A 50 mm kit lens in the old days was perfect. You just took pictures with your eye and at the right moment, you brought up your camera and took the photo. Now you're tempted to look through the camera and fiddle with the zoom, completely oblivious what's happening around you.
The fact that the 25 1.8 is such a popular lens just shows how spot on the designers of the various 50 mm Gaussian lens were. That focal length has stood the test of time, the Leica M Summicron f2 being perhaps the finest example.
I own both of these wonderful lenses. I keep the f1.8 in my Pen F kit, which is used for family and social outings. The f1.2 goes with my E-M1 MkIII kit, which is used when photography is the main reason for the outing. So size and balance is an important thing for me. The f1.2 is a special lens when it comes to image rendering.
I've got these two too. I like them both. But for action motivs the 17mm autofocus is too slow. So I'm I thinking about buying the 25mm 1.2 (I don't own the 25mm 1.8). Do you think that could be an approvement?
I have the Pro trinity for my EM-1 Mark III, but just bought the Zuiko 25mm f1.8 as a great addition at no cost when I bought an EM-10 Mark III for a walk around street body. Have had the lens two days and love it. Fast focus, crisp and clear images, really compact and light compared to my Pro lenses. This was a great decision for a walk around everyday set-up. Thanks Olympus.
It is good to have a choice premium and pro of lenses within the same focal length, I selected the 25mm f1.8 to go with my EM5 II on bicycle rides and walks where size and weight are important. The 45mm f1.2 is my favourite lens in terms of build and image quality, but the 25mm f1.8 is the most useful.
I do not own any of the 2, but i tried both. The reality is that the difference between them is not 1 stop, but 2. If you want the smaller lens to be sharp across the whole frame, you need to shoot it at 2.8. The bigger one is sharp at 1.4. I didn't buy the smaller one, because decided it's not sharp enough wide open and didn't buy the bigger one, because didn't have the money :)
I have the 50mm F1.8 and can get really sharp images from it. I think like you every photographer should have a standard lens in their kit bag. However, there's one feature I think every lens should have is the focus distance with the f-numbers marked on the barrel. It's a much quicker way of working out the depth of field than to work out which button to press or find the right page in the manual.
Thanks for the video, Peter. I have the F1.2 Pro, which I use with my E-M1 ii. For situations requiring something smaller, I go with the F17mm F1.8 on my PEN-F.
I find the f/1.8 version excellent (though overpriced - used market solves that). Close focusing is actually around 22~23 cm, real bonus compared to traditional SLR 50/1.8 with some 45 cm minimum. Compared to Panasonic 25/1.7 the Olympus is a touch wider and optically superior - I find the results extraordinary even wide open. I wouldn't consider the f/1.2 as it goes against the spirit of m43 - small and affordable.
Thanks for the review. To me the only reason for using M43 system is the small size, so I never consider big and heavy lens, specially a 400g prime. My daily and travel lens is the amazing 17mm f1.8, small, light, great IQ and has the clutch and I use it a lot. Only big lens is a travel all purpose zoom 14-150 ii, has weather weather sealing.
I was recommended the 25 mm 1.8 which I managed to buy new at a v good price. It is a lovely lens , it takes a lovely photo and is so light. Great for travel.
My "standard lens" is the 17mm 1.8. An ideal compromise for me, not too wide and not to close mostly in street/landscape & architecture photography. A very good, sharp and small in size and a not heavy well built lens on my Pen-F.
I have the Panasonic / leica 25mm 1.4 which I bought second hand near mint was using the g80 at the time now also use the omd1 mk3. Love the lens not weather sealed like the new version but don't mind and will do for me
I like your honest reviews and opinions. No hyperbole, no hysteria, just facts and beautiful imagery. That last low-light shot you showed (made with the 1.8) was spectacular. You're correct of course that it's a matter of horses for courses - that 1.8 is a very capable lens, period. The pro version is for very critical professional use (and/or pixel peepers). I love my nifty fifties and nifty eighties for medium format.
Hard to choose between 25mm f1.8 and 12-45mm f4 pro to use as a daily lens with omd em5-3. I compared both lenses in the same setup at 25mm f4 in a low light scenario and the pro one gave me a nicer picture. Even shutter was nearly twice faster than that of the prime for the same iso. I still like the prime for the good job and compactness.
The Pro does look great but I went M43 to be able to have small gear that lets me take good quality images wherever I am without it being a nuisance to carry. The price difference, too makes it a no brainer for me.
