Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm F1.2 PRO Lens, for Micro Four Thirds Cameras

Product Information

Regulars to Cameralabs will know I’m very fond of putting together groups of prime lenses rather than relying on one or two zooms, and if you’re after shallow depth-of-field effects, this is definitely the way to go on Micro Four Thirds due to the sensor size. A great combo on a budget are the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f1.7 and the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f1.8, giving you a standard 50mm and short telephoto 90mm at an affordable price. If you have more to spend, consider adding a wider option with the Panasonic Leica DG 15mm f1.7 or the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.8, and if you love the standard 50mm length, you may want to swap the budget Lumix G 25mm f1.7 for something nicer like the Panasonic Leica DG 25mm f1.4 or one of the higher-end models. Speaking of which, those with much bigger budgets and higher expectations would be delighted with the Olympus triplet of f1.2 primes: the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.2 PRO, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25mm f1.2 PRO and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f1.2 PRO. If you’re not worried about having an all-Olympus f1.2 collection, remember the Panasonic Leica DG 42.5mm f1.2 Nocticron too which also has optical stabilisation.

The Leica Nocticron is a premium short telephoto lens for the Micro Four Thirds system with a 42.5mm focal length and bright f1.2 aperture. When mounted on a Panasonic or Olympus Micro Four Thirds body, it delivers equivalent coverage of 85mm, making it ideal for portrait work or capturing tighter views than a standard lens. The bright f1.2 focal ratio gathers twice as much light as f1.8, making it ideal in low light, while also delivering shallower depth of field effects, again perfect for portrait work.

Introduction

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. 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). Both lenses are vulnerable to flare and ghosting even though they feature a lens coating (Z Coating on the PRO lens and ZERO on the 45mm 1.8). It usually takes the form of a series of polygonal shapes or veiling flare, and occurs if you shoot directly into the sun. Flare with the M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.2 PRO (shot at f/2.8) Flare with the M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 (shot at f/5.6) Chromatic Aberration, Vignetting and Distortion In terms of light gathering power, the f1.2 focal ratio of the Nocticron should in theory gather twice as much light as a lens at f1.8. It’s important to put that to the test though as some designs don’t always deliver what you’d expect. For example while I haven’t tested the Voigtlander myself, I have seen reports describing its light gathering power as being closer to f1.1 when wide open. Yes, that's true. That's why mFT isn't my tool of choice, because I don't need the things it offers, like the pretentiously misleading F-numbers on small expensive lenses. Because I know what they are and what's their actual value.

Some mild chromatic aberration is present in images taken with both lenses up to around f/2.8 on the 45mm PRO and f/4 on the 45mm f/1.8 but it can be easily removed in post production. The 45mm 1.8 is completely usable at 1.8, but I’m surprised at how many people are saying it can compete with the new Olympus 1.2. I’m actually staggered at how ridiculously sharp the new lens is at 1.2 – a whole stop faster than the 1.8! I would normally say that it wouldn’t be a fair comparison to compare a 1.2 lens at 1.2 vs a cheaper lens at 1.8, but the 1.2 actually wins out at these apertures comparatively (you couldn’t say the same for a Canon 1.2 lens vs. a cheaper 1.4 lens for instance). You usually pay for that extra speed but the compromise has never been great results at 1.2 for sharpness traditionally. Let’s not forget that the difference between using a 1.2 lens and a 1.8 lens could be the difference between having to use the ISO which you find unacceptable and one that you do not – ISO 6400 vs. IS 3200 for instance. The Four Thirds sensors used in Olympus and Panasonic mirrorless cameras mean the field-of-view of all lenses is effectively reduced by two times compared to a full-frame system – so a 25mm lens will deliver a 50mm equivalent field-of-view. If you’re looking to compare depth-of-field with full frame, then you’ll also need to double the f-number – so a 25mm f1.4 lens will deliver images with coverage and depth-of-field equivalent to a 50mm f2.8 lens on full frame. In terms of exposure though, an f-number on one system is the same as on another – the difference here refers only to equivalent coverage and depth-of-field. A topic that cannot be forgotten is low-light performance. Since they both have a fast maximum aperture, they are incredibly useful for work in venues with poor lighting such as a church, wedding reception, concert hall or auditorium.

Main specifications

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. There's a single control button on the barrel, L-Fn, that can be set to perform different functions via your camera's menu. There's no integrated image stabilization, but both Olympus and Panasonic build that feature into Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. If budget isn’t an issue, there are many valid reasons to choose the new M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.2 PRO over the 45mm f/1.8.

You are not capable to appreciate high quality images, otherwise you wouldn't be asking stupid questions. You take your toy camera, shoot and stitch 6 images, process it wisely, put it on a big 40"+UHD screen and compare it with your regular snapshot. Currently, two manufacturers drive the platform forward. OM System carries the torch for the now-retired Olympus camera brand. Olympus is still around but is no longer in the camera business. You might still find products with Olympus logos on store shelves, but new releases all have OM System branding. There’s a generously-sized manual focusing ring that feels smooth and nicely damped in operation. I’d say it feels similar to the Summilux 25mm f1.4 and slightly better than the Olympus 45mm f1.8, but on my own set of sample lenses, the Olympus 75mm f1.8 focusing ring felt smoothest of all. Used in isolation you’re unlikely to notice the difference, but it is interesting to compare them side by side. I should note the focusing ring on my sample sometimes felt a little scratchy when pulling focus for video – it was rarely an issue for stills, but I could feel it from time to time when constantly turning the ring from unusual angles. The lens doesn't show any visible distortion, a plus for one with such a wide aperture. There is some dimness at corners when shooting wide open. We see a -1.2EV drop at f/1.2 and a -1.1EV deficit at f/1.4 when comparing the corners of an image with the center. Conclusions

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Beyond this, prices increase significantly as you enter the realm of professional zooms with higher quality, tougher build and brighter apertures. My favourite pair are the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f2.8 PRO (boasting a constant f2.8 aperture but without optical stabilisation), and the Panasonic Leica DG 50-200mm f2.8-4 (which sacrifices the constant aperture for a slightly longer range and a much smaller body for greater portability, and also includes optical stabilisation). Both lenses also make ideal pairings with the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 and Panasonic Leica DG 12-60mm f2.8-4 respectively. Both lenses perform admirably in terms of sharpness but there is no question that the 45mm PRO has a clear edge over the 45mm, particularly at the fastest apertures. This comes as no surprise given that the 45mm 1.2 belongs to the M.Zuiko PRO category of lenses and is four times as expensive as the 45mm 1.8 at the time of writing. Micro Four Thirds cameras use a different image sensor format than full-frame and APS-C cameras, so you need to do some math to match up focal lengths between the systems. Micro Four Thirds uses a 4:3 aspect ratio. Compared with the 3:2 aspect sensors of competing systems, these sensors don't translate as nicely to wide screens and are smaller in surface area. Olympus E-M5 Mark III With 12-200mm Lens It's an absolutely fantastic portrait lens that's also adept at day-to-day photography if you know how to use it. So while this is mainly one for the headshot hunters, it's more versatile than it seems –and if you want to try your hand at portraiture, it's such low price and great value that you can't really go wrong.