Thanks for having me Jimmy! It was good fun hanging out and playing with the lenses. The Olympus was certainly impressive, but I did love the colours of the Leica!
I think the color contrast is what makes the Leica Panasonic 'pop.' I like the color contrast for the Leica, but definitely the bokeh is much nicer on the Olympus. Tough decision. Great comparison video. Thanks
I remember looking these up ages ago, and that the Olympus was the even higher performing, but looking lately (prompted by various sales) the rendering of the Nocticron is very distinctive and nicer. The highlights in this video are handled far better by the Nocticron - perhaps that's due to the camera, but it seems consistent with images elsewhere, as well. The colour is also spicy and distinctive. I feel like I've underestimated the Nocticron based on more metric reviews. Though, the Zuiko is clearly superior for feather-bokeh and perhaps absolute acuity - it does seem crunchy, though.
I love images from both. I love how subjects popping up when shooting with the Nocticron, and at the same time I love the creamy looking out-of-focus area rendered by the Olympus Pro. I'm using A7M3, but I so much want to invest in the MFT system as well since these glasses are so good.
Thanks for great review. In my opinion I think Leica is always the Leica, Even Nocticron is made in Japan but it gets certification from Leica. Leica Nocticron has still unique style of Leica lens which is more 3D-Pop. It's in the same leauge as Noctilux or Summilux ( In term of 3D-Pop, not depth of field). For Zuiko 45/1.2 the transition of background and bokeh are very smooth and creamy. Something like APD in Fuji 56/1.2 APD and Sony STF 100/2.8. So choose what you want ;)
I was hoping the Pana Leica would win. Love the exterior design of the Leica branded lens but the Olympus is definitely more pro built as it's weather sealed. Fantastic video and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks mate for watching. Me too, I couldn’t resist the look of the Pana Leica lens, so much like the Noctilux IMO. But second Tom’s comment that Olympus has better optical performance, even just a touch better, and better built with full weather sealing, and faster to focus.
Hate to point out the blindingly obvious but these are lenses and what matters with lenses is image quality; build quality is a bonus but always secondary. That the Panasonic lens is optically better isnt even close. You dont use a lens to take out of focus fog fields with glowing balls in them, you take images where what is important are the features in focus, sharpness is of secondary importance to rendering. You both stand there pointing out that the Panasonic renders better (I agree I can see that even on your low res video) even though it has the disadvantage of having no in body correction on a non-native body. Well rendering is what optical quality is about. I am yet to see an image pop from any reviewer of these fast Olympus lenses; the f1.2 primes produce sharp flat dead images. I would take the f1.8 Olypus primes every day of the week, they are optically superb. The man with a Leica 10 hanging round his neck should know better. Stop looking at shallow dead images and look at normal images, the world is 3D!!!!
Hopefully I will have the budget for one of these lenses in the future, I'm currently using an EM5 III and portraits are my favourite subject so it would be great to have one of the best portrait primes for the m43 system. Tbh it would be a difficult choice between the two for me. I prefer the look of the Pana-Leica...I wouldn't say it's objectively better than the Olympus, just preferable to my eyes. I've seen a number of images shot with the Nocticron, that show some swirly bokeh in the background (one of the other types of bokeh you could've added to your list!). I find a lot of swirly bokeh gets distracting but just a touch adds some really nice character to the images. What would make it a difficult choice for me is the fact that the Olympus offers better value for money - especially for an Olympus body user. The lenses are usually about the same price, but sometimes offers come onto the 1.2 Pro lenses in the UK that make the 45mm a little cheaper. Then you get weather sealing on the 45mm, not on the Nocticron. The aperture ring would be useless on an EM5, but the focus clutch and function button of the 45mm would work on either an Olympus or Panasonic body. And finally, the lens hood is more compact on the 45mm. So a number of things that make the 45mm a better deal overall - would have to weigh those up over the slightly preferable rendering of the Nocticron. Would be interesting to see if Pana perhaps do a version II of the Nocticron, with the same optics but just updating it to their latest build with weather sealing, a focus clutch (like the f1.7 zooms) and less bulky hood with a button release rather than the more vintage screw. As the 1.2s are indeed out of my budget atm, I recently got an Olympus 45mm f1.8. Incredible value for money, as Olympus had a UK-wide discount for a while that even applied to Amazon, that was already cheaper anyway. IIRC I got it for about £140, from Amazon UK themselves not a 3rd party seller. That's ridiculously good value! Seems like a lovely little lens, so compact. The Sigma 56mm also seems like gem for m43, giving a bit more focal length with 112mm equivalent. I seem to really like the ~105mm look, with the Sigma 105mm f1.4 being one of my dream lenses if I had a full frame system. So it seems like the 56mm is like a baby version of their 105mm 'Bokeh master' beast when used on m43. And seen as the 56mm is also incredible value for the level of performance it offers whilst still remaining compact - I think I will be going for that a lot sooner than the £1000+ f1.2s.
Nice work guys! Watched this and your "pure" Oly 45mm review and both are great. Down to the point, real world reviews and both are very interesting and easy to listen to. Really well done. You seriously both need more viewers on your channels as they are some of the best I have seen. Thanks for taking the time to film it. Subscribed :) The 45mm and 17mm F1.2 are on my list... just need the 300 first :D
Thanks Rasmus!! Much appreciated your support :) We work hard to try to break it down to things that actually matter to photographers, and as a professional myself, things that I look for rather than reading specifications and so and so. Thanks and Tom is a very talented photographer and we are working hard together and more to come in the very near future! Thanks again for the sub! Have a great day!
Thanks Man, glad you enjoyed the review and the kind words about our channels - As jimmy has said we are both trying to showcase the real needs of a photographer - rather than just nit picking and pixel peeping! Cheers
You're both very talented and inspiring. Specifications can be read on the brands page or from technical review sites but it's another thing knowing what it feels like and works like in real life. The sharpest lens isn't always the best or the most fun. Oly PRO Zooms are en example of that, mostly optically superb but sometimes a little too clinical. Tom, you're very different photographers and yet very similar. I've been shooting for quite some time but just recently getting in to wild life photography, been a nature and outdoor person my entire life and your channel is great for that. Interesting and down to business. Likewise Jimmy is different in that he shoot weddings, portraits and street, something I am also in to so having you two team up is superb. Looking forward to more great videos from you guys, have a nice day! /Rasmus
Fun video but the Panasonic on a GH5 or G9 with the Olympus on the EM would have been much better. The fringing is likely corrected in camera. Had the Olympus been on a Panasonic body, I wonder is the results would have been reversed Both are surely superb. I own both Oly and Pany glass and there's not a bad lens in the batch.
Douglas Gottlieb Thanks Douglas, well, they will be corrected in jpg only. When shooting RAW, you can only do the correction yourself in post by either applying profiles or manually correcting any defects. Even if the camera corrects fringing, it can’t correct any in bokehs, unfornately.
Red35 Photography Excellent point. I kind of expect that manufacturers are tweaking RAWs (even though that flies in the face of what RAW is supposed to be). But you’re probably right! Love your channel: both for Leica and M43!
In camera corrections will generally correct for lateral chromatic aberration, but the type of fringing that they were talking about is longitudinal chromatic aberration which is not automatically corrected as it's much more difficult to correct.
I have Olympus and Panasonic equipment. The Panasonic / Leica Nocticron when used with the G9 gives amazing results. Extremely sharp. As for the focal length - well like all prime lenses you have to do the “zoom” by stepping backwards and forwards.
I have a PanaLeica Nocticron personally, but a lot of that is because I got a lot of PanaLeica glass from a friend used by functionally perfect for the price of a used Nocticron on its own (15mm, 25mm mark ii, 42.5mm, and a 12-60mm). TBH, I think the Pen-F is one of the best-looking cameras made in ages, and I have an E-M5.2 so the menus aren't foreign, it's just a mix of the price, lack of pinpoint focus like Panasonic (I shoot plants and find it's an absolute pain in the ass to focus within/under the petals whereas with my GX85 I can focus on the eye of a frog or something perfect and fast with pinpoint), worse tracking in my experience (again withs tills of plants, when in the wind the Panasonic tracking+af-c does a great job, the Olympus is mostly great but loses target more than the Panasonic, I'll just say that's due to age/technology), and lack of weather sealing on the Pen-F. Despite all that I am moving to an OM-5 having already preordered a black body, I'm just sad it wasn't an upgraded Pen-F with the same specs/weather sealing and the OM-1's updated menu system that took Olympus/OM from last place in menus to first place for a lot of people (stupid the OM-5 didn't get the menu system...maybe in an update but I'm not holding my breath, that'll be the OM-5s or something). I really like the rangefinder style of body, the viewfinder being top left is a lot more comfortable shooting for me. Then again, I don't use the viewfinder a ton, I carry an E-P5 around with a Lumix 20mm or Oly 17mm all the time and never miss anything really despite leaving the EVF at home.
Not a good comparison only because the lens hood on the Olympus changed the lighting conditions..should of taken the hood off the Olympus to be competitive.
Great video, never boring. I enjoyed watching the lenses being put through street photography tests. I need to get one for my E-M II next, once they hit the shops.
Thanks mate! Much appreciated your comment! We definitely had fun shooting on the street. I am not really a lap test person and more so as professionals, we want to take it out and test it ourselves :) Any of these two lenses are great but we both prefer the 'look' from Olympus in the end.
Ideally, the Leica would've been mounted on a Lumix body, as that's a more likely combination. If you're going to spend that much on a "special purpose" lens, you're likely to want a "native" pair (beyond the fact that it's optimized, there's also the dual IS thing). Also, why no hood on the Leica? Anyway, it's clear that if you "need" such a lens, that the best choice would be whichever matches your body(ies), as both lenses are extraordinary. You just need to determine if the value equation/affordability works for you. Nothing "fake" about "PanaLeica" as the important thing is the actual design (elements/coatings) and as Jimmy mentions, Leica does that bit. Panny's great at precision manufacturing (which Leica oversees) and things like motors. I'd like to hear Tom compare the Leica to say, the 90mm Summilux (the closest to the Nocticron in M-mount). The thing for me is, the Lumix G X 35-100 f/2.8 is also a phenomenal lens that includes the FLs of both these lenses, so the real question would be "is either worth the extra weight and bulk in my bag (as I already have a 25mm f/0.95 for even thinner DoF on those rare occasions where I actually want that in a slightly longer FL, especially as I rarely do portraits)?"
