1:40 - don't need to use the menu multiple times - set the AF mode in the menu to SAF+MF once and leave it there - also assign one of your fn or AEL buttons to focus. That way you will have full auto AND full manual focus control simultaneously. Auto focus on demand then instantaneous manual foucs as required without the shutter button overriding the manual setting - best of both worlds.
And not only that, but most recent Olympus cameras also allow you to re-map shortcuts to the function buttons. I recall there being an option to set the shortcut to switch to MF mode.
This was the first lens, that I bought for my OMD after using the kit lens for about a year and I absolutely love it. I think it really helped me improve my photography.
Jeez Jimmy! Stop standing in the middle of the road! I'll still watch you if you're stood on a pavement, man! In fact, I've got more chance continuing to watch you if you stand on the bloody pavement! Oh, and I like the 25mm - I have one.
LOL Andy!! Thanks mate. I thought I needed to do something crazy to get some attention hahaha. Joking. Don't worry, I was pretty safe... almost because I was standing on an island actually but there was still no barrier of any sort.
Already have the 17 mm 1.8 and the 45 mm 1.8 (and the 14 - 150 mm 4.0-5.6 II) and ordered the 25 mm 1.8 yesterday because after shooting some days with the zoom lens @ 25 mm i got the feeling that this will be my „every day“-lens. It just feels „right“… it‘s not as wide as the 17 mm and for indoor shots of my son or even outside on the playing ground and so on you have a better (at least for me) focus on the subject without being „distracted“ by the surroundings in the image… instead you‘ll get a tight view. I am so excited for the lens to arrive 😍
The Olympus 25/1.8 is my most used m43 lens for personal photography, next is the Oly 12/2, then the 45/1.8. Despite the low price and plastic build, the optical quality sharp, bokeh is smooth and pleasant, and focuses quickly and accurately. Environmental portraits are easy and fun with this lens, and on a Panasonic GX85 or similar and the three Olympus primes, I can pretend I have a Leica CL!
Hello Mr Chang, now that a Yongnuo 25mm f1.7 is out, would you be kind enough to find time to review it? Since you did a very thorough review of the YN42.5mm lens, I'm excited at the thought of you reviewing the newer one too. Please??
On a budget at this f/ length, no one can touch the Panasonic 25/1.7 ; and to add insult to injury, the Pany comes with a lens hood included, which will set you back much more than it's worth if you opt for Olympus (there are cheap 3rd party knock offs, though). Basically the IQ is the same, the Oly is a bit sharper center frame but the Pany makes up for it by being more even across. Finally, between f/2 and f/5.6 you'd want to focus the Pany with a closed diaphragm because there is some noticeable focusing shift when the lens is stopped down from wide open, while the Olympus doesn't need this kind of voodoo to be sharp. Oh, and in real life none is really a looker which is fine because you're supposed to take picture with them and not watch them. So in spite of the added focus fiddling I ultimately settled for the Panasonic 25. I much prefer Olympus cameras (I have currently an E-M5 classic and an E-M5 mk II after a number of other models beginning with the E-P1 in 2010), but half of my primes are Panasonic's and they perform very well. My street photography three lens bag is P14/2.5, P25/1.7, and O45/1.8 while my 2 lens setup is O17/1.8 and O45/1.8. For travelling I use a 3 amateur zooms setup : O 9-18, O 12-50 and O 40-150 with the 17/1.8 thrown in for indoor pics. Everything fits nicely in a really tiny bag, but usually if I decide for 2 lens I carry in my pockets.
Good insight on the Panasonic lenses and I do like their 20 1.7 II, 25mm 1.4, 15 1.7 and 42.5. I favour O lenses because I do think if you want to squeeze out every ounce of performance on the lens, as I am an Olympus shooter, native lenses seems to work slightly better in my opinion. in SAF mode, they are about the same in speed, but in CAF, O lenses work better. I vlog with Olympus cameras and CAF performance is key for me. So it's worth that little premium for that. I do like you travel set up!
I had the 20/1.7, I sold it after I tested it head to head with the 25/1.7. The other lenses you mention are certainly brilliant but they are out of my amateur league. I don't use C-AF enough to notice a difference, but I take your word for it ;-) Thanks for the answer, keep on the good work !
I just got into the hobby and this was my first prime for m43. It's quite discrete and enjoyable to use. I'm eyeing the 17mm 1.8 but always come back to this.
