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M 4/3 25mm lens

I know there are a lot of very experienced Olympus users on this site, and I was wondering if anyone could offer advice about the 25mm prime lens they use? I am hoping to sell my 17mm (hardly ever use that) and get a 25mm. But Olympus or Panasonic Leica? Many thanks

52 comments

Grace I have an Olympus camera but i use the panasonic lens, it's great. Haven't tried the Olympus version so I can't compare.

tigg Thanks - some of the reviews say it is quite heavy for the small omd's?

Grace Sure its heavier than my other lens but its still not too heavy. I haven't used it much lately, should get it out again. I just got myself a zoom, where previously I only had 12mm oly and the 25mm panny

Ian Prince Hi Tigg. I have both the 17 and 25mm since the beginning of the year. The IQ seems very similar to my eyes. The 17mm is built better and has the pull-to-focus which the 25mm and 45mm don't have. The build quality of the 25mm is closer to the 45mm. No experience with the Panasonics, but I did notice a nice looking Panny 20mm on @ben 's Oly when he was in Geneva....

tigg I find it quite frustrating about the pull to focus on some but not all the only lens. You still have to assign a button to MF! Do you use the 17mm much - Tania has messaged me asking why I was thinking of moving it on. I just don't seem to use it much ....

Ian Prince Yeh, I know what you mean. I've ended up setting the focus settings to "S-AF MF" which makes switching between lenses more consistent. Unless someone else has a better idea....

Ian Prince I'm not using the 17mm as much as I thought I'd be. Going "wide" I often end up preferring 12mm (or less...but that will be a future purchase), and for when "wide" doesn't make sense the 25mm often just seems "right". Make any sense to you?

tigg Perfect sense. They say everyone should have a nifty fifty!

tigg My post for 27th may was a comparison of four focal lengths btw

Ian Prince Interesting, thanks. You could always try shooting your 14-150 on 25mm for a week and see how that works ;) BTW, how do you like it as a lens?

tigg I find it a great take everywhere lens, but not as much fun as the 45. Really glad I bought it though.

Grace What is it you like about the 45mm? Always interested to hear about new lenses hehe

Satoshi T Now I carry very heavy Canon lenses almost everyday. In camera shop, I watch very small and lightweight Oly cameras and prime lenses. but I realized that if I buy Oly system, I need to carry many prime lenses or large 12-40mm f/2.8-for using open aperture-. Then I want to ask M 4/3 users, "Do you decide before go out which lens you use? or Do you carry many lenses in bag and change them when you take?"

Magda Korzewska Satoshi i always have mine 2 with me in small bag or sometimes in the pocket. They are quite small, i use olympus zuiko 45mm and 17mm

tigg The basic zooms are very good too, say the 12-40mm. I don't know why, but the 45mm seems a great lens to leave on your camera body

Grace you're making me want to get a 45mm now. I just got the 40-150, because i wanted a zoom, and to attempt to take bird photos. previously only had two lenses 12mm and 25mm panny lens.

tigg I think the 40-150 is a really useful lens, and to me the IQ is very good. In the UK the 45mm lens is, well, cheap for a prime! £179 on Amazon, for example.

Satoshi T In Japan, we can get 45mm very inexpensively :)

Magda Korzewska that's true I have bought my 45mm zuiko in Japan 3 years ago for very reasonable price

Ian Prince I usually take one lens with me. Lighter and simpler.

Satoshi T @Ian You usually decide the lens to take depending on the shooting the theme of the day?

Satoshi T At Yodobashi :)

Grace why is it cheaper there? In New Zealand the prices of camera equipment always seems to be more than overseas, I ordered my Olympus from America. It was still cheaper including the shipping..

tigg Really is not fair, is it? How much would it cost for you in NZ?

tigg My photographs don't have a theme! Normally I take my shots during my day, as in what I am doing. Very rarely do I have the luxury of thinking: I am going out with the only intention of taking photographs. Once a month perhaps - when I have no other shots in the bag. Pure luxury and decadence to do that.

