Recently purchased the 17mm 1.8 for general street photography and love the depth of field scale. But if I could only purchase one lens and be stuck with it for MFT it would be the 45mm. It has this magic that you won't understand unless you have tried it yourself. Found it a little difficult for street photography at first but once you find out its strengths everything falls into place. I love the silver lens version. Plastic build but the silver version gives off the perception that your MTF system is more sophisticated than it looks. RIP David
Using such focal lengths for landscape and urban scenes is highly inventing. Thank you, David, for telling me yet another secret of the trade and teaching me how to be creative. For free. Or, in fact, for some serious money considering the price of this little beauty. Great review, anyhow.
They are very different lenses, the 25mm more general purpose, the 45 a short tele/ portrait lens so both would be better than one or the other. Both are razor sharp and though the 25mm is maybe a little sharper, at this level it hardly matters. The extra 1/2 stop of speed may be useful occasionally on the 25mm but the tiny size, weight and price of the 45 make it a bargain whereas the 25mm is simply worth the money. Buy them both is what I seem to be saying. I'm good at spending your money :-)
I agree, I have this 45mm and it is great. I tried taking shots out and about, at first it was difficult because I wasn't used to the long focal length. Then I got used to it and using my feet to zoom! ;-) Thanks for the very good review.
I just bought a used, pristine copy of this lens at my local photography shop for only €113,- ! Comes with a year warranty too. One use will be my daughters volleyball matches in dimly lid sports halls. Thanks for your review, David. RIP
At first I was thinking what a hard question this is. Then, no it was easy. For very little more than the cost of the 25mm you can have both the 20mm and the 45mm. It's hard to think of a better combination for the price. With those two and the 7-14 in your bag you are ideally kitted out for events and people stills. Add the 14-140 and you are equipped for almost any movie/still duties anyone could throw at you. Great combination, one to keep in mind- thanks for making me think about it.
Excellent review David. You've answered every conceivable question I can think of .. next step for me, buy the lens. Looking forward to more of your reviews.
Waiting for you to do a comparison this vs. The new panleica 42.5 f1.7. Also waiting for an Olympus 25mm f1.8. Review. Love your reviews.. You are practical.
Thanks for the excellent Video, David. I have a EPL 1 with kit 14-42 mm lens. It is nice but does not work that good in low light and does not take good portrait. Do you think it will be a good replacement for my kit lens for all round performance?
I see what you mean now. Difficult one, that. You'd need to try lots of different lenses via an adaptor in a camera shop, maybe? Difficult - but fun finding out. Some of the older 50/55mm f1.4 film 'standard' lenses might be a good place to start.
great video thank u. i picked up a new GH4 today with this Lens instead of the Panasonic one and from the few shots i have taken off my dogs and my mum, so far im absolutely in love with both the lens and the camera, what a fantastic combination. your video really helped me decide on which lens to go for so thank u ever so much
Trip Tamine I'm glad the video was helpful. The big Panasonic is a great lens but for most photographers (including me) the Olympus 45mm does the job just as well.
David Thorpe Can i just ask, im new to all this and just picking things up. Im going to be traveling the Middle East for the next few months and I leave London in a week and i wanna take as many pictures and videos as i can as i am planning on putting a book together (for myself). Would i be ok to go with only my 45mm lens or should i be thinking of buying another lens? Im thinking i will be taking a lot of close up shots which this lens is great for from what i have seen so far, but what about scenery shots? Any good cheap lenses i should look in to ? Thank u so much for the help
Trip Tamine I don't think the 45mm would be enough on its own. Good as it is, it isn't best suited to general scene work, or landscape. The very best lens for travel would be the Panasonic 14-140mm which covers most every focal length you would use, is sharp and is blisteringly fast focusing with the GH4. It's £500, though. It's less expensive in the long term because you'll be likely to keep it for years. To spend less money, the Panasonic 12-32mm is an ideal companion for the 45mm, nice and wide and very sharp and the 45 nicely complements it at the long end, about £300 or the 14-42 Panasonic zoom at £179. The prices I'm quoting are at SRS cameras in Watford. My choice would be 1-14-140, 2-12-32, 3-14-42 or the reverse order if I had limited cash available for the purchase. None of those lenses will disappoint you. Have a good trip!
wow amazing, thank you so much thats great, haha I live in Watford too, well Rickmansworth to be exact but close. Thanks a lot ill pop into Watford town tomorrow and see what i can find. i appreciate your help
Thanks for another great review David. I plan on adding this one to my present 12-35mm and 35-100mm I have now. A local dealer has a great price on it too. Enjoy your productions!! Dale
Yes - for this lens, the hood is a must. Not mentioning protection or better contrast... but without it, the lens just looks hilarious. :) I bought the 25 1.8 as my first lens, but to my surprise, I found the field of view too wide for my use (mostly street and landscape). So the 45 will certainly be my next purchase. Thanks for the great review, as always!
Thanks, Michael. I've never been that fond of 25mm myself, either too wide or too long depending on what I'm doing. For landscape I use the 45mm a lot, it gives a really pleasing and natural perspective,
You're welcome, O.T. I loved Vienna. Went with my daughter and she's been back twice since. Great food, we went to the opera and many bars and the famous ferris wheel, of course. Good food, too. And the beer, of course! Beautiful city.
Hi i m looking forward to buy this lens for panasonic lumix g80. But this lens has no stablisation. Will g80stabilisation work with this lens? Thanks Regards Priyanka
Thx David, I bought this lens after watching yr review. I got a black coloured version and it looks smick on my GH5, and it talks to the GH5 like a native lens! Performance is as you say, sublime. I'm still gobsmacked that I've bought a lens with such grand optics with a hood, lens cap, UV filter and the original box, for $160 on eBay, but I do as you suggested, I won't tell Olympus! Big Cheers 🤠🎥👍
Arsene Knows Best There's a ring at the front of the lens which you have to take off. It's a bayonet fitting. Then you replace that ring with the lens hood. It's an odd arrangement but I suppose if you don't use a hood it is neater than leaving the bayonet ffitting exposed.
Hi David, I originally this video quite a while back and intended to look into this lens further. I finally got around to getting one last week when some birthday money came in. I gave it its first test over the weekend and I have to say it was a real treat with the GX7. I thinking it's sharper than most of my full frame Canon lenses yet it's so tiny. It took me about half an hour to figure out how to put the lens hood on so maybe I should have rewatched this video first! As you say it's worth far more than the asking price (shhhh ...). Thanks once again for some sound advice.
jkennan It's simple to do but hard to work out first time, that lens hood fitting. You naturally expect it to just bayonet or screw on. This lens is the one lens in MFT that I'd advise anyone to buy without even bothering to try it. I talk too much, though - as you imply, if Olympus read too much of this they'll up the price.
hi, i just bought tis lens.. just wanna know.. is tis lens adjustable?? coz the time i try, it seems can b adjust.. n now.. when i used it, it cant adjust.. btw, i'm using omd
While I'm watching and enjoying your video (as I always do), the courier knocked at my door bringing me this lens. I hope I like it since you praised it in some of your videos. My first Olympus. Gutted no hood in the box!
Hi Matt - I'm confident you'll like this lens, nothing to dislike, really. You can pay four times the price and the little Olympus is just as sharp. The hood, I couldn't agree more, pathetic. You can get cheap ones on Amazon - the Olympus ones are a silly price. And a hood is hood, after all.
Thanks for another comprehensive review. I intend to buy the new Panasonic GH3 with the G X Vario 12-35mm zoom, which, given the outlay, will have to do me for quite a while, I also have an Olympus 35mm 2.8 from my film days . Probably the next lens I'd like to get would be a wide prime. Any suggestions for what produces beautiful bokeh? If there is nothing in the m43 range at a mid-price level available, I would certainly consider a used manual lens with adapter from a different manufacturer.
Any ideas on the best camera bag for Olympus Pen and two four thirds zoom lenses + filters + batteries and few other bits. I thought the Lowepro Messenger 100 might be okay?
Clive Ellis That looks ideal to me. I haven't tried one, of course but I do like Lowepro's products. Good design, tough and not pricey. I sound like an advocate but I'm not!
+Clive Ellis I have a ThinkTank Mirrorless Mover 20. It does a nice job of holding my EM-10 with a lens attached plus two more, along with spare batteries, cards, filters.
With the 45mm and the other two lenses you have what I'd see as an almost perfect lens set. Even though the focal length is duplicated by the 35-100, the 45mm is a very different lens and a great choice. Glad you like the vids!
When using this lens with the GH3, are there occasions where you really feel the absence of image stabilization? What is the threshold shutter speed for this lens where you would say things get too shaky without a tripod?
