OM System M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F 1 8 Review | 54 Data compared

The ePHOTOzine review highlights the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Zuiko as a highly capable and affordable Micro Four Thirds lens, praised for outstanding sharpness at f/1.8, extremely fast, silent autofocus, and a compact, lightweight design. While offering excellent image quality for portraits and low-light, the lens features a plastic-heavy construction. Cons include the absence of an included lens hood, potential minor purple fringing in high-contrast scenarios, and a lack of physical distance scales.

The Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Micro 4/3 lens is a highly praised, affordable, fast portrait prime lens that feels premium, slim, and solid despite its budget-friendly $399 price tag. In real-world testing on cameras like the Olympus E-P3, it delivers astounding image quality, exceptional sharpness even when shot wide open at f/1.8, and snappy autofocus speeds. The lens produces top-notch contrast and rich color rendition, working seamlessly alongside the 12mm f/2 and Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 to form a powerful "Holy Trinity" of fast prime lenses (offering a 24/40/90mm full-frame equivalent focal range) that signals the true maturity of the Micro 4/3 system. While the reviewer notes that the lens's out-of-focus background rendering (bokeh) does not quite match the elite quality of legendary Leica or Zeiss glass, it remains highly satisfying for its price bracket. The biggest drawbacks mentioned are that Olympus does not include a lens hood in the box—making it a separate, optional purchase—and that 100% crops of the images reveal a slight, sand-like digital noise inherent to the smaller Micro 4/3 sensor format rather than the glass itself. Overall,...

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 is a highly compact, lightweight, and affordable short telephoto lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Delivering an effective 90mm focal length, it excels as a portrait lens and street photography tool. The lens delivers exceptional, uniform sharpness across the frame when stopped down to f/4. Additionally, its bright f/1.8 aperture allows for quick shutter speeds in low light and produces a beautifully shallow depth of field with a pleasing background blur. Autofocus performance is another strong suit, operating both silently and swiftly on compatible camera bodies. However, the lens does have a few distinct drawbacks. It lacks built-in optical image stabilization, which can result in shaky shots if you pair it with an un-stabilized Panasonic camera body. Its macro capabilities are also very limited, offering a modest 0.5-meter minimum focusing distance and a small 0.11x magnification ratio. From a build standpoint, the plastic exterior ring feels a bit cheap, the lens does not include weather-sealing, and Olympus forces users to purchase the lens hood separately for an extra cost. Despite these omissions, its...

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 is a highly capable portrait prime lens praised primarily for its exceptional optical sharpness. It stands out for achieving a maximum theoretical resolution of 0.5 cycles-per-pixel when stopped down to f/4 and f/5.6. This remarkable feat secures its place in the review's "hall of fame". The bright f/1.8 maximum aperture is highly functional, successfully isolating subjects from the background with a narrow depth-of-field and reducing image noise in low light. Additionally, it features a practical manual focus ring that allows users to magnify the frame up to 14x for critical focusing. However, the lens makes a few notable sacrifices in build quality and features to maintain its entry-level price point. Unlike the premium metal body of its 12mm f/2 sibling, the 45mm features a purely cosmetic plastic exterior designed to only look like metal. The lens barrel also completely lacks physical distance and depth-of-field markings. Optically, resolution drops below the critical threshold down to 0.22 cycles-per-pixel when shooting at its minimum aperture of f/22. While the custom-color lens housing element adds a nice aesthetic...

The Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 is a highly capable and budget-friendly portrait lens designed for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras, offering a 90mm full-frame equivalent focal length. In terms of performance pros, the lens delivers exceptional sharpness even when shot wide open at its maximum f/1.8 aperture, making it ideal for creating a pleasant bokeh in portraiture, urban landscapes, and low-light scenarios. Furthermore, its High-speed Imager AF (MSC) motor operates silently and focuses reliably across multiple camera bodies like the OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic GH3, which also makes it functional for video work. Its incredibly lightweight (116g) and compact footprint makes it a highly portable and discreet choice that perfectly matches smaller mirrorless bodies. Conversely, the lens has a few build and functional drawbacks. Its physical construction relies heavily on plastic rather than metal, giving it a somewhat cheap feel in the hand. It lacks premium mechanical features found on pricier Olympus primes, such as a shifting focus ring to quickly swap between auto and manual focus, and it does not ship with a lens hood. Additionally, with a closest...

