This is a review of the Olympus 45 mm F/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras such as the Olympus PEN and Panasonic G series. Why Buy This Lens Olympus has called this lens an "affordable portrait lens" and it certainly lives up to that distinction.

Excellent image quality; fast autofocus; sharp; good for low light; great quality/price ratio

Not metal; not good for macro

this is a fabulous portrait/venue lens: sharp, fast, and light. The lighter weight of the lens allows for good balancing on small micro 4/3 bodies, and personally I don't believe a metal casing would add value.

The stand-out feature of Olympus 45mm prime lens is its fast maximum aperture. Although there is no need for the bright viewfinder image that f/1.8 offers (because electronic viewfinders compensate for the lens aperture very well) it is important in providing a narrow depth-of-field that can be used...

The Olympus 45mm f1.8 is a short telephoto lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras including Panasonic Lumix G, Olympus PEN and Olympus OM-D models. Mounted on a Micro Four Thirds body it delivers an effective focal length of 90mm, making it a classic portrait lens, while the maximum aperture of...

Superb image quality; Sharp right into the corners at f4, f1.8 focal ratio ideal for shallow depth of field (relative to MFT lenses), Great value for money, Incredibly small and light, No compatibility issues to report on Panasonic or Olympus bodies

Modest closest focusing distance of 0.5m means it's no macro lens; Lens hood not supplied as standard - it's an optional extra; Lack of optical stabilisation may be an issue for Panasonic owners; No weather-sealing

As good as they get - definitely one of the must-have-lenses for µ43rds. Just bought a second one for myself, because our first one almost never leaves my wife's camera. Yes, they are that good.

sharpness; microcontrast; speed; price; about everything

lens hood is extra; and expensive as well

I keep this lens on my camera all the time . It has replaced all my other lens due to its sharpness and amazing bokeh. I have much more expensive lens that don't work half as good .

So sharp and amazing bokeh

Cheapest portrait lens from olympus Mft is costlier than dslr/apsc counterparts but size is very essential to me. Don't want to carry a huge dslr for show off. A camera shouldn't come in way of my normal life Coming to lens extremely sharp, slight cooler tones with panasonic G5 I think panasonic...

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm features a metal-like design and a beneficial maximum aperture

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 This medium telephoto optic for Micro Four Thirds compatible cameras sports a fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, internal silent focusing and a low price of around ￡250.

At the first glance, the build quality of the lens is very good as it is assembled with very tight tolerances. However, keep in mind that this is an "out of the box" impression and that we can't make any statements about the long term durability of the lens.