I tend to use the lens at f2 or f2.8 which means I miss stabilzation less than I might otherwise. In general I'd prefer not to use the lens under about 1/50th second for reliable results when shooting indoors, for example. But f2 and ISO 1600 cover most eventualities. None the less, stabilisation would extend the possibilities and if Olympus produced one with it, I'd buy it. As it is, I use it mostly on my GX7 these days - which has stabilization - so I'm obviously telling myself something there!
David Thorpe Thank you for the exhaustive reply. Very much appreciated! I think I'll give it a go and buy this lens for my GH3. Shallow depth of field is one of the main factors I'm after, so chances are I'll use it with open apertures a lot, hopefully minimizing the need for stabilization. BTW, may I just say, your channel is one hell of a great source of valuable information. Thank you for doing this!
I just placed an order for this lens (and hood). Everyone has praised this lens and when the black variant was on sale... my resistance was overthrown, so to say Perfect fit for my #GX7 .
Ilja Sara Funny you should say that because I have been sorely tempted to get the black version. There was only the silver one when I got mine. I surprise even myself that I should care about such a thing but I do like equipment to look nice as well as perform well.
Yeah. Funny indeed. I should not care about the looks, but performance. I was about to buy silver version eventually, but the awailability of black version (on sale) forced me to buy it a bit sooner than planned.
You'd want keep the kit lens which is very versatile with its wide angle to short telephoto capabilities. The 45mm would be an ideal additional lens for portraits and low light conditions but of course it is not as versatile as the zoom. You'd find it useful in many situations as well as portraits.
Yes, I misunderstood then. They seem to be pretty similar in performance and it doesn't make particular sense to pay for IS when you have it in the camera body. I've only used the Olympus lens once and it didn't feel as solid as the Panasonic but then it is cheaper. Horses for courses, as usual with photographic equipment and t's good to have the choice.
Thanks for the recommendation!! David. This looks like a great lens! If I only plan to bring one lens for my trip to Italy. Will you suggest to bring this one over my Panny 1.4/f2.5 and Panny 14-42? Thank you for your time!
What lens would you recommend for a Videographer shooting mainly video? The reason why I ask this question is I've noticed that many alternative lenses for the GH2 such as the Voigtlander 17.5mm F/0.95 and Olympus 45mm F2 don't have image stabilization like the Panasonic 14-42mm & 14-140mm Kit lenses. If I do opt for non image stabilizing lens would a steady cam by Merlin Make up for it 100%
I would definitely want stabiization on a video lens and I would go for the 14-140mm. That lens will cover all normal requirements in one and is good quality. The Voightlander or Olymous would be nice to have for limiting depth of field and ultra low light situations but as a supplement to the 14-140. I'm not a video expert but stuff like the Merlin is expensive and unwieldy. You'd need to have a definite use in mind to justify buying it. The stabilization on the newer Panasonic lenses is superb, by the way.
Thank you for you advice, I have the 14-42mm Panasonic Kit lens I'm using now. I don't like the zoom function on it because it judders while zooming and not smooth. What is the difference in lens quality between the 14.42mm & 14-140mm Panasonic Zoom lenses. Do you use manual or auto focus on your GH2 camera? I find manual focusing more reliable when shooting video and find that the auto focus keeps on shifting focus (FOCUS HUNTING). Another major problem I have is Aperture shifting while zooming. This changes a perfectly exposed shot and makes it under exposed...
Thanks fr the kind words! The tripod is a Manfrotto 709B. They don't make this particular one any more but they have the Pixi which is the same thing. Amazon have them here amzn.to/2dnUZ55 (UK) and here amzn.to/2db2G9x (USA).
i have 60mm sigma and need an all purpose lens(architecture and landscape) would you recommend panasonic 14mm 2.5 olympus 25mm 1.8 olympus 45mm 1.8 or olympus 17mm 1.8
+ni nun Although I rate the 17mm, I use it largely for out and about and street photography. For landscape and architecture, the extra angle of the 14 would be best. You might want to add a 25mm at some point to fill in the gap and make a classic primes set.
+devilslostlove999 No, I don't think it would. You have the speed in the 25mm and the portrait length in the 60mm. I'd probably go for a wide angle in preference. Or, otherwise sell the 60mm but you'd only gain the speed since the Sigma is just as sharp an any other lens out there.
I haven't used a 50mm, mainly 200 and 300 Nikkors but as it wasn't designed for digital it would likely show more purple fringing than ideal. The image quality of the older lenses is rather than nice, more 'plastic', somehow but they won't be as sharp as purpose designed Micro Four Thirds lenses. In the end , an MFT 45mm or so will give better results and you have all the auto facilities on top. On the other hand, if you already have some lenses, adapters are cheap enough and better than selling the lenses for a few quid.
It is, Bruno. The price, even at full retail from Olympus, makes it a bargain. I bought mine early on and have never seriously thought to replace it, much as I liked the Panasonic Nocticron. Compact, super sharp and bargain priced, it's Micro Four Thirds at its best/
Sold! Got a good deal used (as new) for £109, which is what I spent for the other two lenses you recommended me ☺ With my 12-32mm and slow 35-100mm I feel like I have the ideal compact set for travelling light, cheers.
How does this compare to the Sigma 60mm 2.8? I was thinking of getting the Sigma as it's half the price (120GBP or under) and it very sharp in lens tests. Also I currently don't have a telephoto. But is 60mm too much for portraits, especially indoors?
For indoors, I think the 45mm would be a bit more wieldy and the extra speed would be useful too. Both are very sharp lenses so no worries there. But as a telephoto the 60mm has a useful bit of extra reach. On balance I'd prefer the 45mm, probably cheaper in the long term because it's not a lens that anyone would get rid of once they'd bought it.
Nice to hear you mention the often overlooked natural perspective achieved by lenses in this focal length range. I used my Canon FD 85/1.8 extensively for landscapes back in the film days for just this reason. What you capture is an excellent proportional representation of what your eyes actually see, minus the out of focus peripheral vision. A back-and-forth naked eye/viewfinder comparison will confirm this if you block out the peripheral vision using your hands. Any opinion on how much image quality I might gain over the Panasonic 14-45/3.5-5.6 at this focal length?
The Olympus performance at f1.8 is similar to the zoom's performance at f5,6 (wide open). The Olympus just goes on getting sharper until by f4 it is beyond sharp. In practical terms, the Olympus is more than sharp enough right across the frame for landscapes by f2.8. This is one of the few times that I'd say, yes there is enough gain to make the prime worthwhile. However, stop the zoom down to f8 and it is very sharp right across the frame, not matching the prime but good enough for any but the most critical. With the perspective, you often hear people talking about wide-angles being best. Actually, I have many landscapes made on telephoto lenses. I agree completely, this angle of view gives a lovely natural rendering of a landscape and is always my first port of call when looking at a scene.
David Thorpe Helpful David - thanks. In the two weeks I've had my Panasonic GX7 I'm finding that I don't much like the results from MFT above ISO 200, so I do think I'll invest in a couple of fast primes. One more comment on perspective. I've also found that it takes something in the super-wide 20mm range (35mm equiv.) to achieve a full human peripheral vision look to a shot, but of course everything then seems farther away. I'm going to try some panorama experiments at 80-90mm (MFT 40-45) to see if that will achieve some good combination of both. Finally, I have my fingers crossed that either Panasonic or Olympus will produce a reasonably priced 10mm 2.8/3.5 soon. That would be my "walking around" lens of choice.
Patrick Fitzgerald A 2.8 prime of 20mm equivalent would be a handy lens to have. The 45mm might give some interesting panorama shots shot upright, too.
Olympus are one of my favourite lense makers, i've got an old M Zuiko 50mm OM lense. Great review, i agree with you about shooting landscapes with this as it doesn't stretch the subject as much as standard wide lenses. i may pick up another Olympus lense for my GH4 at some point.
Yes, short teles are good for landscapes. They make you see differently and I like you I like the more natural perspective. Some of the old film lenses are starting to go up in price now, I see. A new lease of life for them with mirrorless cameras.
David Thorpe Yes I definitely agree - DSLR movie makers I think are almost replicating what the big Hollywood movie makers are doing, where they sometimes make a movie with main lenses and then they use a certain lense just for one or two scenes as it adds something unique to the drama. Although its cheaper for the DSLR movie maker to do that (but prices are going up as you mentioned.) in Hollywood movies it probably costs a country mile to do the same thing as they have been doing.
I read somewhere that Stanley Kubrick hs a lens specially made so that he could film a scene by candlelight. Serious money, that one. I wonder where the lesn is now?
