Olympus 45mm v. Olympus 75mm

Anders W wrote:

ArthurG1987 wrote:

Hey there kind dpreview.com forum folk!

I'm in a bit of a situation. granted, nice situation, but a situation nonetheless.

I'm torn between getting the olympus 45mm f/1.8 and the olympus 75mm f/1.8. Yes, the 75mm has its seductive claws in me. That front element and the all-metal construction are sexy as hell. But My main concern is the focal length: specifically, does an effective focal length of 150mm excessively flatten someone's face as compared to a 90mm effective focal length?

I'm especially interested in feedback from people who have experience with both focal lengths, or preferrably, both oly lenses.

Thanks, and keep it real.

I simply wouldn't be torn between them. There is no reason to be. Get them both. That's what I did and I don't regret it. Nor would I worry about flattening people's faces too much with the 75. I consider it well within the range of appropriate portrait lenses.

So the only question is really which to get first if you can't or don't want to buy them both at the same time. Here, I would certainly go for the 45 to begin with for a number of reasons. First, this is the focal length you are likely to use more often. The 45 works even in a room of ordinary size. For the 75 you need to be in a hall or outdoors. Second, it is smaller and lighter so that you can easily have it with you most of the time. Third, it is significantly less expensive while very nearly as good optically.

The 75 is more of a niche product. Fine for stage performances, stealthy street shooting, and outdoor portraits where you really want to blur the background as much as possible as well as a number of other things but still not as much of a must-be-there tool as the 45. It's no coincidence that FLs of about 45 mm are included in the range of kit zooms. The kit zoom gives you the FL but not the speed and shallow DoF that I would often want for a FL like this.

Thanks Anders. That's exactly what I wanted to know: what actually using the lens is like. I appreciate your feedback.