I like to use my f/1.2 for portraits. The shallow depth and the bokeh are very useful for it. Also as a walk around lens I find the extra speed a big plus, because I always seem to end up in low light situations. Museums, churches and other historical buildings. In the past I had the Panasonic Leica f/1.4, also very good but not so wide open. And that's why you choose such a lens over the slower options in the first place. If small is important go for the Panasonic 20mm. The 30mm macro is great as well as walk around lens if there is enough light.
I have 3 standard lenses for my Em1 and I am thrilled with the performance. All are Sigma. 16mm f1.4, 30mm f1.4 and 60mm f2.8 and are incredible. Much sharper than the 12-40mm f2.8 from Olympus, though this zoom is an incredibly sharp lens. The next one that I will buy is 56mm f1.4 . One day that I'll have the money I'll go for the 1.2 triad from Olympus. Thank you Peter for your great videos!
Hi Peter. I have both of these lenses. I keep the 25mm 1.8 and the 17mm 1.8 handy for street photography and travel but really like the 25mm 1.2 Pro as well. I had been thinking of selling the 1.8 when I bought the 1.2 but can't bring myself to part with it. They're both great lenses.
Thanks Peter for review. AF speed is indeed really different. PRO lens has almost instant AF, it's easily seen on video with C-AF. With PRO lens you won't see any moments of defocused moving subject, especially on E-M1-III body. With 1.8 you will see moments when the moving subject is slightly out of focus.
In the streets I prefer the 17mm 1.8 - the only non-pro lens with focus clutch. But also the 45 1.8 does a good job in the streets. For nowadays rare indoor events I prefer the 25 mm 1.8 to be closer but not to close on people. But having got an old Canon FD 50mm 1.4 this is now my favorite lens.
Peter, I am sure that the Pro line is value for money for true pro shooters. I have several standard primines, including the 25 mm non-Pro and think it will be some time, if ever before the standard lens is less than adequate for me. That said,, I do have the 12-40 2.8 Pro and am very happy with it. Prefer the focal length and speed compared to the newish similar focal length zoom.
Hi Peter I have the 12, 25 and 45 f 1.8 primes I would love to have the pro versions but just can’t justify the cost for the amount of times they would make a difference over what I already have. Nice video thanks
Thanks for this interesting lens comparison. My standard lens is the 12-40 mm pro workhorse. I bought it 2nd hand and it is my favourite lens together with the 60 mm macro lens. My advice if you want to buy a lens: always try to find a good 2nd hand lens at a reasonable price...
My standard lense if the Oly 25mm F1.2 and I love it for all the reasons you mentioned Peter! Very descent results when it's wide open, it gives a "3D look and feel" to my images.
Good combo - Oly 14-150mm f/4-5.6 zoom for outdoor images, and Oly 25mm f/1.8 for indoors. Outdoor lens is weather-sealed, indoor lens is not. Both fit in jacket pocket when not in use. 🙂
I have the Panasonic 25mm f1.7, it is a little bigger than the Oly 1.8 but it was cheaper. The quality is so great. One thing both Panasonic 25mm f1.7 and Oly 25mm f1.8 lenses lack, is the mf clutch. I wish Oly had added it to their 25mm lens because that would've been a unique selling point. I recently bought the Oly 17mm F1.8, the mf clutch is nice! The pro lenses don't interest me because they are huge and expensive. Thanks for the video, it's always good to see a new video from you!
Good Report, but weathersealing is also possible with the small Panasonic 25 mm 1.4 II for example. The PRO 25 mm 1.2, also the 17 + 45 mm are not for internal focus Stacking, why? Firmware? Says the husband of Gabriele
Focus stacking is only available with certain lenses and bodies. Here is a list of those lenses: cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/qa/products/em1m2/#08
I have the 25mm f 1.8 lens which is on my 5 Mk 3. Very light and good for many situations and the combination lets me carry it all day. Image quality is not as good as the 25mm f 1.2, but its still good for most subjects.
Personally I think fast “normal” prime either 35mm or 50mm , in m43 17 or 25mm, must have lens for every photographer, of course if budget allows. In general these focal length are very versatile and suitable for range of situations. My personal preference is 17/1.2 but at the same time I had opportunity to acquire a Panasonic Leica 25/1.4 second generation which is weather sealed. I would say PanaLeica is very different from Olympus glass. It is not about better or worse, it is about been different. Rendering, handling, character - I do love it. It is nice to take snap a lightweight fast prime and want for nice stroll in the city. Looking for situational, some time magic photos. And, AF - speed of AF on Olympus PRO is brilliant. Peter, thanks a lot for video.
