I absolutely love the Olympus lens. Hindsight being 20/20, I still prefer it.

I was recording with a Panasonic G9, at the time.

Have fun on the road trip! I hope the lens is everything you need it to be.

Yeah, I’m the end I’m still torn. I just absolutely love the Olympus 45mm. The close focus ability of the Panasonic is such a big deal, though…

AF seemed nearly instantaneous on both, as long as I wasn’t accidentally a bit too close when using the Olympus (that is the only time I ever have AF issues, is when accidentally trying to focus too close with the Olympus lens).

Thank you, Jim. When it comes down to it, they are both compact, cheap little things with very good image quality. I can't imagine anyone being unhappy with either of them.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m7lnqq2cqbHLc2g.html

I am using Sigma 56mm 1.4 on my GX9 and I am very happy with it.

I have the G9. Other than those beautiful, perfectly round bokeh balls that the Olympus gives, the Panasonic just nails everything else every time.

another review kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hrRoqaV0zLHdoYE.html

On the G9 the combined optical and sensor stabilization is freaky good. I tried the lens on an Olympus, though, and it didn’t work so well. It was as if the optical stabilization of the lens and the IBIS of the Olympus were fighting it out, with the result being that the image seemed to drift around unpredictably.

@@SkylerKing This is so good to know. Thank you x100. I could not find that info anywhere. I want that Olympus bokeh but I want the stabilization more.

Awesome reference/quote 😃

I honestly wish they would make a “mark ii” of the 45mm f1.8 with closer minimum focus. That would be the only thing they need to change/update to make it the perfect lens. The image quality (and especially the bokeh) is just beautiful.

@@SkylerKing yess! I'd replace mine in a heartbeat!

Panasonic G9

I did mention chromatic aberrations. Flaring isn’t a concern for me, so I didn’t worry about it or test it. If you’re having issues with flaring, adjust the angle at which you are shooting in relation to the light source, and/or use a lens hood.

Potentially more contrast, yes. The sharpness difference may come down to the Panasonic being slightly wider angle and thus needing to be zoomed in slightly more in order to match the framing for the comparison (something I didn’t consider as being a potential issue until after)

das ist eine gute Idee. Die habe ich nicht verwendet. Sie sind hier weniger verbreitet.

I still love the 45mm f1.8 so much that is probably pick it, half the time, I’d prices were the same. But if the 45mm is cheaper? Hands down, that’s the one I’d pick

I have found reviews of other, more expensive lenses that will show one or both of these lenses as a reference. I have found videos where a personal preference for one of these lenses is mentioned or referenced, but I have never seen an in depth, detailed, head to head comparison of these two lenses.

They appear to be identical in terms of focusing speed.

Oh absolutely. I got rid of it then bought another one shortly after.

"I know this is a 3 year old review but I have to say that I’ve never had a lens that was at its sharpest wide open." - I never said or implied that a lens is at its sharpest wide open. But, there is more to a lens' performance than just how sharp it is, most of which is best tested when it is wide open. "It doesn’t make sense to judge image quality without stopping a lens down at least a couple of stops." - It does if the goal is to specifically test performance when the lens is wide open. "Plus you need to compare a lens in many different situations before you judge a lens for image quality." - I tested both tripod and hand held, natural and artificial light, indoors and outdoors, synthetic and natural materials, vibrant and basic tones and colors, bright light and low light, shooting into and away from the light source, etc. Most other tests would be more about camera performance than lens performance, alone.

From time to time, yes. I was using as GX1 as my daily carry up until a few months ago.

I agree that the bokeh absolutely looks better with the Olympus. No doubt about it. I love that lens. It doesn’t make much sense to factor in the abilities of a separate lens, though (the 60mm macro). If we are factoring in the abilities of all the lens in our bags, each being used for a specific purpose, then I could use that argument against the Olympus’ bokeh, as I own “this other lens, if I need the best bokeh”.

Hi. Just meant that the close focus capability isn’t important for me. The pana looks like a nice lens, I just prefer the Olympus for the rendering.

I spoke about price, specifically.

