The lens does provides poor macro ability at best - at its close focusing distance of 50cm (around 20 inches) it provides only 0.11x magnification. Now I am not sitting here writing to you and telling you that this lens will beat a Leica lens or is the best lens in the world right now as I am writing this review in a Micro 4/3 state of mind, not a Leica state of mind. In the M4/3 world it really doesn’t get much better than this, if at all. If I had to note a flaw I would say that it should come with a lens hood and maybe it doesn’t have the best quality Bokeh ever (this is not Leica ro Zeiss here) but it’s damn good. Olympus makes the hood an option but does not include one, BOO. Lateral chromatic aberrations, typically seen as blue or purple fringes along contrasty edges, are very well controlled with this lens - the example below shows the worst-case scenario you are likely to encounter. As noted earlier the wide, ridged focus ring is not mechanically coupled but works very much as if it was - except that it has no stops, hard or soft, at either end of the focus range, making it difficult to judge whether you've reached the close-focus point or the infinity setting. Otherwise it feels like a "proper" focus ring, with smooth action and no perceptible delays. The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. Simple.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 Overview: Digital Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 Overview: Digital

Olympus PEN E-P7 + Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 (1/30 sec, f/1.8, ISO1600) (Image credit: James Artaius) Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8: Build and handlingChromatic aberrations are kept well below levels that may become noticeable, in either large prints or harsh crops from the edges of the frame. At their worst, CA levels reach 0.45 pixel widths at f/22.

Olympus 45mm F1.8 first impressions - Digital Photography Review

As a dedicated macro lens – indeed the first macro lens for Micro Four Thirds – the Panasonic Leica 45mm f2.8 boasts a closest focusing distance of 15cm allowing 1:1 reproduction. In contrast the Olympus 45mm f1.8’s closest focusing distance is a modest 0.5m, allowing just 0.11x magnification, or a reproduction that’s almost ten times smaller. You can see the difference in practice in my Olympus 45mm f1.8 macro results.

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 Sample Photos

In the past I never used lenses pouches with my larger lenses, but with these smaller rangefinder like lenses, I put all my lenses into pouches before they go into my bag. This is one disappointment I have with Olympus which Panasonic is one step ahead with even their Leica lenses. Hood and Pouch should be included in the price of this. This lens opens up to 1.8 allowing you to not only get great low light shots but also get shallow depth of field and up until this lens, it was tough to get this look with Micro 4/3. Opening up to 1.8 and shooting this focal length will give you super shallow DOF. This is a BIG DEAL of us who shoot with these cameras. How sharp is it? The following photo was shot wide open at f/1.8 and is the full size out of camera file: This lens is a must for micro 4/3 users if it suits their way of photographing. If you are looking for a short tele prime and you don't need macro, look no further, this is the one to get. easyazon_link identifier=”B00CI3R53W” locale=”US” tag=”mhmedia07-20″] Olympus M.45mmF1.8[/easyazon_link]