Well I have the 17mm and 45mm f1.8 so I guess I would have bought this lens sooner or later. You already know that I have a low opinion of Olympus Pro lenses (the f1.2 high glass lenses would be useless for my photography; I demand hyperfocal realism and microtones and that always means low glass) so you will not be surprised when i tell you that I consider my Premuim lenses the best optics that Olympus makes. The fact that I dont much use 25mm even on my zooms meant I decided to buy the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 for completeness because it was half the price even though it is plug ugly. It was further dented when a reviewer claimed it suffered from focus breathing. So I was going to replace it with the Olympus. Then I thought, I havent seen any focus problems and I am not a photographer I am a damned Physicist; test the flipping thing, dont take his word for it. I tested it to destruction. Oh my goodness, its the sharpest MFT lens I own and it was only £150. Hmmmm I will put up with ugly. From what I know, I doubt the Olympus lens will be much different in image quality so will give a general report on this type of lens. Turns out I use it a lot. If i am going to the park say, 25mm is short enough to take general shots but, if i see ducks or such I can hit the x2 digital zoom and pull them in; even with the crop its sharper and faster than a zoom. If you have a zoom you rarely select 25mm you will sit about 17-20mm and then zoom into the ducks so, you never realise how useful this length really is. Crtiticism? Bokeh. It has too much damn bokeh. I have to be constantly alert with my thumb on the control wheel to increase DoF and to dial it out. I know if i didnt have the Lumix lens I would have bought the Olympus which certainly looks prettier; their premium lenses are stunning; must buy the 75mm f1.8 for nature. Gotta love primes ;-)
I will post an image with the 25mm on your twitter page to show you what I mean. I am sure the image could have been taken with the Olympus 25mm f1.8 but not with a DSLR ;-)
Good review. And you chose the right color. I tried to buy this lens to replace my classic Lumix 20mm f1.7. To mixed results. The best aspect is the definitely faster AF. You can't even do continuous AF with the Lumix. No complaints there with the Zuiko. It's silent too. And not really expensive (although it could be cheaper, compared to nifty fifties on FF DSLRs). One big surprise though is that the lens is much wider than advertized, it is almost as wide as the 20mm, just a tiny fraction narrower. Not a con in my book, but someone else might be disappointed But my biggest disappointment is that the lens is competent and produces good IQ, but is not better than the old Lumix. So it never could replace the Lumix completely for me. For IQ, I choose the Lumix over it while it wins on performance. And although small-ish, it is still bigger than the Lumix and that matters on the small bodies for m43 (I own a GM1).
Let's say we are out walking in an unknown city and photographing 😊 suddenly some rain comes. How safe is it to keep shooting with this lens? 🤔 I tried to Google water tests of it, but it seems like nobody dares to try it 😬
light drizzles, perhaps, I wouldn't use it in heavy rain. I'd tried it a few times but I wouldn't want to risk my own lens to do so. the Pro lenses, however, I'd been using it in all kinds of shit weathers.
This was my first Olympus prime lens back in 2014 and it was a perfect match for my E-M10. I still love it on my E-M1, although I'd love to have the 1.2 PRO :D
I have the 25mm 1.8 and it is a very good Len. It is sharp and performs great. However I really want my 17mm 1.8 back. It was stolen so I decided to buy the 25 thinking I would like it. But I miss the 17mm focal length and the manual clutch. Anyone want to trade :) another lens that is great but I don’t use anymore is my 45m 1.8. Great lens but I bought the 75mm and it is a focal length more suited to me. I bought the 17 and 45 with my EM-5 back in 2013 with my EM-5. The EM-5 and 17mm were stolen at the airport in Saigon 2014. Now I shoot a Pen f.
Hi Terry, thanks for watching mate. I am sorry to hear that your EM5 and 17mm were stolen. I had my EM5 and Billingham (batteries and cards) stolen a couple of Xmas ago. I know that feeling. I guess it depends on your preferences and I do use 17 and 25mm almost all the time and the occasional 45 for half portraits. Pen F? Nice :)
Makta972 there is a noticeable difference for the better in IQ yes but not a big jump. In fact now I wish I had bought the Em-5 mk2 instead simply because I like that form factor better. And the focus is better. The Pen F really struggles with moving subjects and low light. The build quality on the Pen F is so sweet though. It has such a quality feel to it. Very nice little camera. If Oly makes an EM-5 mk 3 I will buy it for sure.
2022: izzit time to challenge OM System to put improvements on the 20mm f1.4 pro, OR, design and offer an improved 25mm f1.4/1.8 that’s solid, physically trim and optically capable compared to the bigger, more expensive f1.2 class of primes? Maybe a near pancake for the new Pen-f II on the drawing boards? 😊
I think for best value for the Amateur, you really have to look at the Panasonic 25mm f1.7. It is dirt cheap, focuses very fast, and is really sharp. Since neither lens has stabilization, I don't think there is any real reason to favor one brand over the other no matter what camera body you use. I have used the Pany on both my GX8 and my OMD EM5 II. Works great on both. One thing I wish you would do on your videos is acknowledge that their are 2 companies out there that are making lenses/bodies for M43. I know you are connected to Olympus, but still. The fact that you barely mention Panasonic actually detracts from your videos, I enjoy them a lot but can't help but think you are unfairly biased.
Hi Jeffrey, I don't think I am totally biased simply because I use my Olympus cameras to do stills and videos, Olympus lenses seem to work a little better in video mode, especially in CAF. Panasonic lenses is great in stills and in SAF but I am looking and rating it from my own experience. They may have similar MTF scores and yet, I am not always looking at specs and online scores and test charts to conclude my review :) Hope you understand. I do agree the greatness of Panasonic lenses and we also use the PanaLeica 25mm 1.4 and 42.5mm Nocticron too! So we aren't totally biased :)
Red35 Photography Glad to hear all of this. You should try to work in what you just said here into your videos. I have an almost even mix between Olympus and Panasonic lenses. I have the Oly 7-14 f2.8, 17 f1.8, 45 f1.8, and the panasonic 25 f1.7, 12-35f2.8, 14-140 f3.5-5.6, and 100-300 ver 1. I also have a few 3rd party lenses: the Robinson 7.5 & 12mm, and the Sigma 30mm f1.4. As for bodies, again I go both ways. I started with the Olympus Pen E-PL1, then the Pen E-PL5, next I got the Pany GX8, and a second hand OM-D EM5II, and recently the Pany G9. As you can see I love both brands. Often times my choice really boils down to price or weight or some small difference between the two brands. I think it is best to point out where one excels over the other or if the choice is just a matter of personal taste.
