20.6.2012

Many years ago, I used 85 or 105mm Nikkors as my main portrait lens. I started with the 105 but swapped it for a faster 85mm. Both performed exceptionally well but I later switched to Canon as I hated one specific Nikon model to which I had 'upgraded' and could no longer use my favourite lenses. I was recommended to the Tamron 90mm f2.5, which was also a macro lens, and kept it for many years and probably used it for at least one third of all the photos I took during the time that I had it. I only stopped using it when I eventually switched to a Hasselblad.Having taken to the micro four thirds format and Olympus, I was very interested to see the 45mm f1.8 announced,previewed and released as it acts as an effective 90mm lens when used with 35mm. I had previously added the Leica-designed and considerably more expensive Panasonic 45mm to my wish list but it is a slower lens and the price is rather high and prohibitive, but if theirs was of equivalent aperture, its price would be about five times that of this and about half as much again as its existing model. I have read several reviews of this Olympus lens, some using Olympus E-PL2/3 bodies and others with various Panny models. Every one was very positive and many of the reviewers had commented that it was an outstanding performer, even if used wide open or barely stopped down. Having seen examples of the lens' output, shot in many different environments and conditions, I removed the Leica lens from my list and added the Oly instead.Having ordered one in conjunction with Olympus' latest OM-D EM-5, a camera that offers a faster focussing ability than any previous Olympus model amongst several other improvements, I was curious to see just how quickly and reliably the lens/camera combination would focus in adverse lighting situations. In an unlit room with the curtains drawn and in a dark corner, it focussed on a variety of objects at differing distances 100% consistently and always almost immediately upon first pressure on the shutter button. In the worst situations, the focus assist LED came into play, but much of the time it was not needed. There was no hunting, an experience very familiar when using other lenses on my E-PL1 body and not only in very poor lighting.As the camera arrived only yesterday and the lens today, and some ordered accessories have yet to arrive, I have not yet put either to any real use or been able to examine the results carefully.Physically, the lens is diminutive and extremely light, the latter due to its mostly plastic body, which is quite normal for modern lenses of smaller dimensions. It isn't collapsible and does not need to be and the lens feels quite solid. The front element is set quite well forward and I would suggest that you add the relevant hood not only to shield it and help reduce flare but also as a physical barrier as the external lens barrel does not provide much protection from either. The lens is slightly unusual in that the front decorative ring needs to be removed in order to expose the bayonet attachment for the hood. The ring does nothing else and some may prefer to leave it off permanently and store it safely as it may otherwise be lost. Olympus appear keen on removable 'protectors', including that for the hot shoe on the older Pen bodies, but there are two such items on the EM-5 and both are very small and potentially easily lost.As prime lenses go, this must be up there with some of the best and it will certainly out-perform most zooms. As the lens is very usable wide open, it is an ideal portrait lens and will help isolate your subject from what may be a rather fussy background as well as its advantages in poor light. As it is not outrageously expensive and performs brilliantly according to its test reports, it should be considered as a 'must-have' addition. With one of the pancake lenses, 17, 20 or 25mm, and either the 40-150mm zoom or a longer one it would make an excellent basic MFT system for many users and one that could be expanded as needs or funds demand.Very highly recommended.

15.11.2011

This is a little gem. It's a tad pricey compared to APS-C lenses but at least the European price is the same as the US price so Europeans are not getting ripped off on this occasion. This is a surprisingly small and light lens - smaller and lighter than a 45mm or 50mm lens would be on APS-C. Used on Olympus PEN or the OM-D camera bodies you will get IBIS (in-body image stabilisation) but of course remember that there is no OIS on this lens, so on a Panasonic body, such as the GX1 or GH2, you get no image stabilisation with this lens. Build quality appears to be quite nice with a metal lens mount - the rest of the lens is a mix of metal and plastic materials but feels good and solid in the hand and in use.

