Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8 (Black) Lens for Micro 4/3 Cameras - International Version (No Warranty)

I got this to complement the Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro on the E-M1 body. I wasn't satisfied with the amount of DOF control I had with the 12-40, since its DOF was roughly equivalent to f/5.6 for 35mm, and that isn't quite shallow enough to isolate the subject from some backgrounds at certain distances. With the 45mm f/1.8, the DOF is about f/3.5 in 35mm, and that's close enough to f/2.8 visually (I did comparison tests with my 5D Mark III and 24-70mm f/2.8 L II), which is good enough for most of what I shoot. If I need DOF even more shallow than that, I'll just use my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 with an adapter on the E-M1 (no autofocus though).The 45mm f/1.8 is quite sharp wide-open, and autofocuses just as quickly as the 12-40 Pro, while being very tiny and extremely light. I only use it to shoot wide-open for the shallow DOF look, and due to the focal length being about 90mm in 35mm equivalent, it's too long for most indoor shooting situations unless it's a large space, and you'd have to be quite far from the subject to get the full length figure in the shot, so that means you'd be shooting mostly head/bust/waist length portraits with it. Outdoors, if you are doing typical street style shooting, it'll be too long for a lot of situations, which is why I consider this mainly a specialty lens for portraits. It's not close-focusing so its macro capability is quite limited too.For the purpose it serves, it's an excellent lens at a great price. One of the best bang for the buck in the world of camera lenses.

This is a very nice lens. First, it's small and light. Second, it's a Micro lens so the focal length is doubled. This small 45 mm lens becomes a 90 mm lens. It's perfect for portrait photography. It's my go to prime lens.

not too narrow of a field of view to use around town, but very sharp and focuses fast. 4.5 stops of light greater than the kit zoom! (kit zoom does 40mm @ f5.6). I tested the benefit of stops of light vs zoom: Better results handheld photographing owls at night with this, than the kit 40-150 @ 150mm, even though the 150 is 3x the zoom and thus I have to crop the 45mm. Not as sharp as my 12-40 pro and not weather sealed, but at 1/3 of the price, 1/3 of the weight, and half the length, I say this one is more of a bargain for those who take their camera on casual adventures. On the other hand, I find the Pro's gimicky focus clutch incredibly useful, and love it's hard stops at the end of focus. Also the Pro feels like good build quality, and is often available for around 2x the cost of this lens. For my use, I wish there was something in the middle. The focus and the weather sealing of the Pro, but with size [and lesser image quality, which I sometimes don't find useful] of the Premium (the 45mm f1.8). As for me, I put a high priority on small and light, for if I lose the motivation to photograph if I have to carry a bag.HTH!

Equivalent to 90mm lens on 35mm SLR (or full-frame DSLR camera). A good addition to the 17mm and 25mm fixed lenses from Olympus.PROSLens is razor-sharp (I think this sharper than the 25mm and a lot sharper than the 17mm) and the autofocus is quiet and very rapid even in fairly dim conditions (on Oly ELP5 and ELP7 bodies). Great for portraits as others have noted. Bokeh is soft and round (see picture) while detail is razor sharp even wide open. A tiny bit of edge softness BUT only at F1.8 stopped to F2.8 this lens is extremely sharp across the entire field. Good contrast, color rendition, and flare is well-controlled (two included photos were shot into the sun).It is a small lens, good for portability with a few other primes if you are not into zoom. Minimum focus distance is about 19.5". Focus ring is smooth and easy to control in manual focus mode. Lens mount is metal unlike cheaper kit lenses.CONSBit expensive for a plastic body lens. That being said - I have used it a lot for 2 years and everything works fine, so maybe the plastic is adequate.

I like to think of prime lenses as guns in a video game's weapon loadout. You need a close range weapon, a good all arounder, and a long range option.This is my 3rd prime lens for my Pen F camera, and follows my 25mm (the all rounder), and my 17mm (my short range spread weapon). The 45mm is creating these crazy artistic shots with total ease I've never managed to get out of the shorter lenses.Portraits in moderate lighting come out sexy. Increase the light and hair and skin take on molten gold tones. Darken it and any trace of green or blue from ambient space gives faces dramatic character.As a paintbrush this is better than any other lens option I have. The trouble of course is that the focal length means space becomes a contradiction. To get farther away I need more space, but then I lose some control over that space.But something about that feels more like art.

I am a big fan of prime lenses, although I do understand the importance of zoom lenses (I have the two kit zoom lenses that cover the 14-150 range). However, I have the 14 prime, the 25 prime, this 45 prime, and the 40-150 to cover the rest.If you're going to buy the fewest number of primes, then I suggest the 25mm and this 45mm as they are both are sharp and have the fastest autofocus. The 25mm zuiko, especially, works well for almost all normal photographic uses.The 45mm, that I've had for almost a year now, is in my opinion the neatest looking lens when mounted. It has the pleasing pyramid appearance that Leica rangefinder lenses have. Coincidently, or perhaps not, the PEN-F ads usually show this lens mounted.For me, this is not a versatile lens, and while I do carry it around I usually shoot with the 25mm. If you stop down a lot, like the way most street shooters do in order to get most in focus, then you might as well as get the 40 or 60 mm Sigma's for significantly cheapers. Once you stop down beyond 8.0, you are losing sharpness. If most of your subject takes up the frame, then this lens is really useful.