I am a beginner and on a budget. I need the uses of the 45mm but also do a bit of macro photography, and cannot afford both this and the 60mm macro lens from olympus. Do you feel I am better off buying the 45mm and do the macro photography with that itself? Do I need to buy the macro converter MCON-P02 or -P01 if I choose to live only with the 45mm lens? Thanks and regds David. (P.S. - Amazing video and words. So much more than being merely informative)
+Niladri Haldar Thanks! The 60mm functions very well indeed as a general purpose lens so would be the best bet overall if you want to do macro and other things. Otherwise, the 45mm plus one or more macro extension rings would fit the bill. Yo'd lose auto operation but that's not so important with most macro shots. Extension rings are cheap, by the way. I'd avoid converters that fit on the front of the lens, they always comprise sharpness too much. Get back to me if I've missed something.
+Niladri Haldar No, an extension ring simply fits between the lens and body and sets the lens further away from the body (and thus sensor) so that it will focus more closely. Extension rings usually come in sets for different reproduction ratios. The point about an extension rig is that it does not affect the optical properties of the lens. Converters come in two flavours, those that fit between lens and body and those that fit on the front of the lens. Both add extra glass elements to the lens and will degrade its native optical performance. With rear fitting converters you can get very good - and therefore expensive - ones which minimize optical degradation. They are mostly tele-converters and therefore of less use for macro purposes. The front fitting ones tend to degrade performance heavily and unless you have no choice, are best avoided. They are generally know as close-up lenses.
David Thorpe Ah thanks a lot for the explanation, really. Will do the necessary research and purchase likewise. Hopefully I'll purchase the rear fitting extension tubes/rings as you suggested, thanks again! Regds
Hello David. I just bought a gh4, my first camera without any lens. I bought a samyang 21mm vcsc t1.5. But they will take long to deliver, do you know if Wex is reliable? I intend to use gh4 to learn filmmaking. Is this 45mm good for cinema then? Many thanks
+Jeff He Hi Jeff I've used Wex a lot and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. The 45mm if good for the GH4 but no more so than any other lens. I'd always recommend the 14-140mm Panasonic zoom as basic lens for movie. It covers most bases all in one and you have that wide focal range without lens changes plus excellent stabilization for hand held work. You have plenty of speed in the Samyang for low light. The 45mm would be good provided you have a definite use for a short tele. It can be a bit restrictive, otherwise. If you do definitely want a 45mm, don't forget the Panasonic 42.5 f/1.7 which comes fully stabilized.
David Thorpe Thanks for your advice David, I LOVE the GH4. I am happy with the samyang 21mm so far, my only lens. What would you say I go next? I know there are samyang 50mm and 12mm designed for m43. Im inclined to get the 12mm as i feel it is more useful for filming indoors as well as landscape outdoors? but it is a T2.2, dont know how good it will be indoors. And also the photographic version of the 12mm cost about 80 pounds less on amazon compared to the cine version. how much of a difference would it make when it comes to short films for an aspiring filmmaker? great content by the way, look forward to more from your channel :)
+Jeff He Thanks for the kind words, Jeff. The Samyang 12mms f2.2 and f/2 are the same optically but the cine lens comes with stepless aperture and focus gearing for a video rig. So optically, no difference. Unless you contemplate buying a rig, I'd go or the photo lens. The 14mm looks nice, too if you didn't want such a wide angle but 12mm is more useful for stills as well.
Great review as always. I have Oly 14-150 MkII, and a 17mm/1.8 as my travel "kit" (EPL1 body + P02 MacroConverter)). I also have a 25mm/1.8 Oly prime. Struggling with deciding whether I should get this 45/1.8. I like travelling LIGHT. I'm not a Pro, just an amateur who enjoys travel photog with architecture and interior museums. No sport photog. Thanks for any advice you can give.
David Thorpe I've just picked up a JJC replacement hood on eBay for £7.99... all the way from China. I do hope it comes soon, but I may be looking at a few weeks at least.
Hi Xander - they are very different lenses, If you want a general purpose long lens, the 35-100 is much more versatile. The 45mm is better if you want to do portraiture with shallow depth of field. Overall, if it was to be my only lens longer than the kit zoom, I'd opt for the 35-100. Both lenses are very sharp.
Would be even better if you can compare it to the 14-150 mm Olympus. I got the olympus just 2 days and taken less than 50 pictures, but I think its great. Price difference + the fact that I got IS in body made the choice easy for me.
This review helped me even many years afte it was published. A shop for photo equipment filed for bancrupcy two weeks ago and had a big 70 % off all sale. Got this neauty for ca. 75 GBP... I didn't plan on it, but couldn't say no at that price :D
IMHO this is one of the great MFT lenses. One of the great "affordable" lenses of the MFT system. It is symbolic of MFT. Small, but perfectly formed, super image quality, usability, bokeh etc. The hood is another matter but nowadays you can get one 3D printed to your own specification so even that tiny thing is no longer an issue.
Nothing I could disagree with there, Simon. It was the first extra lens I bought and I must have had it 7 years now. It does exactly what it should in a truly tiny package and I can't see how anything could better it.
I'd say the 45 should be perfect for your purposes. It'll take a while to get used to shooting with the narrower angle but well worth the time spent. That lens and the 20mm are all many photographers would need, really. But no matter what lenses you buy in time, I bet you never get rid of the 45mm.
might be unfair question but I blew getting a used Olympus 25m 1.8 for $230 so now I'm kicking my self. I found the Olympus 45mm for same price, much of my reason is to get better low light performance indoors shooting video and stills usually in furniture showrooms with GH4. I like the 25 for the wide angle especially for video interviews when I'm both shooter and interviewer. Nonetheless I believe I need f 1.8 to improve on my panasonic 14-45 mm 3.5. - 5.6 I also have a 45-200 panny 4.5 - 5.6. Any thoughts, other than pouch and lens hood which I can't believe I have to buy. : )
For interviews and interiors, I'd have thought a 25mm would be perfect. 45mm is a bit restrictive for general purposes indoors though perfect for talking heads and product shots. I'd take a look at the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 if I were you. Good price, great lens and ,ike the Olympus you can happily use it wide open. Buying a hood and pouch, I know, crazy! What next, a charge for the box? :-)
Thanks to your review I bought one yesterday and was out with it today. It's as terrific as you say it is! I also thought the silver version quite ugly, but the black one looks rather cute on the GH4, with the JJC lens hood. By the way, will you do a review of the 75mm f1.8? I'm trying to choose between it and the 35-100 Panasonic - I do have the 14-140 II already.
Zvi Meniker I'm with you on the colour - black is much nicer. I'd love to try more Olympus equipment in general but I'm afraid they have no time for minnows like me. Zoom or 75mm, that's a hard choice, Zvi. Given that you have the 14-140, I'd be inclined to go for the 75mm as something completely Different. The one lens I reckon everyone should have is the 45mm f1.8 - it's a lot cheaper, too!
David Thorpe Decisions, decisions... after all, I WOULD like to have the 100-300mm as well - I like to use long-range zooms... By the way, the 45mm works quite well even at fairly low shutter speeds. Even at 1/30 you can get decent sharpness if you hold the camera right and use breath control, at 1/60 and 1/80 there is no trouble at all. That's with the GH4 which has no stabilization.
Another wonderful review. I'm planning on getting the GH4 shortly and am trying to decide on which lenses to get. Watching your review of the Nocticron made me aware of this lens. While in theory I can afford the Nocticron, I'm not sure I can JUSTIFY buying it. This seems like a great alternative, but how much should the lack of image stabilization be a factor in deciding whether to get this lens for the GH4? Are the differences really worth the difference in price?
With a fast lens like this you'd usually be able to get a shutter speed over 1/90th at which speed you don't really need stabilization. The Nocticron is a gorgeous lens but expensive. You may find the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 worth looking at. Stabilized and superb sharpness. Is the Nocticron worth it? It's how you look at it, really. It is about as good as a lens of its type could be with no compromises made to get it down to a price. At f/2 and lower it is simply stellar in performance. The 45mm Olympus is just(!) pin sharp. You'd need to make big, big prints to see any difference. I think the Nocticron is worth every penny of its money if you will regularly use that f/1.2 aperture and having the very best means something to you. I'd guess that you feel the same as me, that having the very best is nice but not a big motivation. I could afford the Nocticron, like you, and I've used one extensively. I wouldn't buy one though, because the Olympus, or the Panasonic if you prefer to have stabilization are not just good enough, they are more than good enough.
Hi David, you’re right the separation this tiny lens provides is exceptional, I’ve recently shot video Portrait/ interviews using this lens. The results are jaw dropping considering the meagre $$$ in cost on eBay. So I’m keen to ask you is there another lens for the mft that would sit alongside the Olympus 45mm f1.8? (Aside I’ve bought the sigma 18/35 f1.8 and it looks nice but it cost 3 times as much plus requires metabones too). Cheers Moz 🤠🎥👍
The Olympus 75mm f1.8 is superb. So is the Panasonic/ Leica 25mm f/1.4. Both exceptional. All the Micro Four Thirds primes are good, actually but there's no other one such a bargain as the Olympus 45mm. The Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 is exceptional value too.
