Hands-on with the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro lens
Hands-on with the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro lens
The new 45mm f/1.2 Pro lens on an OM-D E-M5 Mark II.
Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro lens: Just how creamy can it get?
One of the best things about the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system is the rich library of lenses it has; 63 at last count. Olympus is adding to that number with two new lenses; a 45mm f/1.2 Pro lens and a 17mm f/1.2 Pro lens, which translate to a 90mm and 34mm respectively, in 35mm equivalent.
At f/1.2, these lenses are fast, and follow in the footsteps of the existing Olympus 25mm f/1.2 Pro lens. Then 17mm f/1.2 will be coming out in January, while the 45mm f/1.2 will be out in November. I’ve had the chance to shoot with the 45mm f/1.2 for a few days and here are some first impressions of this lens.
The first thing that springs to mind when thinking about the Olympus lens is its comparison with the Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 lens, which has been around since 2014. I’ll talk more about the differences between theses lens later, but one thing that Olympus says is special about their 45mm f/1.2 is something they call ‘feathered bokeh.’ When shooting wide open at f/1.2, the lens has been specially engineered to blend the edges of blur together with soft transitions.
The edges of blur are supposed to blend together more harmoniously at f1/.2, an effect Olympus calls ‘feathered bokeh.’ f/1.2 at 45mm, 1/30 sec, ISO 1600.
f/1.8 is when the bokeh apparently returns to a more familiar characteristic. 45mm at f/1.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 1600.
Now, bokeh can become pretty subjective, and people get very particular about it. Is the ‘feathered bokeh’ really more feathery or is it simply blurrier as a result of a wider aperture? I’m no lens scientist, so all I can say is that at f/1.2, the background blur does look more naturalistic, with a creaminess that brings to mind the look of vintage prime lenses.
The bokeh at f/1.2 does look more naturalistic with less distracting edges. 45mm at f/1.2, 1/640 sec, ISO 200.
45mm at f/1.8, 1/250 sec, ISO 200.
If you don’t like the ‘feathered bokeh’ look, you can always stop down to f/1.8, at which point Olympus says the ‘feathered bokeh’ effect will cease and return to, well, ‘ordinary’ bokeh. If you already have the Olympus 25mm f/1.2 Pro lens, it apparently already has the feathered bokeh effect as well.
The 45mm f/1.2 Pro is quite a big lens, so you’ll need a camera with a grip to balance its heft. Shown here on an Olympus E-M5 Mark II with its optional grip accessory and the lens hood attached.
While the lens is small in comparison to some other 85mm equivalent lenses, it’s still a big lens when attached to an MFT body. You’ll want one with a grip to balance the heft; the lens didn’t feel comfortable on my bare Olympus E-M5 Mark II, but it was perfect when I attached the camera’s optional grip accessory.
The lens is dust, splash and freeze-proof, and build quality feels solid. The manual focus clutch pulls down with a satisfying ‘thunk’ and engages manual focus instantly. To the left of the lens is a customizable Function button, on which you can map commands like AF lock and focus peaking.
f/1.2 (left), f/1.8 (right).
45mm at f/1.2, 1/200 sec, ISO 200.
45mm at f/1.8, 1/200 sec, ISO 200.
How does it compare to the competition?
There’s no escaping comparing the new Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro lens with the existing Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 lens. The Panasonic has gathered rave reviews since it was released, so the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro has its work cut out for it.
I don’t have the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.2 with me to do a shoot with, but we can do a quick comparison of their specs. The Olympus 45mm f/1.2 and the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.2 are different in a few ways, the slight 2.5mm difference in focal length notwithstanding.
The Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 lens on a Panasonic Lumix GX7.
The Panasonic has a manual aperture ring, the Olympus doesn’t (the aperture ring doesn’t work with Olympus bodies, by the way). The Panasonic has optical image stabilization (OIS) built into the lens, the Olympus doesn’t, but that’s because Panasonic camera bodies mostly didn‘t come with OIS and Olympus cameras do.
But the Olympus is dust, splash and freeze-proof, and the Panasonic isn’t. The Olympus has a handy manual focus clutch, which you can pull down to immediately engage manual focus, the Panasonic doesn’t. The Olympus also comes with a customizable Function button, which the Panasonic lacks.
The Olympus lens has a manual focus clutch, which you can pull down to immediately engage manual focus.
Both are substantial lenses; the Panasonic measures φ74 x 76.8mm and weighs 425g, while the Olympus measures φ70 x 84.9mm and weighs 410g.
Whichever lens you choose, it’ll cost you a pretty penny. The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.2 was released in 2014 with a suggested retail price of US$1,599, and the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 has a US retail price of US$1,200.
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