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The article can be found here:
https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/fujifilm-vs-olympus/fuji-90mm-vs-olympus-75mm/
The only real difference here are the size and weight of that Fuji lens. And I am amazed that there is no stabilisation since Fuji bodies have no IBIS…The reason why I chose m43s in 2008 to me is still valid. Also when I look at Sony APS-c mirrorless. It is even worse. Some really good lenses are made for FF so they are very large.
Excellent review and comparison of these two lenses, Mathieu! Being a Fuji guy currently, and regrettably having only used the now “ancient” (but superb) Olympus E-1, I’m well aware of the quality of the Olympus system. That said, and having used DSLR systems from Nikon and Pentax, each have their advantages, but frankly, I find the Fujifilm X-System (XT-1, X-Pro2 and Fujinon lenses superb in build and image quality, and my first system for which post processing for sharpness can be considered optional! The Fujinon XF lenses are that good. However, it’s interesting to see just how well the Olympus 75 acquits itself in this comparison!
Unfortunately I don’t have it anymore.
if you still have the xf 56 1.2 ,please include a comparison (sharpness) of 56 and 90 in the upcoming xf 90 review.
Truly phenomenal effort.
Thx a bunch for the detailed response, that confirms my inclination.
I own both. I first got the Pana 35-100mm for my event photography. I got the 75mm one year later and since then I progressively started to use the Oly lens more. I often used the Pana at the longest focal lengths and the difference between 75 and 100 is not huge. The advantage of the f/1.8 aperture always helped me with poor light or to better separate the subject from the background.
I would say go with the 75mm but in your case it also depends if you have freedom to move during the classical concert. If you are stuck in the same position all the time, then the zoom is better.
I agree the IBIS can help a lot in many situations.
Nice article. I used the 75mm a few years ago for contemporary dance shows. The fast aperture really helped for this kind of shows that are often minimalistic with very low light on the stage 🙂
Nice detailed comparison. Have been debating which one to get: 75mm or 35-100mmF2.8. I’ll use it to shoot concert (mainly classical). The main question is whether the faster aperture and IQ gain are enough to give up the flexibility of the zoom. Would appreciate your thoughts. TIA.
In addition I wish someday we’ll see an answer to this in M43: https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1559/25984480533_b53b98a7c5_b.jpg
Having tried both I have to say: the Oly 75mm is awesome. Especially it’s size.
Still, the Fuji is nothing short of incredible. Ultra sharp and beautiful bokeh both in front and behind the focal plan.
Wide open (and that’s where it really matters) it’s in a league of it’s own.
Excellent review Mathieu and a very appropriate one. These lenses are so close! I’ve owned them both at different times. I found 75 1.8 much more useful than 90mm F2 and shot it more. In fact I sold 90mm F2 recently because its use is limited by the fact that neither the body nor the lens has stabilization. And the lens is rather large. So its use is generally limited to daylight, unless one bothers to carry flash in indoors. Olympus has excellent IBIS so I used 75 in low light often, so it is more versatile
I own both these lenses and they’re among the ones I use most. I agree that their actual performance is very close — I suspect much of the difference in their overall “look” comes down to the differences between Fuji and Olympus cameras.
(Post-processing matters too — I suspect most of the full-aperture sharpness advantage you see in the Fuji is an artifact of using Iridient Developer. I do find the Fuji a tiny bit sharper, especially at close distances, but the difference I see using Lightroom is not as dramatic as in your example photos.)
We should count ourselves lucky that we have excellent wide-aperture telephoto options for both these mirrorless systems; if you need this type of lens, there’s no need to favor Olympus over Fuji, or vice-versa, because both lenses provide excellent results on their respective cameras.
I will say, though, that over time the size and weight difference between the two becomes significant. The Fuji lens is proportioned well for the large X-Pro body, but is seriously front-heavy on the smaller bodies such as my X-T 10; my hand and wrist often start to feel strained after holding it during a multi-hour session. The Olympus’ smaller size, lighter weight, and better balance on an Olympus body give it a significant edge if mobility is important. The availability of image stabilization on the Olympus system also is an advantage during long photo sessions, when fatigue can lead to small hand movements that degrade the performance of even the best lens.
