Olympus 45mm vs. Panasonic 42.5mm vs. Nocticron 42.5mm vs. Voigtlander 42.5mm – Portrait lens battle!

olympus 45mm vs panasonic 42.5mm vs nocticron 42.5mm vs voigtlander 42.5mm

One aspect I love about Micro Four Thirds is the sheer amount of choice users have when it comes to standard portrait lenses for the system. On one hand, there are three autofocus lenses: two compact and affordable primes from Olympus and Panasonic (the M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 and Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7) and the premium Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 from Panasonic / Leica. On the other, we find two manual focus options: the Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 and the Zhongyi Mitakon 42.5mm f/1.2.

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Olympus 75mm f/1.8 vs Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 – Apples vs Oranges

If you are a professional events photographer, you can go one of two routes when choosing a telephoto lens.

On one hand, you can opt for a telephoto prime with a very bright maximum aperture. The advantage of a lens like this isn’t just the extra shallow depth of field; there is also the fact that you can work in poor light conditions without having to raise your ISO or reduce your shutter speed too much.

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Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm vs. 75mm – Apples vs Oranges

olympus 60mm vs 75mm

Portrait lenses with an equivalent focal length of 85-90mm in full-frame terms are a dime a dozen in the Micro Four Thirds range but there is currently only one long telephoto prime for portraits: the M.Zuiko 75mm f/1.8. Its equivalent focal length of 150mm is a good compromise since it allows you to achieve good compression and background blur, yet doesn’t place you too far from your subject that it becomes difficult to communicate.

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Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 vs Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 – Quick comparison

Last year, while we were visiting Canada and reviewing the M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8, we had the chance to compare it to the Lumix 7-14mm f/4 over the course of a very hot and sticky August afternoon. We conducted this comparison because many of you had expressed a curiosity about the differences in optical quality between these two lenses. A special thanks goes out to Aden Camera in Toronto for kindly lending us the Lumix lens at the time. It’s definitely a camera store worth checking out if you live in the area or if you are visiting the city.

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