21.4.2014

I tested this lens on a GX-7 body for a few days.Overall impressiions are mostly very positive.Optically the lens is strong, and with a very attractive price, it's a must have for micro 4/3 users giving you a good portrait lens with a fast aperture.Quick summary of the good and bad points:Pros:+ Optics are excellent, even at f1.8 wide open it's sharp and with good contrast. Stopping down improves the already good performance even more+ Very affordable, fast f1.8 aperture and lightweight/compact. Giving an equivalent of 90mm on a 35mm body a very useful focal length+ AF is fast and precise (on the body I tested it with) no complaints here+ Has a metal lens mount+ Distortion and CA are very well controlled,

19.8.2012

To describe this lens as diminutive is to make a serious understatement - it's tiny. If you're accustomed to "conventional" sized SLR lenses, you may find yourself unwrapping this lens for the first time, wondering how anything this small can possibly render good quality images. Then you'll fit it to your camera, and if you have anything half decent, prepare to be impressed...This lens is small, light and flawless. With my Panasonic DMC-GX1 the auto-focus speed simply trounces my Canon EOS 7D and any of my L-Series Lenses [and yes, I did side-by-side comparisons]. It's 90mm effective focal length and f1.8 aperture means that it's excellent with portraiture work, but don't stop there.

14.10.2011

Two reviews for the price of one!Experienced photographers:This lens is superb - focusing is very fast and accurate and the image quality wide-open is truly excellent. To put this in perspective I have a number of Canon L lenses for my full frame camera and only one of them doesn't visibly soften at max aperture, and that cost waaaay more than this cheeky little Olympus 45mm. The bokeh is smooth and milky and with a full frame equivalent field of view of 90mm it's an ideal portrait lens. It's about the same size as a PEN kit lens, a tad longer than the collapsed state. The only real negative - and it's fairly minor - is that flare can cause a general lack of contrast rather than localised flare

19.7.2013

Like many photographers I have been frustrated with digital cameras for their inability to produce significantly out-of-focus backgrounds with short to medium focal length lenses because of small sensor sizes and the modest max apertures on typical zoom lenses.This lens neatly solves the problem at the useful 90mm (35mm equiv) focal length; it makes a great portrait lens and is useful in other situations: its very small size and light weight makes it attractive on occasions when you don't want to carry heavy kit around.Performance is good: just slightly soft at the edges at full aperture (not a problem for most portrait use) and good sharpness across the field at f2.8. Will satisfy all but very picky users.

11.10.2014

Ordered this 45mm prime lens in response to favourable reviews here and also rather disappointing quality kit zoom lenses supplied with my recently purchased Lumix GX7.Firstly, out of the box what strikes you first is the size. This lens is really tiny, especially when you consider it's F1.8 maximum aperture and it is also very light. When the box arrived, I could not believe that it was heavy enough to contain the lens and thought it was the skylight filter that I had ordered at the same time but was delivered separately. It is also exquisitely made and a thing of real beauty, quality materials and construction and beautiful optics.The fit to my GX7 was tight and snug with not a hint of lateral rocking (more than can be said for the Lumix kit zooms,

9.12.2015

I purchased this for my Olympus EPL-6 camera - mainly because: (1) I wanted that prime lens look in my photos (shallow DOF, soft background etc) and (2) I desperately wanted a lens for low light - mainly indoors, without having to use flash, or having to use a high ISO setting. This lens fell just inside my budget.The lens does indeed render that beautiful shallow DOF to help you isolate your main subject from the background, at wider apertures....and it performs beautifully in low light. Even with a dim table lamp, I can set the aperture at f1.8 and still only use ISO-3200, or occasionally 6400 and take pictures hand held! No need to fiddle about with a flash and home-made plastic cup diffusers!