I almost have enough money to get my first rig! I feel like this lens would be great for starting off because of its decent range of options in use ( I’m thinking I wanna go 12mm prime, 25mm prime, and 45mm prime when I get enough money saved up for extra lenses. ) Now I just gotta figure out if the pen F or omd m10 III is a better fit for me. 😬
Cheers Joshua, yes, 25mm is a good starting lens and learn about your craft. A standard lens is something I always suggest to anyone who is starting with photography. The combination you mentioned is perfect for all kinds of things!
Red35 Photography thanks! I used to take a lot of photos back when I was in high school, (was one of the school newspaper Photographers ) and I wanna get back into the hobby. 😁
This was my first lens, and I’ve done plenty of portraits with it. Great for a starter lens. I always enjoy the bloopers at the end. A diver getting your pro lens, and I’m yoda, lol. Are you going to go to photokina?
Hey James, thanks for watching mate and also enjoying the bloopers!! Hahaa... we had more but had to cut down before making the blooper longer than the main video! Photokina? I am not too sure yet, I have a few things lined up and may not be able to make it this year but will see.
Red35 Photography ok keep the great content coming, enjoying seeing the photos you take during your videos on Facebook. Put my 17mm on today after last weeks video and been playing around all day with it. Till next time.
I trained my eye on the 14-42mm set at 25mm. It was great, for a while. Being an f4 lens it really loses functionality in anything but the perfect lighting, plus the chromatic abberation and poor focus speed made it unsuitable for my needs. Once I got the 25mm prime, I just leave it on the body 😊 I also enjoy the look it lends to filming, too. Thanks for the review, hope this lovely little lens gets into the hands of more people.
The 14-42 doesnt have poor focus speed.... in fact its just as fast as my 45mm 1.8.... as for the CA, all lenses will exhibit some under extreme contrast situations which is easily fixed in post.....for a kit lens its actually very good if you know how to use it.... when your photography skills improve you will grow to appreciate it....
Do you think the 25mm f1.2 PRO is worth the extra money if compared to this lens? The price difference is quite a lot here where I'm from. The f1.8 retails for around $400, while the f1.2 PRO goes for about $1800 brand new. Your thoughts?
Hi Khairil, The short answer is yes for the extra but it really, and I mean really, what you need. I am a pro that needs to squeeze out every ounce of performance as possible so that 1.2 is much needed in low light shooting than the 1.8. My gear makes me money so for me, it’s a big yes. But the 1.8 is super capable and if you don’t need to shoot in extreme or demanding environment, then, the 1.8 is definitely sufficient.
Hi ... bro I m adzman from KL, Malaysia Need your advise if my choice of lenses covers majority of type of shot.. cos i like portrait, landscape, close zoom.. This are the lens that in my chest...😘 My lens.. 45mm 1.8 12-40mm pro 14-42 mm 17mm F2.8 ...thinking of getting zoom(affordable) 14-150mm Or 40-150mm What say you...👍
Hi Jimmy, this may be unrelated to your video but to my testing, E-M10 Mark III has worse IBIS than E-M5 Mark I when taking photos. I tried to shoot handheld and photos from E-M5 are sharp up to shutter shut of 1/4 but E-M10 Mark III can't even handle 1/20. Can you please verify? I think Olympus is using different IBIS system on their entry, mid-range and flagship models. I only have two so I can't test. I hope you can do a short test for us. Looking forward to it. P/S: I am using Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 PRO for both camera.
Hi Dong, thanks for your comment. Yes, Olympus employs different IBIS on different levels of their cameras. EM10 III has the latest 3-axis IBIS while the ME5 II has the last gen 5-axis. Even with though the EM5 II having the last gen tech, 5-axis is still better than 3-axis. The only one that features the latest 5-axis IBIS is EM1 II.
thank you for your reply! I just found out from Olympus website that E-M10 (I,II, III), E-M1 can only compensate 4 stop EV but E-M5 (I,II) can compensate up 5 stops EV while E-M1 II can compensate up to 5.5 stops! Guess my old E-M5 is still very capable regardless of its age. It would be interesting if you can do a video comparing the stabilization in each levels of Olympus camera, both in photos and video. Looking forward to it! Anyway, thanks for reviewing Olympus stuffs (which helped me making my buying decision for lots of my gear! haha) because you are the only guy on RUclips to focus on M43 and Olympus. But I really like the contents. I am looking forward to see more videos in the future!
No prob Gabriela, well, in Olympus cameras, you can access via the Super Control Panel and you will see lots of options there and very likely to see a small box about AF, where you can set SAF, CAF, MF and others. Press ok from the back to access this Control Panel.
Hahaha thanks mate! Standing in the middle of the street has becoming my thing.... well, I want to see if anyone will ‘beep’ me :) Joking, I was standing on an island
I have been eyeing the Olympus 25mm 1.8 for my Em1 mk1, but I currently have the lumix 25mm 1.7. I really love the lumix but would the 1.8 be better than the lumix 1.7?