Might be your best video yet. Tom seemed to be spot on. A lot to love about both lenses, but they aren't worlds apart. We want them to be, and in micro worlds, they are, but you guys summed it up quite nice. Now the Pany on the G9 might be different....
With regards to chromatic aberration I think what’s going on there is that an Olympus lens on an EM1 II body will enjoy in body CA correction and a Panasonic lens on the Olympus body not. Had you used two identical Panasonic bodies I expect the result would have been more than reversed. Panasonic have been doing in body CA correction on their own lens/body combinations for many years longer than Olympus. CA correction (which can be done in post) would increase the difference between the two in sharpness.
:) Sure, I think they are both great just me that prefers Olly :) I am a Leica fanboy too in general but in this case, as I shoot lots of ladies, I think Olly is better :D
Nice comparison! The new Olympus 45mm is pretty high on my "to buy" list now :D A apples vs oranges comparison with the stunning Olympus 75mm f1.8 would be great too.
Thanks for watching :) I know that hood is huge!! And metal too. It definitely has some presence. But the day was pretty flat in general so hoods won't improve things much to be frank. We were't shooting into anything super bright either.
Yes. But frankly, using it on one lens and not on the other throw off your test. You paid attention to all the details but missed this one. People don't realize how important a lens hood is for longer focal lengths. Not as important for a 24mm but very important for an 85mm equivalent which these lenses are! Thanks for the video though!
Shooting in a such weather and with those lenses, you can really not worry about hood or no hood when it comes to flare and contrast. These are not some Canon/Nikon lenses designs from 80's, and you don't need hoods as long you don't use any filters (that will cause those optical changes).
Oh that's just bunk. Lens hood WILL make a difference when encountering ambient light from outdoor lights etc. Any light striking that big front element at a right angle will cause flare and reduce contrast and acutance of the final image.
The Leica is more suited to Black and white, which has generally true of most Leica lenses, while Olympus is often better for color. In this instance, the differences in bokeh had more to do with focal length than the qualities of the lenses. Whether or not something can be described as fake or real is ridiculous. I am old enough to remember when Leitz moved production to Canada. A lot of Leica users derided Canadian made Leicas as not being real Leicas, despite some of Leica’s best lenses being created there. If Leica designed the lens, then I don’t particularly care which factory made it. The partnership between Leica and Panasonic is very close, and I think both company’s have benefited from sharing IP both ways.
While watching this video, my thoughts were; 1. How can they fairly judge these two lenses while looking at the little screen? Would it not be better to take the pictures, go into your studio, look at the pictures on a calibrated monitor? 2. Would it not have been better using one camera body on a tripod and just switch lenses? 3. What about autofocus during filming? 4. What about really low light situations? (Like indoors or night shots) Reading the comments here gives me a feeling there's a lot of fanboying over brands here 😶 I mean, the comment section might be full of fanboys too Here's my two cents; got Olympus cam, go Olympus lens, got Panasonic, go Panasonic. None of these can go wrong, but I got to say, i really like the colours of the Panasonic. And for me, can a lens ever be too sharp? I think it's better to have sharpness and edit it out than having an "softer" lens and trying to add sharpness in post 🤔 The subjective opinions on the focus ring is a fair point and I sometimes get frustrated by the focus acceleration, but I got used to it on my lenses
A very good review but I cannot understand why you compare two short tele-lenses where you allow the Olympus to carry a shade and the Panasonic not. With those big front glasses the shade makes a big difference!
Bad conclusions!! But interesting, and I guess makes sense, that the Leica lens design is better suited to photojournalism. Also highlighted the importance of matching the lens to the body. Matching optics to circuitry is likely optimised to wavelength levels. So in this sense a Leica / Panasonic lens on an Olympus body was unfair. So insightful video, nonetheless.
well said, "organic" look. Yes! I once thought it's the MFT sensor "issue", so nop, it's actually the Panasonic Lumix/Leica issue. Olympus lens made MFT looks better now.
This "snappy" sharpness is characteristic of some older Leica lenses too. Interesting to see it in a modern incarnation of a Leica lens design (the Summarit-M 2.4/75 for example has a completely different characteristic). Interesting comparison. I would go with the Olympus (had it in hand today, but could take only 4 test shots), because I really like the feel of it and the focussing clutch (or however they name it); very nice even on a Pen F (with additional grip).
Christian Augustin Lovely combo you had with the Pen F. Leica Lenses are known for their sharpness and rendering, superb micro contrast and definition. However, Olympus’ approach is refreshingly interesting, brings back the happy days when shooting films.
Yes, exactly. Olympus does get not as much detail and sharpness out of their sensors as they might (compared to a Sony A7, that is), but it looks deliberate when I compare the OOC JPEGs with what I can get out of the ORFs in Adobe Camera Raw.
Christian Augustin Well, if you at the pixel density per inch, the latest generation M4/3 sensors can actually achieve 80MP if it’s a full frame sensor. So that’s a lot of pixels. And the pixel is very tiny. So that’s why one of the weaknesses of M4/3 is always its low light because of the pixel size. But as DPReview said, in equivalent sensitivity and dynamic range, it matches some of the best APS-C and full frame sensors. I don’t anticipate M4/3 sensor resolution to increase in near term until there’s another leap in general sensor technologies. So they will concentrate on AF, processing and general operation speed. Their optics, however, are designed for future so they can easily out resolve the sensor, like many current digital lenses.
Thanks for the info; I was aware of the high pixel density, but had no figures. With HiRes/SensorShift I can get some nice resolution out of the camera if needed (for architecture, up to a certain point for landscape, with long-time exposed night shots and with product photography), and it actually works (tested it with the E-M5 MkII). So a lot of bang for the buck … ;)
Thanks Ian :) Well, the day wasn't particularly sunny, so lack on contrast overall. A hood wouldn't affect much to be frank. I had the hood on the Olympus only because it's my habit for protection rather than shielding from lights. In bright day, perhaps but on that day, I don't think it will improve the Nocticron much.
Thanks for your response regarding phase detection of EM1ii compatability with Panasonic lenses. I was thinking of getting the Panasonic 42.5 1.2 and then using it on a future Olympus body.
Wonder if the Nocticron might show less fringing wide open on a Panasonic camera. I know the two systems are compatible but not sure if all image corrections (distortions, fringing) are applied to Panasonic lenses on Olympus cameras or vice versa.
David Kieltyka Interesting, however, from what I understand, corrections are only applied to jpg only and not RAW. As I shoot everything RAW, it should shows how ‘optically’ corrected (or better designed) each lens is. Hence you can apply ‘profiles’ in Lightroom to correct certain ‘defects’ when you process your photos.
I believe the Panasonic actually apply the corrections to the RAW files as well. When shooting with my Panasonic G85 lightroom doesn’t give me the option to apply corrections as it said they are all done in camera.
Very entertaining & informative video boys, looks like you had fun too. Jimmy one question please can you confirm whether Tom is Elvis Costello's love child?
Interesting video, Thanks Viewing your "UA-cam" images on a 5K 27" mac monitor: 1) The Oly appears slightly more color saturated than the Leica. This to my eye gives the Leica a more natural (what the human eye sees) with possibly a touch more detail because the Oly's more contrasty...caused by the color saturation, easily correctable in post. 2) I agree that it would be interesting to see the Leica on a Panasonic G9 vs Leica on Oly to compare and contrast, not because it would be better but because it's worth seeing how the two companies Olympus and Panasonic sharing a common lens attachment base, perform with each other's lens. 3) I'd like to see the Oly 45mm f1.8 vs, Oly 45mm f1.2 to see if it can truly justify spending 4 x times cost for an Oly 45mm f1.2 Pro. p.s. (Wish List) Sure would like to see you two doing a compare and contrast "Leica vs. Oly" using equivalent or similar lens in B&W as well as color Street Photography.
Hi Karl, thanks for your comment! 1) I agreed on details and micro contrast (not general contrast) and results a more detailed look. Sharpness is comparable between the two actually if look at the ‘focused’ area but the main differences come down to how the lens renders the out of focus area. The feathered bokeh from the Oly is definitely something else. Leica has a more modern bokeh, something that many of us are very familiar with these days if they have used top end Leica/Zeiss/Canon/Nikon lenses. Oly actually employs a more traditional rendering, more ‘fimic’ look that, at least to me, resembles the more vintage look. 2) Yes, I need to see if I have any friend who can lend me a G9 to make some comparison. However, we will be doing a comparison with Leica 25mm and Oly 25mm in the future and hope that will give some insight. 3) Ditto as we will be doing a series of comparison in the near future too so stay tuned :)
Gave it another look and agree with you on the Oly's "fimic" look. I use the Oly 25mm on E-M5 mkII and like it very much, looking forward to your video with the beautiful Leica for image comparison. Thanks again
Very expensive lenses but the lenses are more important than the cameras so they’re definitely worth the money take care of them and they’ll last a lifetime love my Olympus 45mm 1.2 it was worth the spanking for buying it
Great review and fun dynamics you guys have going on. I’m in the process of choosing one of these 2 lenses so your video is of great help. I noticed that photos of the Olympus is either more saturated or there’s more contrast. Is that the lens or post?
Olympus Photos are better in quality, contrast and also in throwing out the background blurred, really a magnificent pro lens for portraits. Furthermore, the lens could be used as a standard lens exactly Like the Bronica, Rolleiflex and Hasselblad Cameras.
Great review. Fun and casual, a couple pals going around shooting, but I got more insight into the comparative strengths and weaknesses than from the at least eight or nine other reviews I've watched. (I've also got the equivalent Voigtlander in the mix.) I'm sure if I rented all three and shot them like crazy I'd be just as at sea. Anyway thanks for an amusing and informative walk through the city.
Very good review.I am first time can see the color different of the lens. Can you do more comparison video like this? I Hope to see Panasonic 25mm F1.4 vs Olympus 25mm F1.2 / Voigtlander NOKTON 25mm F0.95 Thank you.
Justin Ng Thanks Justin! There are always colour differences between lens due to coatings and different materials in elements. I will your suggestion to our list and hope to get one video one soon :)
Alright Jimmy! - You wouldn't happen to know of a lens below 1.2 with autofocus for 4/3? - Have the voigtlander nokton 42.5mm but it's a nightmare being manual focus. The focus peaking in camera doesn't seem to work very well (em1ii) although not sure if I'm doing something incorrectly. Cheers!