Hi David, watching this review makes me want to buy this lens but I am not sure if i'd use this focal length much, i am not a pro, only use my camera to take photos on holidays, birthdays etc. I have a E-PM2 body and 14-42 kit, panasonic 45-175 and a couple of primes 14mm f2.5 and 17mm f1.8 that I use when I need better speed like darkly lit restaurants etc. For the 45mm focal length I use my telephoto lens which has a max aperture of f4 and feels sharp enough for portraits but of course not as much background separation as this lens. What do you think? Is it worth investing in if I get a good deal?
I'd say it is. The 45 is over 2 stops faster than your zoom and gives you sharpness and speed of the highest order. Coupled with the 17mm f1.8 you have as good and compact a low light outfit as anyone could ask for. I often go out with just these two lenses just for the pleasure of using them. And you'd love the shallow depth of field effect you can get with the 45mm at f2. If the lens cost a lot more than it does it'd be different but even at the asking price it's the best bargain around. If you can get a deal.... If there's one lens that every MFT photographer should have, this is it.
David, I am highly considering getting this lens but I find it hard to convince myself that the 45mm focal length will be practical for everyday use as a wide aperture prime. What do you think?
SamuelBarnes No, I don't think a 45mm is suitable for everyday general purpose use because it's angle of view is too narrow. Excellent for portraits and many landscapes but too long for general everyday purposes. I prefer 17mm (I use the 17mm f1.8 Olympus) but many people prefer a 20 or 25mm. All of those come in wide apertures and there is not a bad one amongst them. I'd probably avoid the 20mm f1.7 Panasonic purely because the focus is not up to the latest standards.
David, is there a reason why you've never done an Olympus 75mm f1.8 review? I'll look forward to it if it's on the cards, but it seems conspicuously absent from the current line up. Cheers :-)
@@DavidThorpeMFT Picked mine up today, initial impressions are that it's smaller than I expected from the photos, all metal, feels good quality, silky drive-by-wire focus ring that I can't stop trying to use as a zoom, and as sharp as my eyes can resolve. I'll be using it in dim conditions soon but still looking forward to hearing your witty take on it, if you ever do. :-)
I have this lens and an Olympus OM-D E-M5. This lens is amazing for stills. Super fast focus, delightful bokeh and super sharp. It is a must have for stills. But I have a problem that I wonder if any of you guys experienced as well. This is an MSC lens, which means it has very silent auto-focus for video, which it does, but when using this lens for video on moving subjects with Continuous-Auto Focus (C-AF), the lens focus hunts a lot and the results ends up not good, due to the constant focusing and defocusing. I don't have the same issue when using C-AF with the kit lens (12-50mm), which behave great with very little focus hunting. Does anyone have the same problem, or know how to avoid this issue with this lens?
Fabio Alves Rodrigues I don't have an Olympus body to hand but it's not a problem I have with any of my Panasonic bodes. Anyone had a similar experience?
David Thorpe Thanks for the reply David. Based in your comment, and the fact the kit lens I have work just fine with my E-M5 for video, I wonder if the copy of the lens I have might have any defect. Maybe I should try and contact Olympus.
hi again love the video, i m looking a macro lens micro 4/3, mostly for shooting some videos of closely for my lumix GM5, i really like this lens, do you think that the versatility that this one has cool help me or you recomend other brand and lens model, if you have some suggestions let me know your top picks ok, thanks again for taking your time and answering the fans questions my friend XD
+CubeToys Thanks for the kind words! For a macro lens, the 60mm f/2.8 Olympus is the best there is and will double as a portrait lens too, Very sharp! Macro means 1:1, really close, so if you are sure that's what you want a macro is necessary. This 45mm will focus closely enough to photograph a rose, say but that's it. Answering what questions I can is very enjoyable for me!
hi again i check your review on the olympus 60 mm 2.8f you told me an let me tell you it looks awesome, i think that will be my choice of work, thanks my friend for your helpme with that, in other matters, i m looking for a better camera than my gm5 lumix, i had it for a long time and i want to renew it with one that i could add my shotgun mic. as i have a some 4/3 lens will be wise to get one that use those optics, with 1080p or even better 4k capabilities, could you give me some advices on that and your top pics so i could check them out and see which one will be the best suited for me, again thanks for helping me with your answers, so far you had been extremely helpful, and your videos are so easy to wacth even for non english speakers as myself XD
+CubeToys The most affordable Panasonic camera with 4K and an external mic input is the G7. It's a bit of a bargain, actually. The GX8 would qualify too and would stabilize the macro lens for stills _but not for video_. In terms of image quality, all the Micro Four Thirds are pretty similar, with the GX8 having a higher mixel count.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Roxanne. It's an ugly little lens to my eyes. However, I bought it when it first came out several years and it has been in constant use since then. I have used other lenses of the same focal length, some at 5x the price but never once thought of swapping it. so there must be something I like about it! Actually, the 45mm is probably the archetypal Micro Four Thirds lens in my estimation. Small, light, razor sharp and selling at a bargain price.
Do you plan to try the new Panasonic 42.5 f1.7? It has received good reviews so far, but I tend to prefer reviewers who don't get lost in charts, insane tests with no real-life value etc etc. Looking forward to a comparison from you!
One of my favorite David Thorpe videos. Yes I bought this lens. May he Rest In Peace.
Glad to see i'm not the only one going back to David's video's. 😊
I am really happy that David gave us video gems like this. They're so soothing to listen to!
🙏 I find therapy in his voice and talk about lenses.
I love this video, and it's testamant to David that I'm still watching it all these years after his sad passing - and, it sintered me to buy the lens.
your channel is my #1 source of everything about micro four third cameras
+albati Muteb A remark like that makes my day! Thanks so much, Albati.
Recently purchased the 17mm 1.8 for general street photography and love the depth of field scale. But if I could only purchase one lens and be stuck with it for MFT it would be the 45mm. It has this magic that you won't understand unless you have tried it yourself. Found it a little difficult for street photography at first but once you find out its strengths everything falls into place. I love the silver lens version. Plastic build but the silver version gives off the perception that your MTF system is more sophisticated than it looks. RIP David
Using such focal lengths for landscape and urban scenes is highly inventing. Thank you, David, for telling me yet another secret of the trade and teaching me how to be creative. For free. Or, in fact, for some serious money considering the price of this little beauty.
Great review, anyhow.
MrVoayer I guess it's not cheap in absolute terms but for a lens of its performance it is a serious bargain.
They are very different lenses, the 25mm more general purpose, the 45 a short tele/ portrait lens so both would be better than one or the other. Both are razor sharp and though the 25mm is maybe a little sharper, at this level it hardly matters. The extra 1/2 stop of speed may be useful occasionally on the 25mm but the tiny size, weight and price of the 45 make it a bargain whereas the 25mm is simply worth the money. Buy them both is what I seem to be saying. I'm good at spending your money :-)
Thank you, David! I have this lens in hand now and I love it.
Great to hear, Alan. I've had mine for many years and never thought of swapping it for anything else.
Thanks for putting up very practical reviews and I love your sense of humor. Cheers!
Much appreciated and thanks!
Just purchased this lens David, thank you for the review. Very much appreciated. Happy New Year
You're welcome, Thomas - Happy New Year to you too!
I agree, I have this 45mm and it is great. I tried taking shots out and about, at first it was difficult because I wasn't used to the long focal length. Then I got used to it and using my feet to zoom! ;-) Thanks for the very good review.
Thanks! Your request is in hand and should be up in a couple of weeks,
As a recent purchaser of a Panasonic G7, I am getting quickly educated with your videos, Mr. Thorpe. Thanks very much for the crash course!
+Dowdy Dowd Glad to hear that! and glad you like the videos too. Plenty to learn n the G7, eh?
David Thorpe TONS, and I feel like I haven't scratched the surface. Thanks for the dry, Brit wit and all-around know how! You're now my go-to source.
+Dowdy Dowd Thanks Dowdy :-)
I just bought a used, pristine copy of this lens at my local photography shop for only €113,- ! Comes with a year warranty too. One use will be my daughters volleyball matches in dimly lid sports halls.
Thanks for your review, David. RIP
At first I was thinking what a hard question this is. Then, no it was easy. For very little more than the cost of the 25mm you can have both the 20mm and the 45mm. It's hard to think of a better combination for the price. With those two and the 7-14 in your bag you are ideally kitted out for events and people stills. Add the 14-140 and you are equipped for almost any movie/still duties anyone could throw at you. Great combination, one to keep in mind- thanks for making me think about it.
Excellent review David. You've answered every conceivable question I can think of .. next step for me, buy the lens. Looking forward to more of your reviews.
Waiting for you to do a comparison this vs. The new panleica 42.5 f1.7.
Also waiting for an Olympus 25mm f1.8. Review.
Love your reviews.. You are practical.