I really think Panasonic has this key lens addressed much better. The f/1.7 version can be had for £150 while the Olympus f/1.8 is £270. Then you have the new weather-sealed Panasonic Leica f/1.4, weighing and costing less than half of the Olympus Pro f/1.2. - Yes, it doesn’t have the focus clutch or the L-Fn button bit really sits in the sweet spot. Pro quality, weather sealed, compact and a lot more affordable. - This is the only Panasonic lens on my wish list as I would otherwise always go for the Olympus version. The nifty fifty has to be compact unless you’re using it for studio work or wedding photography.
I own a 25 mm f/1.8 lens and I use this lens often with OM-D E-M1 mk III. I'm happy with this combination. I doubt the advantage of the larger and more expensive 25 mm f/1.2 in day to day use. I agree with Ruud Dirks. That's why I use less frequently a zoom lens. A zoom lens tends to make you lazy and I want to avoid that. Nevertheless I'm also happy with my M.Zuiko 12-40 mm f/2.8 :-).
I really like the practical, no nonsense approach taken by Mr. Forsgard. Very refreshing after seeing so many channels push pro level gear at amateurs (like me) for whom the pro gear is "overkill". For outdoor travel I mostly use my 14-150 zoom because it is weatherproof and versatile and has decent image quality. For casual outdoor occasions and walkaround I use the 14-42 pancake kit lens. For inside low light shots and as a carry around lens for when I want to shoot prime for fun, I have the 17 mm f1.8 (my favourite focal length). They are all great lenses for me. I will be getting the 25mm f1.8 shortly. I would really find the 12mm f2.0 prime useful as well (especially in museums, galleries and such) but its a bit pricey for me relative to the other 2 primes. 12mm, 17mm and 25mmm Zuiko lenses would be a great lightweight carry around kit for museum, art gallery and castle/palace hopping !
Living in Bermuda with a high humidity and a lot of moisture everywhere around Im happy with my 25mm 1.2 . the weather sealing is very important in remote locations. Great video and awesome content as always Peter!!!
I started this year off with the 17mm F1.2 pro. The Idea was to go thru an entire year with just it. LOL. It's great for video. Been loving it for low light as well. But Alas I've gotten jobs now so I will most likely look into the 25mm F1.2 to complement the kit as I have the original 50mm F2 Zuiko ( which is excellent as well .) Great lesson as always. Thanks Peter.
If looking a sharp lens, stabilized ( on Panasonic ) able to do macro, with very low distortions, I think the Panasonic Lumix 30mm for $298 in the USA right now is a decent deal indeed. It is made in Japan ( check before purchase, as things can change ) The DXOMARK scores are good on the Lumix 30mm macro too. -Loren
I bought a 17mm after hearing of the wonders of prime lenses. I've only used it twice. A zoom gives you so many more opportunities. I wondered about buying a second camera to keep it on I never want to change lens when I'm out. Two OMD10s wouldn't be too big and there are some cheapish bodies about.
Thanks a Peter. The f1.2 is better in every way except size, weight and cost. The f1.8 is a really good match for the Pen F. I pretty much use the 17, 25, and 45 exclusively on the Pen F because they perform so well and look great on it, With the great quality pro zooms I find the f1.2’s are specialist lenses for low light indoor and night shots on the M1 and M1X. They are excellent for high res video. But no advantage over the very versatile pro 12-40 f2.8 in the settings you show n this video. That’s my “walking around” & travel lens.
I had the Panasonic 25mm 1.7 but ended up selling it because it was always hunting for autofocus (on an EM1ii) and it had crazy fringing. Based on reviews, The Olympus 25 1.8 seems to solve most of those issues.
I have the em10 mk III kit set. Should change my standard lens from the pancake lens to 12-40mm f2.8 pro? I study aboard, and i dont want to carry too many staff with me, 12-40mm f2.8 pro is very convenient lens which has big aperture and very wide angle. I'm quite a newbie in photography😬, just started shooting pictures a few months ago.
I'm in the same boat except for the traveling. I have managed to get the EZ lens, 30mm macro, and the 40-150 R lens into the bag that came with the kit, as long as the R or the macro are on the camera when it goes into the bag (the EZ goes in the front pouch). You should be able to fit the 12-40 instead of the R or macro and still keep the EZ handy for when you need to lighten up even further.
Thank you Peter for your helpful information. With your help i decided and upgrade my olympus epm2 to olympus em5 mkII and paired with zuiko 25mm f1.8. its perfect combination for every day shooting.Keep on!! 👍👍
Was considering between the panasonic and olympus 25mm but went with the panasonic 25mm f1.7 instead cos its a lot cheaper. Really glad I went with the panny it renders images differently from my olympus 45mm
Peter... thanks for a wonderful and informative channel. I have been a subscriber for a while, and I will continue to subscribe even if there are no more Olympus cameras. You do such a good job of explaining things in a way that makes them easy to understand.
