Oly MFT lens for shallow DOF

agaoo wrote:

I own Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Standard Zoom Lens.

I want to take portrait photo with nice shallow depth of field and sharp IQ.

1. Is 12-40mm f2.8 PRO already good enough for it? In the other words, do I really need those lenses (which I'm considering now) for better IQ with nicer shallow depth of field?

2. If yes, which lens I should consider for it? Or any other lens?

Do you need another lens? You could find the answer yourself: try the one that you have.

The closer to your subject, and the wider the distance between the subject and its background, the blurrier the background.

However, with a relatively small focal length (let's say smaller than 25mm), you can get a blurred background. But you have to be so close to your subject that it's unpractical for portrait.

Olympus OM-D e-m5, Voigtländer 25mm lens — 1/200 sec. — F/2,0 — ISO 200 — 25 mm

At the same focal length, some lenses will create a better bokeh.

At 40mm, the M.Zuiko 12-40mm Pro can be used for portrait. But at its widest aperture (F/2,8) the background is blurred by not that creamy.

Some people had great results doing portrait with the M.Zuiko 45mm. Personally, I prefer the bokeh obtained with the M.Zuiko 60mm and the M.Zuiko 75mm. But that's a personal preference: other might disagree. I've not tried the Lumix 42,5mm F/1,2 (nor the Voigtländer 42,5mm since I don't have it) but I suspect that both are very good choices to do portrait with a creamy bokeh.

In a nutshell, before buying another lens, try your M.Zuiko 12-40mm @40mm and F/2,8. Shoot close to your subject. Look at the result that you're getting. If that's not good enough for you, then some very good primes are waiting for you...