Taking the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 Out For A Spin

4 Comments
So I have just got the new Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 for my birthday, obviously my fingers were itchy and I took it out for shutter therapy sessions. I am now more comfortable using the 25mm lens for my street shooting than 45mm, and it has become my most used focal length (I am also including the uses of 25mm F1.8 lens previously before I purchased the 25mm F1.2 PRO lens). I still love the 45mm F1.8, it is my go to lens for tight portraits (portraits of strangers), but I do tend to go for wider framing and more environmental shots these days. Either way, the 45mm F1.8 stays in the camera bag and I would not hesitate to switch over if absolutely necessary. The Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO is mounted on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II most of the time!

I also have been doing a lot of event coverage shooting lately. Do read up my tips on how to shoot an event here on MT's site. The main lens I have been using for my jobs is the 25mm F1.8 lens. Upgrading to F1.2 PRO allows me more flexibility when it comes to low light shooting, I have about one stop advantage, which means I can effectively lower my ISO and produce cleaner images. This is applicable to both flash use and shoots with entirely avaiable light, the F1.2 wide open is a significant advantage in less than ideal lighting circumstances. The fact that Micro Four Thirds has 2 times equivalent depth of field, the F1.2 lens is perfectly usable rendering sufficient depth of field for most of my shots. I can use it at fully wide open F1.2 without stopping down, getting enough zone in focus and super sharp results at the same time.

Some users complained that the F1,2 PRO lenses are huge. Yes they are much larger than the F1.8 lenses, I agree with that. However, in terms of handling, I felt they were perfectly balanced on the E-M1 Mark II (I cannot say for smaller PEN cameras). It was as if I was using the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens, which was perfect in terms of handling with the OM-D E-M1 series camera. The F1.2 advantage is huge, and having slight size and weight penalty, I am totally ok with the compromise.

Anyone else using the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO lens? Do let me know your thoughts!




 Of course, the M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO lens will not be my default food photography lens. New Years resolution 2019 - shoot more hipster overpriced fancy looking food. 

Check out the Feathered Bokeh! Smooth, creamy!













4 comments:

  1. Actually not much difference from the f2.0 lense.

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    Replies
    1. I don't remember Olympus having a 25mm F2 lens. There is 12mm F2, but that is a wide angle, and a totally different lens. What were you talking about?

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  2. Hi Robin, gratulations on getting the 25mm f1.2.
    I think it's a superb lens, such quality and flexibility (and more) combined in one lens keeps me blowing away every time i use it.
    I got myself one right after it got released and is my most used lens for the m4/3 system so far. I use it for all sorts of stuff, mainly on my EM5mk2 and is doing quite well on it, especially since i sold my EM1mk2 for some funds (bought the Fuji XT3).

    And while indeed being big for a m4/3 lens, it is still reasonable for what you get out of it.
    So, and that's what i believe, you can never be wrong getting it as a first lens out of the three f1.2 lens trio.
    So much fun and joy using it.

    Cheers

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  3. 25mm is my default lens. Preferably I would be 20mm but the Panasonic is too dark. When I purchased my first micro 4/3 EM5 I purchased also Voigtlander 25mm F. 95. This was incredible set. (I sold my big 4/3 where Sigma 50mm F1.4 was my the best lens). When I changed my camera to newer I decided to change my manual lens to AF - here's 25mm F1.2 Olympus. It's very sharp and fast set - I love it also. But very often I miss the plastics from tales at F.95. I wonder if 17mm Voigtlander have the similar optics like 25mm. Maybe this will be good choice to avoid having two lenses with the same length.

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