Well, having native lenses will have the better AF performance for sure. But I think if you have the Lumix 25mm, it will be quite similar but what you do gain is the 'Olympus' colours from their usual magic :)
Full Frame? Woah, that’ll be cool, though I don’t think so. Panasonic lenses are great too and don’t get me wrong. I love some of them but I do prefer the aesthetics and feel (and rendering) of Olympus lenses. Don’t forget though, Olympus has been a camera companies for way longer than Panasonic and they know how to make great glass :)
@@Red35Photography That's certain for panasonic. They will introduce a full frame camera on 25 september ! www.43rumors.com/ft5-panasonic-will-announce-its-first-full-frame-system-camera-on-september-25/
Hi Muhammad, thanks for watching. I chose to use the Olympus because it's a native to my cameras, just better AF speed. When I do use the occaionsal CAF, native lenses are better at that.
Hi Jimmy Another great review, I wanted to ask will you be reviewing the following 2 lenses as they are on my to buy list 1st - 75mm f/1.8 2nd - 300mm f/4 (I know this lens doesn't fit your shooting style but it does look a fantastic lens) P.S. The outtakes are great.
I can't wait to find out if you think it's worth spending £2000.00 on over the Sigma 150-600mm for my D750 But I'd rather have the Olympus over the Sigma just because of the size, I need to do a test and wow for Olympus.
Well, that depends on what you do. you will definitely use 25mm more than 45mm because of the focal length for sure. 45mm is a medium tele and great for close up and tight portraits, and perhaps some detail landscape. 25mm is more versatile.
Your silver lens looks ok when it is attached to the black camera body. I have a silver Olympus 45mm F1.8 & black Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk I, and both of them look ugly when they are attached together (based on my taste) 😅
You insist that lenses compress perspective which is false. You position relative to the subject and background is what defines perspective. Lense simply frame tighter or wider. You could shoot something with tele lens and then with wide angle lens and crop to match the fov. If you dont move between shots, perspective will remain the same.
Sure, I am a working pro and I always carry a bigger bag for my shoot before or after filming RUclips and I carry more than stuff I am reviewing like mics, extra batteries, power banks, memory cards, I also sometimes carry my 15" MacBook Pro for edit too and hence big bags. You will notice some videos that I do carry much smaller bags when I don't have to carry more than just for RUclips videos. I vlog too so I sometimes have my OSMO with me and you won't believe how much I actually carry, follow me on my Facebook and you will see whenever I do a live video there :)
I detest the expression; " the best lens for amateurs." So if you are a professional, using Olympus or Panasonic, that lens is no good, can't be used for me a professional. Total rubbish!
I don't own the Olympus, so I can only compare it to the Oly 45 f1.8 which looks a lot like the 25 f1.8. The panasonic 25 seems to me to be about as well constructed as the olympus 45. It isn't like the Oly 17mm f1.8 which just knocks it out of the park with the way it is constructed, and with that lovely focus clutch.
Please stop saying BOKA its Boke...BO-K...a Japanese word meaning blur... you use it so often and yur a pro so you should start pronouncing it correctly lol and you are Asian! WTF....videos are breat BTW one of my 3 Olympus go to guys!
1:40 - don't need to use the menu multiple times - set the AF mode in the menu to SAF+MF once and leave it there - also assign one of your fn or AEL buttons to focus. That way you will have full auto AND full manual focus control simultaneously. Auto focus on demand then instantaneous manual foucs as required without the shutter button overriding the manual setting - best of both worlds.
And not only that, but most recent Olympus cameras also allow you to re-map shortcuts to the function buttons. I recall there being an option to set the shortcut to switch to MF mode.
This was the first lens, that I bought for my OMD after using the kit lens for about a year and I absolutely love it. I think it really helped me improve my photography.
Thanks for watching mate! Yes, learn with a 25mm (50mm) is a great way to improve your photography
Jeez Jimmy! Stop standing in the middle of the road! I'll still watch you if you're stood on a pavement, man! In fact, I've got more chance continuing to watch you if you stand on the bloody pavement! Oh, and I like the 25mm - I have one.
LOL Andy!! Thanks mate. I thought I needed to do something crazy to get some attention hahaha. Joking. Don't worry, I was pretty safe... almost because I was standing on an island actually but there was still no barrier of any sort.
my favourite micro four thirds lens that I own. you can get gorgeous images with it. lovely little lens.
Yes indeed you can! thanks Steven!
Already have the 17 mm 1.8 and the 45 mm 1.8 (and the 14 - 150 mm 4.0-5.6 II) and ordered the 25 mm 1.8 yesterday because after shooting some days with the zoom lens @ 25 mm i got the feeling that this will be my „every day“-lens. It just feels „right“… it‘s not as wide as the 17 mm and for indoor shots of my son or even outside on the playing ground and so on you have a better (at least for me) focus on the subject without being „distracted“ by the surroundings in the image… instead you‘ll get a tight view. I am so excited for the lens to arrive 😍
Why were you standing in the middle of the road during the video?
I really love the colors of your photography! So impressive and I ordered this lens immediately 😂
Hahahaha thanks mate
The Olympus 25/1.8 is my most used m43 lens for personal photography, next is the Oly 12/2, then the 45/1.8. Despite the low price and plastic build, the optical quality sharp, bokeh is smooth and pleasant, and focuses quickly and accurately. Environmental portraits are easy and fun with this lens, and on a Panasonic GX85 or similar and the three Olympus primes, I can pretend I have a Leica CL!
raksh9 Thanks mate! You got the points I was making and this is a brilliant lens indeed!
Excellent video 😮!