Peter, another informative video. I do not have a standard lens. I have been relying on the F2.8 12 - 40mm Pro lens. It is a bit bulky, but it is fairly fast covers a number of shooting situations. It is very sharp. I have been thinking a out getting a longer focal length standard vintage lens and an adapter for a relatively light weight medium to medium long telephoto.
I do have the 25mm f1.8, and it is a good lens (even for the somewhat high price) - but if it is about compactness combined with being fast, I'll go with the 17mm f1.8 (much more versatile, especially if combined with a zoom lens for "range").
Thanks for the good comparison Peter. Always a pleasure to watch your reviews, because they are so calm and somehow objective. 👍 I'm using the Pana 25mm F1.7 and for the same range the Oly 12-40 F2.8 I've to admit the 25mm is rarely mounted to my camera although quality (apart from build) is quite good. Maybe I should consider following more often your other tip and restricting myself to a prime lens only....
I have an older Zuiko 25mm f/2.8 which I still use when I "need" a prime "50mm" standard lens. I think it cost me $50 about 10 years ago. My preferred all-around m43 lens is the 17mm, so I only pull out that 25mm once in a while. Why should I spend an extra $1000 for a 25mm f/1.2 that I'll hardly ever use?
About standard lens ... well, if Panasonic 20mm/f1.7 is "standart lens", I have one. It's not 50mm, but I think it's pretty close to field of view. And I'm considering Pergear 25mm/f1.8 for fun with manual focus. I'm a hobby photographer and I found out that I somewhat prefer smaller cameras and smaller lenses. I have Panasonic G80 now, camera is technically perfect for me, but I somewhat enjoyed GF1 which was easy to carry in shoulder bag and using fixed angle of view is ... quite interesting and challenging.
When i had pentax i had two lenses a 28 2.8 and 50 f1.4 (I still have them), but i used more 28, now with Olympus m43 my standard is 14mm with a lumix lens. 25mm is to narrow for me, but also 17mm has same problem...
Only Pentax is selling a real standard lens, either tele or wide angle, and it's the 43 mm, or a 21,5 mm mFT lens. The nearest standard lens for m43 is the Panasonic 20/1.7.
Until now it did not have a 25mm lens, but instead it used the Panasonic 20mm f1.7. I recently bought the Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 25mm f / 0.95 but it was not delivered to me yet. It was between buying this or the first generation Panasonic Leica 25mm f / 1.4 that is now available at a very good price, but I preferred the Mitakon for his small sice and his completely different character from the Panasonic 20mm.
Peter, thanks for sharing this video and all the information you share to help and guide novel photographers. Regarding the standard lens, and just for stills, do you think it is the same to use Olympus, Panasonic or even SIGMA standard lenses? I have been checking (and seen your reviews of SIGMA lenses) and when you consider the three there might be very good opportunities to save some euros. Just for beginners.
What is your opinion on choosing between Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro vs Oly prime combo: 12mm f2 + 17mm f1.8 + 25mm f1.8 + 45mm f1.8. I now they are a little faster but having to carry one weather sealed good IQ pro lens with clutch vs all 4 primes is something to think about. That could be an idea for one of you next videos maybe ? 🙂
That is a tough choice. Both choices have their advantages. Having only one lens is convinient, but very seldom having one lens is enough. A fast prime for low light moments is good to have. I need to think about that and see if that is something I can make a video about.