Hey Ryan, not for 4/3. I don't seem to remember if there're anything faster than 1.4 in the DSLR days.You are right, we had troubles using peaking in EM1 II before but we got away eventually using the magnifying option to double check on critical focus.
Weather sealing or OIS? Which one is more important. That's of course if you have a Panasonic body. It's hard to decide honestly. The Olympus might be the better lens overall, but that Nocticron has its own characteristics, optically and physically, that the Olympus can't match. I'd choose...the...BOTH lol Is the dynamic range better on the Nocticron?
Both!! We have both actually :) lens won’t change the dynamic range but the Nocticron has a higher contrast and a more punchy look, Olympus is more gentle, love then both!
I thought any Panasonic Leica lenses were built and designed by Panasonic and merely have then Leica seal of approval. Does Leica actually design the M43 lenses?
Leica has design 'input' in the blueprint, so a short answer is yes. However, the choice of elements, coatings are determined by Panasonic. The exterior design and final spec are signed by Leica. For many, who may have forgotten that Leica did join the original 4/3 alliance, produced some mirrorless cameras (with help from Panasonic) before M43 came about.
Two little additions for those who watched this video, and are a bit confused about the results. Here it is what is *really* happening in this test: 1. Lack of aberrations in the Olympus lens is due to its intentional design. Olympus lens literally uses aberrations, leads them on a leash so to speak, and then produces with them - feathered bokeh. That is called the optical genius of Olympus: not cancel typical optical issues immediately, but use them to make something even better with them. Not even Leica ever thought of that. 2. If anybody judges that a Leica lens produces the 'cooler' or the 'warmer' look, or if the Olympus lens colours 'this or that way', then you do not have a proper colour workflow. You should calibrate your camera properly, against your light meter and the colour checker, never allow your camera to "think" by itself that is the neutral grey, the right temperature or the right exposure. What camera "thinks" can never be accurate.
Thanks Dean. Well, two things I didn't think it would make too much of a difference since it was a relatively dull day and no direct suns anyway. Second, just that morning, we couldn't find the Leica hood hence we didn't put it one but in hind sight, I could have removed the Olly hood :D Thanks for liking our channel! Hope you sub and stay tuned for more!
Cheers bud! Yeah, I love both lenses to be fair, they both have their strengths. We have both. Tracey, our video girl loves the Leica more for her sharp videos. I prefer the Olly for its look on portrait photos. It just looks nicer on pretty girls LOL
Looks like I'm getting the Olympus 45 🤗🤗 with my Gh5 body. It will be used along with my Olympus 75 I love Olympus lenses although I use a lumix camera.
Mikes_ Perspective I know a lot of LUMIX users who like Olympus lenses, especially videographers, because of the lovely manual focus clutch and better focusing actions.
Red35 Photography absolutely, can’t wait to get it, it’ll be my 5th lenses aside with my sigma 18-35 with MB speedbooster 0.71x a lumix 42.5 f1.7 and the Olympus 45 and 75 f1.8 have to say tho that the olympus lenses are the best for microfourthirds hands down no need for a full frame wen there are Olympus lenses.
No but I don't see the need, at least for me. First, I don't video much with this lens and I primarily use Olympus which all their bodies have IBIS. But if you have bodies that hasn't got IBIS like the new GH5S or older Lumix bodies then it may affect your decision. When I used to shoot with my full frame 85mm 1.2L, I had no IS on both lens nor the body, and I never had a problem :)
The Olympus camera is autocorrecting for fringing and distortion with it's native lens, I would imagine. The Nocticron on the Olympus body would not have this advantage. This assumes we're being shown JPEGs here.. However, Great Vlog, and Tons of Fun.
helo.. can you recomend me to choose one should I get, sigma 16mm f1.4 or panaleica 25mm f1.4 ? (same budged) help me, I love the shaprest lens and emage quality for filming and concert photography in the night🙏🏻 my main camera is gx9
16mm and 25mm are quite different focal length so it's a little difficult to recommend base on these choices. It depends how 'close' you are with your subjects in concert so unless you are pretty close, I would recommend 25mm, or even 45mm but you know your requirements best :)
I've noticed the same. Every Panasonic Lumix lens I've tried has been a disappointment on my Olympus bodies. Purple fringing that sometimes doesn't improve when stopping down. It's frustrating.
The are many impressive lenses for micro 4/3 cameras which are much smaller and lighter with the similar full frame ones. My Sony a7 camera is small but most of my full frame FE lenses make it really large and heavy. I seriously thinking of buying a mirrorless micro 4/3 camera.
Achilleas Labrou I also use full frame for other projects but M4/3 has been my workhorse for many things now as it produces just as good image in a much smaller package, nicer on the body :)
Achilleas Labrou The lens size is one of the reasons I don't like the Sony A7 as much (or better put - this is why I have no FE lenses other than the 28-70 kit lens, which is nothing to talk about) and use it only with adaptors and old glass (mainly Olympus OM lenses from the past). I had my eyes on MFT all the time (and used first an E-PM1 and later an E-PM2 alongside the A7); lately I bought a Pen F and some of the "standard" lenses (1.8/25, 1.8/45, 2.0/12, 2.0/17 and 4-5.6/9-18 - all quite affordable and very compact), and I'm happy with it. The menu system is not that much better, but the overall configurability is, and the camera has a very, very nice feel to it. It might work this way for you too, just give it a try (I don't know if there's an "Olympus Test & Wow" program in your part of the world, but have a look for it).
That's a very interesting result. Although that PanaLecia has been the standard for test charts for MFT it seems. I still would of thought Olympus would of been able to beat it on sharpness. Doesn't look like DXO has given a P-Mpix for the Olympus. I wonder if the 17 1.2 is sharper than the 45 as the 25 didn't do so well in DXO tests (if their results are accurate). Would of been nice if this video shot some test charts but still it was a very good comparison which I enjoyed.
@Jimmy I have constructive criticism about this review. My 1st complaint is it was way too long. My 2nd complaint is where is @Charleen?? I would've rather seen her in the review @ some point. Unlike the cheap 45mm from Olympus I didn't like I definitely want to buy this lens. In addition it was definitely sharper than the Nocticron with better bokeh. I did like that you had a Nikon user comparing both lenses though. ALL the Pro's I know shoot Nikon for a living. Nevertheless it was a good review. I did find it funny when @Tom kept on saying #FakeLeica lol. Its time for Panasonic to update the Nocticron & 25mm f1.4 lenses. Look forward to your future reviews but PLEASE include @Charleen. Maybe you can update this comparison with @Charleen and a Christmas theme & Christmas lights bokeh comparison in future. Nocticron in my opinion though does have warmer colors.
Haha, not a problem at all, we are always hearing :) It's a little long I know but it was a long day for us too. And Charleen :D oh well, she doesn't live in London so it needed a bit of time for us to coordinate and Tom is coming in town for a visit so it was opportunity to introduce a good wildlife photographer to people who are into that field of photography. I agreed, Panasonic needs to give the 25mm a bump with some Leica treatment, may be 1.2?? Shhhh :)
It does have a warmer tone than Olympus, but as we are in digital age, colours no longer governs as a priority as things can be manipulated in post. But if it’s in film days, yes, Leica colours are great, hence I love my Leicas too :D
Were these photos straight out of camera JPEGs or were they the RAWs with default settings applied? Or did you edit any of the photos in post? Wondering about the color fringing issue in particular, as if they were SOOC the Olympus would have the advantage because the Nocticron wouldn't be automatically corrected for CA by the EM-1 II
No, I shot everything RAW so no profile correction was added. All photos were imported to my LR and standard contrast and adjustments added, however, no correction was added, these would have been how the optics perform in real terms.
You guys both have got two eyes, right? So why do you use just one of them? (EVF) I hardly ever looked through my EVF. Makes no sense to me when there is a really bright and sharp monitor.
There will come a point where a photographer will want lower ISO and faster shutter speed when choosing a lens like this. I personally don't go crazy about that thick DOF. If I can maintain ISO 800and sharp picture am happy.
Chromatic aberrations purple fringing is due to using the Noctricon on an Olympus Body rather than the lens - ie UV filtering being different between Pany and OLY bodies with the Olympus body suffering the most from the problem of chromatic aberration - It doesn’t mean that the Olympus is inferior it’s just how the camera processes the image - One of the advantages of the MFT system is the ability to mix lenses and bodies from Panasonic and Olympus. That said, DPReview forum member Anders W. has identified what appears to be a general problem with purple fringes when using Panasonic MFT lenses on Olympus MFT bodies. - alanwatsonforster.org/writing/mft-purple.html Both fantastic lenses - Love the Oly 25mm f1.2 - very cinematic for video
excellent :) that 42.5 is on my goal list! at 5:58, I'm seeing better dynamic range on the left. the distant buildings have less detail in the bright highlight areas on the photo on the right and less shadow detail on the basket holding the flowers. excellent video and photos nonetheless! thank you for sharing
Thanks Joey! Glad you find this video fun and informative. It's very personal and everyone look at things differently and don't get me wrong, the 42.5mm is an excellent lens on its own! I just prefer the Olympus a little more base on the overall aesthetics and rendering. But hell that 42.5mm is sharp!
When taking a picture or a person Using olympus 42.5mm f1.8 on my pana-gx9, i dont know why but in low light, the person's hair seems washedout (open wide-closed full)Is that normal or not? Not happening if im using panasonic lenskit/zoom lens/panaleica. I like the oly's lens character tough..
I want to order the pana leica, but still curious, does the aperture ring works on creative movie mode?? I'm using gh5 btw, i just dont want it to accidently move the aperture ring and mess everything,, thanks.. 😁
First thanks for watching! You need to turn it to 'Auto' to avoid any accidents. But still need to be careful from knocking it off 'Auto' and into manual aperture. But I am more of an Olympus guy. I think there's a function to disable the aperture ring in Panasonic cameras and you can change the aperture from the control dials on the camera itself.
Very nice video, entertaining and amusing. Just one problem: Whats with the 'Full Frame' bags? When I switched, I also (and very happily!) switched to much smaller bags. I kid, I kid!
Thanks Jan! I thought it was fun. Well, both Tom and I were actually vlogging on the same day so we were carrying more than needed. I had another two cameras in my bag on top of my EM-1 hence the larger bag. But I do carry this Hadley One for my work shoots, just a bit more space for my coffee flask :)
Since you are both shooting Olympus cameras,,you are missing the Camera/ lens interaction that a Panasonic body would give..like eliminating any fringing in camera--- Shoot the Pana-Leica on Vivid mode and it will knock your socks off....
