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.

Olympus 45mm F/1.8 – The pocket portrait gem Olympus 45mm F/1.8 – The pocket portrait gem

It’s also worth noting that the performance of the two lenses can decrease on Lumix cameras because Panasonic’s DFD AF technology is not compatible with Olympus lenses. 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

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?

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

As seen in the photo above, the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 balances nicely on the E-PL2 camera body used for this test. Speaking of which it’s worth talking about the Panasonic 45mm f2.8 in more detail as it’s a model many will compare to the Olympus 45mm f1.8. Both share the same mount and focal length, so the main differences in optical specifications concern their aperture, closest focusing distances and stabilization. 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.

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 Sample Photos

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.

Olympus M.Zuiko Premium 45mm f/1.8 lens - Photo Review Olympus M.Zuiko Premium 45mm f/1.8 lens - Photo Review

With the lens wide open, you can see some light fall-off in the corners, but it is not very severe, and goes away almost completely upon stopping down to f/2.8. I found some traces of chromatic aberration at the fastest apertures in images with strong contrast like the picture below. It is present in both the JPG and Raw versions. However it is easily removable in Lightroom. DMC-G7, 1/4000, f/ 1.7, ISO 200 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

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This lens embodies what I love about the Micro Four Thirds system: compactness without sacrificing image quality. Like the Olympus 45mm before it, this is yet another lens that can find a place in any bag, big or small, and whose performance as a portrait lens won’t let you down. Since I also own the M.Zuiko version, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take some comparison shots to see if there was a relevant difference between the two. And while I was at it, I also took a few comparison shots with her majesty, the Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2. All important things to weigh-up, but arguably the most obvious difference between the two 45mm lenses is when you place them next to each other, as seen in the photo below. When it was released, the Panasonic Leica 45mm f2.8 was considered a fairly compact lens, but it now dwarfs the newer Olympus model. I’ve pictured them side-by-side below, and yes, I know I’ve left the transparent blue wrappings on the Olympus lens as requested by the supplier. Being small and fast means the camera is easy to work with, doesn’t get tiring to hold, and your subjects don’t pay attention to it. In fact it is very easy for the camera and lens to become virtually invisible. Good gear does that… but the larger the camera the harder to forget about its presence in your hands. This lens disappears. Maternity portrait with a touch of glow