Peter Forsgård , agree that is a difficult one. I faced that question when the sales guy offer me the 12-40mm with the argument of being one do it all to carry around, I ended up buying the 17mm f1.8 to use in low light on the street and the 14-150mm II for outdoor travels. I am happy but I still think about that 12-40PRO too as a good travel do it all. I would like to see you pointing the pros and cons of each choice : do it all pro f2.8 vs standard primes set f1.8-f2
I can tell you my experience with Panasonic lenses (12-35mm/f2.8, 20mm/f1.7, 12-60/f3.5-5.6, olympus 45mm/f1.8). I would not buy 12-35/f2.8 today. Olympus lenses may differ in characteristics and flaws, but conclusion would be likely the same. 12-35/f2.8 has it's use: bad weather, dull sky, lower light conditions. I mean autumn and winter walks. In other cases, there is always better option. 12-60mm/f3.5-5.6 is just as sharp, it does not suffer from lens flare so much (despite not being advertised as having nano-coating). It has more versatile zoom range, size is roughly the same and it's lighter. Only disadvantage is aperture when it matters and not so smooth zoom for video (you always somewhat rotate whole camera with zoom ring). So this is my all-round lens for summer and travelling. 20mm/f1.7 is old lens (autumn 2009!) with slow focus and no IS, but it's by far superior than f2.8 zoom for various indoor social events. You can set shutter speed to 1/60s or 1/100s and difference between f1.7 and f2.8 can be ISO800 and ISO2500. It has quite nice bokeh. 45mm/f1.8 is great for portraits and kids Basically what I want is low aperture sacrificing zoom. For zoom lenses, I would prefer zoom range and weight saving sacrificing aperture. Zoom with medium aperture sits in the middle, it can somewhat do all, but it's rarely the best option. NOTE: it can be best option, but 12-60 is too good for the price (especially in sets) and situation may differ for Olympus lenses. And I did not considered use for videos.
Pavel Peřina, Thanks for you comments. Seems to agree with my initial reasoning when buying the 17mm f1.8 plus 14-150mm II. Your Pana 20 f1.7 is a great little lens, I also tried that but ended up buying the Oly 17 for the extra wide angle, clutch and faster auto focus on Olympus body. Anyhow I totally agree with your point on the importance of fast lenses for M43 sensors, specially for indoors and low light situations. Oly's 45mm f1.8 is one of the best sellers, appreciated for the IQ/value, that is on my wish list.
Hello Peter, thank you for this great comparison. I found a list online of OM lenses which are compatible with OM's in-camera focus stacking. I didn't see either of these two 25mm primes on that list. Can you confirm if either lens is usable with in-camera focus stacking?
There is one more 25mm lens for MFT that is really worth considering: Voigtlander 25mm f0.95. I know this channel is mainly about Olympus gear, but this lens works so well with both Oly and Lumix bodies it would be a crime not to mention it. The first thing that you notice is of course the extreme speed of f0.95. That is good, of course very useful in low light situations, also helps with beautiful bokeh that this lens is able to produce. However! I would say this is not the defining feature of this lens. For me it is the fact that this lens is 100% manual. No electronics at all, only manual focus (though the body can help with focus peaking). The lens design itself is heavily inspired by lenses from the past. The build quality is also amazing. The price sits somewhere between Oly’s f1.8 and f1.2 Pro. It definitely is not a lens for everyone. I would not recommend this lens for people who earn money with their photography due to lack of AF and weather sealing. But if you are an enthusiast like me, if you love „slow” photography where gear encourages you to think, if you like dreamy look on your photos, the Voigt is a lens you should seriously consider. It is my fav standard lens ever, though probably if it didn’t exist I would use Oly 25mm f1.2.
I have Voigt lens. It is challenging to focus correctly. I sometimes wanna sell it, but the image quality is always better than Oly F2 lens. So I keep it.
lethansolobe Assuming that the build quality of Voigt lenses is same for all units, I’d say this just requires some practice. I personally use focus peaking + focus magnification, to help with it. I’ve got enough experience with MF to be able to get all my pics taken with this lens in focus... if the subject is not moving.
My standard lens is the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7. Hard to pass up a nifty fifty for $150. That said, while it seems pretty sharp, it doesn't have nearly the build quality of my Olympus lenses.
I am considering the Lumix 30mm macro. It is sharp, no distortion, stablized, and made in Japan, for $298 in USA right now. I do have the 25mm f1.7 China lens, and it is good. The 30mm is a cut above. Take a look at DXOMARK and the many reviews --- the 30mm macro just kills the competition in every way, at a decent price. -Loren lorenschwiderski.smugmug.com/
I use mostly Olympus lenses. However when shopping for a 25mm 1.8, the Oly is $399.00 while the Panasonic 25mm 1.7 is $147.00 with the same image quality (IMO). The Oly doesn't have $252 advantage over the Panasonic (it's the only Panasonic lens I own).
I own the panasonic 25 1.7 too and i really dont like it . It renders the colors yellowish and its not sharp at all if you shoot at 1.7 i was very disapointed to see the cheapest kit lense 12-32mm is twice as sharp wide open. The 25. 1.7 is not usuable at 1.7. it is cheap yes but its not worth it . Its the only lense i regret buying
Hi Peter, really love your videos and the information you provide. I recently bought the 25mm Pro f1.2 lens as my first prime lens and will be taking it out this weekend. I have been learning about focus stacking and understand this lens is not compatible, would you know the reason why this is the case?
