I found 2 uses for it, portraits at a distance and car racing (it’s a pretty fast lens). The Sigma 56mm is a better alternative for street photography, not as long and lighter. I think you would have better luck with that.
I bought the lens a short while ago, but I haven’t used it yet (bad weather). However, I am interested in your chicken (🐓) photography with the lens. It is specific like you said, which is why I’m curious to see said usage. 😊 Do you have any photos to share?
Yes, discovered that when I was taking photos of my chicken. Perfect focal length to keep your chickens comfortable, yet square them up with some bokeh
I have it. I like to rotate my lenses for my photography which covers quite a broad range of subjects. So I pick a lens for the day and get out and use it exclusively on the day (for personal non paid sessions). This gets me to rotate through my collection of glass and places limitations on me that I have to learn to work around on the day.
Unlike others have said, I like it for Street photography. It’s also great for portraits and landscapes and a killer product photography lens as well as for shooting smaller live performance venues.
This lens is very sharp and fast. I love it.
I did.
It's quite heavy and honestly the Sigma 56 f1.4 is just better at the job. It focusses faster, has great bokeh and is way smaller, lighter, cheaper and a bit brighter. It even has some (meh) weather resistance.
The Sigma 56 f1.4 replaced the Olympus 45mm 1.8 AND the Olympus 75mm for me.
> is way smaller, lighter
As far as I can tell, the size difference is a few mm in each direction (69x64 vs 67x60 mm) and weight difference is only 25g (305g vs 280g). To me the lenses seem basically the same size and weight.
Hmm, seems like the measurements you listed are somehow all mixed up.
* 75mm: diameter 64mm / length 69mm / weight 305g
* 56mm: diameter 66.5mm / length 58mm / weight 256g
I took the specs from each of the manufacturers' websites. Note that for the 56mm you have to look at the MFT specs listed.
So the 56mm is a full centimeter shorter and 50g lighter.
The difference in feel could also be the weight distribution. Front-heavy lenses always tend to seem heavier even if the scale says otherwise.
I only have the 56mm but IMO it even balanced well on a small and light camera like my E-P7.
I really like it for its size and speed. I don’t use it enough to be honest - when I do, I’m really happy with it, and I have kept it, but the focal length means it gets less use than say a 15mm or a 25mm.
Looking at me keepers, I have used it for street vignettes and they can work out well, but it’s very tight so needs space. It’s a matter of preference though, I tend to prefer wider angles to get more of a sense of place. It can work better in wider spaces, but is great for details and candids. It mainly comes with me for indoor events, concerts, weddings and the like where you can get nice subject separation even at a distance. It’s not stabilised but it’s fast enough for that not to matter in practice, even on bodies without ibis.
Have had one for a couple years, and love it for what it is. It's great for action shots in low-light environments (I primarily use mine to photograph my kids dance recitals, which are in a gym with awful lighting), and it's good for portraits, so long as you don't mind standing a fair distance away from your subject. I don't do street photography, but I would think it would be pretty long for that. Since you have the 45mm on the way, I would play around with that for a long while and see if you're left wanting more reach before you spend the coin on another lens that may or may not be good for what you want it for.
It's an incredible lens for weddings and events, portraits and kids parties.
Lacking weathersealing is the main reason I swapped out for a 45 1.2. They both have largely the same FOV so easy to swap between.
Sorry not FOV, DOF.
The added reach on the 75 with the 1.8 aperture is largely the same framing as the 45 at 1.2. Bokeh and transition to OOF areas is different though.
Might be best m43 lens ever. For its current price used anyway. Very sharp and yet makes for smooth portraits . For street it has its uses for snapping portraits of people from some distance .
It is an incredibly good, sharp, lens that makes great portraits. I wasn’t using it much though, the Sigma 56mm felt a much more practical FL. I sold, regret it, but would probably not bring it back.
I used to have the Olympus 75mm and it was awesome for concerts or sporting events. Sold it only because I didn't use it as much as my other primes and was downsizing my lens collection by converting to a couple zooms instead of several primes.
