I was in a big debate as of late. I wanted to jump into the Nex or Alpha line from Sony. Each time I pulled the pre-order trigger on a camera I canceled it in doubt. One of the reasons is because I have a very special place in my heart for Olympus. Boy I am glad I made the choice I did. This Olympus 45mm is what has changed my mind completely. This lens represents a strong commitment from the Micro Four Thirds consortium to provide true photo enthusiasts a well thought out and complete system. Needless to say I am a prime lens fan. I don't remember the last zoom lens I wanted to shoot, of course this is just my opinion. I think Olympus and Panasonic have clearly shown their product is far more mature than the Nex lineup, but that does not mean they should rest easy. Sony has some very compelling tech and if M43 want's to remain competitive there is going to need to be a serious look at sensor quality.
Now onto the lens itself! I was surprise when it arrived how small it was. I had read online about it's narrow and petite form. Honestly I was not prepared for how small it is. Like Steve Huff SAID, it is has far less girth than the Panny 20mm 1.7. The stout build quality also surprised me and while it is not as good as a Leica, Zeiss or even the Olympus 12mm F2, it is very good for it's price point. Part of this may be due to the perceived "density" of the lens because of it's diminutive size. The lens design itself is very well thought out. The focus ring is smooth and in the perfect place. It looks amazing as well.
It features a small 37mm filter thread which should cut the cost of a larger filter by a bit. However this does not really matter as it doesn't come with a lens hood. You have to buy one separately from Olympus if you need it. I needed one. This is perhaps my biggest problem with the lens, which I can handle!
I was a bit concerned at first when I saw there was no black lens option from Olympus a few months ago when this was announced. However, after looking at it on my black GF1 I have to admit I really like the retro look it gives it. In fact, I think I like the silver-lens-on-black-body look better than anything. It reminds me of some old Leitz or Voigtlander lenses, and that of course is ALWAYS a good thing.
I tested the AF outside as well as in the dimly lit studio. The lens is very quiet and snappy in it's performance. I am sure the EP-3 would really make the AF on this lens shine. One of the biggest reasons for buying this lens was AF. I was worried that it wouldn't focus very well with just the strobe's modeling lights in the studio. Contrary to that, it perform admirably. It wasn't absolutely perfect but neither were any of my DSLR systems. I used both face detection and single point AF and both settings worked great.
As a Panasonic user, I wish I had image stabilization. One reason that I am anxiously awaiting the Pen Pro.
0 comments:
Post a Comment