Hi Jimmy and Tom, great video, well made, both informative and most entertaining! Although I do not agree with your bottomline, (OLY wins) I definitely like your way of comparison, using the lenses in practice, touching all the important features without too much tech-language... (maybe apart from bokeh-balls; sometimes sounds like ballshit to me ;-))) I guess since they are both PRO lenses, neither of them currently fits into my budget! Any chance you could do the same thing with the Pana 42,5mm 1,7 vs OLy 45mm 1,8? BR Erwin
Really enjoyed watching your video. You are both highly entertaining fellows and clearly love photography. However I'd really like to see some actual PRINTS laid out side by side to compare the results of both lenses. I'm sorry but looking at a camera's LCD screen in unknown lighting conditions and describing is highly subjective at best. So come on! Let's see some stuff printed and displayed under controlled gallery lighting conditions guys! I know it's really "20th Century" but some of us do still print and exhibit in galleries. That said thanks for a good fun review of both lenses. I was able to discern some things about bokeh and color correction. I'd definitely use a good lens hood on the Leica Nocticron.
Thanks Russ, glad you like our video! I get what you mean and I do love prints myself and wish that we could print them large and review them that way than looking at the back screens. Neither of us is a pixel peeper and a print will tell us the 'ultimate' feel. I have printed my photos for my own exhibitions and displays but for our relatively new UA-cam channel and tight budget set for each episode, it's difficult to print a couple of dozen of large prints, also, I only trust my own printing and each large print can cost a bit. I wish I have access to a printer collaborator who will print stuff for us for reviews :D Don't worry, I belong to the 20th Century :) Lastly, hood on the Nocticron, umm, it's subjective and in hind sight, I should have removed the hood on Olympus for a fairer comparison, at least to the eyes of our many viewers. However the day was over cast so much that the hood doesn't add any benefit at all in terms of image quality. I had the hood on my test copy of Olympus only for protection purposes, hope you understand.
I'd like to see that comparison on a Lumix G9 body. Panasonic, for better or worse, uses matching digital manipulation in their bodies and lenses. That Leica lens will look better.
Yes, you will get better filming experience with Olympus main due to the manual clutch that, if you use manual focus a lot. PanaLeica’s focus ring spins forever and hard to judge focus in video. IQ wise, similar, just different look.
At 12:28 how is it that the DOF is different for same framing and f-stop? Look at the right side of the tree branch and then the metal fence pole. On m.Zuiko it is in focus, on Leica it is out of focus
хороший и интересный обзор, спасибо ребятам! мне Olympus показался более приятным по цветам. где-то Panasonic смотрелся лучше, но в итоге я бы выбрал для себя Olympus. PS: забавно видеть ребят с крутыми и очень дорогими камерами и объективами, но в дырявых джинсах между ног) извините :-) за видео еще раз спасибо!
Right now the Olympus is under $1000, and the Leica is just under $1200. Is the color rendering that much better on the Nocticron to justify the extra $200? Stabilization is also a factor because the GH-4 lacks IBIS.
Yes, that depends on whether you need the IS on the lens and also your preference on rendering. They are both great lenses and really depends on how you want your images to 'feel'.
I am sorry to dissent but this is not a very reliable video for several reasons . The soft versus sharp discussion at the end of the video does not make much sense. To test both lenses on an olympus camera may also include some differences. I also think that for people who shoot in tight spaces or who shoot people full length the 85mm FOV is more versatile
Cheers Harold for your comment, don't worry as long as something that makes sense :) Well the point of comparing them using the same body is to highlight the difference and I don't think it's unfair. Similar to people testing Sigma, Tamaron and Canon lenses on a Canon body. They are both M4/3 mount lenses and I am not looking at potential lens profile corrections but more the optical characters these brilliant lenses. Finally, I am unsure about your point of 85mm FOV because these lenses are equivalent (Olympus is 90mm and Panasonic Leica is 85mm). Anyway, thanks again and have a nice day.
Red35 Photography .First thank you for the reply. First, I would like to say that it is odd to get a 20 minute + long video on portrait lenses with NO person posing in it. Also testing one lens with the hood and one without may have some slight impact on the results.Not to mention that making statements on lens sharpness or bokeh based on the image on the LCD is not very reliable.The bokeh rendering is not that important to me but it is worth mentioning that serious reviews comparing these two lenses reach a different conclusion than yours.Finally, I agree that the focal lengths are similar, they are not « very equal » like you said. While I do not dispute that most people who shoot portraits outside won’t see the difference, the difference matters if you shoot your models full length and/ or in places where space is limited ( like a hotel room or a regular room or a small studio space). All in all I think your review is misleading.
The problem with these lenses and comparing them is this: It depends on which camera you use them. On the Olympus go Orly all the wat, with maybe the exception of the 12mm F1.4 , since Olympus does not have one that wide. Yes you do have the 7-14mm but it is no prime. But when shooting with a Panasonic, there is the elephant in the room that is DFD, which you only get with Panasonic lenses. As a video shooter i really love the manual rings on the Olympus Pro lenses, but for photography you really need the DFD focus accuracy and speed.
Marcel van Leeuwen I would agree half of your comment :) In terms of operation, handling and speed (AF), it’s definitely true that native lenses will always work better with respective system. Just like Canon and Nikon lenses will work better in their camera bodies than Sigma/Tamron/Tokina.. etc. But these days, if you are purely looking for optical performance and rendering, particularly if you shoot RAW and not JPG, it will not make a difference at all (ok, the sensor does have slightly different colour renditions but nothing can take away with how the lens ‘draw’ the image and CA is only corrected in JPG mode and not RAW, so any optical defects will show in the RAW files anyway, photographer will then have the power to correct any in post production. I am not hear to compare Panasonic’s DFD or Olympus’ dual hybrid (contrast and phrase detect) AF. But to certain extend, native lenses will work quicker. Also, Olympus does have a 12mm prime but at f/2 and half the size of Panasonic’s 1.4 offering. I use the 12mm f/2 for street work as it’s tiny and less obvious. As said, both lenses are great but I just prefer Olympus’ look and feel. I do use the PanaLeica 25mm 1.4 before but later replaced with the 1.2 from Olympus for optical performance and that extra light for my low light work.
DarkPa1adin No, the whole point of join development is that we can use each other lenses for your preferred look. I use Panasonic lenses too for certain things :)
Thanks Jake! Yes, it's hard to believe that PanaLeica charges that sort of money and not weather sealed to be frank. But in terms of look, I still prefer the Oly but that's quite personal. I love the sharpness from PanaLeica, which is very typical look from the big red dot company and people who love that 'pop' :) Thanks again for your view and support :)
Your video helps me a lot to make my choice pity that the leica does not exist in 25 mm I much prefer the colors and dynamic range of leica but I need a 25 mm You would have preferred the rendering of the lens or the focal length you need ????
Thank you for watching mate. Well, Panasonic Leica does have a 25mm 1.4, though its performance isn't as great when compare to 42.5mm. It's still a stellar lens but as the 25mm 1.4 is one of the earlier M4/3 primes and the newer Olympus 25mm and other pro lenses will out perform it.
The Leica 1.4 lens but not the same range I'm talking about the 1.2 aperture pro range You would have preferred the rendering of the lens or the focal length you need ????
I see. I do prefer the rendering from the Olympus and funny enough that the old Leica 25mm 1.4 has similar organic look too when compare to Olympus, and the newer 42.5mm doesn't.
I want a focal length of 25 mm aperture 1.2 and a professional rendering This lens only exists at Olympus I would have liked the same in leica with the same color rendering and the same dynamic range
Thanks for having me Jimmy! It was good fun hanging out and playing with the lenses. The Olympus was certainly impressive, but I did love the colours of the Leica!
Tom Mason Sure mately, it surely was fun!! It showed in the video. We should do this more often! Nice cross over.
It's the same for me
Sorry, every picture with the Leica looked better. Framing better too ;)
Funny I found the colors popped more with the Olympus lens...
Watching this 6 years later, this is a great comparison and also fun video to watch. Good job.
I think the color contrast is what makes the Leica Panasonic 'pop.' I like the color contrast for the Leica, but definitely the bokeh is much nicer on the Olympus. Tough decision. Great comparison video. Thanks
I remember looking these up ages ago, and that the Olympus was the even higher performing, but looking lately (prompted by various sales) the rendering of the Nocticron is very distinctive and nicer. The highlights in this video are handled far better by the Nocticron - perhaps that's due to the camera, but it seems consistent with images elsewhere, as well. The colour is also spicy and distinctive. I feel like I've underestimated the Nocticron based on more metric reviews. Though, the Zuiko is clearly superior for feather-bokeh and perhaps absolute acuity - it does seem crunchy, though.
i like Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm 1.2
I love images from both. I love how subjects popping up when shooting with the Nocticron, and at the same time I love the creamy looking out-of-focus area rendered by the Olympus Pro. I'm using A7M3, but I so much want to invest in the MFT system as well since these glasses are so good.
Thanks for great review. In my opinion I think Leica is always the Leica, Even Nocticron is made in Japan but it gets certification from Leica. Leica Nocticron has still unique style of Leica lens which is more 3D-Pop. It's in the same leauge as Noctilux or Summilux ( In term of 3D-Pop, not depth of field).
For Zuiko 45/1.2 the transition of background and bokeh are very smooth and creamy. Something like APD in Fuji 56/1.2 APD and Sony STF 100/2.8.
So choose what you want ;)
I like olympus lens is more clear and sharper, In term of colour that leica looking good.
I was hoping the Pana Leica would win. Love the exterior design of the Leica branded lens but the Olympus is definitely more pro built as it's weather sealed. Fantastic video and I really enjoyed it.
The look of the Leica is certainly cooler IMO, but the Olympus was a true winner here, stunning glass!
Thanks mate for watching. Me too, I couldn’t resist the look of the Pana Leica lens, so much like the Noctilux IMO. But second Tom’s comment that Olympus has better optical performance, even just a touch better, and better built with full weather sealing, and faster to focus.
