Good video. Just one note: on autofocus, a Panasonic or Panny/Leica lens ought to do better/faster on a Panasonic body because these lenses (or the body) contains the lens characterization data that allows DfD to work. With an Olympus lens on a Panny body it's pure CDAF, which is slower and more likely to hunt.
This video is crazy long! Note to self, don't try and do four lens reviews in a single video... 🤔😱🤓 But anyway, to make it easier for you guys I've added a lengthy, organized table of contents in the description as well as the results. Cheers! 😃
Because of it being crazy long, I finally got to see it but worth it. Opened my eyes to the Panasonic. Gosh, I like the field of view of the Panasonic 30mm but like the extra distance of the Olympus 60mm. Great video, maybe I will get both. One thing I have noticed about contrast detect is when you were auto focusing on the interface with the two lights very close to the focus point, it can mess with the auto focus. I've shot a lot of local music concerts this year and notice the camera catches the lights. If the subject is in front of the stage lights and I want to give a neat glow behind him or the light is very close to the focus point it will throw the focus off. I will usually move my framing or tap my focus point to the left or right to something I can focus on that is at the same focus distance. That can be hard to do in low light at f1.7 to get sharp focus, either I step up to a higher ISO and stop down the lens or sometimes I will use manual focus and peaking. Of course stage lights are just a tad brighter than your interface, so I probably rambled for no reason. LOL Was that a crazy long reply for crazy long video? I got some more room to type. Great video, spot on, always educational with good info!
is there one comparable to Canon 100mm L series. I don't want to buy a speedbooster, but I love that lens. and not really sure how well that looks with a speedbooster.
Hi, very good review. The one thing that I wonder about is the 42.5 f1.7 lens by Panasonic. From what I understand not only is it a great portrait lens it works pretty well as a macro lens too. It can focus quite close. I also wonder how well other lenses work if you put one of those spacer rings that allow the lens to focus closer. Thanks.
This was a great video. I was super lucky to buy the Olympus 30mm macro a couple years ago when Olympus was selling the lens for a one day sale at $99! An absolute steal! The crazy thing, it's actually one of my favorite M43 lenses I have. It's sharp, produces great colors, and it can be used as a nice portrait lens. When it comes to macro abilities, it's amazing how much detail you can capture especially when you have appropriate lighting. I'd totally recommend this lens.
You should consider the advantage of the 60mm in terms of distance to the subject when shooting macro, specially bugs and live subjects. With the 30mm you would need to be much closer to the subject to get the same magnification as the 60. Another suggestion to make the match fairer, is to test all four lenses in an Olympus body as well. You may find a significant difference in performance, specially when measuring focus speed and accuracy of the same lens mounted in a different camera body. I have seen those kind of differing results in tests by other photographers, when using the same lens mounted in a Panasonic or an Olympus body, with the combinations performing best when both the lens and the body are of the same brand.
Weather sealing singlehandedly swings it to the 60mm for me - I live in a rainy damp location (Vancouver, BC, Canada). Having a weather resistant lens makes me much more likely to get out and use it. Also, the extra focal length is absolutely a huge deal, particularly if you're shooting moving subjects. This video was fantastic - you've got another subscriber here. 👍
One huge factor is working distance to the subject, especially if you do insect macro photography. The clear winner for me is the 60 mm. Also, if you go 1:1 or closer shooting, autofocus is not really an issue because you are probably gonna use manual focus anyway.
It’s a shame because I had the sigma 108mm for my Nikon, and I’m so used to that focal length that I don’t really want to drop down to 60mm. Annoying how Lens companies don’t make higher focal length macro lenses for micro four thirds
@@danieldrew9982 you didn't mention if you had Nikon full frame camera with this lens. If so, then the Olympus lens gives you almost the same field of view (120mm full frame equivalent). Of course if that was on a DX body, then you were at 162mm equivalent FoV, but agree, a 90mm native M43 lens would have been nice to have for insects that you want to stay a bit further away from not to spook them like butterflies or fireflies.
Gerald, I believe you missed the mark on this one a bit. Normally, longer lenses are preferred by most for macro photography since they allow more distance between the subject and the photographer, which is a good thing if one is photographing sensitive or dangerous substances or creatures, and allow more natural light on the subject. In the case of auto focus, testing on a Panasonic body could potentially give a bit of an advantage to Panasonic's own lenses due to the DFD calibration. You also didn't use the base ISO for the shots, which is not how these lenses are normally used in real life. Thanks for your review nonetheless, good job.
