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How To Use Olympus 45mm Lens Food Photography

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Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

Dec 11, 2022

How-do-you-do to all food and portrait photographers out there!

I currently have the wonderful Olympus OM-D E-M10 paired with my amazing Oly 17mm f/1.8 prime lens for mural and street photography.

I am now in the market place for a 2nd prime lens. Ideally it would be a lens for both food and portrait photography, just if I had to prioritize one information technology would have to be food (recipes, restaurant dishes, etc. – and so a lens that works well in low-lite situations). I am looking at either the Oly 45mm f/1.8 lens or the Oly 60mm f/ii.viii macro lens.

I similar the shorter focal length of the 45mm, which seems to exist a good short tele length and perfect for portrait photography – the bokeh isn’t bad either! However I have read several reviews proverb macro would exist really helpful for food photography.

Betwixt the Oly 45mm or the 60mm macro, which should I be getting? Is the macro lens capable of skillful bokeh in portrait photography despite its longer focal length and i:one macro capability? I have looked into the Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 but it is sadly out of my budget.

Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

innatelychatty wrote:

I am now in the market place for a second prime lens. Ideally it would be a lens for both nutrient and portrait photography, just if I had to prioritize one it would take to be nutrient (recipes, eatery dishes, etc. – so a lens that works well in low-light situations). I am looking at either the Oly 45mm f/one.viii lens or the Oly 60mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Y’all choice will depend on the angle of view that yous need. Considering they are quite dissimilar.

If you accept to exist really, actually near, the M.Zuiko 60mm allows to make close-ups on the seeds at the surface of a strawberry. If you’d rather take a picture of a whole dish, you’ll capeesh the wider-angle provided by the M.Zuiko 45mm.

Both are very abrupt. And then that’southward not a question of IQ. The M.Zuiko 45mm is brighter that the M.Zuiko 60mm.

So, in a nutshell, it’s more a question of photographic mode.

Olympus E-M5 II

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm F1.8

Leica Nocticron 42.5mm

Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 Pro

Olympus 8mm F1.8 Fisheye Pro

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Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

I remember your thread, and I basically said the 45mm f/i.8 specifically for food photography is kind of useless. But equally that was but a theoretical give-and-take, I got myself a Trader Joe’due south mini-pie out of the freezer and put it on a small plate.

This is the 17mm f/one.eight that y’all know and love. I can get the entire plate and more than at heart level. And And for some reason, my tortie cat is licking my snack.

What an awful photo. Permit’s bring the 45mm f/1.8 in.

Oh, that looks a flake better. Only is this honestly that much more useful? Later on all, you lot can hands bring your 17mm f/1.eight closer in. All the aforementioned, look at that bokeh!

Anyway, permit’s get every bit close equally possible. Here, the Olympus 17mm is quite impressive.

The Olympus 45mm has to be better, right? Um… not so fast.

Hey, that looks almost identical to the 17mm. Sure, the pie looks less distorted because we accept a larger working altitude, but I tin’t fill information technology in the frame, and then I take to crop if that’s the detail I want to show off. Run across, every bit far every bit close upwards is concerned, focal length isn’t of import. Magnification is. Specifications say that the 45mm has a maximum magnification of 0.11x and 17mm has a maximum magnification of 0.08x, but honestly, I’ve used both these lenses extensively, and the 17mm focuses closer than the specs say, and in practice, it’s as y’all see in these photos. The 17mm and 45mm pretty much have the aforementioned magnification in practice.

But what well-nigh the 60mm f/2.8? I have that lens, also.

That looks a lot closer, and we’re not done.

Now, if you desire to practice serious food photography, wouldn’t you hold?
This
is the shot you lot desire. And we’re nevertheless not washed.

OK, we can still get closer, but at present it’southward but getting featherbrained.

These pictures are all out-of-photographic camera JPG, no processing at all, and no cropping.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 25mm F1.4

Olympus Chiliad.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm F1.8

Olympus 12-40mm F2.viii Pro

+2 more than

Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

I really appreciate the photos, it really helps put everything into perspective!

How far away was the camera from the pie (and your adorable cat) when y’all were using the 60mm macro lens? exercise yous think the lens is usable when taking photos of dishes in restaurants, or will the photo be as well cropped? And how well does the lens function in low-light (say not well-lit restaurants)?

Also, how is the 60mm macro lens when it comes to portrait photography? plainly with the longer focal length it’ll get a bit awkward in interior spaces, but I as well read that the bokeh is more than pleasing with the 45mm.

When it comes down to information technology though, I’thou definitely more than interested in food than portrait photography.

Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

These photos have also been very helpful to me as I am looking at both the 45 and 60 for my GH3 thanks for taking the time to do the images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH

Panasonic Lumix Yard Vario 100-300mm F4-5.6 OIS

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.half dozen O.I.S

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5

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innatelychatty wrote:

Likewise, how is the 60mm macro lens when it comes to portrait photography? obviously with the longer focal length it’ll go a bit awkward in interior spaces, but I as well read that the bokeh is more pleasing with the 45mm.

When it comes down to it though, I’1000 definitely more interested in food than portrait photography.

If you lot’re interested in taking pictures of bits of nutrient, the 60 macro volition be bang-up, but it’south as well long for dishes of food. Your 17mm lens would be the amend choice for full plates. My foodie-favorite is the 20/i.7.

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Warm regards, Frank
Galleries at fdrphoto.smugmug.com

Nikon D700

Olympus PEN Due east-P5

Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for nutrient photography

Hey, why in that last shot is nil in focus, and if you look at the full size shot, in that location’s these foreign hook shaped flares everywhere?

Olympus PEN E-P5

Olympus 1000.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.vi II R

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm F2.eight Macro

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25mm F1.8

Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

Maklike Tier wrote:

Hey, why in that last shot is nothing in focus, and if you lot await at the full size shot, there’south these strange claw shaped flares everywhere?

Showtime of all, I’g hand belongings at 60mm and 1/13s speeds. Those blurry bits are camera shake. I could accept gotten that shot actually useful if I cared to take a few frames and make more of an try but I just took that as my airheaded shot. Second of all, at that distance, the sufficient DOF is difficult to achieve.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 25mm F1.4

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.eight

Olympus Thousand.Zuiko Digital 17mm F1.8

Olympus 12-40mm F2.8 Pro

+2 more than

Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for nutrient photography

innatelychatty wrote:

I really appreciate the photos, it really helps put everything into perspective!

How far away was the camera from the pie (and your ambrosial cat) when you were using the 60mm macro lens? do you think the lens is usable when taking photos of dishes in restaurants, or will the photograph be too cropped? And how well does the lens function in low-light (say not well-lit restaurants)?

Also, how is the 60mm macro lens when it comes to portrait photography? plain with the longer focal length it’ll get a bit awkward in interior spaces, but I as well read that the bokeh is more than pleasing with the 45mm.

When information technology comes down to information technology though, I’m definitely more interested in food than portrait photography.

I was seated with the photographic camera above me at an arm’s length for the first shot. I definitely could accept backed abroad without having to stand on a chair or anything similar that, but 60mm is definitely for one plate at a time pictures. You lot tin utilize the 17mm for taking pictures of overall plates of food and some close ups, and and so equally you want to really get into the details, the 60mm comes in.

I call up the 60mm f/2.8 is a good portrait lens. It has wider depth of field but thanks to 60mm being longer than 45mm, that helps blur the backgrounds more than than the 45mm would at f/2.eight for a similar framing, so that cancels out the aperture reward somewhat. That said, the 45mm is wonderful to shoot at wide open up. I think the 60mm f/two.8 too has good bokeh. I read someone on this forum say they prefer that lens’southward bokeh to the 45mm f/1.8. I recollect both have good bokeh, but not quite the all-time in the globe.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 25mm F1.iv

Olympus Thou.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8

Olympus One thousand.Zuiko Digital 17mm F1.viii

Olympus 12-40mm F2.8 Pro

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Jim Salvas •

Veteran Member

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Re: Olympus 45mm vs Olympus 60mm macro for food photography

I know portraits are secondary to y’all, just every time someone talks nearly a “portrait lens,” I have to inquire: What kind of portrait?

If y’all mean a full length portrait of someone, you’ll probably want cypher longer than a 25mm lens. For a shot framed to waist level, that 45mm would be fine. And, for a actually tight headshot, the 60mm would be well-nigh perfect, allowing for sufficient working distance to go along from intimidating your subjects.

These are all portrait lenses when used for the correct portrait.

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Jim Salvas
“You miss 100% of the shots you lot never take.” – Wayne Gretzky

Olympus PEN East-PM2

Olympus E-M1

Olympus PEN-F

Olympus Grand.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm ane:three.v-5.vi 2 R

Olympus Chiliad.Zuiko Digital ED forty-150mm F4-five.half-dozen R

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When y’all say “I was seated with the photographic camera above me at an arm’due south length for the beginning shot” – tin you please elaborate? Do you mean you were seated and raised the camera in a higher place (or at level to) your head? Does that mean I cannot be seated at a restaurant and just have the camera pretty much attached to my face? What is the minimum focus distance for the 60mm macro lens?

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