Picked up this lens in mint condition for $200 about a month ago and it's been great. This video helped me make that decision. Thanks!
Glad it helped, Gardamis - I've had mine nearly since I started using Micro Four Thirds and never seen any reason to change it.
Thanks for the excellent Video, David. I have a EPL 1 with kit 14-42 mm lens. It is nice but does not work that good in low light and does not take good portrait. Do you think it will be a good replacement for my kit lens for all round performance?
I see what you mean now. Difficult one, that. You'd need to try lots of different lenses via an adaptor in a camera shop, maybe?
Difficult - but fun finding out. Some of the older 50/55mm f1.4 film 'standard' lenses might be a good place to start.
Glad you enjoyed it. Out and about, it gives a nice natural perspective to my eyes.
great video thank u. i picked up a new GH4 today with this Lens instead of the Panasonic one and from the few shots i have taken off my dogs and my mum, so far im absolutely in love with both the lens and the camera, what a fantastic combination. your video really helped me decide on which lens to go for so thank u ever so much
Trip Tamine I'm glad the video was helpful. The big Panasonic is a great lens but for most photographers (including me) the Olympus 45mm does the job just as well.
David Thorpe Can i just ask, im new to all this and just picking things up. Im going to be traveling the Middle East for the next few months and I leave London in a week and i wanna take as many pictures and videos as i can as i am planning on putting a book together (for myself). Would i be ok to go with only my 45mm lens or should i be thinking of buying another lens? Im thinking i will be taking a lot of close up shots which this lens is great for from what i have seen so far, but what about scenery shots? Any good cheap lenses i should look in to ? Thank u so much for the help
Trip Tamine I don't think the 45mm would be enough on its own. Good as it is, it isn't best suited to general scene work, or landscape. The very best lens for travel would be the Panasonic 14-140mm which covers most every focal length you would use, is sharp and is blisteringly fast focusing with the GH4. It's £500, though. It's less expensive in the long term because you'll be likely to keep it for years.
To spend less money, the Panasonic 12-32mm is an ideal companion for the 45mm, nice and wide and very sharp and the 45 nicely complements it at the long end, about £300 or the 14-42 Panasonic zoom at £179. The prices I'm quoting are at SRS cameras in Watford. My choice would be 1-14-140, 2-12-32, 3-14-42 or the reverse order if I had limited cash available for the purchase. None of those lenses will disappoint you. Have a good trip!
wow amazing, thank you so much thats great, haha I live in Watford too, well Rickmansworth to be exact but close. Thanks a lot ill pop into Watford town tomorrow and see what i can find. i appreciate your help
Trip Tamine Give my regards to Chris Harland when you're there.
Thanks for another great review David. I plan on adding this one to my present 12-35mm and 35-100mm I have now. A local dealer has a great price on it too. Enjoy your productions!! Dale
Yes - for this lens, the hood is a must. Not mentioning protection or better contrast... but without it, the lens just looks hilarious. :)
I bought the 25 1.8 as my first lens, but to my surprise, I found the field of view too wide for my use (mostly street and landscape). So the 45 will certainly be my next purchase.
Thanks for the great review, as always!
Thanks, Michael. I've never been that fond of 25mm myself, either too wide or too long depending on what I'm doing. For landscape I use the 45mm a lot, it gives a really pleasing and natural perspective,
thank you for your Videos....and you have been to Vienna 👍
I hope you liked it
You're welcome, O.T. I loved Vienna. Went with my daughter and she's been back twice since. Great food, we went to the opera and many bars and the famous ferris wheel, of course. Good food, too. And the beer, of course! Beautiful city.
Hi i m looking forward to buy this lens for panasonic lumix g80. But this lens has no stablisation. Will g80stabilisation work with this lens?
Thanks
Regards
Priyanka
Hi Priyanka - yes, the G80 stabilization will work very well with this lens. A very nice combination, in fact.
Thx David, I bought this lens after watching yr review. I got a black coloured version and it looks smick on my GH5, and it talks to the GH5 like a native lens! Performance is as you say, sublime. I'm still gobsmacked that I've bought a lens with such grand optics with a hood, lens cap, UV filter and the original box, for $160 on eBay, but I do as you suggested, I won't tell Olympus! Big Cheers 🤠🎥👍
A little secret between us ;-)
Arsene Knows Best There's a ring at the front of the lens which you have to take off. It's a bayonet fitting. Then you replace that ring with the lens hood. It's an odd arrangement but I suppose if you don't use a hood it is neater than leaving the bayonet ffitting exposed.
Thanks for reviewing. How do you think Panasonic Lumix G Micro 4/3 LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm f/1.4 Leica Aspherical Lens comparing to this one?
Hi David, I originally this video quite a while back and intended to look into this lens further. I finally got around to getting one last week when some birthday money came in.
I gave it its first test over the weekend and I have to say it was a real treat with the GX7. I thinking it's sharper than most of my full frame Canon lenses yet it's so tiny.
It took me about half an hour to figure out how to put the lens hood on so maybe I should have rewatched this video first!
As you say it's worth far more than the asking price (shhhh ...).
Thanks once again for some sound advice.
jkennan It's simple to do but hard to work out first time, that lens hood fitting. You naturally expect it to just bayonet or screw on.
This lens is the one lens in MFT that I'd advise anyone to buy without even bothering to try it. I talk too much, though - as you imply, if Olympus read too much of this they'll up the price.
hi, i just bought tis lens.. just wanna know.. is tis lens adjustable?? coz the time i try, it seems can b adjust.. n now.. when i used it, it cant adjust.. btw, i'm using omd
While I'm watching and enjoying your video (as I always do), the courier knocked at my door bringing me this lens. I hope I like it since you praised it in some of your videos.
My first Olympus. Gutted no hood in the box!
Hi Matt - I'm confident you'll like this lens, nothing to dislike, really. You can pay four times the price and the little Olympus is just as sharp. The hood, I couldn't agree more, pathetic. You can get cheap ones on Amazon - the Olympus ones are a silly price. And a hood is hood, after all.
Thanks for another comprehensive review. I intend to buy the new Panasonic GH3 with the G X Vario 12-35mm zoom, which, given the outlay, will have to do me for quite a while, I also have an Olympus 35mm 2.8 from my film days . Probably the next lens I'd like to get would be a wide prime. Any suggestions for what produces beautiful bokeh? If there is nothing in the m43 range at a mid-price level available, I would certainly consider a used manual lens with adapter from a different manufacturer.
Any ideas on the best camera bag for Olympus Pen and two four thirds zoom lenses + filters + batteries and few other bits. I thought the Lowepro Messenger 100 might be okay?
Clive Ellis That looks ideal to me. I haven't tried one, of course but I do like Lowepro's products. Good design, tough and not pricey. I sound like an advocate but I'm not!
Thanks
+Clive Ellis I have a ThinkTank Mirrorless Mover 20. It does a nice job of holding my EM-10 with a lens attached plus two more, along with spare batteries, cards, filters.
With the 45mm and the other two lenses you have what I'd see as an almost perfect lens set. Even though the focal length is duplicated by the 35-100, the 45mm is a very different lens and a great choice. Glad you like the vids!
Nice. Thanks.
I've just come across this lens recently and I haven't found a single bad word on it.
Insta-buy!
+Bruce Kennedy Exactly - one of MFT's true bargains.
+David Thorpe Yep, I bought one yesterday as a "first treat" for my G7 - can't wait!
+Bruce Kennedy Enjoy!
When using this lens with the GH3, are there occasions where you really feel the absence of image stabilization? What is the threshold shutter speed for this lens where you would say things get too shaky without a tripod?
I tend to use the lens at f2 or f2.8 which means I miss stabilzation less than I might otherwise. In general I'd prefer not to use the lens under about 1/50th second for reliable results when shooting indoors, for example. But f2 and ISO 1600 cover most eventualities.
None the less, stabilisation would extend the possibilities and if Olympus produced one with it, I'd buy it. As it is, I use it mostly on my GX7 these days - which has stabilization - so I'm obviously telling myself something there!
David Thorpe Thank you for the exhaustive reply. Very much appreciated! I think I'll give it a go and buy this lens for my GH3. Shallow depth of field is one of the main factors I'm after, so chances are I'll use it with open apertures a lot, hopefully minimizing the need for stabilization. BTW, may I just say, your channel is one hell of a great source of valuable information. Thank you for doing this!
I just placed an order for this lens (and hood).
Everyone has praised this lens and when the black variant was on sale... my resistance was overthrown, so to say
Perfect fit for my #GX7 .
Ilja Sara Funny you should say that because I have been sorely tempted to get the black version. There was only the silver one when I got mine. I surprise even myself that I should care about such a thing but I do like equipment to look nice as well as perform well.
Yeah. Funny indeed. I should not care about the looks, but performance. I was about to buy silver version eventually, but the awailability of black version (on sale) forced me to buy it a bit sooner than planned.