19.11.2013

First of all, i must say that i would not have bought this lens if it had been priced similar to the 17 mm 1.8. The reason is that for portrait photography at this range of focal length, it would in principle be possible to use an old 50 mm manual lens with an adapter, which is not the case for wide angle because a 17 mm lens for film camera would be a fisheye lens which, used on a mft cam, would not yield much of the properties such a lens had originally been designed for.Also, a similar aperture seems not to be available from third party manufacturers and if so, would probably not be less costly.Therefore,

19.7.2014

I have Olympus's 25mm f1.8 prime too, which is more expensive, but I think this 45mm version is sharper. Its also just as neatly built, compact and performs just as well in terms of fast and accurate focusing.The 45mm length (90mm in 35mm terms of course) is useful for more than you'd think. Perfect for portraits, it's also great for giving a different perspective on landscapes and cityscapes. I've used it at classic car shows and although it's more tricky to get shots in confined spaces, it's worth the effort to get that slight telephoto look with the extra isolation (i.e. shallower depth of field) you get because the lens is a bit longer.Sharpness is the outstanding feature of this lens though.

24.6.2015

The pair of m43 zoom lenses I have (Panasonic 14-45mm Mk1 & Panasonic 100-300mm) have convinced me that prime lenses are the way to go for me. Micro four thirds zooms just do not deliver the results that I feel I can reasonably expect for their price. So I've started buying primes, and this little gem is one of them.I've had a little time to get used to this lens and I absolutely adore it. It is superb and produces beautifully sharp images especially if stopped down to F1:2.8-3.5. Oddly enough, I find I use this lens mostly a fair bit for macro work, in conjunction with a 10mm extension tube and and it works very well, though I intend to splash out on the 60mm Olympus macro lens when funds permit.

4.3.2013

It's sharp as a tack, focusses quickly, fast as a whippet, weighs about the same as a feather and is as compact as only a very compact thing can be, so its love at first sight? Not quite as for some reason (greed? poor fiscal performance by the parent company?)Olympus charges a kings ransome for a plastic accessory lens hood. Even Nikon gives 'em away nowadays.Not only does the thing cost you but you've got to remove a funny little trim ring from the front of the lens to put it on. Most of us will then lose the trim ring and either have to pay Olympus another fortune to replace it - or do without.It's bad PR for a lens that is otherwise the dog's wedding tackle in its class.

21.6.2012

This is an outstanding portrait lens. The image quality is fantastic. Colours are beautiful, bokeh is mesmerizing. Focus is quick and quiet.It's sharp wide open. And if you want to use it at f/1.8 in bright daylight, I recommend getting a ND filter, either 4x or 8x.The lens is small and light. The exterior is all made of plastic. Not the hard plastic, but the soft plastic. Mine has suffered a few scratches on the body already. Even knocking against your camera body while changing lens gives you a chance to scratch the lens body. I don't have those problems with Panasonic lens. By the way, scratches look worse on silver compared to black.I also question the quality of the construction.

18.2.2014

The image quality of this lens is excellent: it is very sharp wide open and it renders out-of-focus areas beautifully.The auto-focus is fast.The built quality is good (not as high as the 17mm, for instance, but still absolutely fine).It is a really small lens, so it is easy to carry in your pocket for when you need it (it is a slight telephoto lens, so you are not likely to keep it on your camera as a general purpose lens; Olympus advertises it as a portrait lens - which it is very good for - but it has more uses (see below)).Assuming you already have a kit-zoom on your camera (which would typically cover the field of vision offered by this lens), this lens would allow you to do the following:(1)

25.1.2015

This lens is an excellent addition to any micro four thirds kit. You can regularly get it for about £180, and the quality is astounding. It is very sharp, even wide open, and takes excellent images. The lens is a similar size to the 14 - 42Rii kit lens, but weighs about twice as much. Although it is not a metal lens, it feels reassuringly solid. It is fast to focus, and can produce great blur with shallow depth of field.The focal length makes it an obvious choice for portraits. Some people prefer the 75mm for this, but for head and shoulders crops you'd need a very large room for adequate working distance. This is almost as good a lens (you can't get as wafer thin a depth of field as with the 75mm,

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 - Reviews

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