Conclusion
Pros
- Amazing sharpness wide open
- Incredibly sharp across the entire frame stopped down (perhaps the sharpest I’ve seen)
- Beautiful bokeh with round specular highlights
- Rich, saturated color reproduction
- Outstanding all-metal build quality
- Fast, silent and accurate autofocus
- Very resistant to flare
- No distortion
- Extremely well controlled lateral chromatic aberration
- Great subject compression and separation from the background for portrait work
Cons
- Purple fringing can appear on high contrast edges wide open
- Some longitudinal chromatic aberration at wider apertures
- Hood is not included and costs $75 aftermarket
- Manual focus in video mode is finicky.
You may notice I don’t list price in either the pro or con list. At $899, this lens is expensive for both a Micro 4/3 lens and for a lens of this focal length and aperture compared to many other manufacturers 85mm f/1.8 lenses. However, given the extremely high optical quality and pro-grade construction, I have to say this lens is worth every penny of the asking price. The absolutely brilliant sharpness, rich color and creamy bokeh put it among the finest optics I’ve ever had the pleasure to use. As a former owner of the Canon 85mm f/1.2L and 135mm f/2L, I can say for certain that is high praise indeed. If you have a need for a medium telephoto lens with a fast aperture, look no further.
Sample Images
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