At the closest distance, shadows from the lens itself can be a problem, and of course it may not even be that easy to get so close to the subject. Here’s a shot of a ruler taken with the Lumix 30mm from its closest focusing distance where it was difficult not to cast a shadow. I’ve put it alongside a shot taken with the Lumix 42.5mm f1.7 which can focus unusually close for a non-macro lens, but the difference in reproduction (not to mention lighting and shadows) is evident. In terms of aperture, all three of the macro lenses offer an f2.8 focal ratio, which means they can deliver the same amount of light. They also all employ seven-bladed aperture systems. In terms of depth of field, the lenses with the longer focal lengths will deliver a potentially shallower effect, which may sway your choice when shooting at normal distances, but in a macro environment, the depth of field is already so small you may prefer to have all the help you can get. To see the quality of the bokeh and the impact of the aperture as it closed, I shot this subject at a variety of apertures. The Lumix G 30mm f2.8 is a simply-styled but smart-looking lens that resembles others in the Panasonic catalogue. Measuring 64mm in length, 59mm in diameter and weighing 180g, it’s roughly similar in size to a typical non-collapsing kit zoom. The Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro lens is almost exactly the same length, but squatter at 63mm in diameter and a little heavier too at 225g. Meanwhile the Olympus 60mm f2.8 macro is a little longer and thinner (82x56mm) and essentially the same weight at 185g. Light transmission performance was the same for both lenses, with the Panasonic Leica lens also measuring 0.4EV lower than the manufacturer’s f/2.8 claim with a 3.2TStop score like the Olympus. The Distortion scores were similar as well with both lenses scoring below the 0.2% threshold, indicating that there was no noticeable distortion measured in either lens. Both lenses displayed slight chromatic aberration with scores of 8µm and 10µm respectively for the Olympus and Panasonic lenses.

When I was using this lens at moderatemagnifications – say, 1:2 or 1:3 – I felt luxuriously distant from my subject. This made it less likely that I’d scare my subject, and most of all, it gave me a lot more flexibility with my lighting equipment. At1:1 magnification and even 2:1, I felt I had enough space to light my subject effectively. I was excited to work with a 2:1 macro lens optimized for Micro Four Thirds cameras, because I believe it serves as a reminder that the Micro Four Thirds format should not be slept on. Despite having limitations due to the smaller sensor size, the format has its advantages, and macro photography is one of them. You can fill the frame with tiny subjects more easily with the OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO than any other camera + lens combo on the market today.Lens configuration: 7 elements / 6 groups with 1 Aspherical ED element, 1 DSA lens element and 1 Aspherical glass element The only reason I would suggest to look elsewhere is if you are looking for a super macro lens that grants a higher reproduction ratio than 1:1, in which case the Venus Optics Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro is worth a look. The Leica Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH is a high-quality lens if you don’t mind the shorter working distance. Finally, adapting lenses is also a possibility if you have unusual requirements. The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens is a Micro Four Thirds lens compatible with Olympus mirrorless digital cameras. Being a dedicated macro lens, it lets you take shots at close range in true (1:1) life size, as well as offering you continuous focusing from this distance to infinity. Built with incredible precision, it features an internal focus system with floating lenses that is capable of producing equally high image quality when shooting macro, landscapes, portraits, and more. Create shallow depth of field effects with its open aperture and really show off the contrast between razor-sharp details and circular bokeh that this lens creates. Next I tried a further shot. This was set up at a range where the 60mm macro was focused at about 0.6m. Again, the camera was moved to account for differences in focal length so that the two lenses framed the same scene identically. Even today, it is one of my highest-functioning lenses. (If you get the sense that I’m not easy on my gear, you’d be right.) Despite my copy looking banged up, over the years I have not noticed any deterioration in its actual performance – neither sharpness nor its autofocusing ability. DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 320, 1/160, f/3.5 Working Distance

In short, the OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO is an exceptionally sharp, high-performing macro lens with great usability due to the large working distance. Once you adapt to the peculiarities of focusing with this lens, it’s hard to beat – and I’d say it’s stolen the crown as the ultimate macro lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. Interestingly, the OM System 90mm f/3.5 surprised me in remaining quite sharp even at narrower apertures. Diffraction still caused some loss in sharpness, of course, but my impression is that the only sharpness loss I saw at these apertures was from diffraction. The lens didn’t seem to contribute any additional issues of its own. You’ll see in a moment how much sharper the 90mm f/3.5 is compared to my M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 even when both were are narrow apertures of f/16 and f/14. But arguably even more important is the long focal length of 90mm. That’s a 180mm full-frame-equivalent focal length, which makes it one of the longest macro lenses made today. This is important because it offers a huge working distance compared to most macro lenses (AKA the distance between the front of your lens and your subject). The foundation of my kit is four essential items: my camera, macro lens, flash, and diffuser. Since 2017, I have been shooting with the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. Besides its beautiful image quality, this camera is really compact, weathersealed, has incredible IS, and produces greater depth of field than traditional DSLRs. I also love how customizable it is. By custom setting the C1 position on my Mode Dial, I have all of my favorite macro functions right where I want them. All three offer smooth manual focusing rings, although of the three, the Leica 45mm felt smoothest to me. In terms of build quality, the Leica also felt a little more substantial to the Lumix 30mm, but of the three, the Olympus 60mm is the only one to claim dust and weather sealing.Usually, I don’t use the full power of the lens because 1:1 magnification is often overkill for my subjects. That’s why many of the sample photos in this articles are close-up photos rather than “true” macro photos with 1:1 magnification or greater. In any case, it’s a highly practical lens, and a great performer, as you’ll see in a moment. Optically, I haven’t experienced any significant weaknesses on the 90mm f/3.5 Macro. The sharpness is breathtaking, even compared to the M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro that has always been my sharpest lens. Not to mention that the working distance of this lens is comfortable, and the image stabilization works as it should. As you can see, sharpness is not a real concern for this lens with the typical subjects that you’d use it for. Bokeh

