lens extensively for professional assignments and private commissions, and it has come through every time. Obviously it's designed as a portrait lens, but I also find it great for street photography and reportage (which are typically the realm of 35mm equivalents).

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 Overview: Digital Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 Overview: Digital

Given the cloudy and partially rainy day, I couldn’t test the flare resistance capabilities of this lens. I especially wanted to see if some purple fringing would appear like on many other Micro Four Thirds lenses. I noticed some in low light with artificial light sources like in the picture shown below. DMC-G7, 1/50, f/ 1.7, ISO 1600 There's a lot of plastic in it, but I don't find that problematic. Time will tell if it's build to last. The lens is very light and small, and to me that is one of the things I like so much about micro 4/3. Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create. One of the seldom-discussed benefits of this particular lens for portraits is how it does NOT intimidate your subject.As falloff and distortion are corrected by the camera's image processing engine when shooting JPEGs, falloff and distortion will only be easily visible when shooting in RAW format.

Reasons Why I Love Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm F1.8 Lens Reasons Why I Love Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm F1.8 Lens

Note: the 42.5mm f/1.7 sample was a pre-production model but fully functional. It was available for people to try at the National Trust event held by Panasonic. Design and ease of use I am replacing my Pany 45-175 with this lens. I know both of different leagues, but even at pixel level this is so sharp, I better get objects (focused) cropped out of the image, besides I also got 100-300mm Pany. Is the Lumix 42.5mm f/1.7 the new affordable reference for MFT portrait photographers? Let’s find out! Olympus PEN E-PL7 + Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 (1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO200) (Image credit: James Artaius) Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8: Verdict The final point in its favour is the weather-sealing, which can come in handy if you frequently work outdoors and already use a professional weatherproof body such as the OM-D E-M1 II. The manual focus ring is also more pleasant to use.Also cool, is that on the PEN’s, you can have no only face detection AF, but eye detection, with the choice of which eye even. This compact telephoto prime lens weighs only 116g, which makes it a perfect companion for the lightweight Micro Four Thirds system, and this lens balances well on the Olympus E-PM1 used for testing. Much of the lens barrel is constructed from high quality plastics, with a smart metallic finish applied to them. The lens mount is made from metal, which should enhance the durability of the design. The build quality is good for a lens of this price. It manages to feel relatively solid, yet lightweight.

Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 45mm f/1.8 Review | Photography Blog

Focusing isn't simply fast - it's almost silent, too, courtesy of the Movie & Stills Compatible (MSC) technology employed. This is good news for videographers and anyone who's into unobtrusive and discreet photography.

Introduction

The autofocus is really fast with this lens at short and long distances. On Panasonic bodies like the new G7, I didn’t come across any flaws in either AF-S or AF-C. I briefly tested it on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 as well and I didn’t notice a decrease in performance. The AF motor is silent as well. Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Obviously it doesn't matter how a lens feels to use if the image quality is indifferent. From a technical point of view, I've been more than happy with the results I've been getting from the 45. Even at F1.8 it is sharp enough to give plenty of detail in subjects' eyes. Just as importantly, at sensible working distances, it gives a usefully shallow depth of field on the Four Thirds format and renders out-of-focus regions rather pleasantlyin the samples I've shot so far. Obviously all this will be covered in more detail in the forthcoming lens review but the noises coming from the testing studio are similarly positive.

Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 review | Digital Camera World

All my film shooting was done with slow-ish kit zooms so my first real experience of playing with depth-of-field came with a 50mm F1.8 on APS-C. It's a fun combination and one of the only really affordable ways to play around with the low-light and shallow depth of field capabilities of your first DSLR (it's no surprise that cheap 50s are sometimes seen as 'gateway' lenses, leading to addictive fast-glass buying habits).

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 Specifications

Finally, I haven't stated that we believe the manufacturers have responded to our requests (I'm sure if we're requesting it, plenty of other people are too, and I'd hope any company would pay more attention to their broader market research than just making what we recommended). If you work with children this lens is absolutely perfect. Soft dreamy bokeh, great colors, and it won’t distract your subject or be scary to hold over top of them. Child’s portrait To evaluate the real-life performance of the Lumix 42.5mm f1.7 lens, I shot this exterior scene at every aperture setting using an Olympus OMD EM1 mounted on a tripod. If you’re looking for the softest and most incredible bokeh, I’d say the big brother to this lens, the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro is the better choice. The shiny metal-like finish and rangefinder-esque aesthetics might lead you to believe that this is an all-metal lens. In reality, most of the exterior parts are made of plastic, but the lens still feels very nice to the touch.