Thank you Peter - thought provoking as always 1 I have an Olympus 17mm f1.8 prime lens - do you have a video about this lens or any views on it? I use it as a general purpose lens for landscape ++. I wonder if you have videos etc about the Olympus 30mm and 60mm macro lens ?
I do have videos about those lenses. 17mm f.18: ruclips.net/video/sA1IU9WYZmE/видео.html 30mm f3.6 Macro: ruclips.net/video/aA8YW-mQ_VA/видео.html 60mm f2.8 Macro: ruclips.net/video/yvirSlcyIrA/видео.html
I have the 12-40 pro which is excellent in all ways. But I have been purchasing a "non-pro holy trinity mix" taking advantage of the offers from Olympus. I have the M.Zuiko 17 & 45 1,8 and the Lumix 25 1,8. Neither of them are better than the 12-40 in terms of image quality but I use them when I want this step of aperture plus the less size and weight. I know the primes aren't weatherproof (I admit I never concerned about it with the Zeiss lenses I had in the film era) but I ask myself: what do they resist? I mean, the first raindrop can damage them or the camera or -they look well built- I must not be so scared about this?
Isn't focal length equal to sensor diameter the "true" normal lens? An MFT sensor has an imaging area of 17.3 mm × 13.0 mm, so 21.6 mm diagonal, so a 21.6 mm lens should be a "true" normal lens? So, a 17 mm is just as close to a normal lens as a 25 mm? -- Comparing the mZuiko 17 mm/1.8 vs. the Panasonic 20 mm/1.7 (I used to have that one), the 17 mm has a *slightly* wider angle of view than my eyes, while the 20 mm has a tad narrower angle of view than my eyes. So when I walk around and find a nice subject for an image, using the 17 mm allows me to frame the subject and include everything that my eyes see. As an extension, if I have a 25 mm on my camera, I normally have to step back a few steps to get the same framing as what my eyes see. But perhaps the natural angle of view from ones eyes varies from person to person. -- [I really liked the Panasonic 20 mm/1.7, but there was a slight blueish taint in the images from that lens, and the AF was painfully slow.]
That is true. It is like FF standard is close to 40mm than 50mm. I think the reason is that it was easier to make a 50mm lens than a 42mm. Not sure if that is the reason.
I just bought the smaller lens, I’m just learning photography. And since I have put that lens on I haven’t been able to control the iso? Is it the lens?
I have the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 and it's not a bad lens. I believe Rob Trek did a video a while back which showed that the video autofocus on it is slower than the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 when used with an Olympus camera, but I have found it to be fine for stills. Sometimes it will hunt a little bit with a moving subject in low light, but that's true of most any lens. However, when you consider that you can often get a brand new one cheaper than a used or refurbished Olympus 25mm, it's hard not to like that lens. And it's sharp enough that I don't hesitate to use it wide open. I haven't used the Olympus or Sigma 25mm and 30mm lenses so I can't compare it to those, but I haven't experienced any issues with this lens being extraordinarily soft wide open or producing a lot of chromatic aberration or anything like that. In fact, the only mft lens I have sold due to image quality issues is the Olympus 45mm f/1.8.
Panasonic 25 mm f1.7 lens are as good as M.Zuiko 25 mm f1.8. In my opinion, Panasonic better renders colours while M.Zuiko slightly sharper as wide open.
@@ForsgardPeter I don't think most people will notice any difference in autofocus speed between the Panasonic, Olympus, and Sigma lenses for stills, with a few exceptions like the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, which is notoriously slow to focus. However, if you use autofocus for video, the autofocus will probably be the deciding factor. For sports and wildlife photography, you definitely want a camera and lens from the same manufacturer in order to get continuous autofocus in burst mode, but for most people shopping for a 25mm lens, that's probably not a big deal. And don't rule out the Sigma lenses. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 has been around long enough that I've seen it going used for close to $200 in the U.S. and according to dxomark.com, it is brighter than the Olympus 25mm f/1.2! So that may be another alternative for those who prefer a slightly longer standard lens and don't need weather sealing. It's a lot bigger and heavier than the 25mm f/1.7 and f/1.8 lenses though!
When I purchased my OM 10 ii I selected the 12 - 50 weather sealed lens with the Manual / auto focus, manual / auto zoom and which has the LF button on it's side? I didn't see any reason in your video Peter to recommend an amateur selecting the Pro version?
