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Which Oly Macro: 50mm or 60mm?

Started Jun 13, 2014 | Questions thread
Bassam Guy Veteran Member • Posts: 4,885
Re: Which Oly Macro: 50mm or 60mm?

wpbarr wrote:

I would appreciate opinions and advice regarding which lens to choose. Weather-sealing is important, so I think I'm mostly limited to the 4/3 50mm f2.0 and m4/3 60mm f2.8 lenses. The lens will be mounted on an E-M1. Here is how I plan to use the lens:

  • organic still life (macro) - documentary & abstracts
  • inorganic still life (macro) - abstracts
  • I focus macro shots by rail at maximum distance
  • medium length telephoto for shallow DoF
  • primarily monopod/tripod, not hand-held
  • images will primarily be displayed electronically
  • only RAW mode will be used for macro shots
  • images will be cropped aggressively

Weight and bokeh quality are not important. I don't know if 1:1 is that important, so I would enjoy learning experiences and perspectives about magnification.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

I have the 60mm and love it but, if all I wanted a lens for was exactly what you've listed above, then the cheaper of the two would be the deciding factor.

If I might possibly ever want to use the lens for any other purpose I'd get the 60.

The 60 will probably hold its resale value more than the 50.

 Bassam Guy's gear list:Bassam Guy's gear list
Olympus E-M5 III Olympus E-M1 III Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm 1:2 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm F2.8 Macro +8 more
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