Olympus vs Panasonic 30mm macro

I think I'm going to buy a 30mm macro, and I'm wondering which I should get. I'll use it primarily for product photos and photographing artwork, though I'm sure I'll dabble in tiny stuff at some point. Macros seem to be the best choice for photographing artwork and products, and I'd actually prefer the 30mm distance to something longer so I don't have to be too far away. I also will likely end up using it as a normal prime, giving me something in between my Panasonic 20mm and my Olympus 45mm.

I lean toward the Olympus, as it's on sale for $224 right now (as opposed to $398 for the Panasonic). I know the Panasonic gives f2.8 instead of f3.5, but that difference doesn't seem enough to justify the extra cost. Is there a large sharpness difference? Or some other reason to go with the Panasonic?

This will be used on a Panasonic GX85, which means I'll have IBIS either way. The Panasonic would give me dual IS, which is better. But again, I think perhaps not enough better to justify the extra cost.

It sounds like you won't really be using it for macro work most of the time.  60mm requires you to get very close at 1:1, for the 30mm it's much worse.

Most standard lenses will let you get close enough for product and  artwork photography.   If the 30mm focal length appeals to you than a wider aperture prime may be more useful than a smaller aperture macro lens.  Like a 25mm f1.8 (or f1.2 if you can afford it).

The OP said a primary use would be for photographing artwork.  A 30mm macro with it's flat field seems an excellent choice for this.  He's not looking to get 1:1 or anywhere near that close to what he's photographing so IBIS should be fine.

I expect either lens will work well for the OP's intended use - it's up to him which is more important - a little larger f/stop or $$ in his pocket.

chad515 wrote:

I think I'm going to buy a 30mm macro, and I'm wondering which I should get. I'll use it primarily for product photos and photographing artwork, though I'm sure I'll dabble in tiny stuff at some point. Macros seem to be the best choice for photographing artwork and products, and I'd actually prefer the 30mm distance to something longer so I don't have to be too far away. I also will likely end up using it as a normal prime, giving me something in between my Panasonic 20mm and my Olympus 45mm.

I lean toward the Olympus, as it's on sale for $224 right now (as opposed to $398 for the Panasonic). I know the Panasonic gives f2.8 instead of f3.5, but that difference doesn't seem enough to justify the extra cost. Is there a large sharpness difference? Or some other reason to go with the Panasonic?

This will be used on a Panasonic GX85, which means I'll have IBIS either way. The Panasonic would give me dual IS, which is better. But again, I think perhaps not enough better to justify the extra cost.

The Panny is technically the better lens. But... the Oly can be had cheap, super cheap. I got mine direct from Olympus, brand new, for a little over 100 bucks. Wait for a sale.

Jim Vincent wrote:

The OP said a primary use would be for photographing artwork. A 30mm macro with it's flat field seems an excellent choice for this. He's not looking to get 1:1 or anywhere near that close to what he's photographing so IBIS should be fine.

Yes, the main draw is the flat field, particularly for photographing artwork. I currently do it sometimes with the Panny 20mm, or sometimes with an old Canon FD 50mm macro. The 20 works OK, but the edges are not as nice as the center. The legacy macro is better at that, but requires more work to get focus just right and also more work in post to get contrast and colors to look good. Plus the 50mm focal length means that for larger pieces of art, I have to be further away, which is especially difficult when the artwork is laying on a table (yes, I have a ladder, and yes, I'm tired of using it).

bluevellet wrote:

The Panny is technically the better lens. But... the Oly can be had cheap, super cheap. I got mine direct from Olympus, brand new, for a little over 100 bucks. Wait for a sale.

I haven't been following sales. How often do they happen? Are they happening during the pandemic? Seems like lots of sales haven't been as regular lately. I presume you're saying the current $75 off sale for the Oly isn't that good, right?

Thanks.

chad515 wrote:

bluevellet wrote:

The Panny is technically the better lens. But... the Oly can be had cheap, super cheap. I got mine direct from Olympus, brand new, for a little over 100 bucks. Wait for a sale.

I haven't been following sales. How often do they happen? Are they happening during the pandemic? Seems like lots of sales haven't been as regular lately. I presume you're saying the current $75 off sale for the Oly isn't that good, right?

Thanks.

Isn't there a sale every month or so? Bought mine in Spring. 
With the transfer to JIL, I'm not sure what's going to happen. There's always Ebay with used or refurbished items if that is no longer an option.

If so, either ok.

If on handheld, I shall look for the Panny OIS lens because  of DUAL IS on GX85.

If the Oly lens is used, you could expect an effective IBIS of 2+ stops max. DUAL IS of Panny 30 on GX85 could expect 4+ stops (to certain larger lens I enjoyed 5 stoos)...

alcelc wrote:

If so, either ok.

If on handheld, I shall look for the Panny OIS lens because of DUAL IS on GX85.

If the Oly lens is used, you could expect an effective IBIS of 2+ stops max. DUAL IS of Panny 30 on GX85 could expect 4+ stops (to certain larger lens I enjoyed 5 stoos)...

Yeah, if I can find a deal on the Panny (either official or maybe ebay), I may go that route. Much of this is either on a tripod or using off-camera flashes, so the OIS won't matter. But having a prime with dual IS might give me more extra uses (e.g. handheld video).

Oh, one other question. How is the focus speed and noise on these two? For artwork and products, it won't matter. But I wonder about other uses (e.g. handheld AFC video). My Panny 20mm f1.7 is a fantastic lens, but I won't use it for many scenarios because it's focusing is so loud and slow.

Thanks in advance.

chad515 wrote:

I lean toward the Olympus, as it's on sale for $224 right now (as opposed to $398 for the Panasonic). I know the Panasonic gives f2.8 instead of f3.5, but that difference doesn't seem enough to justify the extra cost. Is there a large sharpness difference? Or some other reason to go with the Panasonic?

the extra stop does not matter in most macro shooting, so that would not be a reason to buy the pansonic.

This will be used on a Panasonic GX85, which means I'll have IBIS either way. The Panasonic would give me dual IS, which is better. But again, I think perhaps not enough better to justify the extra cost.

The reason to buy the panasonic is duel IS and lens characteristics,  I got the oly on a better deal, and find it a fine macro lens.

i thing 225 is a ok sale for this product, the 100 was a one time thing I think.

chad515 wrote:

Oh, one other question. How is the focus speed and noise on these two?

As with other Olympus MSC lenses I hardly hear anything during the focusing, but the AF speed is perhaps a bit slower than on a general purpose lens, especially if it needs to go through the whole range (but that's normal for a macro lens). I don't have the Panasonic so no comments on that lens.

AndyH44 wrote:

Tried both when I had my Lumixcameras and much preferred the Lumix 30 over the Oly 30. Noticeably better I.S. and f2.8 is nicer as well.

That's very helpful. Thanks so much. Did you notice any difference in image sharpness, focus speed, or focusing noise/loudness?