01/03/2026 5:11 am
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Ive been shooting on the M4/3 system for ages mostly doing travel stuff but my cousins backyard wedding is coming up in June and Im feeling the pressure to get some professional looking portraits. My current zooms just dont give me that shallow depth of field I need for the ceremony. I have around $750 to spend and Im torn between the Olympus 45mm f1.2 and the Sigma 56mm f1.4 since everyone raves about its sharpness. Is the Pro glass worth the extra weight and cash for that specific feather bokeh look or is the Sigma enough to get by? Kinda stuck on which one handles skin tones better...
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01/03/2026 5:11 am
I shot a backyard wedding last summer and struggled with busy foliage in the background. You might want to consider the MTF charts and how the lens handles messy highlights.
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.2 PRO has that feathered bokeh, its basically magic for skin tones.
- Sigma 56mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary is technically sharper but be careful with onion rings in the bokeh. I would suggest the Sigma tho, purely for the price.
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01/03/2026 5:35 am
Regarding what #1 said about "I shot a backyard wedding last summer and..." - messy highlights are a total mood killer! If you can find a used Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH POWER OIS, seriously do it. The technical rendering is just incredible! MTF curves are fantastic even wide open. It handles chromatic aberration way better than the Sigma tbh. Its basically the gold standard for m43 portraits, love that dreamy look!
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01/03/2026 5:35 am
Stumbled on this today and ngl I have the exact same issue. Dealing with this dilemma for like two months now is honestly driving me crazy! One minute spending more for pro glass feels right and I am happy to do it, but then the price tag makes the budget option look like it works well enough. It is so hard to decide. This thread does a good job summarizing the choice between that feathered bokeh and raw sharpness, but there is still no clear winner for me. No complaints about the advice here so far but its a tough call when money is tight. Basically in the same boat and still totally undecided. The whole discussion seems to boil down to whether that specific rendering is worth doubling the cost... still dont know what to do.