Hello Mr Chang, now that a Yongnuo 25mm f1.7 is out, would you be kind enough to find time to review it? Since you did a very thorough review of the YN42.5mm lens, I'm excited at the thought of you reviewing the newer one too. Please??
Thanks Jim. Pretty brave standing in traffic 1:12 on London Bridge to do an video for us. Glad you made it!
Yes! joking, I was standing on an island but awefully close to the traffic, I know hahha
Great video, thanks for sharing.
I have to buy this, thank you for sharing.
On a budget at this f/ length, no one can touch the Panasonic 25/1.7 ; and to add insult to injury, the Pany comes with a lens hood included, which will set you back much more than it's worth if you opt for Olympus (there are cheap 3rd party knock offs, though). Basically the IQ is the same, the Oly is a bit sharper center frame but the Pany makes up for it by being more even across. Finally, between f/2 and f/5.6 you'd want to focus the Pany with a closed diaphragm because there is some noticeable focusing shift when the lens is stopped down from wide open, while the Olympus doesn't need this kind of voodoo to be sharp. Oh, and in real life none is really a looker which is fine because you're supposed to take picture with them and not watch them. So in spite of the added focus fiddling I ultimately settled for the Panasonic 25.
I much prefer Olympus cameras (I have currently an E-M5 classic and an E-M5 mk II after a number of other models beginning with the E-P1 in 2010), but half of my primes are Panasonic's and they perform very well. My street photography three lens bag is P14/2.5, P25/1.7, and O45/1.8 while my 2 lens setup is O17/1.8 and O45/1.8. For travelling I use a 3 amateur zooms setup : O 9-18, O 12-50 and O 40-150 with the 17/1.8 thrown in for indoor pics. Everything fits nicely in a really tiny bag, but usually if I decide for 2 lens I carry in my pockets.
Good insight on the Panasonic lenses and I do like their 20 1.7 II, 25mm 1.4, 15 1.7 and 42.5. I favour O lenses because I do think if you want to squeeze out every ounce of performance on the lens, as I am an Olympus shooter, native lenses seems to work slightly better in my opinion. in SAF mode, they are about the same in speed, but in CAF, O lenses work better. I vlog with Olympus cameras and CAF performance is key for me. So it's worth that little premium for that. I do like you travel set up!
I had the 20/1.7, I sold it after I tested it head to head with the 25/1.7. The other lenses you mention are certainly brilliant but they are out of my amateur league. I don't use C-AF enough to notice a difference, but I take your word for it ;-)
Thanks for the answer, keep on the good work !
Have this on my E-P5 with a VF-4, simply great.
Not sure why I took so long to get it.
Oh l like the VF-4, really nice to shoot vertical right :)
I just got into the hobby and this was my first prime for m43. It's quite discrete and enjoyable to use. I'm eyeing the 17mm 1.8 but always come back to this.
Oh, that lovely 17mm!! I like that too :)
I have both, but I use the 17mm a lot more.
Well I have the 17mm and 45mm f1.8 so I guess I would have bought this lens sooner or later. You already know that I have a low opinion of Olympus Pro lenses (the f1.2 high glass lenses would be useless for my photography; I demand hyperfocal realism and microtones and that always means low glass) so you will not be surprised when i tell you that I consider my Premuim lenses the best optics that Olympus makes. The fact that I dont much use 25mm even on my zooms meant I decided to buy the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 for completeness because it was half the price even though it is plug ugly. It was further dented when a reviewer claimed it suffered from focus breathing. So I was going to replace it with the Olympus. Then I thought, I havent seen any focus problems and I am not a photographer I am a damned Physicist; test the flipping thing, dont take his word for it. I tested it to destruction. Oh my goodness, its the sharpest MFT lens I own and it was only £150. Hmmmm I will put up with ugly. From what I know, I doubt the Olympus lens will be much different in image quality so will give a general report on this type of lens. Turns out I use it a lot. If i am going to the park say, 25mm is short enough to take general shots but, if i see ducks or such I can hit the x2 digital zoom and pull them in; even with the crop its sharper and faster than a zoom. If you have a zoom you rarely select 25mm you will sit about 17-20mm and then zoom into the ducks so, you never realise how useful this length really is. Crtiticism? Bokeh. It has too much damn bokeh. I have to be constantly alert with my thumb on the control wheel to increase DoF and to dial it out. I know if i didnt have the Lumix lens I would have bought the Olympus which certainly looks prettier; their premium lenses are stunning; must buy the 75mm f1.8 for nature. Gotta love primes ;-)
I will post an image with the 25mm on your twitter page to show you what I mean. I am sure the image could have been taken with the Olympus 25mm f1.8 but not with a DSLR ;-)
Loving my 25mm f1.8
Good review. And you chose the right color.
I tried to buy this lens to replace my classic Lumix 20mm f1.7. To mixed results.
The best aspect is the definitely faster AF. You can't even do continuous AF with the Lumix. No complaints there with the Zuiko. It's silent too. And not really expensive (although it could be cheaper, compared to nifty fifties on FF DSLRs).
One big surprise though is that the lens is much wider than advertized, it is almost as wide as the 20mm, just a tiny fraction narrower. Not a con in my book, but someone else might be disappointed
But my biggest disappointment is that the lens is competent and produces good IQ, but is not better than the old Lumix. So it never could replace the Lumix completely for me. For IQ, I choose the Lumix over it while it wins on performance. And although small-ish, it is still bigger than the Lumix and that matters on the small bodies for m43 (I own a GM1).
