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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In the two tables below you’ll see how the Lumix 42.5mm f1.7 compares against the Olympus 45mm f1.8, first in the middle of the frame, then in the corner. Note due to its slightly longer focal length, the Olympus is delivering a slightly tighter field of view and therefore resolving slightly finer details. The thing to look for in the comparisons below are the overall sharpness and contrast. That makes me remember the review I wrote for the Panasonic 20 1.7 a while ago where I put it up against the big monster Nikon D3s. The E-P2 and 20mm won that shootout but that was because I was shooting the D3s with the el-cheapo Nikon 50 1.8. Add that lens to a full frame camera like the D3s and you will get soft images and softer corners. These little cameras like the E-P3 and even the new TINY Panasonic GF3 will always give you pretty sharp corners and there are some fantastic strengths in this smaller sensor with that being one of them. The other strength and the most important one..is SIZE. I see it MORE AND MORE these days…people are dumping their DSLR’s for small cameras like the NEX system, or Micro 4/3 cameras. One reason why Nikon and Canon sales are DOWN this year and I predicted this over the last two years. I’m a working wedding photographer who needs weather sealing and super fast apertures, so the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro would be my first choice for work.

Olympus 45 1.8 Micro 4/3 Lens Review by Steve Huff The Olympus 45 1.8 Micro 4/3 Lens Review by Steve Huff

Falloff of illumination towards the corners is very well controlled, especially so for a fast aperture lens. At f/1.8 the corners are only 0.76 stops darker than the image centre and visually uniform illumination is achieved at f/2.8.Levels of distortion are also very low, as you might expect for a prime lens like this. Imatest managed to detect 0.215% barrel distortion, which will be very difficult to spot by eye, even with straight lines close to the edges of the frame. 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. I agree that Panasonic and Olympus are missing the boat here. They need to integrate the EVFs now! AND they need to market them better. The average person doesn’t even know these cameras exist! 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.

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

Portraiture is a popular genre regardless of the camera system in question and 85mm/90mm lenses (35mm format) have always given photographers the perfect field of view with which to work. As of late 2017, there are a number of Micro Four Thirds lenses that fall into this category but today we are comparing the oldest offering with the newest addition to the system. MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. The Olympus 45mm f1.8 is a surprisingly compact lens even for the Micro Four Thirds standard. Measuring 56mm in diameter, 46mm in length and weighing just 116g, it’s beaten only by pancake lenses on size and weight. Indeed it’s only 56mm at the rear end to support the standard Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Beyond the mount, the barrel tapers down to a narrower diameter for the rest of the lens. This thing really is tiny. Couple of things that I wish it had from it's sibling the 12mm F/2 is the snap focus feature (I think all Olympus lenses should have this feature now). But Olympus tried it's best to keep costs down so I respect that. However there is no excuse not to have a lens hood included and also a protective lens pouch.

Corner shading (vignetting) is minimal at the fastest apertures, and distortion is very well-controlled thanks to the auto-correction performed on the RAW files by Micro Four Thirds cameras. Colours The Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 is a lens that I never leave the house without. (No exaggeration; my everyday camera bag consists of an Olympus PEN E-P7, Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm Pancake, and an Olympus M.Zuiko 9mm Body Cap lens).

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f1.8 Digital Lens - Black Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f1.8 Digital Lens - Black

I know a lot of new parents that find photography as a way to capture and share their new life experiences. Lots of friends have suddenly gotten very interested in photography, even at a low level just to capture their day to day moments with their newborns. A large dslr doesn’t fit in a diaper bag and becomes one more burden to carry. An em10 or Pen-F, or especially the EPL7 or 8 become a perfect choice. Paired with the 45mm you have an amazing portrait setup with minimal size. It takes very little space at all and weighs virtually nothing compared to usual camera setups. And no iphone 7 portrait mode will yield the same results. Especially when it comes to control. Pair that with a 17mm or 12mm prime and you have a fantastic travel kit with pro level results. Live performanceOf course, the 45mm f/1.8 isn’t without its merits. Because it is so small and light, it is much easier to transport and can suit any Micro Four Thirds body in the range. It is also four times cheaper than the PRO lens, so unless you regularly shoot portraits and require the best quality Olympus has to offer, it (or its sibling within the Panasonic Lumix range) may prove a more tempting proposition. The fact is that Nikon and Canon have not made any kind of real effort just yet to get into this market because they probably do not want to destroy their SLR sales which in turn would make their lens sales drop. They had a good thing going for a while (and still do of course) but these little cameras have certainly put a dent into the big bulky SLR market. But is the difference in image quality that relevant? Is the 1Ev advantage in aperture that significant? While it has an effective focal length of 90mm, this is still a 45mm optic –so you get the same depth of field as you would with a 45mm f/1.8 lens on a full frame camera (or, alternatively, you get the same effective depth as you would at 90mm f/3.6 –but note that this phenomenon only extends to depth of field; the lens still gathers f/1.8 of light, so you don't lose any transmission).

f/1.7 vs. Olympus 45mm f/1.8 - MirrorLessons Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 vs. Olympus 45mm f/1.8 - MirrorLessons

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 So we were understandably delighted when Olympus announced a lens that fitted this definition almost perfectly. And still more encouraged when we discovered they were asking a fairly sensible amount of money for it. It doesn't have the 12mm F2's beautiful all-metal build and clever manual focus engineering but we'd much prefer a price tag that will see it end up in more people's kit bags. What about the faithful 50s? 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). 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.If you want a solid performing short telephoto for every day life, portraits, food, and general nature… this is the lens for you. Especially if you want to travel light or be inconspicuous. Paired to an EPL8 or Pen-F and a wide prime, this would be an excellent two lens travel kit that would often weigh less than your travel guide book! Quality is right up there with the big heavy gear for sure. This is little gem of a lens in my opinion. Can such a small lens like this deliver on image quality, and manage to compete with the best Micro Four Thirds lenses available in 2023?