I agree about the distance thing. I mention it in the video a few times. However, the distance is all pretty minimal on these lenses, you're looking at only a couple inches differences between the 30mm & the 60mm, so I found it to be less of a factor than I would have otherwise preferred. Your DfD point is a good one, but it is a factor to consider. I mean, it exists, so for people that own Panasonic the results count. I should have mentioned it, though. As far as base ISO, I disagree. While not a bug shooter, I photograph a lot of moody stuff indoors and I'm not always shooting at ISO 200. That's real life for me. Especially with video, which for V-Log starts at ISO 800. Thanks for watching and the comment. There's always going to be various usage cases to consider, but this is actually pretty accurate to how I would use these lenses, so it was a position I felt most comfortable talking about. If I went out into the wild and started shooting insects, I would have absolutely no idea what I was talking about, so I wanted to avoid that. For product macro on Panasonic, I stand by my pick. 😃 Edit: I was having a look at the tests again, and with regard to the DfD issue, I don't think that was much of a factor, because it wouldn't explain the stellar focusing results on the Olympus 30mm and the worse results on the Panny 45mm. Cheers.
Gerald Undone Absolutely, I didn't question your pick. To each their own. Just wanted to mention a few tidbits for a conversation. Regarding the focal length, 60mm is 2x the 30mm, and gives you twice the distance from your subject. As far as I know, there are few macro lenses longer than 120mm eq. Canon has a 135/4, and Nikon and Sigma have a 180/2.8. Cheers :)
Yeah, love the conversation. Thanks again. You're right about the 60mm being further, but here's some numbers to show you what I meant, and also to compare to the greater distances of full frame: Olympus 60mm MFD: 7.48" Panasonic 30mm MFD: 4.13" Canon 100 Macro for FF MFD: 12.24" That's why I was saying that it's pretty minor (only 3.35 inches), but again, we should keep in mind that due to the field of view differences between M43 and FF, we can actually get twice as far away to achieve the same result. Isn't that 135mm from Canon also some funky tilt-shift lens too? That's fun. But expensive!
Ah that's one helluva lens that Canon. It's especially cool since it allows much deeper field of focus. But that price! Maybe you can get it in for a review from a sponsor? That will be one unique review on RU-vid.
One additional thing I'd like to add regarding Pana vs Olympus. Olympus lenses traditionally do not have image stabilization because their bodies have state of the art in-body (sensor shift) stabilization. I know that Panasonic includes this as well nowadays, but Olympus kind of invented the thing, and is still best in class for m43. Their are lots of reports of people shooting hand-held with the Oly 60mm, with an Olympus body... Just my 3 cents regarding handling.
Interesting trade study-type review! If you do this type of comparison again, try assigning scores on an absolute scale (0.0-1.0) instead of ranking. For example, image quality was all very close, so the difference in scores should be small. Next, weight the points of comparison on how important they are. i.e. Image quality might be worth 50% while autofocus speeds might be 5% or less. Then, plot the score against price and look at the Pareto boundary for a winner or winners.
Great review - thanks. And it fit really good to my personal experience. Except of one point: When taking macros, I prefer larger focal lenghts for two reasons. It's easier to avoid shadows (esp your own) when you take picture in not perfectly lit environment or when you have to shoot pics of some with lots of reflections (like watches for example). And often the pictures simple look so much nicer because it looks some kind of far away from the "realistic" view when you are just looking at it. I took thousands of macro pics - most of them (and I think the best) with Canon 5D and a Sigma 150 mm macro. I would always try to get the same kind of look.
It's true. That's the biggest limiting factor with M4/3 macro is the proximity. Even the 60mm puts you within just a few inches from the subject for 1:1. But that 30mm Olympus is just wacky close. You lose about 2-3 stops of light if you're shooting top-down. That's why I included that segment on full frame equivalency. To let people know they actually can step back twice as far to emulate full frame, because otherwise you block all the light.
Thanks for this. I've used the Pana 30 and the Oly 60 a lot and am in complete agreement on their plusses and minuses. I had thoughts of picking up the Leica but now think I won't bother. Would add that in general the DFD system on Pana lens+body combo makes a big difference in focusing performance.
