Lens for EM! As most of you know I got a Oly. EM 1 with a 12-40 lens , now I am looking for a portraits lens any suggestions...

Hibler Loc: Oklahoma

As most of you know I got a Oly. EM 1 with a 12-40 lens , now I am looking for a portraits lens any suggestions

fawlty128 Loc: LI, NY now in Allentown, PA

If you're looking to take portraits outside, I'd recommend the 75mm 1.8

Hibler Loc: Oklahoma

Thanks I will take a look

fawlty128 wrote:

If you're looking to take portraits outside, I'd recommend the 75mm 1.8

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Or the Panasonic 42.5

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

If you can afford the 75mm 1.8, that's the best option in my opinion.
The 45mm 1.8 is a very inexpensive, lightweight alternate
I've also heard great things about the panasonic 42.5mm f1.2, but I don't own that one. If you need examples of the first two lenses I could probably scrounge up a couple.

Hibler Loc: Oklahoma

Cdouthitt wrote:

If you can afford the 75mm 1.8, that's the best option in my opinion.
The 45mm 1.8 is a very inexpensive, lightweight alternate
I've also heard great things about the panasonic 42.5mm f1.2, but I don't own that one. If you need examples of the first two lenses I could probably scrounge up a couple.

Thanks I will take a look at them

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Hibler wrote:

As most of you know I got a Oly. EM 1 with a 12-40 lens , now I am looking for a portraits lens any suggestions

Your 12-40 will handle it easily.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

Your Olympus OMD EM1 is four thirds as you well know. The 12- 40mm lens you have is a Pro Lens, at the 40mm end is 80mm in 35mm terms, which is an excellent focal length for portraiture and given your lens is a continuous f2.8 aperture you have no light problems.
If you want to spend some money and invest in a Prime Lens, I can recommend the Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm f1.8, equivalent to 90mm in 35mm terms, the definition of this lens is superb.
Hope this is of some use.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

why do you need a different lens to take a pic of someone's head? Why not just get closer and fill the frame?

Lynn L Loc: Northern IL

Hibler wrote:

As most of you know I got a Oly. EM 1 with a 12-40 lens , now I am looking for a portraits lens any suggestions

I've got your Oly set up, plus all the primes. It's been covered well by the everyone else. Here are my observations. I usually like the f 1.8 primes to control the BG. If you're going to do tight dramatic head shots, You'll love the 75. You can do beautiful things to the BG at f.1.8. The down side is that if you like head & shoulders, you're so far away you'll need 2 cans & a string to talk to the subject. I've also used my 45mm f1.8. It does a really nice job in almost any, single person, portrait shot; nice backgrounds at f 1.8; just not quite as nice as the 75mm; but hey, you're shooting for the person, not the BG. I've also done well with the f2.8 zoom. You can't really go wrong with any of the lens suggestions. It's all the way you want the final product to look. All this being said, if the $$ is there, it's fun to shoot with both the 45 and the 75. And yes, the 75 is every bit as sharp as most critics claim it to be. Hope this helps a bit, I've shot em all.

Hibler Loc: Oklahoma

Thanks to all

jcboy3

Hibler wrote:

As most of you know I got a Oly. EM 1 with a 12-40 lens , now I am looking for a portraits lens any suggestions

The Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8 is a good match with the 12-40, and I use it as a portrait lens. If you want shallow DOF then the 45 f/1.8 is very good and the 75mm f/1.8 is excellent. If you want really sharp, then the Zuiko 50mm f/2 is also excellent. I only use the 50mm if I'm going for extremely sharp, usually only with older male subjects. Since I usually soften portraits a bit, I use the 45mm more often.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Leicaflex wrote:

Your Olympus OMD EM1 is four thirds as you well know. The 12- 40mm lens you have is a Pro Lens, at the 40mm end is 80mm in 35mm terms, which is an excellent focal length for portraiture and given your lens is a continuous f2.8 aperture you have no light problems.
If you want to spend some money and invest in a Prime Lens, I can recommend the Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm f1.8, equivalent to 90mm in 35mm terms, the definition of this lens is superb.
Hope this is of some use.

Agree, the 12-40 works quite well...this was shot with natural light @31mm f2.8 on that lens.

http://douthittfamily.smugmug.com/2014/May-2014/i-vQqBRcJ/0/XL/EM103987-20140530-XL.jpg

The only issue I have with the 45, is that it is only 5mm longer than your 12-40. Ever since getting my 75 and 12-40, I quit using the 45 1.8. The 12-40 and 75, IMHO make an awesome two lens kit. If I could only have two lenses for my camera, it would likely be those.

Here's the 75mm @ f2.5

http://douthittfamily.smugmug.com/Projects/Dan-and-Elizabeth/i-RB2MZkS/0/XL/EM151583-20141025-XL.jpg

Hibler Loc: Oklahoma

Thanks a lot looks like the way to go, and I am going to that

Cdouthitt wrote:

Agree, the 12-40 works quite well...this was shot ... (show quote)