Satoshi T Grace Perhaps the import agency of New Zealand is estimated to high damage cost or FX risk of importation. Personal import is cheaper overwhelmingly :)

Ian Prince What lens I choose is almost random. Just like I rarely know what the day's photo will be...

Satoshi T I seem to have been restraint to the "plan" or "theme". It is better to have the freedom of feeling like you play. Thank you @tigg and @Ian :)

Magda Korzewska Thats' definitely true, but in my case it is not working. I need a freedom as I am not so sure about my pictures. Usualy I take some more shots to be sure I have the right one.

tigg sounds like my approach

Grace Like for example the lens I just purchased from Amazon (Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 40-150/4.0-5.6 R), the price for it new was $150 USD which is just over $200 NZD, but if I purchased it in NZ the cheapest was $329. So with the shipping of about $30 from the US it was still cheaper....I actually ended up purchasing a second hand one that apparently the owner never used and had it in his drawer for 2 years for $100 USD. I didn't purchase any kit lenses when I bought my OMD, I think this lens is a kit one?

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Kazzi You can say so - 14-42, 12-50 and 40-150 are "kit lenses" cause You can buy OM-D and PEN cameras with them included. Also, 14-42 and 40-150 are a bit plasticky, but image quality from both of those lenses (or all three, cause there is also EZ pancake version of 14-42) is really impressive for a "kit lenses"

tigg Not that I am aware; I bought mine as a stand alone purchase

Magda Korzewska I use olympus 17mm and I Am happy with it for architecture shots. Definitely 45mm is my best and most of the pictures i did with it. Never seen this 25mm so can not help.

tigg Do you just use these two, or a zoom as well? I sometimes feel the difference between 12 and 45 is huge.

Magda Korzewska Tigg I use only this 2. I have kit lens as well but never use it even I do not know what it is. I think this is good idea to check it (it was together with m y EP-L5 bought 3 years ago). I like wide angle shots and realy would like to have something more than 17mm but than it is simply too much stuff to carry and money to spent. I think the difference between 25 and 45 might be not so big, but 17 and 45 this is big enought see the different picture..

Satoshi T @magda you usually set 17mm with EP-L5 and when you go out and change 45mm from your pocket?

tigg I would do that, certainly, if I had taken those two lenses say into the garden

Magda Korzewska Yes, for woman it is easier, we have handbags :)

Satoshi T I try to use Oly 25mm at Yodobashi shop today. It's not only lightweight, It can focus very close like a macro lens!

tania Ready to change your camera ;) ?

Satoshi T Yes... It may a kind of Tookapic addiction ;)

tigg We are corrupting you Satoshi - I think we Oly users are quite relaxed about our project!

Kazzi Satoshi, my "With every end there's a new beginning." and "Oh, hello." photos were taken with 25/1.8... just as most of my photos, until I bought 17mm last month.

Kazzi As a user of 25mm 1.8 for over two years and seller in camera store for almost five, I say... don't hesitate, buy 25mm f/1.7 from Panasonic for ~200 USD. Olympus isn't twice as good. It's smaller, it has better micro-contrast, and it's better built. But Image quality from such a cheap lens is really impressive in H-H025 Panasonic lens.
Take a look:
lenstip.com/468.4-Lens_review-...

Satoshi T If I use it in home studio only, I place top priority on Image quality. but I select M 4/3 because lightweight and small when I take city or field. Thank you @Kazzi for your important info. I try to use Lumix 25mm next time. ... In Japan, Olympus prepares many prime lens for testing in the shop, but Panasonic did not -LEICA brand is in glass case and psychological barrier is high :)-.

tigg Thank you Kazziz this is very helpful indeed. I'll keep on reading and thinking!

tigg Another spanner in the works - what about the Sigma range of lenses for m4/3. Just read a review about a new 30mm

Kazzi I have not seen 30/1.4 yet, but I love Sigma Corp and it may be a great lens for that price.

Ian Prince The rumoured Oly 30mm macro might make your choice even harder ;)

tigg Don't think so

Kazzi There is Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 macro, a cheap and quite good lens - but it's different type of lens than 1.8 and brighter primes.