Olympus M.Zuiko Digital Ed 75mm F1.8 (Black) Lens

This is the lens that enticed me to try a micro 4/3 system (currently the Olympus E-M5 II). Purchased for discreet walk-around photography when traveling to places where the fairly large Nikon D810 with 300mm f/4 PF that I typically use might be threatening to people. My sample is a hair soft in the center at f/1.8, although perfectly usable for portraiture. Stopped down to the f/2.8 to f/8 range, the sharpness is spectacular edge to edge for applications where more DOF is needed. Lately I have been shooting a lot at f/2.8, then applying an edge blurring filter in ON1 Effects to make the shots look as though they were taken at f/1.8 - well worth the extra editing step to combine extreme center sharpness with completely defocused backgrounds. With an equivalent reach ... MoreThis is the lens that enticed me to try a micro 4/3 system (currently the Olympus E-M5 II). Purchased for discreet walk-around photography when traveling to places where the fairly large Nikon D810 with 300mm f/4 PF that I typically use might be threatening to people. My sample is a hair soft in the center at f/1.8, although perfectly usable for portraiture. Stopped down to the f/2.8 to f/8 range, the sharpness is spectacular edge to edge for applications where more DOF is needed. Lately I have been shooting a lot at f/2.8, then applying an edge blurring filter in ON1 Effects to make the shots look as though they were taken at f/1.8 - well worth the extra editing step to combine extreme center sharpness with completely defocused backgrounds. With an equivalent reach of 150mm, the focal length is long enough to bring many architectural details within reach, and stay far enough away from buskers and other performers so as not to annoy them. Focusing is fast and quiet. Have never had to do any corrections for CAs, distortion or vignetting in post. Made of metal with extremely tight tolerances, the 75mm is built to last. With its low magnification, this lens is not designed for macro photography. The one and only annoyance: the hood is not included and the Olympus version is pricey; buying a third party knock off is worth considering. I have a boat-load of Canon and Nikon pro glass, and the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 can stand up to any of it.

The copy I received clearly showed the same unacceptable level of manual focussing noise which several others have been reporting for this lens. The noise can obviously interfer with video sound recording, and the lens does not fulfill the specifications claimed by Olympus.To clarify: this is not about the inevitable brief motor-type noise of the autofocus action of many autofocus lenses I know. It is about a sqeeking-crunching noise that accompanies every turn of the focus ring in manual mode. With the eye on the viewfinder, the noise could not be overheard and simply is not a sign of good quality.After an extensive search of the topic, here is what it comes down to: certain copies of the lens seem to have this issue, with owners referring to manual focussing ... MoreThe copy I received clearly showed the same unacceptable level of manual focussing noise which several others have been reporting for this lens. The noise can obviously interfer with video sound recording, and the lens does not fulfill the specifications claimed by Olympus.To clarify: this is not about the inevitable brief motor-type noise of the autofocus action of many autofocus lenses I know. It is about a sqeeking-crunching noise that accompanies every turn of the focus ring in manual mode. With the eye on the viewfinder, the noise could not be overheard and simply is not a sign of good quality.After an extensive search of the topic, here is what it comes down to: certain copies of the lens seem to have this issue, with owners referring to manual focussing noise; many owners emphasize that their lens is essentially silent, which indicates that there are lenses without the issue; the role of the irmware version is unclear, but based on the rather mechanical nature of the noise I doubt it can be relevent; surprisingly, the manufacturer remains silent on the issue although it has been lingering for long.Accordinly, this lens has a hidden quality issue. This concern is unrelated to the widely appraised optical quality. However, at this relatively high price point, the user can expect a product that does not sound like it will fail sooner or later.Adding to this concern is the fact that these lenses are focus-by-wire, so there is no mechanical tolerance, but rather a potential problem that might make the whole lens unusable down the road. It seems a good idea for Olympus to address this issue.Overall, while the optical qualities of this lens must be enjoyable, I first have to find a flawless copy.

This is a great lens for my Panasonic Lumix camera{s}. Manual and auto-focus work great on this previously used lens. Condition is excellent. Will be used with Panasonic G6, G7 and GH5s cameras. The lens was nicely packed with much bubble-wrap. The lens works very well in low-light conditions. The lens is very well built. I prefer the black version over the silver version. Manual lens focus ring is nice and smooth to adjust.