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Mounted on the Panasonic Lumix GX7, it’s easier to know when the lens stabilization is running or not. Set to Off in the menus (when I believe the body based stabilisation is also disabled), I found I could handhold fairly successfully at 1/15 or faster under the conditions of the day. With Stabilisation enabled (again the lens IS takes priority over the body based IS on the GX7), I achieved a similar result at 1/8, providing one stop of compensation in practice. The results at 1/4 and half a second using stabilization were fairly good, but not as crisp as the body-based IS on the Olympus OMD EM1 under the same conditions. Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc. In the M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f:2.8 Macro lens, Olympus employed an iris diaphragm with seven rounded aperture blades, which has resulted in a rather pleasing and smooth bokeh, as you can see in the crops below. This isn't a review as such; I've not had the lenses long enough to write a real world review after extended use. However, I thought I'd note my initial impressions of the two lenses in use for both macro and general use photography.
Both barrels are made of high quality plastic and feature a solid metal mount. However, only the 60mm is dust and splash proof, so while a few raindrops won’t hurt the 30mm, it is better to protect it in inclement conditions. There’s very little to point at when it comes to weaknesses of the Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro. Notably, the lens does not have any in lens stabilization ability, although this is not too much of a concern for macro presuming you’re using a flash. Likewise, you may have a M4/3 Olympus camera that already has IBIS.Another quirk about the focus limiting switch is that it also changes the maximum aperture. When switched to the macro position, the maximum aperture changes from f/3.5 to f/5.6. Macro lenses in general all have a narrower maximum aperture at their higher magnifications, but this is the first lens where I’ve seen it change so suddenly, rather than a gradual transition. OM-1 + OM 90mm F3.5 @ 90mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/11.0 Lateral chromatic aberrations, typically seen as blue or purple fringes along contrasty edges, are essentially a non-issue with this lens. The crops below give you an idea of what you should expect in a worst-case scenario. Sharpness was sometimes an issue at extreme magnifications, but not due to the sharpness of the lens – instead, it was due to the depth of field. At high magnifications, depth of field is always an issue because it’s inherently narrow. You’ll need to stop down to apertures like f/8, f/11, and f/16, which have increasingly more issues with diffraction. All of this will sound familiar if you’re a macro photographer, because it’s true of every macro lens. Unfortunately, at the time of writing (December 2012) third-party lens manufacturers such as Sigma and Tamron have only recently gotten on board the four-thirds train, so alternatives in the four-thirds macro market are a bit slim. All in all, I was extremely impressed by the OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro in terms of sharpness. It wasn’t just in this test above – in every photo that I took with the lens, regardless of focusing distance and aperture, it was sharp from corner to corner. Bokeh
This is my first foray into macro and may not cover items of interest to more experienced users. If there's anything I can add or answer, just ask :smile: At f/4, the 60mm becomes even sharper and does a better job of extracting the fine details in the grain of the wooden bracelet. The 30mm isn’t far behind, however. Getting close to the subject is a breeze with the M.Zuiko 60mm lens. The 60mm is a macro lens with a full magnification of 1:1 (that’s the magnification I shoot at 90% of the time). The lens offers a good combination of features. One of the most useful controls at your disposal is a focus limiter, which is a spring-loaded, four-position switch on the lens barrel. As seen in the image above, the options are 0.4m to infinity, 0.19m to infinity (full range), 0.19m to 0.4m and 1:1, i.e. fixed at the close-focus point. The focus limiter is extremely useful for cutting down on focusing times and minimising focus hunting when working in a specific distance range.We tested this lens with the Olympus PEN E-PL5, and found that it balanced pretty well on that camera, even if the combination was a bit front heavy. Build quality is solid, but not outstanding, with the outer parts being mostly plastic. That said, the lens does offer a dust- and splashproof construction, which is great news if you happen to own a similarly ruggedised camera body. The focus ring is wide and ribbed, with no hard or soft stops at either end of the focus range. Focusing is fully internal, meaning the lens barrel does not extend on focus.
So now that we’ve found an insect we want to photograph, what comes next? How do we translate this dewy insect into a photograph? With the appropriate adapter, one can mount regular four-thirds lenses on a micro four-thirds camera, making this an attractive option for macro shooters. It doesn't offer quite the same reproduction ratio (only 1:2 instead of full 1:1) but its performance, even wide open at ƒ/2, was extremely sharp.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro Sample Photos
The most obvious comparison is the M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro, which has a maximum magnification of 1x and has served me well for several years. Although it’s certainly not a 90mm 2x macro lens, it will get the job done for most subjects. Additionally, the Panasonic 45mm f/2.8 also offers 1x magnification, although it has an even shorter working distance. The Lumix G 30mm f2.8 is a macro lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. This means it’ll work on Panasonic or Olympus mirrorless bodies, on which it’ll deliver a 60mm equivalent field of view. Since that’s close to 50mm standard coverage, the lens also doubles-up as a general-purpose prime, but its speciality is close-up photography. The foundation of my kit is four essential items: my camera, macro lens, flash, and diffuser. Since 2017, I have been shooting with the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. Besides its beautiful image quality, this camera is really compact, weathersealed, has incredible IS, and produces greater depth of field than traditional DSLRs. I also love how customizable it is. By custom setting the C1 position on my Mode Dial, I have all of my favorite macro functions right where I want them.
The Lumix G 30mm f2.8 becomes the shortest macro lens in the Micro Four Thirds catalogue, delivering an almost ‘standard’ field of view that’s equivalent to 60mm in full-frame / 35mm terms. In contrast, the Leica 45mm and Olympus 60mm deliver 90 and 120mm coverage respectively, taking them into short telephoto territory. Micro four Thirds camera owners interested in macro photography should add this lens to their wish list. In fact, even if you have no interest in macro photography, the quality this lens delivers, at such a low price point will make a good option for portraiture on a relative budget also.As far as construction goes, they are similarly built. Both have high-grade plastic bodies built to tight tolerances and feel solid in the hand. The 60mm is a bit longer. The 45mm is fatter and a little bit heavier. The 45mm’s focus ring is ribbed rubber, while the 60mm uses ribbed plastic. As far as construction goes, the biggest difference is that the Olympus 60mm is a weathersealed lens, so used on a body like the Olympus OM-D or Panasonic GH3, you’ll get some protection against splashes and dust when shooting in the rain or the desert. How does this compare to the M.Zuiko60mm f/2.8? Below is a comparison photo from f/14. To my eye, it looks worse than the f/22 image above! I find this performance very impressive by the 90mm f/3.5, especially considering that the M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 was, before now, my sharpest lens. OM-1 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/14.0
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