Olympus 50mm f1.4

Pleasant bokeh from thoughtful aperture design.

Balanced color rendering, neutral to slightly warm.

Good sharpness from f4 onwards, improving with stopping down.

Moderate flare resistance with acceptable performance.

Good contrast with pleasant micro-contrast.

Mild vignetting wide open, reduces significantly by f2.8-f4.

• Reliable optical performance
• Good value for price
• Solid mechanical construction
• Consistent rendering
• Versatile for general photography

• Can be soft wide open in some models
• Limited distinctive character
• May require cleaning after storage
• Some copies affected by fungus

• Peak performance usually at f4-f8 apertures
• Test on digital camera via appropriate adapter before purchasing
• Handle cleaning carefully to preserve original coatings
• Works well when adapted to modern mirrorless systems