Before I delve into the close-up performance, here’s a few around-town shots demonstrating the lens for general-purpose use. Measuring just 82mm x 56mm, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro is surprisingly small and lightweight for a telemacro lens featuring a maximum aperture of f/2.8. With the appropriate adapter, one can mount regular four-thirds lenses on a micro four-thirds camera, making this an attractive option for macro shooters. It doesn't offer quite the same reproduction ratio (only 1:2 instead of full 1:1) but its performance, even wide open at ƒ/2, was extremely sharp. Finally, there is the advantage of dust and moisture resistance. Given that many recent Micro Four Thirds bodies are also weather-sealed, you have the green light to shoot in varied conditions, including rain and snow.Even when shooting towards the light, this lens is resistant to flare and contrast remains high in all but the most challenging lighting conditions. Resolution performance at f/2.8 for the Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 Macro and Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm F2.8 ASPH OIS (from left to right). In the example above, the blurred specular highlights aren’t perfectly circular when the lens is wide-open, but they’re not unpleasant either, and at least there’s no onion-ringing to mention; the heptagon shape is expected as the aperture is closed. Judging from my previous results with the Leica 45mm f2.8, I’d say the Leica delivered superior rendering to the Lumix, but then it is a lot more expensive. Sharpness was sometimes an issue at extreme magnifications, but not due to the sharpness of the lens – instead, it was due to the depth of field. At high magnifications, depth of field is always an issue because it’s inherently narrow. You’ll need to stop down to apertures like f/8, f/11, and f/16, which have increasingly more issues with diffraction. All of this will sound familiar if you’re a macro photographer, because it’s true of every macro lens. This is a user's perspective comparison, no test charts, numbers, or pixel peeping. Everything is shot RAW and post-processed in LR as I would normally.

In terms of depth of field, the macro lenses with the longer focal lengths will deliver a potentially shallower effect, which may sway your choice when shooting at normal distances, but in a macro environment, the depth of field is already so small you may prefer to have all the help you can get. I happen to have both the Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro and Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro lenses currently, and I thought there might be some interest in a compare & contrast between the two from a user's perspective. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro has a small 46mm filter thread, which does not rotate on focus. The maximum aperture is f/2.8 but once you enter the close-focus range, the “effective” f-number starts to drop gradually as the reproduction ratio increases, reaching f/5.6 at the close-focus point. This phenomenon is typical of macro lenses and your camera's built-in meter automatically takes this into account when calculating exposure. At the other end of the scale, closing the lens aperture can also be used to deliver an artistic effect where diffraction can turn bright point sources of light into spiked shapes known as starbursts. The number of spikes corresponds to double the aperture blades, so all three macro lenses will render 14 spikes. Here’s how the Lumix 30mm Macro’s ‘starburst’ rendering compares to the Lumix 42.5mm f1.7 (a non-macro lens). As for image stabilization, I kept it on most of the time, and the steadiness in the viewfinder was apparent. That said, the difference was not as noticeable as I’ve witnessed on some telephoto lenses, especially at high magnifications. This is normal for a macro lens, but I still recommend keeping IS on unless you’re shooting from a tripod. According to CIPA measurements, it offers an impressive 7 stops of stabilization. SharpnessIn terms of light fall-off in the corners, there is nothing to worry about – the lens performs impressively in this regard. Another quirk about the focus limiting switch is that it also changes the maximum aperture. When switched to the macro position, the maximum aperture changes from f/3.5 to f/5.6. Macro lenses in general all have a narrower maximum aperture at their higher magnifications, but this is the first lens where I’ve seen it change so suddenly, rather than a gradual transition. OM-1 + OM 90mm F3.5 @ 90mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/11.0 As well as being technologically sophisticated inside, it is also built to last on the outside - with a dust- and splashproof outer body and specialist protective coating for the lens glass itself. You can also enjoy the focus dial to easily change the possible focus range (0.19-0.4m or 0.19m-infinity or 0.4-infinity). On top of this a special display indicates the actual focus distance for more control of your shots. Plus there’s the option of acquiring an automatic lens hood, which can slide up and down to reduce flare and protect your lens. Second is the lens hood whose innovative design allows you to retract it over the lens barrel when not being utilised. When extended to its full length, it is long enough to protect the front element from damage while mitigating flare and ghosting.