Here are my test shots from 1:1 magnification, plus extensive crops to show the sharpness. When you look at these crops, keep in mind that the ultra-thin depth of field makes the wider apertures “seem” blurrier than they are. In terms of sharpness, only pay attention to the in-focus regions. Next I tried a further shot. This was set up at a range where the 60mm macro was focused at about 0.6m. Again, the camera was moved to account for differences in focal length so that the two lenses framed the same scene identically. As with the 85, you get that gorgeous Velvet glow, which is perfect for artistic macro photography and other creative-type images. If you’re looking to get the stunning soft-focus look, then it’s tough to go wrong with the Velvet 56, though it pays to remember that it’s manual focus only, and that you’ll only be able to go up to 1:2 magnification. As you can see, sharpness is not a real concern for this lens with the typical subjects that you’d use it for. Bokeh I happen to have both the Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro and Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro lenses currently, and I thought there might be some interest in a compare & contrast between the two from a user's perspective.

All in all, macro photography (and close-up photography in general) is one of the biggest strengths of the Micro Four Thirds format. You don’t give up much image quality compared to bigger camera sensors for close-up photography, and you gain a lot of maneuverability. DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 800, 1/160, f/5.6 M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Specifications Panasonic offers the Panasonic Leica Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, which is the only other Panasonic or Olympus macro lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. This lens also offers a 1:1 magnification. The biggest difference is of course the focal length, which is quite a bit less at 45mm. This means that you need to stand closer to your subjects compared to the M.Zuiko 60mm macro lens. Another noteworthy difference is that the Panasonic Leica 45mm macro is not advertised as weather sealed. MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth.The Olympus ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro delivers extremely good optical performance with compact and lightwieght build quality

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about the best macro lenses for Olympus cameras–and you should be able to find the perfect lens for your needs! Falloff of illumination towards the corners of the frame is well controlled for a lens of this type. At f/2.8 the corners of the frame are 1.02 stops darker than the image centre and illumination is visually uniform with the lens stopped down to f/4 or beyond.

Incredible optics. In fact, I recommend you be careful, because this lens is so sharp that you could accidentally cut yourself on it! Very nice review and nice shots, Nicholas. I own the Venus Laowa 50mm f2.8X Macro, and I believe there are also some advantages of this lens over this newer 90mm f/3.5 and vice-versa. I do think both are very close in sharpness, except that based on your review I feel that the OM System is a bit better at handling a loss in sharpness near 2:1. With the Laowa, I have tested that past f/5.6, it starts to degrade more rapidly. On distant subjects, I actually found that the OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO outperformed my old M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro in focus speed, especially in brighter conditions. However, at close focusing distances, the 60mm lens was faster – probably because it didn’t need to examine the whole range from 2:1 to wider magnifications.

That said, some are more powerful than others, which is why the title of absolute best macro lens for Olympus goes to: 1. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro To my eye, the Olympus is ever so slightly sharper, but the differences are close enough that it’s really hard to say for sure that the Olympus is better here. Close focus test – Full image In terms of light fall-off in the corners, there is nothing to worry about – the lens performs impressively in this regard.This isn't a review as such; I've not had the lenses long enough to write a real world review after extended use. However, I thought I'd note my initial impressions of the two lenses in use for both macro and general use photography. So, to sum it up, the M.Zuiko 60mm macro is really the best macro lens for Micro Four Thirds right now. It’s the only option for an autofocusing macro lens that can achieve a 1X magnification at a reasonable working distance. Normally, having just one lens option to choose from isn’t ideal – but here, it’s not an issue because the lens performs so well anyway. DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 250, 1/250, f/11.0 Conclusion And an even stronger crop to really push things: DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 125, 1/200, f/11.0 DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 125, 1/200, f/11.0 Although there are a few other macro lenses available for Micro Four Thirds shooters both from Panasonic and OM System, none of them are true competitors to the 90mm f/3.5 Macro. After all, none of them focus to 2x magnification, and the 90mm focal length is also unique. This lens is clearly the flagship macro lens for Micro Four Thirds today.

The most obvious comparison is the M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro, which has a maximum magnification of 1x and has served me well for several years. Although it’s certainly not a 90mm 2x macro lens, it will get the job done for most subjects. Additionally, the Panasonic 45mm f/2.8 also offers 1x magnification, although it has an even shorter working distance.

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My overall feeling with using both lenses is that the 60mm seems to be consistently sharper, at least wide open. Not too surprising given how sharp other test shots with the 60mm have come out. However, both lenses are capable of some very sharp shots so the 45 is no slouch either. I'm not sure offhand what the specs are for each, but I could consistently get in closer with the PL 45 before bumping the min focus distance limit. The 60mm is a longer focal length of course, but I did feel like I was able to get in closer with the 45mm lens even so. Generally speaking, a 30mm lens (even with the 60mm effective focal length when the Four Thirds crop factor is applied) is on the short side for macro photography. You’re going to risk casting shadows on your subject, or even bumping your subject with the front of the lens–so that’s definitely something to watch out for. Micro four Thirds camera owners interested in macro photography should add this lens to their wish list. In fact, even if you have no interest in macro photography, the quality this lens delivers, at such a low price point will make a good option for portraiture on a relative budget also. Wider macro lenses (with an effective focal length of 30mm to 60mm) will offer very little working distance, which means that you have to get extremely close to your subjects if you want to shoot at high magnifications.