I have mixed feelings for this review. I dabble a bit with macro (with the 60 mm), and basically I always want to have a larger magnification and longer distance to the subject. Thus manual focus (as you demonstrated) in the 1:1 setting (often with extension tubes which is a further plus for the 60 mm) is an important criterion. And autofocus speed is rather irrelevant, even though the test was interesting to see. The focus hunt of the 60 is well known, hence the focus limiter. Never use the full range setting. Further, using a rank classification might be ok, especially when there are large differences (like the autofocus) but not when there is only a minute difference between the best and the worst (like IQ). As you add the points to a final score, this will severely punish the lowest scoring lens where differences were hardly noticeable. Better to give a grade, and add them up. The final discussion, that a 30 mm lens is 'as expected' while the 60 mm tele lens needs a longer subject distance is making a self evident point; of course an almost nifty normal lens gives a normal field of view, and a tele lens does not. That's the purpose of a tele lens.
I agree with all your points, and if I want to take a macro photograph outside, it's often of something ambulatory that I can't (or don't want) to get super close to.
Great analysis. One of the best lens reviews I’ve seen. I picked up the Olympus 30mm last year when Olympus discounted the price to $99. (Yes that was a $200 discount). Sure you have to get real close to your subject but I have great images hand held on my OMD E-M10 of insects and spiders in my backyard. Unless you pixel peep they look great. Loving the value I’m getting out of it. From the review the Oly 60mm and the Panasonic 30mm look like like great lenses also.
Thanks a lot! I was impressed by the Oly 30mm. I expected it to be kinda crappy, but it wasn't at all, and it's focusing speed blew me away. Also, $99 is crazy! Nice find.
Thanks for this. I went with the Lumix 30mm, which I really enjoy using - although for more extreme close-up work, there's definitely a case for getting the Olympus 60mm as well.
I almost got the lens he recommended as his fav, but the Olympus 60mm on an Olympus body is just better for bugs it seems, that distance counts. So take note when he mentions he's judging for product shoots. Olympus 60mm may not be best for you, or for the bugs you shoot, it's nice to have options though :)
I am a newbie with my G85. I have 2 kit lenses. I wanted a bit better macro lens. I'm so happy to have found your video. I was drifting to the Pana 30. But people on facebook saying the Oly 60 was better. Your video helped me clearly make a choice. Thanks so much! The only thing is all your testing is via static images. Chasing bugs around before they fly away, would have been more relevant testing.
I've been looking for a macro lens for my BMPCC4K. It's the one lens type I haven't added to my arsenal, yet. And you just convinced me to get the Panasonic 30mm f2.8. Great content, as usual. Thanks, Mr. Undone.
Great video bud! I wasn't looking for any macro lens but wanted to increase my knowledge as you give so much new information in the videos that I didn't know.
For me, a great macro lens is all about MF, focus ring feel and throw, and working distance. I've tried the Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 and Olympus 60mm f/2.8, and the Oly was the one that felt like the real macro lens to me, purely in those terms. Definitely would choose the Panasonic as a general purpose lens though.
Very, very, very helpful. I've been looking at these macro lenses trying to figure out which one is best for me. I had already pretty much decided on the Panny 30mm, but your video really clinched it for me. Thanks!
That is probably one of the best and thorough comparisons I have seen to date. Thanks. I have the Pan30 and it is a fantastic lens. Be well and stay safe.
Thx for the really comprehensive comparison. I'm in the same situation in deciding between one of them and I went for the Olympus 60mm. Apart from being able to shoot macro at longer distance, shooting portrait and weather sealing, I find it an option to fill the niche of shooting panoramas when I need a bit more reach than the 45 f1.8.
thanks for this video. I appreciate the way you demonstrated AND summarized each test and category which would enable me to reproduce them by myself (not only with macro lenses by the way). Most other reviews only do the summary which makes them shorter of course. As other viewers mentioned the panasonic 30mm managed to raise attention - in fact I was almost shopping the Leica 😜!