Have you ever used the Panasonic 25mm 1.7? You can frequently find it brand new for less than half the price of this lens brand new
Let's say we are out walking in an unknown city and photographing 😊 suddenly some rain comes. How safe is it to keep shooting with this lens? 🤔 I tried to Google water tests of it, but it seems like nobody dares to try it 😬
light drizzles, perhaps, I wouldn't use it in heavy rain. I'd tried it a few times but I wouldn't want to risk my own lens to do so. the Pro lenses, however, I'd been using it in all kinds of shit weathers.
@@Red35Photography yeah, I only got 1 pro and 1 semi pro 😊 12-40mm pro and 60mm "pro" 😊 I like it best when I don't need to care about the weather 😅
Another informative, easy to watch video ... many thanks!
Thanks John!! Hope your are well and have a nice day!
Good review,but a little tips,try out the super ceap sigma 60mm 2.8 Art lens,you will get shocked ;)
Why are you standing in the middle of the road?
I'm here 100% for the denim
Looks like a great lens with a 1.7 be great fun blurring the backgrounds and night work thanks for the great work stay safe see yac
Thanks Bene!!! Much appreciated mate.
This was my first Olympus prime lens back in 2014 and it was a perfect match for my E-M10. I still love it on my E-M1, although I'd love to have the 1.2 PRO :D
The Pro..... the holly grail! Haha... I love my pro lens, but the size of this lens is very tempting when I am travelling.
what interesting insights. there are so many great lenses outthere
thanks for sharing really enjoyed watching this
Cheers mate!!! Have a lovely day!
I have the 25mm 1.8 and it is a very good Len. It is sharp and performs great. However I really want my 17mm 1.8 back. It was stolen so I decided to buy the 25 thinking I would like it. But I miss the 17mm focal length and the manual clutch. Anyone want to trade :) another lens that is great but I don’t use anymore is my 45m 1.8. Great lens but I bought the 75mm and it is a focal length more suited to me. I bought the 17 and 45 with my EM-5 back in 2013 with my EM-5. The EM-5 and 17mm were stolen at the airport in Saigon 2014. Now I shoot a Pen f.
Hi Terry, thanks for watching mate. I am sorry to hear that your EM5 and 17mm were stolen. I had my EM5 and Billingham (batteries and cards) stolen a couple of Xmas ago. I know that feeling. I guess it depends on your preferences and I do use 17 and 25mm almost all the time and the occasional 45 for half portraits. Pen F? Nice :)
Hey how do you like the pen-f compare to the em5 mk1 image quality wise ? Did you notice a big jump in quality ?
Makta972 there is a noticeable difference for the better in IQ yes but not a big jump. In fact now I wish I had bought the Em-5 mk2 instead simply because I like that form factor better. And the focus is better. The Pen F really struggles with moving subjects and low light. The build quality on the Pen F is so sweet though. It has such a quality feel to it. Very nice little camera. If Oly makes an EM-5 mk 3 I will buy it for sure.
@@terrywbreedlove thank you
really like your presets, can you make a tutorial on how to get that look on lightroom?
Hi. I really enjoyed the colors of your photos. You did some processing in Lightroom or is this a Olympus' color mode?
2022: izzit time to challenge OM System to put improvements on the 20mm f1.4 pro, OR, design and offer an improved 25mm f1.4/1.8 that’s solid, physically trim and optically capable compared to the bigger, more expensive f1.2 class of primes? Maybe a near pancake for the new Pen-f II on the drawing boards? 😊
I think for best value for the Amateur, you really have to look at the Panasonic 25mm f1.7. It is dirt cheap, focuses very fast, and is really sharp. Since neither lens has stabilization, I don't think there is any real reason to favor one brand over the other no matter what camera body you use. I have used the Pany on both my GX8 and my OMD EM5 II. Works great on both. One thing I wish you would do on your videos is acknowledge that their are 2 companies out there that are making lenses/bodies for M43. I know you are connected to Olympus, but still. The fact that you barely mention Panasonic actually detracts from your videos, I enjoy them a lot but can't help but think you are unfairly biased.
Hi Jeffrey, I don't think I am totally biased simply because I use my Olympus cameras to do stills and videos, Olympus lenses seem to work a little better in video mode, especially in CAF. Panasonic lenses is great in stills and in SAF but I am looking and rating it from my own experience. They may have similar MTF scores and yet, I am not always looking at specs and online scores and test charts to conclude my review :) Hope you understand. I do agree the greatness of Panasonic lenses and we also use the PanaLeica 25mm 1.4 and 42.5mm Nocticron too! So we aren't totally biased :)
Red35 Photography Glad to hear all of this. You should try to work in what you just said here into your videos. I have an almost even mix between Olympus and Panasonic lenses. I have the Oly 7-14 f2.8, 17 f1.8, 45 f1.8, and the panasonic 25 f1.7, 12-35f2.8, 14-140 f3.5-5.6, and 100-300 ver 1. I also have a few 3rd party lenses: the Robinson 7.5 & 12mm, and the Sigma 30mm f1.4. As for bodies, again I go both ways. I started with the Olympus Pen E-PL1, then the Pen E-PL5, next I got the Pany GX8, and a second hand OM-D EM5II, and recently the Pany G9. As you can see I love both brands. Often times my choice really boils down to price or weight or some small difference between the two brands. I think it is best to point out where one excels over the other or if the choice is just a matter of personal taste.