Hate to point out the blindingly obvious but these are lenses and what matters with lenses is image quality; build quality is a bonus but always secondary. That the Panasonic lens is optically better isnt even close. You dont use a lens to take out of focus fog fields with glowing balls in them, you take images where what is important are the features in focus, sharpness is of secondary importance to rendering. You both stand there pointing out that the Panasonic renders better (I agree I can see that even on your low res video) even though it has the disadvantage of having no in body correction on a non-native body. Well rendering is what optical quality is about. I am yet to see an image pop from any reviewer of these fast Olympus lenses; the f1.2 primes produce sharp flat dead images. I would take the f1.8 Olypus primes every day of the week, they are optically superb. The man with a Leica 10 hanging round his neck should know better. Stop looking at shallow dead images and look at normal images, the world is 3D!!!!
Hopefully I will have the budget for one of these lenses in the future, I'm currently using an EM5 III and portraits are my favourite subject so it would be great to have one of the best portrait primes for the m43 system.
Tbh it would be a difficult choice between the two for me. I prefer the look of the Pana-Leica...I wouldn't say it's objectively better than the Olympus, just preferable to my eyes. I've seen a number of images shot with the Nocticron, that show some swirly bokeh in the background (one of the other types of bokeh you could've added to your list!). I find a lot of swirly bokeh gets distracting but just a touch adds some really nice character to the images.
What would make it a difficult choice for me is the fact that the Olympus offers better value for money - especially for an Olympus body user. The lenses are usually about the same price, but sometimes offers come onto the 1.2 Pro lenses in the UK that make the 45mm a little cheaper. Then you get weather sealing on the 45mm, not on the Nocticron. The aperture ring would be useless on an EM5, but the focus clutch and function button of the 45mm would work on either an Olympus or Panasonic body. And finally, the lens hood is more compact on the 45mm. So a number of things that make the 45mm a better deal overall - would have to weigh those up over the slightly preferable rendering of the Nocticron. Would be interesting to see if Pana perhaps do a version II of the Nocticron, with the same optics but just updating it to their latest build with weather sealing, a focus clutch (like the f1.7 zooms) and less bulky hood with a button release rather than the more vintage screw.
As the 1.2s are indeed out of my budget atm, I recently got an Olympus 45mm f1.8. Incredible value for money, as Olympus had a UK-wide discount for a while that even applied to Amazon, that was already cheaper anyway. IIRC I got it for about £140, from Amazon UK themselves not a 3rd party seller. That's ridiculously good value! Seems like a lovely little lens, so compact. The Sigma 56mm also seems like gem for m43, giving a bit more focal length with 112mm equivalent. I seem to really like the ~105mm look, with the Sigma 105mm f1.4 being one of my dream lenses if I had a full frame system. So it seems like the 56mm is like a baby version of their 105mm 'Bokeh master' beast when used on m43. And seen as the 56mm is also incredible value for the level of performance it offers whilst still remaining compact - I think I will be going for that a lot sooner than the £1000+ f1.2s.
2018 - The Noctricon is still the boss - Colour and Bokeh ( 2:30 )
Nice work guys!
Watched this and your "pure" Oly 45mm review and both are great. Down to the point, real world reviews and both are very interesting and easy to listen to. Really well done. You seriously both need more viewers on your channels as they are some of the best I have seen.
Thanks for taking the time to film it. Subscribed :)
The 45mm and 17mm F1.2 are on my list... just need the 300 first :D
Thanks Rasmus!! Much appreciated your support :) We work hard to try to break it down to things that actually matter to photographers, and as a professional myself, things that I look for rather than reading specifications and so and so. Thanks and Tom is a very talented photographer and we are working hard together and more to come in the very near future! Thanks again for the sub! Have a great day!
Thanks Man, glad you enjoyed the review and the kind words about our channels - As jimmy has said we are both trying to showcase the real needs of a photographer - rather than just nit picking and pixel peeping! Cheers
You're both very talented and inspiring. Specifications can be read on the brands page or from technical review sites but it's another thing knowing what it feels like and works like in real life. The sharpest lens isn't always the best or the most fun. Oly PRO Zooms are en example of that, mostly optically superb but sometimes a little too clinical.
Tom, you're very different photographers and yet very similar. I've been shooting for quite some time but just recently getting in to wild life photography, been a nature and outdoor person my entire life and your channel is great for that. Interesting and down to business. Likewise Jimmy is different in that he shoot weddings, portraits and street, something I am also in to so having you two team up is superb.
Looking forward to more great videos from you guys, have a nice day!
/Rasmus
Fun video but the Panasonic on a GH5 or G9 with the Olympus on the EM would have been much better. The fringing is likely corrected in camera. Had the Olympus been on a Panasonic body, I wonder is the results would have been reversed Both are surely superb. I own both Oly and Pany glass and there's not a bad lens in the batch.
Douglas Gottlieb Thanks Douglas, well, they will be corrected in jpg only. When shooting RAW, you can only do the correction yourself in post by either applying profiles or manually correcting any defects. Even if the camera corrects fringing, it can’t correct any in bokehs, unfornately.
Red35 Photography Excellent point. I kind of expect that manufacturers are tweaking RAWs (even though that flies in the face of what RAW is supposed to be). But you’re probably right! Love your channel: both for Leica and M43!
Douglas Gottlieb Thanks for the support! We have two common interests then :) Leica and M4/3
In camera corrections will generally correct for lateral chromatic aberration, but the type of fringing that they were talking about is longitudinal chromatic aberration which is not automatically corrected as it's much more difficult to correct.
What are the differences?
I have Olympus and Panasonic equipment. The Panasonic / Leica Nocticron when used with the G9 gives amazing results. Extremely sharp. As for the focal length - well like all prime lenses you have to do the “zoom” by stepping backwards and forwards.
Hello, i have olympus M1mark3, do you suggest Pana leica or 45 1.2 pro. Normally I like the color of Leica camera.
I have a PanaLeica Nocticron personally, but a lot of that is because I got a lot of PanaLeica glass from a friend used by functionally perfect for the price of a used Nocticron on its own (15mm, 25mm mark ii, 42.5mm, and a 12-60mm). TBH, I think the Pen-F is one of the best-looking cameras made in ages, and I have an E-M5.2 so the menus aren't foreign, it's just a mix of the price, lack of pinpoint focus like Panasonic (I shoot plants and find it's an absolute pain in the ass to focus within/under the petals whereas with my GX85 I can focus on the eye of a frog or something perfect and fast with pinpoint), worse tracking in my experience (again withs tills of plants, when in the wind the Panasonic tracking+af-c does a great job, the Olympus is mostly great but loses target more than the Panasonic, I'll just say that's due to age/technology), and lack of weather sealing on the Pen-F.
Despite all that I am moving to an OM-5 having already preordered a black body, I'm just sad it wasn't an upgraded Pen-F with the same specs/weather sealing and the OM-1's updated menu system that took Olympus/OM from last place in menus to first place for a lot of people (stupid the OM-5 didn't get the menu system...maybe in an update but I'm not holding my breath, that'll be the OM-5s or something). I really like the rangefinder style of body, the viewfinder being top left is a lot more comfortable shooting for me. Then again, I don't use the viewfinder a ton, I carry an E-P5 around with a Lumix 20mm or Oly 17mm all the time and never miss anything really despite leaving the EVF at home.
The color rendition of leica lens never disappoint!
Not a good comparison only because the lens hood on the Olympus changed the lighting conditions..should of taken the hood off the Olympus to be competitive.
Great video, never boring. I enjoyed watching the lenses being put through street photography tests. I need to get one for my E-M II next, once they hit the shops.
Thanks mate! Much appreciated your comment! We definitely had fun shooting on the street. I am not really a lap test person and more so as professionals, we want to take it out and test it ourselves :) Any of these two lenses are great but we both prefer the 'look' from Olympus in the end.
Ideally, the Leica would've been mounted on a Lumix body, as that's a more likely combination. If you're going to spend that much on a "special purpose" lens, you're likely to want a "native" pair (beyond the fact that it's optimized, there's also the dual IS thing). Also, why no hood on the Leica? Anyway, it's clear that if you "need" such a lens, that the best choice would be whichever matches your body(ies), as both lenses are extraordinary. You just need to determine if the value equation/affordability works for you. Nothing "fake" about "PanaLeica" as the important thing is the actual design (elements/coatings) and as Jimmy mentions, Leica does that bit. Panny's great at precision manufacturing (which Leica oversees) and things like motors. I'd like to hear Tom compare the Leica to say, the 90mm Summilux (the closest to the Nocticron in M-mount). The thing for me is, the Lumix G X 35-100 f/2.8 is also a phenomenal lens that includes the FLs of both these lenses, so the real question would be "is either worth the extra weight and bulk in my bag (as I already have a 25mm f/0.95 for even thinner DoF on those rare occasions where I actually want that in a slightly longer FL, especially as I rarely do portraits)?"
It's kinda tough because the person running this channel is actually the official brand ambassador for Olympus
Might be your best video yet. Tom seemed to be spot on. A lot to love about both lenses, but they aren't worlds apart. We want them to be, and in micro worlds, they are, but you guys summed it up quite nice. Now the Pany on the G9 might be different....
Thanks Craig!! Much appreciated :) glad you enjoyed our talk ;)
With regards to chromatic aberration I think what’s going on there is that an Olympus lens on an EM1 II body will enjoy in body CA correction and a Panasonic lens on the Olympus body not. Had you used two identical Panasonic bodies I expect the result would have been more than reversed. Panasonic have been doing in body CA correction on their own lens/body combinations for many years longer than Olympus. CA correction (which can be done in post) would increase the difference between the two in sharpness.
I definetely prefer Leica colour wise. Also videos shot by Leica are stunning. My choice is Leica :)
:) Sure, I think they are both great just me that prefers Olly :) I am a Leica fanboy too in general but in this case, as I shoot lots of ladies, I think Olly is better :D
Nice comparison! The new Olympus 45mm is pretty high on my "to buy" list now :D
A apples vs oranges comparison with the stunning Olympus 75mm f1.8 would be great too.
MrBillMorisson I hear you! I will see what I can do with the 75mm 1.8 :)
Should have used the lens hood on the Leica! That would have improved microcontrast and reduce flares. The Leica hood is a tank though!
Thanks for watching :) I know that hood is huge!! And metal too. It definitely has some presence. But the day was pretty flat in general so hoods won't improve things much to be frank. We were't shooting into anything super bright either.
Yes. But frankly, using it on one lens and not on the other throw off your test. You paid attention to all the details but missed this one. People don't realize how important a lens hood is for longer focal lengths. Not as important for a 24mm but very important for an 85mm equivalent which these lenses are! Thanks for the video though!
