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Olympus 45mm v. Olympus 75mm

Started May 8, 2013 | Discussions thread
(unknown member) Contributing Member • Posts: 601
Oly 75mm flattens and is sharp for portraits [was Re: Olympus 45mm v. Olympus 75mm]
1

ArthurG1987 wrote:

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?

Hmm... I'll dissent from some of the feedback here. The Oly 75mm is an amazing lens, but it's so specialized that it takes some skill to shoot with.

My wife in wedding jewelry. I like the detail (the sari fabric, the jewelry, her eyelashes) and the color.

Considerations:

  • For head and shoulders portraits I do see flattening. Whether that's good or bad depends on the subject. See examples below. 
  • It is bitingly sharp even wide open. You might be in for some re-touching if you point it at anyone older than thirty! 
  • The bokeh is truly lovely. 

Groom before the wedding. We were waiting for the photographer to walk us to Central Park for a shoot, and the 75mm did a great job of isolating the subject out of a cluttered background. Also, the flattening works in the grooms favor here since he's got a prominent nose!

My son. This image looks way too flat to me.

Finally, I felt removed / too far away from the subject when shooting with the equivalent of a 150mm lens.

Anyway, the results can be beautiful but I do believe it's a niche lens. YMMV.

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