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

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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 Getting a perfect and crisp image this way can be challenging at times, but apart from the advantages of speed, the mere fun of waiting in a good hide-out or walking the streets with an “armed” camera is amazing. For me, this technique feels almost experimental, a bit like in Lomography. As a dedicated macro lens – indeed the first macro lens for Micro Four Thirds – the Panasonic Leica 45mm f2.8 boasts a closest focusing distance of 15cm allowing 1:1 reproduction. In contrast the Olympus 45mm f1.8’s closest focusing distance is a modest 0.5m, allowing just 0.11x magnification, or a reproduction that’s almost ten times smaller. You can see the difference in practice in my Olympus 45mm f1.8 macro results. Olympus PEN E-PL7 + Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 (1/2500 sec, f/1.8, ISO200) (Image credit: James Artaius) Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8: Performance 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.

Not very often I come accross a lens that's that good and that I have little or nothing to complain about. The optional lens hood I did not buy. Instead I bought a more affordable Chinese JCC copy. Apart from a tiny bit of a loose fit, it's just fine. Again, if this focal length is what you are looking for, I don't think that you'll be disappointed. So, let’s get down to business: Comparing the M.Zuiko and the Leica lenses. Let me start off by saying that this is my purely subjective experience and that I consciously avoid measuring values under laboratory conditions or talking excessively about technical data. I might work as a scientist, but as a photographer, it is my deepest belief that deciding for a lens is rather a matter of personal feelings than technical requirements, as you can easily deduce from my love for 70s glass. I often heard that wide-angle lenses have trouble delivering sharp images all the way to the very edges. With the M.Zuiko 17mm, I barely notice that, apart from really deep zooms while editing. But to be honest, I am not a pixel-counter. My philosophy is that it is much more important a picture is coherent in terms of content and design than technically perfect. Olympus ในระบบ m4/3 นั่นก็คือเลนส์ Olympus m.zuiko 45 f1.8 ครับ โดยเมื่อคูณแล้วจะเท่ากับระยะ 90 บนฟลูเฟลม เป็นเลนส์ระยะ portrait ราคาประหยัด ไปชมกันเลยดีกว่าครับ We've been asking manufacturers to make a proper portrait lens for as long as we can remember. APS-C may have become the de-facto standard sensor size, making up the majority of interchangeable camera sales, but you'd never know it to look at the lens ranges current available from most camera makers. There are very few prime lenses specifically intended for APS-C and fewer still that offer the classic combination of large aperture and the circa 100mm equivalent focal length that film users used to enjoy (though some people use 85s or less perfectly, 50s to give something around 135/85mm equivalent on APS-C).In the past I never used lenses pouches with my larger lenses, but with these smaller rangefinder like lenses, I put all my lenses into pouches before they go into my bag. This is one disappointment I have with Olympus which Panasonic is one step ahead with even their Leica lenses. Hood and Pouch should be included in the price of this. This technique allows you to be faster than any autofocus, which to me makes all the difference in street photography. Once you’ve pre-set your focus distance, you simply choose a good place where composition, distance and light are perfect. Now all you have to do is wait until something happens in front of your lens. As far as I know, the M.Zuiko is usually a bit cheaper than the Leica. But, it should also be mentioned that the Leica lens is designed by Leica in Germany but manufactured by Panasonic in Japan. If you are willing to pay that bit extra for the illustrious brand name and all it brings with it, this is the lens for you. In use the 45mm is an absolute pleasure. Its autofocus is extremely swift - at least as fast as any DSLR/50mm combination I can think of. Critical focus fine-tuning isn't quite as immediate as using an optical viewfinder and a lens with manual focus override, but the PEN Mini is intelligent enough to magnify the selected focus point if you turn focus ring. This 10x magnified view gives better precision than an APS-C viewfinder affords. And, of course, the Mini's choice of 35 AF points and Face Detection gives more control over AF positioning than most DSLRs allow. But what about the pictures? A nice but purely cosmetic touch is the ability to choose the colour of the foremost part of the lens housing to match the colour of the host body. Equally cosmetic is what Olympus calls a metal-like exterior design. The previously-reviewed 12mm has a genuinely metal-bodied construction but the 45mm is merely matched for appearance. Similarly, there are no distance and depth-of-field markings on the 45mm lens. Sample images

There is a light amount of chromatic aberration present in images shot at wide apertures - it's noticeable at ƒ/4 and below, mostly in the corners and only in areas of high contrast. The effect is magenta-blue fringing, and it's probably only visible by viewing 100% crops. By ƒ/5.6, the effect is almost negligible. The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column.To sum it up – I find it very difficult to name a clear favourite. What matters most to me is the pure joy of taking pictures and I get that from both lenses. However, if I had to choose one of the two lenses at gunpoint, the price might be the deciding factor. As noted earlier the wide, ridged focus ring is not mechanically coupled but works very much as if it was - except that it has no stops, hard or soft, at either end of the focus range, making it difficult to judge whether you've reached the close-focus point or the infinity setting. Otherwise it feels like a "proper" focus ring, with smooth action and no perceptible delays.

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 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.

Panasonic Lumix 42.5mm f1.7 vs Olympus 45mm f1.8

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).