U like what u like. Not mentioning other brands does not distract from your vids. Keep up the good work.
I almost have enough money to get my first rig! I feel like this lens would be great for starting off because of its decent range of options in use ( I’m thinking I wanna go 12mm prime, 25mm prime, and 45mm prime when I get enough money saved up for extra lenses. )
Now I just gotta figure out if the pen F or omd m10 III is a better fit for me. 😬
Cheers Joshua, yes, 25mm is a good starting lens and learn about your craft. A standard lens is something I always suggest to anyone who is starting with photography. The combination you mentioned is perfect for all kinds of things!
Red35 Photography thanks! I used to take a lot of photos back when I was in high school, (was one of the school newspaper Photographers ) and I wanna get back into the hobby. 😁
This was my first lens, and I’ve done plenty of portraits with it. Great for a starter lens. I always enjoy the bloopers at the end. A diver getting your pro lens, and I’m yoda, lol. Are you going to go to photokina?
Hey James, thanks for watching mate and also enjoying the bloopers!! Hahaa... we had more but had to cut down before making the blooper longer than the main video! Photokina? I am not too sure yet, I have a few things lined up and may not be able to make it this year but will see.
Red35 Photography ok keep the great content coming, enjoying seeing the photos you take during your videos on Facebook. Put my 17mm on today after last weeks video and been playing around all day with it. Till next time.
Hi, can you share the difference this lens and Lumix Leica 25mm 1.4?
I trained my eye on the 14-42mm set at 25mm. It was great, for a while. Being an f4 lens it really loses functionality in anything but the perfect lighting, plus the chromatic abberation and poor focus speed made it unsuitable for my needs. Once I got the 25mm prime, I just leave it on the body 😊
I also enjoy the look it lends to filming, too. Thanks for the review, hope this lovely little lens gets into the hands of more people.
The 14-42 doesnt have poor focus speed.... in fact its just as fast as my 45mm 1.8.... as for the CA, all lenses will exhibit some under extreme contrast situations which is easily fixed in post.....for a kit lens its actually very good if you know how to use it.... when your photography skills improve you will grow to appreciate it....
I use the original 28-50-&135 zooms? Look OK?
Do you think the 25mm f1.2 PRO is worth the extra money if compared to this lens? The price difference is quite a lot here where I'm from. The f1.8 retails for around $400, while the f1.2 PRO goes for about $1800 brand new. Your thoughts?
Hi Khairil, The short answer is yes for the extra but it really, and I mean really, what you need. I am a pro that needs to squeeze out every ounce of performance as possible so that 1.2 is much needed in low light shooting than the 1.8. My gear makes me money so for me, it’s a big yes. But the 1.8 is super capable and if you don’t need to shoot in extreme or demanding environment, then, the 1.8 is definitely sufficient.
Hi ... bro
I m adzman from KL, Malaysia
Need your advise if my choice of lenses covers majority of type of shot.. cos i like portrait, landscape, close zoom..
This are the lens that in my chest...😘
My lens..
45mm 1.8
12-40mm pro
14-42 mm
17mm F2.8
...thinking of getting zoom(affordable)
14-150mm
Or
40-150mm
What say you...👍
Hi Jimmy, this may be unrelated to your video but to my testing, E-M10 Mark III has worse IBIS than E-M5 Mark I when taking photos. I tried to shoot handheld and photos from E-M5 are sharp up to shutter shut of 1/4 but E-M10 Mark III can't even handle 1/20. Can you please verify? I think Olympus is using different IBIS system on their entry, mid-range and flagship models. I only have two so I can't test. I hope you can do a short test for us. Looking forward to it.
P/S: I am using Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 PRO for both camera.
Hi Dong, thanks for your comment. Yes, Olympus employs different IBIS on different levels of their cameras. EM10 III has the latest 3-axis IBIS while the ME5 II has the last gen 5-axis. Even with though the EM5 II having the last gen tech, 5-axis is still better than 3-axis. The only one that features the latest 5-axis IBIS is EM1 II.
thank you for your reply! I just found out from Olympus website that E-M10 (I,II, III), E-M1 can only compensate 4 stop EV but E-M5 (I,II) can compensate up 5 stops EV while E-M1 II can compensate up to 5.5 stops! Guess my old E-M5 is still very capable regardless of its age.
It would be interesting if you can do a video comparing the stabilization in each levels of Olympus camera, both in photos and video. Looking forward to it!
Anyway, thanks for reviewing Olympus stuffs (which helped me making my buying decision for lots of my gear! haha) because you are the only guy on RUclips to focus on M43 and Olympus. But I really like the contents. I am looking forward to see more videos in the future!
Dong Cap cheers mate!! Much appreciated your support!
Hello, can you please tell me if it s good also for portrait??
They is no view finder on that camera why were you putting your face to the camera?
This is very funny 😅
Hi Jimmy, mind to share the setting of taking those pictures around 6:58 - 7:42? it's the taste I like for city snap, thanks.
Cheers mate. I will try to do some workflow next year and stay tuned for those!
I´m a newbie so I have a question: Some cameras have a Manual Focus button, to focus the lenses manually. Where does the Olympus have it? Thank you.
No prob Gabriela, well, in Olympus cameras, you can access via the Super Control Panel and you will see lots of options there and very likely to see a small box about AF, where you can set SAF, CAF, MF and others. Press ok from the back to access this Control Panel.