Shooting in a such weather and with those lenses, you can really not worry about hood or no hood when it comes to flare and contrast. These are not some Canon/Nikon lenses designs from 80's, and you don't need hoods as long you don't use any filters (that will cause those optical changes).
Oh that's just bunk. Lens hood WILL make a difference when encountering ambient light from outdoor lights etc. Any light striking that big front element at a right angle will cause flare and reduce contrast and acutance of the final image.
The Leica is more suited to Black and white, which has generally true of most Leica lenses, while Olympus is often better for color. In this instance, the differences in bokeh had more to do with focal length than the qualities of the lenses. Whether or not something can be described as fake or real is ridiculous. I am old enough to remember when Leitz moved production to Canada. A lot of Leica users derided Canadian made Leicas as not being real Leicas, despite some of Leica’s best lenses being created there. If Leica designed the lens, then I don’t particularly care which factory made it. The partnership between Leica and Panasonic is very close, and I think both company’s have benefited from sharing IP both ways.
While watching this video, my thoughts were;
1. How can they fairly judge these two lenses while looking at the little screen? Would it not be better to take the pictures, go into your studio, look at the pictures on a calibrated monitor?
2. Would it not have been better using one camera body on a tripod and just switch lenses?
3. What about autofocus during filming?
4. What about really low light situations? (Like indoors or night shots)
Reading the comments here gives me a feeling there's a lot of fanboying over brands here 😶 I mean, the comment section might be full of fanboys too
Here's my two cents; got Olympus cam, go Olympus lens, got Panasonic, go Panasonic. None of these can go wrong, but I got to say, i really like the colours of the Panasonic. And for me, can a lens ever be too sharp? I think it's better to have sharpness and edit it out than having an "softer" lens and trying to add sharpness in post 🤔
The subjective opinions on the focus ring is a fair point and I sometimes get frustrated by the focus acceleration, but I got used to it on my lenses
A very good review but I cannot understand why you compare two short tele-lenses
where you allow the Olympus to carry a shade and the Panasonic not.
With those big front glasses the shade makes a big difference!
Bad conclusions!! But interesting, and I guess makes sense, that the Leica lens design is better suited to photojournalism. Also highlighted the importance of matching the lens to the body. Matching optics to circuitry is likely optimised to wavelength levels. So in this sense a Leica / Panasonic lens on an Olympus body was unfair. So insightful video, nonetheless.
well said, "organic" look. Yes! I once thought it's the MFT sensor "issue", so nop, it's actually the Panasonic Lumix/Leica issue. Olympus lens made MFT looks better now.
This "snappy" sharpness is characteristic of some older Leica lenses too. Interesting to see it in a modern incarnation of a Leica lens design (the Summarit-M 2.4/75 for example has a completely different characteristic). Interesting comparison. I would go with the Olympus (had it in hand today, but could take only 4 test shots), because I really like the feel of it and the focussing clutch (or however they name it); very nice even on a Pen F (with additional grip).
Christian Augustin Lovely combo you had with the Pen F. Leica Lenses are known for their sharpness and rendering, superb micro contrast and definition. However, Olympus’ approach is refreshingly interesting, brings back the happy days when shooting films.
Yes, exactly. Olympus does get not as much detail and sharpness out of their sensors as they might (compared to a Sony A7, that is), but it looks deliberate when I compare the OOC JPEGs with what I can get out of the ORFs in Adobe Camera Raw.
Christian Augustin Well, if you at the pixel density per inch, the latest generation M4/3 sensors can actually achieve 80MP if it’s a full frame sensor. So that’s a lot of pixels. And the pixel is very tiny. So that’s why one of the weaknesses of M4/3 is always its low light because of the pixel size. But as DPReview said, in equivalent sensitivity and dynamic range, it matches some of the best APS-C and full frame sensors. I don’t anticipate M4/3 sensor resolution to increase in near term until there’s another leap in general sensor technologies. So they will concentrate on AF, processing and general operation speed. Their optics, however, are designed for future so they can easily out resolve the sensor, like many current digital lenses.
Thanks for the info; I was aware of the high pixel density, but had no figures. With HiRes/SensorShift I can get some nice resolution out of the camera if needed (for architecture, up to a certain point for landscape, with long-time exposed night shots and with product photography), and it actually works (tested it with the E-M5 MkII). So a lot of bang for the buck … ;)
Even though the lighting generally appears a bit flat, I wonder how much the Nocticron's results were affected by the lack of a lens hood.
Thanks Ian :) Well, the day wasn't particularly sunny, so lack on contrast overall. A hood wouldn't affect much to be frank. I had the hood on the Olympus only because it's my habit for protection rather than shielding from lights. In bright day, perhaps but on that day, I don't think it will improve the Nocticron much.
4:08 Leica looks sharper but olympus seems to have a smoother bokeh
Leica's optical is superb, hands down!
Thanks for your response regarding phase detection of EM1ii compatability with Panasonic lenses. I was thinking of getting the Panasonic 42.5 1.2 and then using it on a future Olympus body.
Wonder if the Nocticron might show less fringing wide open on a Panasonic camera. I know the two systems are compatible but not sure if all image corrections (distortions, fringing) are applied to Panasonic lenses on Olympus cameras or vice versa.
David Kieltyka Interesting, however, from what I understand, corrections are only applied to jpg only and not RAW. As I shoot everything RAW, it should shows how ‘optically’ corrected (or better designed) each lens is. Hence you can apply ‘profiles’ in Lightroom to correct certain ‘defects’ when you process your photos.
Oh, of course. I’m so used to the profiles auto-applying to RAW files that I’d forgotten the cameras don’t bake them in.
I believe the Panasonic actually apply the corrections to the RAW files as well. When shooting with my Panasonic G85 lightroom doesn’t give me the option to apply corrections as it said they are all done in camera.
Very entertaining & informative video boys, looks like you had fun too. Jimmy one question please can you confirm whether Tom is Elvis Costello's love child?
immaculately done guys
Interesting video, Thanks
Viewing your "UA-cam" images on a 5K 27" mac monitor:
1) The Oly appears slightly more color saturated than the Leica. This to my eye gives the Leica a more natural (what the human eye sees) with possibly a touch more detail because the Oly's more contrasty...caused by the color saturation, easily correctable in post.
2) I agree that it would be interesting to see the Leica on a Panasonic G9 vs Leica on Oly to compare and contrast, not because it would be better but because it's worth seeing how the two companies Olympus and Panasonic sharing a common lens attachment base, perform with each other's lens.
3) I'd like to see the Oly 45mm f1.8 vs, Oly 45mm f1.2 to see if it can truly justify spending 4 x times cost for an Oly 45mm f1.2 Pro.
p.s. (Wish List) Sure would like to see you two doing a compare and contrast "Leica vs. Oly" using equivalent or similar lens in B&W as well as color Street Photography.
Hi Karl, thanks for your comment! 1) I agreed on details and micro contrast (not general contrast) and results a more detailed look. Sharpness is comparable between the two actually if look at the ‘focused’ area but the main differences come down to how the lens renders the out of focus area. The feathered bokeh from the Oly is definitely something else. Leica has a more modern bokeh, something that many of us are very familiar with these days if they have used top end Leica/Zeiss/Canon/Nikon lenses. Oly actually employs a more traditional rendering, more ‘fimic’ look that, at least to me, resembles the more vintage look. 2) Yes, I need to see if I have any friend who can lend me a G9 to make some comparison. However, we will be doing a comparison with Leica 25mm and Oly 25mm in the future and hope that will give some insight. 3) Ditto as we will be doing a series of comparison in the near future too so stay tuned :)
Gave it another look and agree with you on the Oly's "fimic" look.
I use the Oly 25mm on E-M5 mkII and like it very much, looking forward to your video with the beautiful Leica for image comparison. Thanks again
Very entertaining and informative at the same time. Well done.
Thanks Geoffrey! Glad you enjoy the video :) Have a good day!
I’d lean towards the Olympus because of the creamier bokeh, but without IBS in the GH-4 I’d have to get the Nocticron.
Thanks for your comment mate. I love the Olympus rendering but you won’t be disappointed with the Nocticron for sure, you will be happy with either.
Very expensive lenses but the lenses are more important than the cameras so they’re definitely worth the money take care of them and they’ll last a lifetime love my Olympus 45mm 1.2 it was worth the spanking for buying it
Great review and fun dynamics you guys have going on. I’m in the process of choosing one of these 2 lenses so your video is of great help. I noticed that photos of the Olympus is either more saturated or there’s more contrast. Is that the lens or post?
17:42 She seems happier to be photographed by the Leica lens!
I thought that was an outstanding comparison. Thank you both. :-)
Excellent video guys - now I know what to buy
Olympus Photos are better in quality, contrast and also in throwing out the background blurred, really a magnificent pro lens for portraits. Furthermore, the lens could be used as a standard lens exactly Like the Bronica, Rolleiflex and Hasselblad Cameras.
Great review. Fun and casual, a couple pals going around shooting, but I got more insight into the comparative strengths and weaknesses than from the at least eight or nine other reviews I've watched. (I've also got the equivalent Voigtlander in the mix.) I'm sure if I rented all three and shot them like crazy I'd be just as at sea. Anyway thanks for an amusing and informative walk through the city.
Cheers mate and glad you enjoyed this vid!
Very good review.I am first time can see the color different of the lens.
Can you do more comparison video like this?
I Hope to see Panasonic 25mm F1.4 vs Olympus 25mm F1.2 / Voigtlander NOKTON 25mm F0.95
Thank you.
Justin Ng Thanks Justin! There are always colour differences between lens due to coatings and different materials in elements. I will your suggestion to our list and hope to get one video one soon :)
Justin Ng I would also love to see a comparison with the nokton and the two flagship lenses as well
Alright Jimmy! - You wouldn't happen to know of a lens below 1.2 with autofocus for 4/3? - Have the voigtlander nokton 42.5mm but it's a nightmare being manual focus. The focus peaking in camera doesn't seem to work very well (em1ii) although not sure if I'm doing something incorrectly. Cheers!
Hey Ryan, not for 4/3. I don't seem to remember if there're anything faster than 1.4 in the DSLR days.You are right, we had troubles using peaking in EM1 II before but we got away eventually using the magnifying option to double check on critical focus.
@@Red35Photography Ah good idea! - Cheers Jimmy.
Weather sealing or OIS? Which one is more important. That's of course if you have a Panasonic body. It's hard to decide honestly. The Olympus might be the better lens overall, but that Nocticron has its own characteristics, optically and physically, that the Olympus can't match. I'd choose...the...BOTH lol
Is the dynamic range better on the Nocticron?