Stephen Mason, I love that lens, too. It’s often on my E-M1 when around on my walks in Scotland where rain is always on the cards. It’s great because it’s light, weather-sealed and can do very good close ups of flowers or insects. I often prefer it over my 12-40 Pro which is heavy and not good for close-ups, not to mention that those additional 10mm are really convenient for wildlife. It’s a shame they don’t make that lens anymore. But when it comes to street photography, the 25mm or 17mm prime come out. They are sharper and just so much faster. - As Peter said, it depends on what you are using the lens for.
@@ForsgardPeter The F-stop factor is square root of 2 - 1.414. 1.4x1.414 = 2, 2x1.414=2.8, 2.8x1.414=4, 4х1.414=5.6, 5.6x1.414=8 - results bit rounded. But you are right 1.2x1.414=1.7. Really one stop.
The merit of 1.8 lens is that it's quite sharp at f1.8 and at f1.8 the full figure portrait of the person is separated from background. Not so much as using f1.2 but anyway, e.g. photos.app.goo.gl/iT6M1QLWkpmTLjNF7 (it's me). I don't have f1.2 PRO but I often use f1.8 for outdoors and street photography and I photograph with it in different genres including sport. I even created album of photographs made with M.Zuiko 25 mm f1.8 with different bodies from E-PL2 to E-M1-III photos.app.goo.gl/cEz8pZmdGM5Ei1pV7
25 mm f1.2 is a perfect example where Olympus shouldn't go. It's full frame equivalent of 50mm f2.4 but... Far bigger, far heavier and far more expensive. Complete disaster and reason of their failure. 25mm f1.8 is a different story where we see the biggest advantage of Olympus system.... portability. Yes, the biggest Olympus mistake was choosing 'portable' sensor size and then instead of being consistent and make portable system.... they built bulky and expensive lenses to convince us it can be an equivalent of full frame. But still f1.2 is only an equivalent of f2.4 so no way... They took a beating here.
@@ForsgardPeter yes, i do agree with you. But nowadays we do have very sensitive sensors, thus usually we no longer fight for more light like in the past. Nowadays we fight for shallow dof. On the other hand sometimes people wish it to be so shallow that it is just unusable and yes, full frame dof is often too shallow (but what to do, people are crazy on this)... I may be wrong of course.
![Olympus 17mm, 25mm and 45mm F1.8 - [Which One?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DfwnhP0szOo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Olympus 17mm, 25mm and 45mm F1.8 - [Which One?]](/img/tr.png)
A 50 mm kit lens in the old days was perfect. You just took pictures with your eye and at the right moment, you brought up your camera and took the photo. Now you're tempted to look through the camera and fiddle with the zoom, completely oblivious what's happening around you.
Fiddling was always an option. Still is.
The fact that the 25 1.8 is such a popular lens just shows how spot on the designers of the various 50 mm Gaussian lens were.
That focal length has stood the test of time, the Leica M Summicron f2 being perhaps the finest example.
I own both of these wonderful lenses. I keep the f1.8 in my Pen F kit, which is used for family and social outings. The f1.2 goes with my E-M1 MkIII kit, which is used when photography is the main reason for the outing. So size and balance is an important thing for me. The f1.2 is a special lens when it comes to image rendering.
My standard lens is the 12-40 pro but I do like using the 17mm f1.8
me too they are great lenses ! best standard zoom imho
I've got these two too. I like them both. But for action motivs the 17mm autofocus is too slow. So I'm I thinking about buying the 25mm 1.2 (I don't own the 25mm 1.8). Do you think that could be an approvement?
I have the Pro trinity for my EM-1 Mark III, but just bought the Zuiko 25mm f1.8 as a great addition at no cost when I bought an EM-10 Mark III for a walk around street body. Have had the lens two days and love it. Fast focus, crisp and clear images, really compact and light compared to my Pro lenses. This was a great decision for a walk around everyday set-up. Thanks Olympus.
It is good to have a choice premium and pro of lenses within the same focal length, I selected the 25mm f1.8 to go with my EM5 II on bicycle rides and walks where size and weight are important. The 45mm f1.2 is my favourite lens in terms of build and image quality, but the 25mm f1.8 is the most useful.
I do not own any of the 2, but i tried both. The reality is that the difference between them is not 1 stop, but 2. If you want the smaller lens to be sharp across the whole frame, you need to shoot it at 2.8. The bigger one is sharp at 1.4. I didn't buy the smaller one, because decided it's not sharp enough wide open and didn't buy the bigger one, because didn't have the money :)
I have the 50mm F1.8 and can get really sharp images from it. I think like you every photographer should have a standard lens in their kit bag. However, there's one feature I think every lens should have is the focus distance with the f-numbers marked on the barrel. It's a much quicker way of working out the depth of field than to work out which button to press or find the right page in the manual.