I had the Olympus 30mm, because it was the most affordable and found it really good. But the working distance was often too close, that‘s why I exchanged it to the 60mm that was on special offer. I didn’t ever regret it, it works almost perfect, is very sharp and has a nice bokeh. On closeup it sometimes struggles to find the focus, but the focus limiter quickly solves that. On the go, the focal length is a good extension to the standard zoom, but for close up I prefer a little bit shorter. The old Olympus 50mm, that I also have, is just perfect (a very great lens anyway, but large and without support for focus bracketing). Given quality, features and price, the 60mm for me is a clear winner! For some Olympus cameras it adds in-body focus stacking.
Very useful, practice-oriented, detailed and praiseworthy structured test video - great, just that kind of reviews we need. Ingenious content overview, very transparent - rarely seen such a perfect review, thank you! Someone mentioned, it would be too long and too many lenses compared - I think that's exactly the opposite. We NEED that complete overview over all possible alternatives, and especially with the structured content overview that's not a problem at all... You can easily jump to the relevant sections. All thumbs up!
Great review. There are quite a few comments about macro photography but to me, this video was perfect for showing equipment mechanical performance and quality to help make a purchasing decision. Macro photography is a whole different topic. I bought the Oly 60mm and 30mm for Olympus body. I am not a bug shooter either so the extreme focus hunting on the 60mm was a no-go for me. Like you, I had that experience when looking through the lens like “oh I am way too close”. I found the 30mm end more suitable for my use and the results very impressive. Although I was tempted to get the Panasonic 30mm for the f2.8, like others I have a feeling an Oly lens on Oly body is better. I use macro for documentation in lighted setup, general use, and still life close ups so the Oly 30mm it will work fine for me. Thanks again for the informative review. I like the point system and tests. Puts my mind at ease.
Wow you just save me a lot of cash as I had all these lens in my cart. I went with the Panasonic 30mm 2.8 as of your testing this is one of the best brake downs of lens quality I have every watch! And I have watched 100s
I've seen this video now three times in total. First time when you released it, second time when I was buying your winner, and the third time today because I just missed a deal on a second hand Oly 60mm. And I'm still impressed by your video and analytics. For the reproduction of printed stuff, the Lumix 30mm f2.8 has been fantastic, as well as for the dual purpose (landscapes, portraits, street etc). That multy-quality in itself justifies my purchase totally, thank you for advice. But for true macro, the tiny things photographed to fill the frame, you do have to get uncomfortably close to the subject using Lumix 30mm f2.8. Which is especially uncomfortable for shooting subjects on the ground, for instance. This is a small real-world verdict of a long-time shooter whose favorite focal length is 30 mm, so that I could compare the working of at least 7 other lenses that can shoot at this focal length in the course oh the years. This macro lens is not of the top on my list, but it ranks high up there. Bye!
Comment for bug shooters! As Gerald said... "he is not a bug shooter!" Otherwise the result would be another. Think of a moment when you are in the wet dew in the morning and crawl after the small animals, weather sealing becomes essential. And while you take pictures with a 60mm (because you take pictures from a certain working distance), you leave empty handed with a 30mm (because you have to get closer) and all you object escaped. In summary I want to say... if you want to photograph insects ...go for the 60mm from Olympus! In case U are a Olympus shooter too, then even for the product shots i would recommend the 60mm together with focus stacking wich is available these days ;-)
That was an excellent review, I can't remember anybody else using the dollar per point system to highlight value. I own the Leica and have given up on the autofocus, sticking to guess the magnification I need and use manual focus, moving in and out with a tweak of the focus ring for framing. Having said that I upload my shots into my portfolio on ephotozine and my record number of votes for insect macro work was with the Leica. I use a Pentax K3 ii with a 90mm Tamron and 50mm Pentax lenses too, so its difficult to warrant buying yet another macro lens. Both the Olympus and Panasonic systems have photo stacking firmware tweaks, so if you have an Olympus body go for that glass, as you can't use any of the lenses, with the other company's software. Stablization systems have the same incompatabilities too.
