Ike the title guys, im wondering of getting my second lens for my omd, and was wondering, the O45 is around ~$300 new, and getting a 50mm OM, FD, etc for not less than a 100 bucks on ebay (even more with the whole rise of m43 legacy lenses prices are flying through the roof) plus its respective adapter.

Before you say something, i know i get af with the O45 and not with the. Legacy one but im more like asking in terms of iq? Thoughts?

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The Olympus 45/1.8 will be sharper and have more contrast wide open than any legacy, MF, nifty 50. At least I have found that to be true compared to the 5 Nikon 50 1.8 & 1.4 lenses I have. (set to f 1.8)

The legacy lenses will generally not be as sharp. Might be faster. Personally, I would rather MF and use the 300$ or so difference on something that provides different usage..like say the samyang/roki fisheye or you could get a 20mm, or a 14mm..

That's not necessarily true. My Konica 50/1.4 and Olympus 45/1.8 were about equivalent sharpness wide open. At 2.8 and 5.6 the Konica was as good or sharper and had better bokeh.

awesome for all your comments guys. is there any side by side comparison? or am i asking too much? ive seen results from both in real world situations, and i really like how the O45 performs. if im not wrong, goes something like this?:

O45,
AF
Light
Small
$300

MF 50mm
Only Manual
Heavy
Slow to focus (i know this is subjective, depends on the photographer who use it)
Bigger
$150 (with adapter)

Both share:
Sharpness
Nice Bokeh
Fast lenses

right?.

Try this...

Konica 50/1.4 and Olympus 45/1.8

Now to be fair the Olympus 45 was shot using AF and I have always thought the AF on the 45 is a bit squirrely. That said, it should give you an idea what a nifty fifty can do. The Konica was about $60 as I recall.

I agree, although I don't own the 45/1.8, I do have access to one whenever I want to use it. It beats all my 50mm lenses, including my OM's, Nikons, and Leica R Summicron. Definitely go for the 45/1.8, you won't be sorry.

Hi

The Oly 45mm is a great lens. Much better than the legacy lenses that I have tried.

Berni

The O45 IS a great lens and I think I would have kept mine if it had been able to focus a bit closer. As it was I always found that the 45 didn't quite work for what I wanted it to do. You don't say what you first lens is (I am assuming the kit lens). If I were looking for a second lens for an OMD I'd probably get the P20 or PL25 before something like the 45.

I guess it depends on what you're willing to spend. Right now I have two legacy lenses which perform good enough for me not to spend the money on the Oly45.

My newly acquired Yashica ML 50mm F1.4 ($55 shipped off ebay, almost mint)
and my 55mm Fujica F1.8 (dented filter ring, pretty much a mess for $1. although it renders images so nicely)

If I didn't have either I probably would've bought the 45 but instead I invested that money into a VF2 because I don't have an OMD.

Here are some recent shots with both to give you an idea. I have no doubt in my mind that the Oly is probably superior but these work well for me.

Yashica ML

Comfortable by ryansinibaldi, on Flickr

Fujica

Untitled by ryansinibaldi, on Flickr