Both!! We have both actually :) lens won’t change the dynamic range but the Nocticron has a higher contrast and a more punchy look, Olympus is more gentle, love then both!
I thought any Panasonic Leica lenses were built and designed by Panasonic and merely have then Leica seal of approval. Does Leica actually design the M43 lenses?
Leica has design 'input' in the blueprint, so a short answer is yes. However, the choice of elements, coatings are determined by Panasonic. The exterior design and final spec are signed by Leica. For many, who may have forgotten that Leica did join the original 4/3 alliance, produced some mirrorless cameras (with help from Panasonic) before M43 came about.
Two little additions for those who watched this video, and are a bit confused about the results. Here it is what is *really* happening in this test:
1. Lack of aberrations in the Olympus lens is due to its intentional design. Olympus lens literally uses aberrations, leads them on a leash so to speak, and then produces with them - feathered bokeh. That is called the optical genius of Olympus: not cancel typical optical issues immediately, but use them to make something even better with them. Not even Leica ever thought of that.
2. If anybody judges that a Leica lens produces the 'cooler' or the 'warmer' look, or if the Olympus lens colours 'this or that way', then you do not have a proper colour workflow. You should calibrate your camera properly, against your light meter and the colour checker, never allow your camera to "think" by itself that is the neutral grey, the right temperature or the right exposure. What camera "thinks" can never be accurate.
Only issue.. you used the Olympus lens hood, didn't use the Leica's?
Loving this channel though. Solid content!
Thanks Dean. Well, two things I didn't think it would make too much of a difference since it was a relatively dull day and no direct suns anyway. Second, just that morning, we couldn't find the Leica hood hence we didn't put it one but in hind sight, I could have removed the Olly hood :D Thanks for liking our channel! Hope you sub and stay tuned for more!
Red35 Photography fair call haha. Just grabbed the Leica and love it!
You've earnt a subscriber :)
Cheers bud! Yeah, I love both lenses to be fair, they both have their strengths. We have both. Tracey, our video girl loves the Leica more for her sharp videos. I prefer the Olly for its look on portrait photos. It just looks nicer on pretty girls LOL
Looks like I'm getting the Olympus 45 🤗🤗 with my Gh5 body. It will be used along with my Olympus 75 I love Olympus lenses although I use a lumix camera.
Mikes_ Perspective I know a lot of LUMIX users who like Olympus lenses, especially videographers, because of the lovely manual focus clutch and better focusing actions.
Red35 Photography absolutely, can’t wait to get it, it’ll be my 5th lenses aside with my sigma 18-35 with MB speedbooster 0.71x a lumix 42.5 f1.7 and the Olympus 45 and 75 f1.8 have to say tho that the olympus lenses are the best for microfourthirds hands down no need for a full frame wen there are Olympus lenses.
Yay :)
No I.O.S on Olympus though.
No but I don't see the need, at least for me. First, I don't video much with this lens and I primarily use Olympus which all their bodies have IBIS. But if you have bodies that hasn't got IBIS like the new GH5S or older Lumix bodies then it may affect your decision. When I used to shoot with my full frame 85mm 1.2L, I had no IS on both lens nor the body, and I never had a problem :)
The Olympus camera is autocorrecting for fringing and distortion with it's native lens, I would imagine. The Nocticron on the Olympus body would not have this advantage. This assumes we're being shown JPEGs here.. However, Great Vlog, and Tons of Fun.
helo.. can you recomend me to choose one should I get, sigma 16mm f1.4 or panaleica 25mm f1.4 ? (same budged) help me, I love the shaprest lens and emage quality for filming and concert photography in the night🙏🏻 my main camera is gx9
16mm and 25mm are quite different focal length so it's a little difficult to recommend base on these choices. It depends how 'close' you are with your subjects in concert so unless you are pretty close, I would recommend 25mm, or even 45mm but you know your requirements best :)
Things like fringing get digital correction when the lens is matched to the same manufacturer. It's unfortunate that that doesn't work across brands.
I've noticed the same. Every Panasonic Lumix lens I've tried has been a disappointment on my Olympus bodies. Purple fringing that sometimes doesn't improve when stopping down. It's frustrating.
The are many impressive lenses for micro 4/3 cameras which are much smaller and lighter with the similar full frame ones. My Sony a7 camera is small but most of my full frame FE lenses make it really large and heavy.
I seriously thinking of buying a mirrorless micro 4/3 camera.
Achilleas Labrou I also use full frame for other projects but M4/3 has been my workhorse for many things now as it produces just as good image in a much smaller package, nicer on the body :)
Achilleas Labrou The lens size is one of the reasons I don't like the Sony A7 as much (or better put - this is why I have no FE lenses other than the 28-70 kit lens, which is nothing to talk about) and use it only with adaptors and old glass (mainly Olympus OM lenses from the past). I had my eyes on MFT all the time (and used first an E-PM1 and later an E-PM2 alongside the A7); lately I bought a Pen F and some of the "standard" lenses (1.8/25, 1.8/45, 2.0/12, 2.0/17 and 4-5.6/9-18 - all quite affordable and very compact), and I'm happy with it. The menu system is not that much better, but the overall configurability is, and the camera has a very, very nice feel to it. It might work this way for you too, just give it a try (I don't know if there's an "Olympus Test & Wow" program in your part of the world, but have a look for it).
That's a very interesting result. Although that PanaLecia has been the standard for test charts for MFT it seems. I still would of thought Olympus would of been able to beat it on sharpness. Doesn't look like DXO has given a P-Mpix for the Olympus. I wonder if the 17 1.2 is sharper than the 45 as the 25 didn't do so well in DXO tests (if their results are accurate). Would of been nice if this video shot some test charts but still it was a very good comparison which I enjoyed.
@Jimmy I have constructive criticism about this review. My 1st complaint is it was way too long. My 2nd complaint is where is @Charleen?? I would've rather seen her in the review @ some point. Unlike the cheap 45mm from Olympus I didn't like I definitely want to buy this lens. In addition it was definitely sharper than the Nocticron with better bokeh. I did like that you had a Nikon user comparing both lenses though. ALL the Pro's I know shoot Nikon for a living. Nevertheless it was a good review. I did find it funny when @Tom kept on saying #FakeLeica lol. Its time for Panasonic to update the Nocticron & 25mm f1.4 lenses. Look forward to your future reviews but PLEASE include @Charleen. Maybe you can update this comparison with @Charleen and a Christmas theme & Christmas lights bokeh comparison in future. Nocticron in my opinion though does have warmer colors.
Haha, not a problem at all, we are always hearing :) It's a little long I know but it was a long day for us too. And Charleen :D oh well, she doesn't live in London so it needed a bit of time for us to coordinate and Tom is coming in town for a visit so it was opportunity to introduce a good wildlife photographer to people who are into that field of photography. I agreed, Panasonic needs to give the 25mm a bump with some Leica treatment, may be 1.2?? Shhhh :)
Yes indeed, completely agree! More @Charleen please, then the review can remain even long :)
People on reddit seem to dislike the lengh also: www.reddit.com/r/M43/comments/7h1qta/red35_comparison_olympus_45mm_12_pro_vs_panasonic/
Ilja Sara Thanks for letting us know. We constantly listening and hope to improve in the future :) Thanks for watching anyway!
I'm glad you're listening (and reading) the feedback. :)
i like the color from the leica better
Yes indeed, the colours are gorgeous!
It does have a warmer tone than Olympus, but as we are in digital age, colours no longer governs as a priority as things can be manipulated in post. But if it’s in film days, yes, Leica colours are great, hence I love my Leicas too :D
You're right the colors are better on the leica
Great review,very interesting and informative thanks 👏🏻👏🏻
Were these photos straight out of camera JPEGs or were they the RAWs with default settings applied? Or did you edit any of the photos in post? Wondering about the color fringing issue in particular, as if they were SOOC the Olympus would have the advantage because the Nocticron wouldn't be automatically corrected for CA by the EM-1 II
No, I shot everything RAW so no profile correction was added. All photos were imported to my LR and standard contrast and adjustments added, however, no correction was added, these would have been how the optics perform in real terms.
Red35 Photography Great! Thanks for the reply! :)
You guys both have got two eyes, right? So why do you use just one of them? (EVF) I hardly ever looked through my EVF. Makes no sense to me when there is a really bright and sharp monitor.
After watching your edgy vs soft(smooth) description i think a better description would be sharp (Leica) vs artistic (Olympus)
Do I see little of purple hue in the oly vs Leica? especially @ 5:58 ? ( right lower corner, building)
Love the oly stuff! What did you use for filming this? Thx, keep going
Thanks Sven!! We use the EM-1 Mark ii for filming all our videos here.
Red35 Photography wow! That DOF and overal quality is great! MF I guess? what lens/es? Thanks
Usually between the Panasonic Leica 25mm 1.4 mainly in this video
WHY have the Pana.Leica NO Lenshood ON ? ? ?
There will come a point where a photographer will want lower ISO and faster shutter speed when choosing a lens like this. I personally don't go crazy about that thick DOF. If I can maintain ISO 800and sharp picture am happy.
"Mine are more round than yours, but yours look more natural"... lol :D
Attention to detail eh?!
Who win leica 42.5mm or omd 45mm please tell me i want to buy 1
I love leica lens. I've been using it lately and it's really sharp.
Chromatic aberrations purple fringing is due to using the Noctricon on an Olympus Body rather than the lens - ie UV filtering being different between Pany and OLY bodies with the Olympus body suffering the most from the problem of chromatic aberration - It doesn’t mean that the Olympus is inferior it’s just how the camera processes the image - One of the advantages of the MFT system is the ability to mix lenses and bodies from Panasonic and Olympus. That said, DPReview forum member Anders W. has identified what appears to be a general problem with purple fringes when using Panasonic MFT lenses on Olympus MFT bodies. - alanwatsonforster.org/writing/mft-purple.html
Both fantastic lenses - Love the Oly 25mm f1.2 - very cinematic for video
Cheers for the info Barry!
excellent :) that 42.5 is on my goal list! at 5:58, I'm seeing better dynamic range on the left. the distant buildings have less detail in the bright highlight areas on the photo on the right and less shadow detail on the basket holding the flowers. excellent video and photos nonetheless! thank you for sharing
Thanks Joey! Glad you find this video fun and informative. It's very personal and everyone look at things differently and don't get me wrong, the 42.5mm is an excellent lens on its own! I just prefer the Olympus a little more base on the overall aesthetics and rendering. But hell that 42.5mm is sharp!