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8 is an outstanding, compact portrait lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, delivering a classic 90mm-equivalent field of view. Optically, it is a pure gem that earned an Editors' Choice award due to its impressive center sharpness, minimal 0.6% distortion, and a very quiet focus motor that serves both still photographers and videographers well. At its maximum f/1.8 aperture, the lens captures a massive amount of light and provides a spectacular center resolution score of 2,387 lines, though it does exhibit some softness in the outer corners until stopped down to f/2 or further. Weighing a mere 4.1 ounces and measuring just 2.2 by 1.8 inches, it balances effortlessly on both small PEN series and larger SLR-style camera bodies. 📸 Pros: Ultra-sharp center performance Minimal, irrelevant distortion Lightweight, compact body Fast, bright f/1.8 aperture ❌ Cons: Cheap plastic lens barrel No weather sealing protection Lens hood is not included Despite these minor drawbacks, the lens offers incredible value, especially considering its affordable price tag compared to higher-end alternatives like the all-metal $900 Olympus...

The DPReview first impressions article highlights the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 as an exceptionally sharp, lightweight, and affordable short telephoto prime, ideal for Micro Four Thirds portraiture due to its high optical performance wide open. Key advantages include a fast 35-point autofocus system and excellent image quality at an accessible price point. However, the review notes compromises, such as a mostly plastic construction instead of the premium metal build found on higher-end lenses, and somewhat lacking tactile feedback in manual focus. Despite these limitations, the lens is considered a top performer in its class.

The Olympus 45 mm f/1.8 ED M.Zuiko Digital is a highly recommended, compact, and lightweight portrait lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. This review highlights numerous technical advantages, notably its exceptionally high resolution from a wide-open f/1.8 down to f/8, with the image corners maintaining almost equal sharpness to the center. Its fast maximum aperture creates a beautiful bokeh effect equivalent to a 90mm f/3.5 lens on full-frame systems, making it excellent for background separation. Furthermore, the lens features a highly realistic metallic-finished plastic build, a generous manual focus ring, and an internal focusing design that prevents the front element from rotating. Optically, it excels by producing minimal vignetting, a barely visible 0.5% pincushion distortion, little longitudinal chromatic aberration, and virtual immunity to flare and ghosting—even when pointing directly at the sun. Coupled with an Olympus OM-D body, its autofocus operates quickly, quietly, and accurately, while yielding a 3-to-4-stop advantage when utilising the camera body's built-in image stabilisation. The reviewer notes that this is the first lens they have tested that presents no significant optical or build disadvantages, concluding that...

The OM System (Olympus) 45mm f/1.8 is highly regarded as one of the best-value portrait lenses available for Micro Four Thirds photographers, providing a 90mm full-frame equivalent focal length that is perfect for headshots and subject isolation. Its standout pros include exceptional sharpness even when shot wide open at f/1.8, rapid and dependable autofocus, and a remarkably lightweight (~116g) and compact footprint that makes it easy to carry in a pocket. Furthermore, it delivers great low-light performance and creamy background bokeh, all while remaining highly affordable at a price point of around £200. However, the lens does come with some notable design limitations and cons. Its overall build quality is basic, consisting primarily of a plastic construction that doesn't feel particularly premium or expensive. The original version entirely lacks weather sealing, though an updated Mark II variant is anticipated from OM System to address this environment protection gap. Additionally, the out-of-focus background elements can occasionally appear slightly "nervous" or busy, requiring photographers to monitor their choice of background carefully when shooting.