Shooting with the Panasonic GX85 + Olympus 45mm f1.8

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One of best things about having four micro four-thirds bodies is that since I have four favorite lenses, I can mount each one of them on a different body and not have to as frequently switch lenses with bodies! The first two posts in this series has been centered on the E-PL6 + Olympus 17mm f1.8 + E-M5 with Panasonic 25mm f1.4. The third post in this series and the last one with primes is the GX85 + Olympus 45mm f1.8 combo.

The 45mm can work just as well with either of the E-Ms though perhaps less well with the E-PL6. At 90mm full-frame focal length equivalent, I reckon my camera-holding technique needs to be just a little steadier and using an EVF than through a rear LCD. Of the three primes, the 45mm is the most challenging to work with when indoors and in the small rooms typical of high-rise apartments in this part of the world. I do get more obvious bokeh with the 45mm than the 25mm of course, but for the most part, having to step back all the way into a wall and still have one of the kids’ heads chopped off in the frame makes whatever bokeh I might get a non-starter.

The lens though will come into its own when outdoors where’s a lot more space to move and get exactly the composition you want in a shot.

The GX85 with the 45mm.

And a series of shots with this combo: excepting the Bolo bun picture, aperture settings were between f1.8 to f2.0 and ISO200. These are also flash shots too, with the Meike MK320 mounted on the GX85.

Balancing an eraser on the edge of the ruler is a past-time we all had as kids!
Practising for a storytelling competition in school.
Ling says that P takes after me in this trait: we both stick our tongues out when unconsciously when we’re concentrating on something. The fairly long focal length and almost full-body composition required shooting from across the bedroom.
H’s big sister instincts kicking in to help Peter with some writing activities. Two person shots on primes wide-open are always a little challenging, as it’s very easy for one person to be out of focus because of the thin depth of field.
The wife getting creative in the kitchen again. These Bolo buns look so good literally I’m not sure if I’ll bear to have them for breakfast! This one’s at f4.5 to give a bit more depth as this was a close-up shot.
A picture of concentration: H having her school Home-Based Learning exercise across two days this week. I had my back against our brick wall, and her upper body still barely fitted into the frame. The 25mm would have been an easier lens for this shot, though the background rendering would had been less creamy.

That concludes the series of posts using the three key m4/3 primes I’ve got. They’re really fun lenses to use, and I reckon the 25mm f1.4 is the one that I find most useful given the kind of pictures I like to take. I might do a future post on weekend pictures using the 40-150mm f2.8 exclusively, but there’s a huge thing to lug around on family weekends, but we’ll see.:)

2 thoughts on “Shooting with the Panasonic GX85 + Olympus 45mm f1.8”

  1. Excellent setup youve got here. I truly love the M43. I do a lot of low light shows and video. How does the Olympus 45mm f1.8 compare to the Panny Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f1.2?

    I feel as though the Nocticron defeats the purpose of my gx85 ):

  2. Well, I haven’t actually tried the Panasonic-Lecia 42.5mm f1.2, but that lens is in a completely different performance – and also price – bracket compared to the Olympus 45mm f1.8. There’s a full-stop difference between the two lenses there. I reckon a closer match to the Panasonic-Leica will be the new Olympus 45mm f1.2 Pro. My usage level for 45mm lenses though aren’t nearly as high as at 17mm or even 25mm – so don’t think I’ll care to spend that much money on a lens. Not until I strike a lottery that is!

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