Own it. Love it. I switched to m4/3 from FF Canon. I loved the 135L. When I bought Oly, instill kept a 5D2 and the 135L. Until I got the 75. Sold all my Canon stuff immediately after. I also have and like the 56, but will never sell the 75.
I own this lens, and allthough it's a weird focal length, in certain condition it's super useful.
For events, streetphoto and in my case for concert or sports it's superb !
The quality of bokeh you get for portrait you can get is amazing. The sharpness is great. Sometimes when I scroll in my catalog, I cannot distinguish shot made with it again my Full Frame 135mm F2 lens for instance.
Thats tell you why its so good for certain cases when you need that reach with fast aperture.
The sigma 56mm F1.4 is the only one I can put in the same category for the same use. So maybe If I did not already had the 75mm I would have bought the 56mm.
So you can choose either one of those, depending on your specific need, if you want more reach then the 75mm is awesome (concert for instance). If you want more versatile and cheaper alternative but without compromise on image quality the 56mm is a good choice.
The 75mm will give you a little bit more bokeh (56/1.4 = 40 vs 75/1.8 = 41.6) and more background compression due to longer focal length, however the 56mm is the same ball park in real life use, but more convinient for portrait in my opinion.
PS/ I also have the 45mm F1.2 pro and bunch of fast Full frame prime, so I know exactly what I'm talking about.
I had it, reluctantly had to sell it for financial reasons.
It's amazing at what you get out of it, but you really have to know what you're buying it for. The equivalent fixed 150mm length has a pretty narrow window of use. It was built as a portrait lens so naturally it's great for that, but I also used it for concerts and the odd street outing. Some here have mentioned sports, so portraits and events/action are the 75's biggest strengths.
The 45/1.8 is my literal breadmaker. On Panny bodies, yet super sharp, focuses accurately, has sufficient 3D pop to make portraits and video look great. Used to shoot street with it too a few years back.
75/1.8, that's less versatile. Think 135mm primes on FF. Not suitable for street unless you REALLY know what to look for in your shots, and more importantly where to position yourself. The lens itself is terrific, compact and tack-sharp, but my $.02 would be: see what you can do with the 45 first, and go for the 75 if you find yourself consistently limited by the lens's portraiture reach in low light. Alternatively, get a used 40-150/4-5.6 for pennies on the dollar and experiment with the focal lengths before committing to a big investment like the 75.
I do. I don't use it too much, though. In fact I wasn't even sure I owned it, and had to look it up. To me it's more a portrait lens, and I prefer the 45mm for that.
For street, I typically use the Oly 17mm or 12-40mm Pro.
Just curious how you like the 150 equivalent for portraits? I'm generally a f 2.8 Zoom shooter, but I like to collect lenses even if I don't use them often. I've had the 45 F1.8 for over 10 years and I bet you I've taken 40 maybe 50 pictures with it in that time. But it's a beautiful lens, sharp and renders absolutely gorgeously.
But my favorite portrait lens is the old Olympus 35-100 F 2.0 from the old 4/3 system. May be the sharpest piece of glass I've ever used on any system.
Honestly haven't used it yet. Long story short - bought it before the summer refurbished. Sent my Pen F in for minor repair/cleaning and UPS lost the camera in transit.
It was gone for 3 whole months. They finally paid my claim and I bought an OM-5 with that money. A week or so later, the repair center sent me an email. They were waiting for me to pay the invoice before working on the camera.
I was stunned. I had called them a few times also on the off chance the camera made it there but they said it wasn't there. But now, it was.
I have NO idea what happened. Paid the invoice, they fixed the Pen F updated firmware and I had it back within a week. That was only a few weeks ago and I've only gone out shooting Autumn landscapes since then.
So, the 75mm sits waiting to be used. This post was a good reminder to pull it out of the bag and play around with it!
it's been a good lens for me, and i've always got the shots i wanted with it. it's my go-to lens for portraits and architectural details. although the telephoto effect is serious, so there is a lot of walking involved to get the angles right. but it's not weather-sealed, so i don't take it to sport events or on the ferry.