When taking a picture or a person Using olympus 42.5mm f1.8 on my pana-gx9, i dont know why but in low light, the person's hair seems washedout (open wide-closed full)Is that normal or not? Not happening if im using panasonic lenskit/zoom lens/panaleica.
I like the oly's lens character tough..
I want to order the pana leica, but still curious, does the aperture ring works on creative movie mode?? I'm using gh5 btw, i just dont want it to accidently move the aperture ring and mess everything,, thanks.. 😁
First thanks for watching! You need to turn it to 'Auto' to avoid any accidents. But still need to be careful from knocking it off 'Auto' and into manual aperture. But I am more of an Olympus guy. I think there's a function to disable the aperture ring in Panasonic cameras and you can change the aperture from the control dials on the camera itself.
Very nice video, entertaining and amusing. Just one problem: Whats with the 'Full Frame' bags? When I switched, I also (and very happily!) switched to much smaller bags. I kid, I kid!
Thanks Jan! I thought it was fun. Well, both Tom and I were actually vlogging on the same day so we were carrying more than needed. I had another two cameras in my bag on top of my EM-1 hence the larger bag. But I do carry this Hadley One for my work shoots, just a bit more space for my coffee flask :)
Since you are both shooting Olympus cameras,,you are missing the Camera/ lens interaction that a Panasonic body would give..like eliminating any fringing in camera--- Shoot the Pana-Leica on Vivid mode and it will knock your socks off....
Hi Jimmy and Tom, great video, well made, both informative and most entertaining! Although I do not agree with your bottomline, (OLY wins) I definitely like your way of comparison, using the lenses in practice, touching all the important features without too much tech-language... (maybe apart from bokeh-balls; sometimes sounds like ballshit to me ;-)))
I guess since they are both PRO lenses, neither of them currently fits into my budget! Any chance you could do the same thing with the Pana 42,5mm 1,7 vs OLy 45mm 1,8? BR Erwin
The new digitalrev TV great vid
Thanks for your comment :) This is definitely an encouragement for us!
Leica colors are just juicy. I'm so tempted to get rid of my full frame sonys and just go M43 now seriously.
Wow. Did you ?
Jimmy what was this video shot on?
Nice comparison, thx!
Really enjoyed watching your video. You are both highly entertaining fellows and clearly love photography. However I'd really like to see some actual PRINTS laid out side by side to compare the results of both lenses. I'm sorry but looking at a camera's LCD screen in unknown lighting conditions and describing is highly subjective at best. So come on! Let's see some stuff printed and displayed under controlled gallery lighting conditions guys! I know it's really "20th Century" but some of us do still print and exhibit in galleries. That said thanks for a good fun review of both lenses. I was able to discern some things about bokeh and color correction. I'd definitely use a good lens hood on the Leica Nocticron.
Thanks Russ, glad you like our video! I get what you mean and I do love prints myself and wish that we could print them large and review them that way than looking at the back screens. Neither of us is a pixel peeper and a print will tell us the 'ultimate' feel. I have printed my photos for my own exhibitions and displays but for our relatively new UA-cam channel and tight budget set for each episode, it's difficult to print a couple of dozen of large prints, also, I only trust my own printing and each large print can cost a bit. I wish I have access to a printer collaborator who will print stuff for us for reviews :D Don't worry, I belong to the 20th Century :) Lastly, hood on the Nocticron, umm, it's subjective and in hind sight, I should have removed the hood on Olympus for a fairer comparison, at least to the eyes of our many viewers. However the day was over cast so much that the hood doesn't add any benefit at all in terms of image quality. I had the hood on my test copy of Olympus only for protection purposes, hope you understand.
I'd like to see that comparison on a Lumix G9 body. Panasonic, for better or worse, uses matching digital manipulation in their bodies and lenses. That Leica lens will look better.
But what is video filming like guys?? But if I use a Pansonic GH5 & GH5s, can I better video with Olympus?
Yes, you will get better filming experience with Olympus main due to the manual clutch that, if you use manual focus a lot. PanaLeica’s focus ring spins forever and hard to judge focus in video. IQ wise, similar, just different look.
@@Red35Photography Thanks man!
At 12:28 how is it that the DOF is different for same framing and f-stop? Look at the right side of the tree branch and then the metal fence pole. On m.Zuiko it is in focus, on Leica it is out of focus
хороший и интересный обзор, спасибо ребятам! мне Olympus показался более приятным по цветам. где-то Panasonic смотрелся лучше, но в итоге я бы выбрал для себя Olympus.
PS: забавно видеть ребят с крутыми и очень дорогими камерами и объективами, но в дырявых джинсах между ног) извините :-)
за видео еще раз спасибо!
Спасибо за ваш комментарий. Я люблю свои джинсы, и это были мои любимые Levis 501 USA, которые я носил их у RAW :)
Not sure you can make Bokeh test when the sensor plane is exactly the same and you have a 42,5 and a 45mm FL.
Right now the Olympus is under $1000, and the Leica is just under $1200. Is the color rendering that much better on the Nocticron to justify the extra $200? Stabilization is also a factor because the GH-4 lacks IBIS.
Yes, that depends on whether you need the IS on the lens and also your preference on rendering. They are both great lenses and really depends on how you want your images to 'feel'.
Very informative and interesting tests ...great thanks
Thanks mate for watching!
Looks like the Leica has better t-stop, when exposed the same it's brighter, so better for low ligt situations.
I am sorry to dissent but this is not a very reliable video for several reasons . The soft versus sharp discussion at the end of the video does not make much sense. To test both lenses on an olympus camera may also include some differences. I also think that for people who shoot in tight spaces or who shoot people full length the 85mm FOV is more versatile
Cheers Harold for your comment, don't worry as long as something that makes sense :) Well the point of comparing them using the same body is to highlight the difference and I don't think it's unfair. Similar to people testing Sigma, Tamaron and Canon lenses on a Canon body. They are both M4/3 mount lenses and I am not looking at potential lens profile corrections but more the optical characters these brilliant lenses. Finally, I am unsure about your point of 85mm FOV because these lenses are equivalent (Olympus is 90mm and Panasonic Leica is 85mm). Anyway, thanks again and have a nice day.
Red35 Photography .First thank you for the reply. First, I would like to say that it is odd to get a 20 minute + long video on portrait lenses with NO person posing in it. Also testing one lens with the hood and one without may have some slight impact on the results.Not to mention that making statements on lens sharpness or bokeh based on the image on the LCD is not very reliable.The bokeh rendering is not that important to me but it is worth mentioning that serious reviews comparing these two lenses reach a different conclusion than yours.Finally, I agree that the focal lengths are similar, they are not « very equal » like you said. While I do not dispute that most people who shoot portraits outside won’t see the difference, the difference matters if you shoot your models full length and/ or in places where space is limited ( like a hotel room or a regular room or a small studio space). All in all I think your review is misleading.
The problem with these lenses and comparing them is this: It depends on which camera you use them. On the Olympus go Orly all the wat, with maybe the exception of the 12mm F1.4 , since Olympus does not have one that wide. Yes you do have the 7-14mm but it is no prime. But when shooting with a Panasonic, there is the elephant in the room that is DFD, which you only get with Panasonic lenses. As a video shooter i really love the manual rings on the Olympus Pro lenses, but for photography you really need the DFD focus accuracy and speed.
so if i have a pana body, i should get a pana lens?
Marcel van Leeuwen I would agree half of your comment :) In terms of operation, handling and speed (AF), it’s definitely true that native lenses will always work better with respective system. Just like Canon and Nikon lenses will work better in their camera bodies than Sigma/Tamron/Tokina.. etc. But these days, if you are purely looking for optical performance and rendering, particularly if you shoot RAW and not JPG, it will not make a difference at all (ok, the sensor does have slightly different colour renditions but nothing can take away with how the lens ‘draw’ the image and CA is only corrected in JPG mode and not RAW, so any optical defects will show in the RAW files anyway, photographer will then have the power to correct any in post production. I am not hear to compare Panasonic’s DFD or Olympus’ dual hybrid (contrast and phrase detect) AF. But to certain extend, native lenses will work quicker. Also, Olympus does have a 12mm prime but at f/2 and half the size of Panasonic’s 1.4 offering. I use the 12mm f/2 for street work as it’s tiny and less obvious. As said, both lenses are great but I just prefer Olympus’ look and feel. I do use the PanaLeica 25mm 1.4 before but later replaced with the 1.2 from Olympus for optical performance and that extra light for my low light work.
DarkPa1adin No, the whole point of join development is that we can use each other lenses for your preferred look. I use Panasonic lenses too for certain things :)
You tried comparing the Fuji film x h1?
Mr.jimmy i look this video 3 time, because i need a good lens for portrait. So can you help me with one i should buy.
Excellent video comparison! If the PanaLeica was weather sealed this might be a hard decision.
Thanks Jake! Yes, it's hard to believe that PanaLeica charges that sort of money and not weather sealed to be frank. But in terms of look, I still prefer the Oly but that's quite personal. I love the sharpness from PanaLeica, which is very typical look from the big red dot company and people who love that 'pop' :) Thanks again for your view and support :)
Your video helps me a lot to make my choice pity that the leica does not exist in 25 mm
I much prefer the colors and dynamic range of leica but I need a 25 mm
You would have preferred the rendering of the lens or the focal length you need ????
Thank you for watching mate. Well, Panasonic Leica does have a 25mm 1.4, though its performance isn't as great when compare to 42.5mm. It's still a stellar lens but as the 25mm 1.4 is one of the earlier M4/3 primes and the newer Olympus 25mm and other pro lenses will out perform it.
The Leica 1.4 lens but not the same range I'm talking about the 1.2 aperture pro range
You would have preferred the rendering of the lens or the focal length you need ????
I see. I do prefer the rendering from the Olympus and funny enough that the old Leica 25mm 1.4 has similar organic look too when compare to Olympus, and the newer 42.5mm doesn't.
I want a focal length of 25 mm aperture 1.2 and a professional rendering This lens only exists at Olympus I would have liked the same in leica with the same color rendering and the same dynamic range
I must favor the focal length that suits me the most or the rendering that I prefer ??
Interessanter Fotowalk durch London !!
Good polished review guys
James Green Thanks James for your support! Much appreciated