Top-Notch Performer
Released in May 2012, the Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/ 1.8 is a high- grade portrait lens that significantly improves the versatility and performance of the OM- D and PEN compact system cameras. Besides, the lens is ideal for studio, stage and indoor sports. Let’s see how the lens fares on our test bench...
Design and Build Quality
The all-metal Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 lens is beautifully crafted and looks very professional. Some users may not like the idea of a silver lens on a silver/black or full-black body but personally, I find the OM-D EM-5 and the silver lens combination just great. The lens is Movie and Still Compatible (MSC) which means that its design offers silent and smooth focussing for HD video capture. Further, the mass of the focussing elements within, has been reduced, which in turn offers quicker and more accurate autofocussing. The front element glass is 50mm (about 2”) in diameter that adds to its professional look. The lens mount is made of metal, and has 11 gold-plated contacts for passing data to and fro from the lens and body. ( The 2 extra contacts included here will also be used in highspeed data processing required for the movie handling capability expected in future). The lens weighs 304g and has a filter size of 58mm in diameter. Lens hood is not included but can be bought optionally.
Key Features
The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 lens is constructed with 10 elements in 9 groups that include 3 ED ( Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements (to reduce Chromatic Aberrations) and 2 HRI ( High Refractive Index) glass elements that compensate for field curvature and spherical aberrations. Olympus claim that special ZERO ( Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) lens coatings are applied to the elements to reduce internal reflectance to a level that is half that of conventional coatings. What this means in practical terms is that images produced by this lens should be crisper and flare-free. The lens employs Olympus’ Movie and Still Compatible (MSC) autofocussing mechanism featuring an inner focussing system for fast and quiet focussing. The wide maximum aperture of f/1.8 is ideal for shooting in low light conditions. The focussing is internal and hence the front element does not rotate, making it convenient to use PL and ND graduated filters. The minimum focussing distance is 0.84m / 2.76 feet. At this point the lens produces its maximum magnification of 0.2x (in 35mm parlance).
Ergonomics
The 75mm f/1.8 lens was tested using an Olympus OM-D body. The balance was very good and the lens was a pleasure to use. We wish a better lens cap was provided. A metallic lens cap ( LC-61) is sold as an accessory; surely