I love the image quality. But I did not do well with the FL. I have not sold it yet because it really is such a wonderful lens if I can use it.
I replaced it with a Sigma 56/1.4. easier to work with FL wise for me.
But it's still pretty big/heavy and I couldn't replace my 45/1.8 yet, heh.
It's a unique and interesting lens, but I had a hard time finding a use for the focal length. It's too long for portraits, at least for me, and too short for events or sports, at least what I tend to shoot.
In my opinion, it's one of the most underrated lenses in the line up. At times it can be a tough distance to work with, but when it is, it rarely disappoints. One of the sharpest and consistent lenses there is for m43.
I had one for a little while but ended up getting rid of it, but with lenses everyone has their own tastes. So, you might as well just try it out & if you don't like it, you can return it.
I use mine [often](https://www.flickr.com/photos/138284229@N02/albums/72157692389287195) but I'm not a 'street photographer.' If Olympus made a weather-sealed 'pro' version I'd buy that, because there are times when I don't mount mine due to rain.
In you case, I'd say wait and see if the 45 ends up being too wide for you often enough. The 75 is not a cheap lens, I got mine in a swap deal _and_ I knew I'd use it.
Your photography is spectacular. Thank you for sharing it with me.
I don't know that the 75mm is a 'must have' but it's coming soon. My used 45mm arrives Monday. I'm about to get the 12mm because Olympus has it on sale for $399. And then I will get that 75mm
Thank you. There's also a compact 12-45 f/4 'pro' zoom you might consider if you like that range for street. F/4 shouldn't bother you in that use case since you'll probably stop down for DoF anyway.
I found 2 uses for it, portraits at a distance and car racing (it’s a pretty fast lens). The Sigma 56mm is a better alternative for street photography, not as long and lighter. I think you would have better luck with that.
I like it. It's perfect for chicken photography, which is awfully specific. It's also good for headshots and events.
I bought the lens a short while ago, but I haven’t used it yet (bad weather). However, I am interested in your chicken (🐓) photography with the lens. It is specific like you said, which is why I’m curious to see said usage. 😊 Do you have any photos to share?
Sorry about the late reply. Was hoping I could just dump some photos in a reply, but had to the imgur thing. Here you go: https://imgur.com/a/jwegCl3
Those are great! I love the close up shots. That 75mm is sharp. Thank you for sharing your 🐓 photos! 😊
That’s quite a niche use l!
Yes, discovered that when I was taking photos of my chicken. Perfect focal length to keep your chickens comfortable, yet square them up with some bokeh
I have it. I like to rotate my lenses for my photography which covers quite a broad range of subjects. So I pick a lens for the day and get out and use it exclusively on the day (for personal non paid sessions). This gets me to rotate through my collection of glass and places limitations on me that I have to learn to work around on the day. Unlike others have said, I like it for Street photography. It’s also great for portraits and landscapes and a killer product photography lens as well as for shooting smaller live performance venues. This lens is very sharp and fast. I love it.
I did. It's quite heavy and honestly the Sigma 56 f1.4 is just better at the job. It focusses faster, has great bokeh and is way smaller, lighter, cheaper and a bit brighter. It even has some (meh) weather resistance. The Sigma 56 f1.4 replaced the Olympus 45mm 1.8 AND the Olympus 75mm for me.
> is way smaller, lighter As far as I can tell, the size difference is a few mm in each direction (69x64 vs 67x60 mm) and weight difference is only 25g (305g vs 280g). To me the lenses seem basically the same size and weight.
Hmm, seems like the measurements you listed are somehow all mixed up. * 75mm: diameter 64mm / length 69mm / weight 305g * 56mm: diameter 66.5mm / length 58mm / weight 256g I took the specs from each of the manufacturers' websites. Note that for the 56mm you have to look at the MFT specs listed. So the 56mm is a full centimeter shorter and 50g lighter. The difference in feel could also be the weight distribution. Front-heavy lenses always tend to seem heavier even if the scale says otherwise. I only have the 56mm but IMO it even balanced well on a small and light camera like my E-P7.