@@Red35Photography
Ah, ok. Thank you.
Thanks Jimmy for wonderful video as always. Btw why recording at the middle of the street? Haha
Hahaha thanks mate! Standing in the middle of the street has becoming my thing.... well, I want to see if anyone will ‘beep’ me :) Joking, I was standing on an island
Great video and great lens!
Cheers Gianluca!!
I have been eyeing the Olympus 25mm 1.8 for my Em1 mk1, but I currently have the lumix 25mm 1.7. I really love the lumix but would the 1.8 be better than the lumix 1.7?
Big reason I'm eyeing it is because the 17 1.8 Olympus is my main lens and my favorite focal legnth is the 25mm. (50mm equiv)
Well, having native lenses will have the better AF performance for sure. But I think if you have the Lumix 25mm, it will be quite similar but what you do gain is the 'Olympus' colours from their usual magic :)
Hi man, what do you think about Panasonic and I'm pretty sure Olympus going full frame ? Looks like 4/3 all over again..
Full Frame? Woah, that’ll be cool, though I don’t think so. Panasonic lenses are great too and don’t get me wrong. I love some of them but I do prefer the aesthetics and feel (and rendering) of Olympus lenses. Don’t forget though, Olympus has been a camera companies for way longer than Panasonic and they know how to make great glass :)
@@Red35Photography That's certain for panasonic. They will introduce a full frame camera on 25 september ! www.43rumors.com/ft5-panasonic-will-announce-its-first-full-frame-system-camera-on-september-25/
Makta972 I heard about Panasonic but with Olympus, they are probably still thinking but as far as I know, they are focusing on M43 for now.
The build quality of this lens is better than the Panasonic 25mm 1.7
The Panasonic also feels quite fine. And it's cheaper on the used market (at least in germany).
They are propably very similar.
Why would you pick up this lens instead of Panasonic 25mm f1.7?
Hi Muhammad, thanks for watching. I chose to use the Olympus because it's a native to my cameras, just better AF speed. When I do use the occaionsal CAF, native lenses are better at that.
Which Pen model are you holding?
PEN-F :)
There is so much more unique qualities in the old OM and Pen F lenses. And they are just as sharp..if not sharper.
Hi Jimmy
Another great review, I wanted to ask will you be reviewing the following 2 lenses as they are on my to buy list
1st - 75mm f/1.8
2nd - 300mm f/4 (I know this lens doesn't fit your shooting style but it does look a fantastic lens)
P.S. The outtakes are great.
EDIT : Sorry I remember you did the 75mm about 4-5 months ago
I do have the 300mm f/4 with me hahahah.... so stay tuned!
I can't wait to find out if you think it's worth spending £2000.00 on over the Sigma 150-600mm for my D750
But I'd rather have the Olympus over the Sigma just because of the size, I need to do a test and wow for Olympus.
Which more value for money this or the 45/1.8?
Well, that depends on what you do. you will definitely use 25mm more than 45mm because of the focal length for sure. 45mm is a medium tele and great for close up and tight portraits, and perhaps some detail landscape. 25mm is more versatile.
what camera are you using in the pictures?
Joell Matute We made all our videos with Olympus EM-1 II, shot in 4K 30P
Your silver lens looks ok when it is attached to the black camera body. I have a silver Olympus 45mm F1.8 & black Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk I, and both of them look ugly when they are attached together (based on my taste) 😅
i'd prefer a lumix 25 f1.7
Right in the middle of the road lol
🤗
You insist that lenses compress perspective which is false. You position relative to the subject and background is what defines perspective. Lense simply frame tighter or wider. You could shoot something with tele lens and then with wide angle lens and crop to match the fov. If you dont move between shots, perspective will remain the same.
Sent you a FB friend request...
1:13 this gives me anxiety.
Small camera, huge camera bag. May I be bold enough to ask why?
Sure, I am a working pro and I always carry a bigger bag for my shoot before or after filming RUclips and I carry more than stuff I am reviewing like mics, extra batteries, power banks, memory cards, I also sometimes carry my 15" MacBook Pro for edit too and hence big bags. You will notice some videos that I do carry much smaller bags when I don't have to carry more than just for RUclips videos. I vlog too so I sometimes have my OSMO with me and you won't believe how much I actually carry, follow me on my Facebook and you will see whenever I do a live video there :)
I detest the expression; " the best lens for amateurs." So if you are a professional, using Olympus or Panasonic, that lens is no good, can't be used for me a professional. Total rubbish!
Panasonic is way cheaper....
John Spirou yeah, Panasonic is definitely way more cheaply constructed....
@@mavfan1 well. I only own the Panasonic, and it feels light, but trustworthy and the focus ring is smooth etc. I like it.
I don't own the Olympus, so I can only compare it to the Oly 45 f1.8 which looks a lot like the 25 f1.8. The panasonic 25 seems to me to be about as well constructed as the olympus 45. It isn't like the Oly 17mm f1.8 which just knocks it out of the park with the way it is constructed, and with that lovely focus clutch.
Please stop saying BOKA its Boke...BO-K...a Japanese word meaning blur... you use it so often and yur a pro so you should start pronouncing it correctly lol and you are Asian! WTF....videos are breat BTW one of my 3 Olympus go to guys!
25s intro is way too long! Rest top
uuuh "its how most humans see things in terms of compression" ??? Not it isnt. Our depth perception is 70 mm.