@@SkylerKing Thanks for the review. For the price thing, I guess it's different per location. Oly is 2x cheaper where I am, makes it too tough to choose :)

Or easier!

I agreed with everything you said right up until the end. What is the difference in "Americans" pointing out "Made in Japan" vs non-Americans? And are you telling me that where something is made never has any impact on quality and this not only isn't worth considering, but shouldn't even be mentioned?

I still can't decide which is really better. Hindsight being 20/20, I think I will always personally prefer the 45mm f1.8, but the 42.5mm is very compelling for its own reasons.

The focal length does not mean that it is a dedicated, purpose made “portrait lens”. When trying to compare two lenses side by side, the goal is to photograph something that can be replicated in both photographs so that an honest comparison can be made and noted differences aren’t a matter of differences in each photograph, which you would have if shooting portraits.

@@SkylerKing photographing a crap piece of plastic doesent help,. Nor does stating there's a 10gram weight advantage. Try asking the manufacturers who their intended market is. Models don't need to be identical, it's all about the eyes and skin.

@@ogg66o you know I actually started typing out a genuine response, then I caught myself and had to laugh. You’re welcome to whichever view suits you.

It could be. If you’re using this video as reference, though, keep in mind that in order to make the subjects in the photos arrest the same size, I had to zoom in a bit more on the photos taken with the Panasonic lens.

Mine was made in China

It is absolutely relevant for a variety of reasons.

​@@SkylerKingand those are? I'm preferring Made in Japan myself everyday of the week, but saying that product is inferior, while advocating it's build quality and feel in the hands, seems like double standard. My Olympus is made in Vietnam, so what about that?

Build quality is one aspect. While my particular lens seems to have great build quality, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be of even higher quality if made elsewhere. Along with that build quality comes quality control. Something coming out of China, for example, typically doesn't have the same quality control as something coming out of Japan, so it may increase the odds that you get a "bad copy". Some people also want to "vote with their dollars" and will not buy something based on the country it is made in, or will want to buy something specifically because of where it is made. As you pointed out, not all of the Olympus 45mm lenses are made in China. You have one that is made in Vietnam. There have been many instances with many different products over the years where a specific issue or a recall of a product is traced back to a specific country of origin. For example, there might be a recall on a product, but it only applies to the ones that were made in a specific place (or during a specific month, etc). Then there is the value/morality aspect. The whole reason why a Japanese company will choose to have some of its products manufactured outside of Japan (in places like China, Vietnam, etc) is to save money. It is simply cheaper to manufacture things in those countries. That, alone, introduces two things that are worth consideration; The first is value - If the consumer is comparing two very similar (or nearly identical) products that are also the exact same price (or of a negligible difference) but one is made in China/Vietnam/Indonesia/etc while the other is made in Japan/USA/Germany/etc, then this could indicate a better value for the same money. The second aspect is morality. China (as an example) is notorious for very poor working conditions. In some cases, they have been outright labeled "sweat shops". While a place like Japan (an another example) is known for higher qualities and standards in its work environments. So, people may choose based on morality.

Wrong on both counts.

It’s pronounced however the rules of grammar in your given language dictate it should be spoken. There are many English words that are used in various non-English speaking countries that are not pronounced the way we would pronounce them. Even with English words being spoken by English speakers in English speaking countries, the pronunciation changes depending on where you are from. South Africans, Australians, Brits, Irish, Americans, etc, all speak English natively yet pronounce those English words differently. Even within a single country, which part of the country someone is from will have an impact on how they speak the language. I’m not sure why some people find it necessary to argue about the “proper pronunciation” of a word in any language. Language is for the purpose of communicating ideas and information. If people can understand what you’re saying or trying to say, then you’ve succeeded.

I’m not a professor reviewer. This video is not scientific in its approach. It is meant to be as “real world” as possible, as I am simply using these two lenses in ways that I would actually use them in real life. If you want a more scientific approach to lens reviews, I recommend Christopher Frost. He does a good job. For me, things like “how close can it focus?” or “how does the bokeh look?”, etc, are what I am curious about and what I decided to test. Sorry if it’s not what you were looking for.