A nice review of the four mainline MFT macro lenses. I personally use the Olympus 60mm, but only as a dedicated macro lens. Also, I acquired it before either of the 30mm lenses were available and after selling the Leica 45mm I acquired first. Its IQ is quite good, I like the longer distance to the subject, and I like the slightly compressed perspective distortion you get with a short telephoto lens. Like your test showed, the Olympus 60mm does tend to hunt a lot when auto-focusing. If it's too bad, I do tend toward more focussing. I also use the Rokinon 100mm/f2.8 macro when I need an even greater distance from my subject. It's a full manual, but on a tripod (pretty much a requirement when handling a 200mm-equivalent lens at around 1:1 magnification) I'm focusing manually anyway. To the people complaining that the Olympus lenses should have been on Olympus bodies, to do so would have introduced even more random variables into the tests. It also would have put the lie to the idea that MFT lenses all work equally well regardless of MFT body. richard hargrove -- “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” - Duke Ellington -- So when you next ponder something, ask yourself “Does it swing?” If the answer is “no” then it means nothing.
First I love long videos when they are full of content like yours. From time to time it's a good idea to do mega comparison. I was throwing myself into a macro shot while watching the video and I was seeing myself getting 1:1 quickly, on tripod, getting the right angle (light direction), controlling the zoom ring in MF, watching for the best background and blur and so on. I feel you should have field tested those lenses. Mind you, still love your channel! Impossible not to.
Great, but I wish you did a flat field test to see distortion and center vs. edge performance. Macros are often the best for reproduction work, but this review offers no insight on how well these lenses do that job.
I picked up an Olympus 30mm 3.5 on sale for super cheap last year so I could dabble a little into macro and have been very happy with it. IS would definitely be a plus but for the price and how little I use it it’s great to have in my bag Super wicked awesome episode as always
With regards to your autofocus testing, I noticed that all your Leika distance trials were centered on the bright LEDs on the audio equipment, and several other trials which struggled with the distance were also trying to center on that white LED. Measuring contrast at the edge of a lamp may be more difficult than measuring contrast at other edges (such as the central knobs or details of that equipment).
I loved this review. Long, yes! But extremely well done in an entertaining and informative way. I was leaning first toward the 60mm but I tend to agree with the conclusion. 30mm 2.8 yes!
@@Yoko.Kurama it's there so that you can limit the af from trying to focus in the macro range. With the limit turned on you can use it more effectively as a non macro 45mm prime.
Excellent review, especially the averaging aspect and pointing out that look and feel do have a considerable ✅ value, I think it’s also worth mentioning, that if your looking at a specific usage for a lens, then that has to be included, eg the Olympus video points that was a clear winner. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ video though!
Very informative and useful review. The test design would be better if lenses were used on their like branded bodies. I'm guessing that would have made a difference for the Olympus lenses. Still enjoyed the review. Thanks for doing it.
Damn good video and just what I was after (a comparison of MFT macro lenses). The point system was also a great idea including the value calculation with and without sale prices. Thanks!
not sure if it has been said already or not - and yes - I'm a bit late to the video. That said, I have shot MFT for a number of years now and I can say that one of the issues you are experiencing regarding focus set when doing the far focus on the audio box is the light. You will notice that it has issues when the focus point is on the white light. When the focus point is on a jack input they focus fine. Many MFT lenses struggle under the same environment when the focus point is placed on a bright light.
Very good video, thank you! To wrap it up for me: Panasonic 30 mm best general purpose lens, like the Micro Nikkor 55/60 mm f3.5/2.8 in all its incarnations, and the Olympus 60 mm best usable field “bug macro” with clear second use as a portrait lens.
Good review! I really enjoyed this one, and it was what I needed to hear. However, as more of a "bug and flower" macro shooter, I need that slight extra working space that the 45mm gives me. Being about 1cm from the subject is just not practical outside. Also, to my eye, the test shots at the end seemed to favor the Panasonic 45mm, in my humble opinion. But, this is in the "eye of the beholder" for sure. Anyway, thank you so much for the excellent comparison! Though I will not choose the 30mm winner, I still very much appreciate the work you did.
For my money - Image Quality is of the utmost importance. I have had 1/2 dozen macro lenses over the years. Switching between near and distant auto focus is meaningless to me. IMO.. serious macro photography is done with manual focus anyways. I have had the 60 Olympus and I still have the Pan/Leica 45 .. the IQ of the Pan/Leica is far better imo. Sharper, with smoother rendering, not as jaggy digital.. more film-like, and the colors are richer. I have found all the Pan/Leica primes to be the best mft options.. albeit more money Just my opinion.. Rick
Hmm... I do see the advantage of the 60mm... But for my uses I think one of the 30mm lenses might be better. Looks like the panny 2.8 might do the trick. A bit more latitude for low light general use, and of course smaller than the 60mm which is easier for restaurant food closeup takes vs the 60mm. I have IBIS on my E-M10 III so it should work well for me.
