The M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO from Olympus pairs the desirable 90mm-equivalent focal length with an ultra fast f/1.2 maximum aperture. The combination of the slightly narrow field of view and bright aperture enable producing distinct shallow depth of field imagery, and also suit working in difficult lighting conditions. This lens is also characterized by its advanced 14 elements in 10 groups optical design, which incorporates low dispersion, aspherical, and high refractive index glass elements to control a variety of aberrations and distortion for great sharpness, clarity, and color fidelity. A nine-blade aperture is featured as well, to achieve a smooth bokeh quality when working with shallow depth of field techniques, and a Z Coating Nano has been applied to individual elements to limit flare and ghosting for improved contrast.

Beyond the imaging assets, the lens' physical design is characterized by a weather-sealed construction to benefit working in harsh climates. It also features a Movie & Still Compatible (MSC) autofocus system for smooth, quiet, and fast focusing performance that is suitable to both stills and video recording. A manual focus clutch permits quick switching to MF control and a printed depth of field scale is also featured on the lens barrel for pre-focusing and hyper focal focusing techniques.