David Thorpe £161 on Amazon at moment total bargain
leacol36 It's worth twice that.
again thanks u so much for your help and taking the time of ready this message and help the comunity my friend
+CubeToys My pleasure - thanks!
My lumix gx1 has no in body stabilization, does that mean I will have to stop drinking coffee to use this lense?
Brian Cullen I'm afraid it does. Replace it with alcohol. That way your hand doesn't shake until the next day :-)
Glad you liked it!
You'd want keep the kit lens which is very versatile with its wide angle to short telephoto capabilities. The 45mm would be an ideal additional lens for portraits and low light conditions but of course it is not as versatile as the zoom. You'd find it useful in many situations as well as portraits.
can this be used on a Nikon V1?
Yes, I misunderstood then. They seem to be pretty similar in performance and it doesn't make particular sense to pay for IS when you have it in the camera body.
I've only used the Olympus lens once and it didn't feel as solid as the Panasonic but then it is cheaper.
Horses for courses, as usual with photographic equipment and t's good to have the choice.
Thanks for the recommendation!! David. This looks like a great lens! If I only plan to bring one lens for my trip to Italy. Will you suggest to bring this one over my Panny 1.4/f2.5 and Panny 14-42? Thank you for your time!
Albert Yang I have such trouble getting hold of anything that I often end up buying it! I'll see what ic an do, though.
David, I loved your ENDING COMMENTS.
OvuOO STUDIO Thanks - Olympus haven't cottoned on yet!
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yasutaka.japan ?
Love all your reviews.... Watched some just to listen to you.... I am hoping you make a review on the Olympus 75mm 1.8 too
Thanks! I'll see if I can get hold of a 75mm. Olympus aren't helpful.
What lens would you recommend for a Videographer shooting mainly video? The reason why I ask this question is I've noticed that many alternative lenses for the GH2 such as the Voigtlander 17.5mm F/0.95 and Olympus 45mm F2 don't have image stabilization like the Panasonic 14-42mm & 14-140mm Kit lenses. If I do opt for non image stabilizing lens would a steady cam by Merlin Make up for it 100%
I would definitely want stabiization on a video lens and I would go for the 14-140mm. That lens will cover all normal requirements in one and is good quality. The Voightlander or Olymous would be nice to have for limiting depth of field and ultra low light situations but as a supplement to the 14-140.
I'm not a video expert but stuff like the Merlin is expensive and unwieldy. You'd need to have a definite use in mind to justify buying it. The stabilization on the newer Panasonic lenses is superb, by the way.
Thank you for you advice, I have the 14-42mm Panasonic Kit lens I'm using now. I don't like the zoom function on it because it judders while zooming and not smooth. What is the difference in lens quality between the 14.42mm & 14-140mm Panasonic Zoom lenses. Do you use manual or auto focus on your GH2 camera? I find manual focusing more reliable when shooting video and find that the auto focus keeps on shifting focus (FOCUS HUNTING). Another major problem I have is Aperture shifting while zooming. This changes a perfectly exposed shot and makes it under exposed...
What is the tabletop tripod seen at 4:23 in this video?
P.S. Your reviews are excellent, sir! I appreciate them very much.
Thanks fr the kind words! The tripod is a Manfrotto 709B. They don't make this particular one any more but they have the Pixi which is the same thing. Amazon have them here amzn.to/2dnUZ55 (UK) and here amzn.to/2db2G9x (USA).
Thank you!
Just bought one off ebay for under £150 pounds and catched this review shortly after.
Needless to say I really can't wait until it gets here!
+iElori You'll love it. One of the lenses that defines the MFT ethos. You can pay more but not van's buy better.
David Thorpe Thank you for the reply and the excellent review as per usual!
I love this lens too. Just ordered a hood for it.
I bought the cheapie hood - and excellent it is!
i have 60mm sigma and need an all purpose lens(architecture and landscape) would you recommend panasonic 14mm 2.5 olympus 25mm 1.8 olympus 45mm 1.8 or olympus 17mm 1.8
+ni nun Although I rate the 17mm, I use it largely for out and about and street photography. For landscape and architecture, the extra angle of the 14 would be best. You might want to add a 25mm at some point to fill in the gap and make a classic primes set.
Keep doing reviews like this, and they'll have to start sending you goods to review, very well done!
I have an Olympus 25mm f1.8 and a Sigma 60mm f2.8 lenses. Will it still make sense to buy the 45mm as well ?
+devilslostlove999 No, I don't think it would. You have the speed in the 25mm and the portrait length in the 60mm. I'd probably go for a wide angle in preference. Or, otherwise sell the 60mm but you'd only gain the speed since the Sigma is just as sharp an any other lens out there.
David, have you used an older 50mm f1.4 manual lens with an adapter on a MFT body? I wonder how they would compare in quality and experience.
I haven't used a 50mm, mainly 200 and 300 Nikkors but as it wasn't designed for digital it would likely show more purple fringing than ideal. The image quality of the older lenses is rather than nice, more 'plastic', somehow but they won't be as sharp as purpose designed Micro Four Thirds lenses. In the end , an MFT 45mm or so will give better results and you have all the auto facilities on top. On the other hand, if you already have some lenses, adapters are cheap enough and better than selling the lenses for a few quid.
My only regret is not buying it sooner! It was my 8th lens for M43 (should have been the 1st!). An absolutely GEM!
It is, Bruno. The price, even at full retail from Olympus, makes it a bargain. I bought mine early on and have never seriously thought to replace it, much as I liked the Panasonic Nocticron. Compact, super sharp and bargain priced, it's Micro Four Thirds at its best/
@@DavidThorpeMFT I agree! And thanks for the nice review. Always a pleasure to watch your videos/reviews.
Cheers from Portugal!
Sold! Got a good deal used (as new) for £109, which is what I spent for the other two lenses you recommended me ☺ With my 12-32mm and slow 35-100mm I feel like I have the ideal compact set for travelling light, cheers.
Good price that - the lens is already a bargain at regular price. Yes, an excellent travel outfit.
hi. may i ask for advice on whether to get this oly lens over the pana 35-100mm? i have the pana 12-32mm and pana 20mm already. thanks!:)
Great video David ... this lens is a real gem.
Thanks! Yes, an enduring favourite with me.
Love your videos. I would like to see a review from you on the Panasonic 14-140. Thanks
How does this compare to the Sigma 60mm 2.8? I was thinking of getting the Sigma as it's half the price (120GBP or under) and it very sharp in lens tests. Also I currently don't have a telephoto. But is 60mm too much for portraits, especially indoors?
For indoors, I think the 45mm would be a bit more wieldy and the extra speed would be useful too. Both are very sharp lenses so no worries there.
But as a telephoto the 60mm has a useful bit of extra reach. On balance I'd prefer the 45mm, probably cheaper in the long term because it's not a lens that anyone would get rid of once they'd bought it.
Nice to hear you mention the often overlooked natural perspective achieved by lenses in this focal length range. I used my Canon FD 85/1.8 extensively for landscapes back in the film days for just this reason. What you capture is an excellent proportional representation of what your eyes actually see, minus the out of focus peripheral vision. A back-and-forth naked eye/viewfinder comparison will confirm this if you block out the peripheral vision using your hands. Any opinion on how much image quality I might gain over the Panasonic 14-45/3.5-5.6 at this focal length?
The Olympus performance at f1.8 is similar to the zoom's performance at f5,6 (wide open). The Olympus just goes on getting sharper until by f4 it is beyond sharp. In practical terms, the Olympus is more than sharp enough right across the frame for landscapes by f2.8. This is one of the few times that I'd say, yes there is enough gain to make the prime worthwhile. However, stop the zoom down to f8 and it is very sharp right across the frame, not matching the prime but good enough for any but the most critical.
With the perspective, you often hear people talking about wide-angles being best. Actually, I have many landscapes made on telephoto lenses. I agree completely, this angle of view gives a lovely natural rendering of a landscape and is always my first port of call when looking at a scene.
David Thorpe Helpful David - thanks. In the two weeks I've had my Panasonic GX7 I'm finding that I don't much like the results from MFT above ISO 200, so I do think I'll invest in a couple of fast primes. One more comment on perspective. I've also found that it takes something in the super-wide 20mm range (35mm equiv.) to achieve a full human peripheral vision look to a shot, but of course everything then seems farther away. I'm going to try some panorama experiments at 80-90mm (MFT 40-45) to see if that will achieve some good combination of both. Finally, I have my fingers crossed that either Panasonic or Olympus will produce a reasonably priced 10mm 2.8/3.5 soon. That would be my "walking around" lens of choice.
Patrick Fitzgerald A 2.8 prime of 20mm equivalent would be a handy lens to have. The 45mm might give some interesting panorama shots shot upright, too.
