Olympus Lens comparisons

@mollymastin, photographed with my Olympus E-M10MkII and 45mm f/1.8@1.8

I got a chance at Nashville's ImagingUSA to play with some new-to-me lenses at the Olympus booth (#getolympus).
I was able to shoot with the M.ZUIKO ED 45MM F1.2 PRO and M.ZUIKO 75MM F1.8 in direct comparison to my own M.ZUIKO 45MM F1.8. I was also able to briefly shoot with the M.ZUIKO ED 300MM F4.0 IS PRO in a direct comparison to my own M.ZUIKO ED 40-150MM F2.8 PRO with 1.4x extender. Example photos after the break:

@getolympus had setup a great little concept photo booth for shooting some of their newer lenses against. Since I arrived with my own kit, I shot some of their lenses I'm considering against what I already had in the bag. Here are the photos:

First, model Molly Mastin with my very own copy of the little 45mm f/1.8 @ 1.8:

Now, the new 45MM F1.2 PRO @ f/1.2, shot from a similar camera-to-subject distance, although the framing is a little different:

You can see that the lights behind the model do exhibit a bit more bokeh than the f/1.8 version lens, but I was pleasantly surprised that the smaller, lighter and much more affordable 45mm 1.8 seems to hold its own. Plenty of detail and sharpness, and the difference in focus drop-off is what I'd expect in comparing f/1.8 vs f/1.2 maximum aperture lenses. The color rendition is rather nice in both lenses, with the f/1.8 version exhibiting a bit warmer.

Just for fun, I strapped on the M.ZUIKO 75MM F1.8:

This was a very nice lens to use. Fast to focus and appearing very contrasty in the EVF. You should be able to see how the lights and gears on the backdrop appear larger in relation to the subject, even though the framing is about the same. Shooting distance was about 2 big steps back compared to the 45mm's though, giving deeper depth of field compared to the same aperture as on the 45mm f/1.8 above. Deeper DoF across the subjects face as well, as is to be expected. As nice as this lens was to shoot with, however, I enjoyed the shallower DoF from the 45's - though it was harder to keep the subject's eyes in focus during shooting with either 45mm compared to the 75mm, so that's definitely a consideration.

Here's a rescue bird of prey, brought to the booth by Olympus Visionary Scott Bourne, and a good way to compare the 300MM F4.0 IS PRO to the longest glass I already have, the 40-150MM F2.8 PRO with 1.4x extender:

M.ZUIKO ED 300MM F4.0 IS PRO @ F/4 (600mm equiv):

M.ZUIKO ED 40-150MM F2.8 PRO with 1.4x extender (420mm equiv):

The 300mm f/4 is noticeably sharper when looking at the original photos, but just. I was surprised how well the center of the frame held up using the 40-150MM F2.8 PRO with 1.4x extender combo. Using the 1.4x renders the max aperture of the 40-150MM F2.8 PRO to f/4, so apertures between the two are comparable. Without the extra optics of the extender, the 300 is able to be that much sharper, but at $2499 retail, I'm happy that the 40-150 PRO with 1.4x performs as well as it does. Still, for something really critical, or if I need the extra reach of a 600mm equivalent image stabilized lens, I can definitely see it worth renting the 300mm f/4, especially as I already have to 40-150mm PRO and extender.

Surprises? I'm pleasantly surprised that my current compliment of lenses holds up very well, even for critical work. Sure, the weather sealing, manual-focus clutches and shallower DoF of Olympus' new PRO f/1.2 lenses will make the extra coin toward new purchases an easy decision. Despite being larger and heavier than what's currently in my bag, both the 45mm f/1.2 PRO and 75mm f/1.8 are easy to use, fit in the hand well, and actually balanced quite well on the E-M10MkII that I was using.

But at roughly $1100 and $800 respectively, the 45mm f/1.8 I snagged new for $199 held up great, and I'll be trying to incorporate it into more shoots moving forward, now that its proven itself against its bigger siblings.

In the same vein, the 300MM F4.0 IS PRO was a joy to use: light, balanced, and a big boon to Lumix users who now get a 600mm equiv. f/4 with IS. Not as clunky, and definitely sharper than my 40-150 with extender combo. But at $2499, I'll be looking to rent this puppy rather than purchase. But that's just me. If you want maximum reach on a fast focusing and image stabilized lens, this one offers up a lot of bang for the (big) money.

Thanks to the great folks at #getolympus for letting me play with the great gear, and to model @mollymastin for being such a great sport and patiently letting me work through the different lenses.