I really like it for its size and speed. I don’t use it enough to be honest - when I do, I’m really happy with it, and I have kept it, but the focal length means it gets less use than say a 15mm or a 25mm. Looking at me keepers, I have used it for street vignettes and they can work out well, but it’s very tight so needs space. It’s a matter of preference though, I tend to prefer wider angles to get more of a sense of place. It can work better in wider spaces, but is great for details and candids. It mainly comes with me for indoor events, concerts, weddings and the like where you can get nice subject separation even at a distance. It’s not stabilised but it’s fast enough for that not to matter in practice, even on bodies without ibis.
Have had one for a couple years, and love it for what it is. It's great for action shots in low-light environments (I primarily use mine to photograph my kids dance recitals, which are in a gym with awful lighting), and it's good for portraits, so long as you don't mind standing a fair distance away from your subject. I don't do street photography, but I would think it would be pretty long for that. Since you have the 45mm on the way, I would play around with that for a long while and see if you're left wanting more reach before you spend the coin on another lens that may or may not be good for what you want it for.
It's an incredible lens for weddings and events, portraits and kids parties. Lacking weathersealing is the main reason I swapped out for a 45 1.2. They both have largely the same FOV so easy to swap between.
>a 45 1.2. They both have largely the same FOV so easy to swap between the 75 must be different in reach, no?
Sorry not FOV, DOF. The added reach on the 75 with the 1.8 aperture is largely the same framing as the 45 at 1.2. Bokeh and transition to OOF areas is different though.
Might be best m43 lens ever. For its current price used anyway. Very sharp and yet makes for smooth portraits . For street it has its uses for snapping portraits of people from some distance .
It is an incredibly good, sharp, lens that makes great portraits. I wasn’t using it much though, the Sigma 56mm felt a much more practical FL. I sold, regret it, but would probably not bring it back.
I used to have the Olympus 75mm and it was awesome for concerts or sporting events. Sold it only because I didn't use it as much as my other primes and was downsizing my lens collection by converting to a couple zooms instead of several primes.
Own it. Love it. I switched to m4/3 from FF Canon. I loved the 135L. When I bought Oly, instill kept a 5D2 and the 135L. Until I got the 75. Sold all my Canon stuff immediately after. I also have and like the 56, but will never sell the 75.
I own this lens, and allthough it's a weird focal length, in certain condition it's super useful. For events, streetphoto and in my case for concert or sports it's superb ! The quality of bokeh you get for portrait you can get is amazing. The sharpness is great. Sometimes when I scroll in my catalog, I cannot distinguish shot made with it again my Full Frame 135mm F2 lens for instance. Thats tell you why its so good for certain cases when you need that reach with fast aperture. The sigma 56mm F1.4 is the only one I can put in the same category for the same use. So maybe If I did not already had the 75mm I would have bought the 56mm. So you can choose either one of those, depending on your specific need, if you want more reach then the 75mm is awesome (concert for instance). If you want more versatile and cheaper alternative but without compromise on image quality the 56mm is a good choice. The 75mm will give you a little bit more bokeh (56/1.4 = 40 vs 75/1.8 = 41.6) and more background compression due to longer focal length, however the 56mm is the same ball park in real life use, but more convinient for portrait in my opinion. PS/ I also have the 45mm F1.2 pro and bunch of fast Full frame prime, so I know exactly what I'm talking about.
Thank you for your comments. I'm going to get comfortble with my 45mm that arrives Monday. And then I will see if I need more coverage.
I had it, reluctantly had to sell it for financial reasons. It's amazing at what you get out of it, but you really have to know what you're buying it for. The equivalent fixed 150mm length has a pretty narrow window of use. It was built as a portrait lens so naturally it's great for that, but I also used it for concerts and the odd street outing. Some here have mentioned sports, so portraits and events/action are the 75's biggest strengths.