Mr. Undone, a little misleading. 1:1 handling on Olympus 60mm, it is heavier on the front end and doesn't have IS so it will be a little shaky. True, but you tested another lens with IS turned on. However, the Olympus M1 II and III and the Panasonic bodies will have IBIS and does have IS on some of their other lenses, so if shake is important, turn on the camera IBIS. That puts a small part of the video into apples and oranges comparison. If you have a shaky criteria then do IBIS/IS comparison for each lens combo. And, the video was very well categorized. You covered details that I was thinking about also. You started with black semi smooth targets and I popped up im my chair and said waitamintue. But, you did explain it. For the 60mm, it probably has a little trouble at those same distances with the 30's and 45's, due to being about twice the focal length. A user can stand back more and that might provide much better AF. I would have tested that notion.
I was looking for a slightly longer macro lens for my D500. What I found were all pretty heavy chunks. Then I noticed the Olympus 60mm f2.8 in a forum. Then I just bought a used OM-D E-M1. Together, this weighs less than the planned Nikon version and is also weatherproof.
Great video, I'm sure very useful to many. I had the same decision lest year.... went for the 30mm Olympus, and I'm not disappointed even after your review, based on the value and video results.
I'm about to chose a macro lens for my Olympus camera (even though deep inside I know I will get Oly 60 mm) and your review is the best one I found on youtube. Seriously, this is how a good review should be done! Tables, points, categories and a table of content in the description. Looking forward to watching more of your videos!
The longer focal length of the Olympus 60mm means it has to move its elements further to get from very close to infinity, making the focus limiter feature especially valuable. The 60 is my go to lens for taking pictures of cameras, because the longer distance makes the perspective better. The shorter ones are a little like shooting a close up portrait with a short lens: big nose, small ears. The 60 is also a really good portrait lens, although you may have to de-sharpen the image a little. And finally, yeah, I'd want to test the Olympus lenses on Olympus cameras.
I went with the Olympus 60mm. If you shoot insects, the 30mm is way too close. You can back out with the 60mm. Plus 60mm is a good portrait focal length. On the downside, it's butt-ugly
That's the problem with his scoring. "Place" needs to be determined at the end - not in every category. Example - IQ of 1 means that its ranked as 4 is either 4x or 25% better. That's why no one evaluates this way. It isn't fair or comprehensive. Too bad he wasted so much time and effort.
This would matter for Olympus users only. Because I own a Panasonic camera the test is fine with me (although the G9 has IBIS while my GX8 does not)! ;(
Great vid. I own the Oly 30mm and LOVE IT, in photography I hate paper thin in focus, so I constantly use darker apertures and use a light. I think you should've had a little bit of fun at the end with jewelry. or bugs
This is one of the BEST digital photography review vids I've seen on RU-vid. Far too many amount to a 15-minute headshot of the host telling you his feelz about this or that. This one grants the viewer a practical thru-the-lens experience. I was leaning toward the Panasonic 30mm, but this review sold me. Decision made; buying it today. Well done Mr. Undone.
Now that I think of it, I think you should have compared the short focal lengths together and the longer focal lengths together. Comparing 30mm to 60mm is apples and oranges
The macro lens require distance from the subject and to be able to illuminate your subject at f8 so longer focal length is and each mm is welcome. AF test is worthless just as image stabilization when doing macro (unless you want lens to hunt), since you have to do it focus manually. I used both 45 and 60 but 60 wins hands down due to focal length, build , focus limiter to 1:1 and price.
Interesting that the AF tests correlate with the age of the lens design. The 45mm Leica was one of the first lenses designed for MFT. Released in mid 2009 about 9 or 10 months after the first MFT lens which was the 14-45 kit lens on the G1. Over the years AF on MFT has improved steadily, just like the IS in the lenses. I got my 45 in September or October 2009, as soon as it hit the shops. I actually prefer the Laowa macros to any of these Panny’s and Oly’s. Laowa has longer focal lengths and magnify more than just 1:1. They are manual focus, and for macro work manual focus is the best option.