Obviously this isn’t a factor for those who generally use a tripod, or who photograph in short spurts rather than over prolonged periods, but it underlines the fact that sometimes overall system performance overshadows any minor difference in lens performance alone! I go into this in more detail in the comparison I wrote on my Tumblr:
http://jlwilliams-us.tumblr.com/post/126311077827/lenses-for-stage-photography-fuji-90mm-f2-vs
Thanks Mathieu! As always, good advice.
The Nocticron is a superb lens, no need to change anything 🙂
If you use a safe shutter speed it can be negligible. I got good results with the 90mm and X-Pro2 at 1/100s for example.
Thanks Mathieu for a great comparison of two superlative optics. I too prefer the Nocticron for portraits as I always seemed to need to back up a little for the 75mm to frame my portraits. Looking at your comparison I clearly see the Fuji 90mm is another great lens but I’ll stick with the EM1 with Nocticron for now. I hope you’ll keep posting these comparisons for the benefit of us poorer photographers who can’t afford two separate systems so we can know what the competition is up to quality wise.
Bobby
About the focal length in handheld, the stabilisation makes a real difference about sharpness, picture quality ? Or it’s negligible?
Definitely, but I am afraid they won’t update that lens for a long time. It seems they are focusing on very fast primes now.
Yes these two lenses can be too long at times, it really depend on where you are and how much room you have to move around and be at the right distance.
The 56mm is the perfect lens for portraits 😉
Actually next time I should include no captions at all and let the readers guess 🙂
Thanks Peter. I agree the 75mm is a must have lens. Nice set of pictures, I really like the one with the umbrella.
Good comparison, seems you can’t go wrong with either. I have used the 75 mm and it really is a superb lens for portrait, sports and landscapes – a must lens for every m43 shooter much like the 45 f1.8. Would be nice though if oly released a II-version with the manual focus snap ring and maybe even weather sealing – it would push the price of the existing versions down 😛
Another great article and comparison.
I am currently using a Fuji X system and considered both the 90mm f/2 and 56mm f1.2.. in the end, I chose the 56mm for it’s more compact size and I felt more flexible for the type of photography I would take.
All the reviews and what I’ve seen of the 90mm have been very positive.. I would eventually like the 90mm, but for now, I find it’s use a bit limited much like the Olympus 75mm f1.8 was for me… generally a bit too long and the fixed focal length didn’t particularly help with making it any more flexible.. for the record, I eventually picked up the olympus 40-150mm f2.8 and it was great choice for me as it is very flexible and really loved the image quality.. my choice portrait lens when out on the job with my Oly.
Focusing more on Olympus now.. My main 2 lenses I owned for the longest time when the E-M1 first came out were the 12-40mm f2.8 and 75mm f1.8. When I really used the 75mm for the first time,it blew me away. Paralleled image quality in the M43 system.. Sharpness and bokeh have never coexisted so perfectly for me.. eventually, I would say it was at least met, and somewhat surpassed by the 40-150mm f2.8 at the longer end. Still, the 75mm was and still is a great compact portrait lens.. I’ve debated several times to pick up the 75mm again (after I had sold it).
The 75mm is pricey and it does suck that at the premium it does not included the rather pricey matching metal lens hood, but the lens itself is totally worth it if you’re in the market for just such a lens for portraits and longer distance shooting.
Honestly, if you weren’t labelling the images, I wouldn’t be able to determine the difference on most of them, especially if they weren’t taken at exactly the same place and time. No winners, no losers, just great lenses.
Nice comparison Mathieu. I have no experience with the Fuji lens or system at all, but I do with the Olympus. The 75mm is really an extraordinary lens! No need for repeats here, as you already mentioned all of its characteristics. But well recommended. Here are some shots on my Flickr page taken with the Olympus 75mm, that will hopefully do it justice:
– https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldshooter/18619956288/in/album-72157650328757560/
– https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldshooter/18807752465/in/album-72157650328757560/
– https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldshooter/18806178205/in/album-72157650328757560/