Olympus are one of my favourite lense makers, i've got an old M Zuiko 50mm OM lense. Great review, i agree with you about shooting landscapes with this as it doesn't stretch the subject as much as standard wide lenses. i may pick up another Olympus lense for my GH4 at some point.
Yes, short teles are good for landscapes. They make you see differently and I like you I like the more natural perspective. Some of the old film lenses are starting to go up in price now, I see. A new lease of life for them with mirrorless cameras.
David Thorpe Yes I definitely agree - DSLR movie makers I think are almost replicating what the big Hollywood movie makers are doing, where they sometimes make a movie with main lenses and then they use a certain lense just for one or two scenes as it adds something unique to the drama. Although its cheaper for the DSLR movie maker to do that (but prices are going up as you mentioned.) in Hollywood movies it probably costs a country mile to do the same thing as they have been doing.
I read somewhere that Stanley Kubrick hs a lens specially made so that he could film a scene by candlelight. Serious money, that one. I wonder where the lesn is now?
Fascinating story, thanks! I wonder if NASA still have the lens?
Me too.
I am a beginner and on a budget. I need the uses of the 45mm but also do a bit of macro photography, and cannot afford both this and the 60mm macro lens from olympus. Do you feel I am better off buying the 45mm and do the macro photography with that itself? Do I need to buy the macro converter MCON-P02 or -P01 if I choose to live only with the 45mm lens?
Thanks and regds David.
(P.S. - Amazing video and words. So much more than being merely informative)
+Niladri Haldar Thanks! The 60mm functions very well indeed as a general purpose lens so would be the best bet overall if you want to do macro and other things. Otherwise, the 45mm plus one or more macro extension rings would fit the bill. Yo'd lose auto operation but that's not so important with most macro shots. Extension rings are cheap, by the way. I'd avoid converters that fit on the front of the lens, they always comprise sharpness too much.
Get back to me if I've missed something.
David Thorpe I am confused between what is an extension ring and what is a converter. Aren't they the same thing?
+Niladri Haldar No, an extension ring simply fits between the lens and body and sets the lens further away from the body (and thus sensor) so that it will focus more closely. Extension rings usually come in sets for different reproduction ratios. The point about an extension rig is that it does not affect the optical properties of the lens.
Converters come in two flavours, those that fit between lens and body and those that fit on the front of the lens. Both add extra glass elements to the lens and will degrade its native optical performance.
With rear fitting converters you can get very good - and therefore expensive - ones which minimize optical degradation. They are mostly tele-converters and therefore of less use for macro purposes.
The front fitting ones tend to degrade performance heavily and unless you have no choice, are best avoided. They are generally know as close-up lenses.
David Thorpe Ah thanks a lot for the explanation, really. Will do the necessary research and purchase likewise. Hopefully I'll purchase the rear fitting extension tubes/rings as you suggested, thanks again!
Regds
+Niladri Haldar Glad to help, Niladri. It's not often that the better option is the cheaper one too :-)
Hello David. I just bought a gh4, my first camera without any lens. I bought a samyang 21mm vcsc t1.5. But they will take long to deliver, do you know if Wex is reliable? I intend to use gh4 to learn filmmaking. Is this 45mm good for cinema then? Many thanks
+Jeff He Hi Jeff I've used Wex a lot and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. The 45mm if good for the GH4 but no more so than any other lens. I'd always recommend the 14-140mm Panasonic zoom as basic lens for movie. It covers most bases all in one and you have that wide focal range without lens changes plus excellent stabilization for hand held work. You have plenty of speed in the Samyang for low light. The 45mm would be good provided you have a definite use for a short tele. It can be a bit restrictive, otherwise. If you do definitely want a 45mm, don't forget the Panasonic 42.5 f/1.7 which comes fully stabilized.
David Thorpe Thanks for your advice David, I LOVE the GH4. I am happy with the samyang 21mm so far, my only lens. What would you say I go next? I know there are samyang 50mm and 12mm designed for m43. Im inclined to get the 12mm as i feel it is more useful for filming indoors as well as landscape outdoors? but it is a T2.2, dont know how good it will be indoors. And also the photographic version of the 12mm cost about 80 pounds less on amazon compared to the cine version. how much of a difference would it make when it comes to short films for an aspiring filmmaker? great content by the way, look forward to more from your channel :)
+Jeff He Thanks for the kind words, Jeff. The Samyang 12mms f2.2 and f/2 are the same optically but the cine lens comes with stepless aperture and focus gearing for a video rig. So optically, no difference. Unless you contemplate buying a rig, I'd go or the photo lens. The 14mm looks nice, too if you didn't want such a wide angle but 12mm is more useful for stills as well.
Great review as always. I have Oly 14-150 MkII, and a 17mm/1.8 as my travel "kit" (EPL1 body + P02 MacroConverter)). I also have a 25mm/1.8 Oly prime. Struggling with deciding whether I should get this 45/1.8. I like travelling LIGHT. I'm not a Pro, just an amateur who enjoys travel photog with architecture and interior museums. No sport photog. Thanks for any advice you can give.
So I pulled the trigger on this 45mm lens. Local reseller. $250 CAD.
Looking forward to using it for family and more. (-:
Which lens hood should I purchase for this lens?
I use a JJC replacement from Amazon, less than £13. JJC must thank their lucky stars for Olympus's stupid lens hood policy.
David Thorpe
I've just picked up a JJC replacement hood on eBay for £7.99... all the way from China. I do hope it comes soon, but I may be looking at a few weeks at least.
hi. which one would you recommend: this lens or the panasonic 35-100mm f4-5.6? thanks!
Hi Xander - they are very different lenses, If you want a general purpose long lens, the 35-100 is much more versatile. The 45mm is better if you want to do portraiture with shallow depth of field. Overall, if it was to be my only lens longer than the kit zoom, I'd opt for the 35-100. Both lenses are very sharp.
Excellent video, well reviewed. Thanks for uploading.
+Jamie G Thanks, Jamie!
Would be even better if you can compare it to the 14-150 mm Olympus. I got the olympus just 2 days and taken less than 50 pictures, but I think its great. Price difference + the fact that I got IS in body made the choice easy for me.
This review helped me even many years afte it was published. A shop for photo equipment filed for bancrupcy two weeks ago and had a big 70 % off all sale. Got this neauty for ca. 75 GBP... I didn't plan on it, but couldn't say no at that price :D
I already have one but I'd have bought that one at £75 regardless. It's a real bargain even at list price.
Thanks - I wish I could do more but I can only review the gear I pay for and own. That does mean that I know it all well, of course.
I am going to buy this lens based on your review .. great review.
Thanks Roy.
IMHO this is one of the great MFT lenses. One of the great "affordable" lenses of the MFT system. It is symbolic of MFT. Small, but perfectly formed, super image quality, usability, bokeh etc. The hood is another matter but nowadays you can get one 3D printed to your own specification so even that tiny thing is no longer an issue.
Nothing I could disagree with there, Simon. It was the first extra lens I bought and I must have had it 7 years now. It does exactly what it should in a truly tiny package and I can't see how anything could better it.
I'd say the 45 should be perfect for your purposes. It'll take a while to get used to shooting with the narrower angle but well worth the time spent.
That lens and the 20mm are all many photographers would need, really. But no matter what lenses you buy in time, I bet you never get rid of the 45mm.
Really relaxed reviews. Keep 'm going.
Lemme tell ya, the 12mm F2 is BEYOND amazing... the color, clarity and sharpness are incredible. It's worth the money.... hoping this is too!
This one certainly is - it's a bargain, in fact.
I am checking out Ebay. Thanks David!
might be unfair question but I blew getting a used Olympus 25m 1.8 for $230 so now I'm kicking my self. I found the Olympus 45mm for same price, much of my reason is to get better low light performance indoors shooting video and stills usually in furniture showrooms with GH4. I like the 25 for the wide angle especially for video interviews when I'm both shooter and interviewer. Nonetheless I believe I need f 1.8 to improve on my panasonic 14-45 mm 3.5. - 5.6 I also have a 45-200 panny 4.5 - 5.6. Any thoughts, other than pouch and lens hood which I can't believe I have to buy. : )
For interviews and interiors, I'd have thought a 25mm would be perfect. 45mm is a bit restrictive for general purposes indoors though perfect for talking heads and product shots. I'd take a look at the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 if I were you. Good price, great lens and ,ike the Olympus you can happily use it wide open.
Buying a hood and pouch, I know, crazy! What next, a charge for the box? :-)
Thanks to your review I bought one yesterday and was out with it today. It's as terrific as you say it is! I also thought the silver version quite ugly, but the black one looks rather cute on the GH4, with the JJC lens hood. By the way, will you do a review of the 75mm f1.8? I'm trying to choose between it and the 35-100 Panasonic - I do have the 14-140 II already.