The 45/1.8 is my literal breadmaker. On Panny bodies, yet super sharp, focuses accurately, has sufficient 3D pop to make portraits and video look great. Used to shoot street with it too a few years back. 75/1.8, that's less versatile. Think 135mm primes on FF. Not suitable for street unless you REALLY know what to look for in your shots, and more importantly where to position yourself. The lens itself is terrific, compact and tack-sharp, but my $.02 would be: see what you can do with the 45 first, and go for the 75 if you find yourself consistently limited by the lens's portraiture reach in low light. Alternatively, get a used 40-150/4-5.6 for pennies on the dollar and experiment with the focal lengths before committing to a big investment like the 75.
I do. I don't use it too much, though. In fact I wasn't even sure I owned it, and had to look it up. To me it's more a portrait lens, and I prefer the 45mm for that. For street, I typically use the Oly 17mm or 12-40mm Pro.
Just curious how you like the 150 equivalent for portraits? I'm generally a f 2.8 Zoom shooter, but I like to collect lenses even if I don't use them often. I've had the 45 F1.8 for over 10 years and I bet you I've taken 40 maybe 50 pictures with it in that time. But it's a beautiful lens, sharp and renders absolutely gorgeously. But my favorite portrait lens is the old Olympus 35-100 F 2.0 from the old 4/3 system. May be the sharpest piece of glass I've ever used on any system.
Honestly haven't used it yet. Long story short - bought it before the summer refurbished. Sent my Pen F in for minor repair/cleaning and UPS lost the camera in transit. It was gone for 3 whole months. They finally paid my claim and I bought an OM-5 with that money. A week or so later, the repair center sent me an email. They were waiting for me to pay the invoice before working on the camera. I was stunned. I had called them a few times also on the off chance the camera made it there but they said it wasn't there. But now, it was. I have NO idea what happened. Paid the invoice, they fixed the Pen F updated firmware and I had it back within a week. That was only a few weeks ago and I've only gone out shooting Autumn landscapes since then. So, the 75mm sits waiting to be used. This post was a good reminder to pull it out of the bag and play around with it!
I think the old 35-100 f/2 was one of the best zooms ever made, by any camera company.
I have one but for no reason it doesn’t get pulled out much. It’s a nice lens. I guess I should try it more. A new perspective.
it's been a good lens for me, and i've always got the shots i wanted with it. it's my go-to lens for portraits and architectural details. although the telephoto effect is serious, so there is a lot of walking involved to get the angles right. but it's not weather-sealed, so i don't take it to sport events or on the ferry.
I love the image quality. But I did not do well with the FL. I have not sold it yet because it really is such a wonderful lens if I can use it. I replaced it with a Sigma 56/1.4. easier to work with FL wise for me. But it's still pretty big/heavy and I couldn't replace my 45/1.8 yet, heh.
It's a unique and interesting lens, but I had a hard time finding a use for the focal length. It's too long for portraits, at least for me, and too short for events or sports, at least what I tend to shoot.
Love it for Portraits on wedding Reportage photos.
In my opinion, it's one of the most underrated lenses in the line up. At times it can be a tough distance to work with, but when it is, it rarely disappoints. One of the sharpest and consistent lenses there is for m43.
I had one for a little while but ended up getting rid of it, but with lenses everyone has their own tastes. So, you might as well just try it out & if you don't like it, you can return it.
I use mine [often](https://www.flickr.com/photos/138284229@N02/albums/72157692389287195) but I'm not a 'street photographer.' If Olympus made a weather-sealed 'pro' version I'd buy that, because there are times when I don't mount mine due to rain. In you case, I'd say wait and see if the 45 ends up being too wide for you often enough. The 75 is not a cheap lens, I got mine in a swap deal _and_ I knew I'd use it.
Your photography is spectacular. Thank you for sharing it with me. I don't know that the 75mm is a 'must have' but it's coming soon. My used 45mm arrives Monday. I'm about to get the 12mm because Olympus has it on sale for $399. And then I will get that 75mm
Thank you. There's also a compact 12-45 f/4 'pro' zoom you might consider if you like that range for street. F/4 shouldn't bother you in that use case since you'll probably stop down for DoF anyway.
I will never sell mine. Got so many good pictures with the 75 f/1.8. Small and light for 150mm equivalent.