Zvi Meniker I'm with you on the colour - black is much nicer. I'd love to try more Olympus equipment in general but I'm afraid they have no time for minnows like me. Zoom or 75mm, that's a hard choice, Zvi. Given that you have the 14-140, I'd be inclined to go for the 75mm as something completely Different. The one lens I reckon everyone should have is the 45mm f1.8 - it's a lot cheaper, too!
David Thorpe Decisions, decisions... after all, I WOULD like to have the 100-300mm as well - I like to use long-range zooms... By the way, the 45mm works quite well even at fairly low shutter speeds. Even at 1/30 you can get decent sharpness if you hold the camera right and use breath control, at 1/60 and 1/80 there is no trouble at all. That's with the GH4 which has no stabilization.
Nice. Looking forward to it.
Another wonderful review. I'm planning on getting the GH4 shortly and am trying to decide on which lenses to get. Watching your review of the Nocticron made me aware of this lens. While in theory I can afford the Nocticron, I'm not sure I can JUSTIFY buying it. This seems like a great alternative, but how much should the lack of image stabilization be a factor in deciding whether to get this lens for the GH4? Are the differences really worth the difference in price?
With a fast lens like this you'd usually be able to get a shutter speed over 1/90th at which speed you don't really need stabilization. The Nocticron is a gorgeous lens but expensive. You may find the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 worth looking at. Stabilized and superb sharpness.
Is the Nocticron worth it? It's how you look at it, really. It is about as good as a lens of its type could be with no compromises made to get it down to a price. At f/2 and lower it is simply stellar in performance. The 45mm Olympus is just(!) pin sharp. You'd need to make big, big prints to see any difference. I think the Nocticron is worth every penny of its money if you will regularly use that f/1.2 aperture and having the very best means something to you. I'd guess that you feel the same as me, that having the very best is nice but not a big motivation. I could afford the Nocticron, like you, and I've used one extensively. I wouldn't buy one though, because the Olympus, or the Panasonic if you prefer to have stabilization are not just good enough, they are more than good enough.
Hi David, you’re right the separation this tiny lens provides is exceptional, I’ve recently shot video Portrait/ interviews using this lens. The results are jaw dropping considering the meagre $$$ in cost on eBay. So I’m keen to ask you is there another lens for the mft that would sit alongside the Olympus 45mm f1.8?
(Aside I’ve bought the sigma 18/35 f1.8 and it looks nice but it cost 3 times as much plus requires metabones too). Cheers Moz 🤠🎥👍
The Olympus 75mm f1.8 is superb. So is the Panasonic/ Leica 25mm f/1.4. Both exceptional. All the Micro Four Thirds primes are good, actually but there's no other one such a bargain as the Olympus 45mm. The Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 is exceptional value too.
David Thorpe thanks David, I picked up the panny 25 1.7 too. Cheers 🤠🎥👍
Hi David, watching this review makes me want to buy this lens but I am not sure if i'd use this focal length much, i am not a pro, only use my camera to take photos on holidays, birthdays etc. I have a E-PM2 body and 14-42 kit, panasonic 45-175 and a couple of primes 14mm f2.5 and 17mm f1.8 that I use when I need better speed like darkly lit restaurants etc. For the 45mm focal length I use my telephoto lens which has a max aperture of f4 and feels sharp enough for portraits but of course not as much background separation as this lens. What do you think? Is it worth investing in if I get a good deal?
I'd say it is. The 45 is over 2 stops faster than your zoom and gives you sharpness and speed of the highest order. Coupled with the 17mm f1.8 you have as good and compact a low light outfit as anyone could ask for. I often go out with just these two lenses just for the pleasure of using them.
And you'd love the shallow depth of field effect you can get with the 45mm at f2. If the lens cost a lot more than it does it'd be different but even at the asking price it's the best bargain around. If you can get a deal....
If there's one lens that every MFT photographer should have, this is it.
With any other lens I'd advise make sure it is does what you need. With this one, I'd just say, go ahead!
David, I am highly considering getting this lens but I find it hard to convince myself that the 45mm focal length will be practical for everyday use as a wide aperture prime. What do you think?
SamuelBarnes No, I don't think a 45mm is suitable for everyday general purpose use because it's angle of view is too narrow. Excellent for portraits and many landscapes but too long for general everyday purposes. I prefer 17mm (I use the 17mm f1.8 Olympus) but many people prefer a 20 or 25mm. All of those come in wide apertures and there is not a bad one amongst them. I'd probably avoid the 20mm f1.7 Panasonic purely because the focus is not up to the latest standards.
David, is there a reason why you've never done an Olympus 75mm f1.8 review? I'll look forward to it if it's on the cards, but it seems conspicuously absent from the current line up. Cheers :-)
No, no reason, just never came about. I'll see if I can get one. Great lens by all accounts.
@@DavidThorpeMFT That would be most excellent :-)
@@DavidThorpeMFT Picked mine up today, initial impressions are that it's smaller than I expected from the photos, all metal, feels good quality, silky drive-by-wire focus ring that I can't stop trying to use as a zoom, and as sharp as my eyes can resolve. I'll be using it in dim conditions soon but still looking forward to hearing your witty take on it, if you ever do. :-)
Great review - thanks!
I have this lens and an Olympus OM-D E-M5. This lens is amazing for stills. Super fast focus, delightful bokeh and super sharp. It is a must have for stills.
But I have a problem that I wonder if any of you guys experienced as well. This is an MSC lens, which means it has very silent auto-focus for video, which it does, but when using this lens for video on moving subjects with Continuous-Auto Focus (C-AF), the lens focus hunts a lot and the results ends up not good, due to the constant focusing and defocusing. I don't have the same issue when using C-AF with the kit lens (12-50mm), which behave great with very little focus hunting.
Does anyone have the same problem, or know how to avoid this issue with this lens?
Fabio Alves Rodrigues I don't have an Olympus body to hand but it's not a problem I have with any of my Panasonic bodes. Anyone had a similar experience?
David Thorpe
Thanks for the reply David. Based in your comment, and the fact the kit lens I have work just fine with my E-M5 for video, I wonder if the copy of the lens I have might have any defect. Maybe I should try and contact Olympus.
Fabio Alves Rodrigues Yes, good idea.
Thank you for your reviews. They are very helpful and informative. Cheers.
Thanks , Patrick
Thanks! Great lens.
I really enjoy your reviews, thanks so much! :)
Great to hear that, Christine. Thank you!
Thanks to you!
hi again love the video, i m looking a macro lens micro 4/3, mostly for shooting some videos of closely for my lumix GM5, i really like this lens, do you think that the versatility that this one has cool help me or you recomend other brand and lens model, if you have some suggestions let me know your top picks ok, thanks again for taking your time and answering the fans questions my friend XD
+CubeToys Thanks for the kind words! For a macro lens, the 60mm f/2.8 Olympus is the best there is and will double as a portrait lens too, Very sharp! Macro means 1:1, really close, so if you are sure that's what you want a macro is necessary. This 45mm will focus closely enough to photograph a rose, say but that's it. Answering what questions I can is very enjoyable for me!
hi again i check your review on the olympus 60 mm 2.8f you told me an let me tell you it looks awesome, i think that will be my choice of work, thanks my friend for your helpme with that, in other matters, i m looking for a better camera than my gm5 lumix, i had it for a long time and i want to renew it with one that i could add my shotgun mic.
as i have a some 4/3 lens will be wise to get one that use those optics, with 1080p or even better 4k capabilities, could you give me some advices on that and your top pics so i could check them out and see which one will be the best suited for me, again thanks for helping me with your answers, so far you had been extremely helpful, and your videos are so easy to wacth even for non english speakers as myself XD
+CubeToys The most affordable Panasonic camera with 4K and an external mic input is the G7. It's a bit of a bargain, actually. The GX8 would qualify too and would stabilize the macro lens for stills _but not for video_. In terms of image quality, all the Micro Four Thirds are pretty similar, with the GX8 having a higher mixel count.
Great review of my favorite MFT lens! I don’t even think it’s ugly. :)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Roxanne. It's an ugly little lens to my eyes. However, I bought it when it first came out several years and it has been in constant use since then. I have used other lenses of the same focal length, some at 5x the price but never once thought of swapping it. so there must be something I like about it! Actually, the 45mm is probably the archetypal Micro Four Thirds lens in my estimation. Small, light, razor sharp and selling at a bargain price.
Great Review...
Do you plan to try the new Panasonic 42.5 f1.7? It has received good reviews so far, but I tend to prefer reviewers who don't get lost in charts, insane tests with no real-life value etc etc. Looking forward to a comparison from you!
白海塔 I'd like that too - problem is getting hold of one to try!
Really enjoyed your video review. Looks lie I'll have to get the 45 F1.8!
Really enjoyed your video review. It looks like I'll have to get a 45 F1.8!
Thank you!
Super review!
I like it.