The DOF scale should be on every lens, I agree.
Oldfogey Oldfogey , great comment. Allows you to use your mind for auto focus.
Thanks for the nice comparison! I'm very happy with my 25 1.8 - light and sharp with my " Walkaround E-M5 II. Greatinx from Austria!
Great combo - I use the same.
I have the 25mm F. 1.8 which I use mainly with EM-1 Mark II for both still and video.
Interesting comparison, Peter. I have the 25mm 1.8 and I love it. It's really sharp and very light, it matches my EM5/2 perfectly.
Absolutely love my 25m. Pro but my 12 to 40 Pro is the one that lives on my camera 90% of the time with the 40 to 150 begin my 3rd favourite.
Thanks for the video, Peter. I have the F1.2 Pro, which I use with my E-M1 ii. For situations requiring something smaller, I go with the F17mm F1.8 on my PEN-F.
Thanks.
I find the f/1.8 version excellent (though overpriced - used market solves that). Close focusing is actually around 22~23 cm, real bonus compared to traditional SLR 50/1.8 with some 45 cm minimum. Compared to Panasonic 25/1.7 the Olympus is a touch wider and optically superior - I find the results extraordinary even wide open. I wouldn't consider the f/1.2 as it goes against the spirit of m43 - small and affordable.
Thanks for the review. To me the only reason for using M43 system is the small size, so I never consider big and heavy lens, specially a 400g prime. My daily and travel lens is the amazing 17mm f1.8, small, light, great IQ and has the clutch and I use it a lot. Only big lens is a travel all purpose zoom 14-150 ii, has weather weather sealing.
I was recommended the 25 mm 1.8 which I managed to buy new at a v good price. It is a lovely lens , it takes a lovely photo and is so light. Great for travel.
The m. Zuiko 25mm 1.8 was my go to lens. Used for one year constantly. Just switched for the sigma 30mm 1.4. Honestly? The Olympus is way sharper.
My "standard lens" is the 17mm 1.8. An ideal compromise for me, not too wide and not to close mostly in street/landscape & architecture photography. A very good, sharp and small in size and a not heavy well built lens on my Pen-F.
I have the Panasonic / leica 25mm 1.4 which I bought second hand near mint was using the g80 at the time now also use the omd1 mk3. Love the lens not weather sealed like the new version but don't mind and will do for me
I like your honest reviews and opinions. No hyperbole, no hysteria, just facts and beautiful imagery. That last low-light shot you showed (made with the 1.8) was spectacular. You're correct of course that it's a matter of horses for courses - that 1.8 is a very capable lens, period. The pro version is for very critical professional use (and/or pixel peepers). I love my nifty fifties and nifty eighties for medium format.
Thanks.
I’ve never bothered with my L-Fn button. Peaking is a good option - thanks!
Hard to choose between 25mm f1.8 and 12-45mm f4 pro to use as a daily lens with omd em5-3. I compared both lenses in the same setup at 25mm f4 in a low light scenario and the pro one gave me a nicer picture. Even shutter was nearly twice faster than that of the prime for the same iso. I still like the prime for the good job and compactness.
The Pro does look great but I went M43 to be able to have small gear that lets me take good quality images wherever I am without it being a nuisance to carry. The price difference, too makes it a no brainer for me.
I like to use my f/1.2 for portraits. The shallow depth and the bokeh are very useful for it. Also as a walk around lens I find the extra speed a big plus, because I always seem to end up in low light situations. Museums, churches and other historical buildings. In the past I had the Panasonic Leica f/1.4, also very good but not so wide open. And that's why you choose such a lens over the slower options in the first place. If small is important go for the Panasonic 20mm. The 30mm macro is great as well as walk around lens if there is enough light.
I have 3 standard lenses for my Em1 and I am thrilled with the performance. All are Sigma. 16mm f1.4, 30mm f1.4 and 60mm f2.8 and are incredible. Much sharper than the 12-40mm f2.8 from Olympus, though this zoom is an incredibly sharp lens. The next one that I will buy is 56mm f1.4 .
One day that I'll have the money I'll go for the 1.2 triad from Olympus.
Thank you Peter for your great videos!
Thanks!
Hi Peter. I have both of these lenses. I keep the 25mm 1.8 and the 17mm 1.8 handy for street photography and travel but really like the 25mm 1.2 Pro as well. I had been thinking of selling the 1.8 when I bought the 1.2 but can't bring myself to part with it. They're both great lenses.
Thanks Peter for review. AF speed is indeed really different. PRO lens has almost instant AF, it's easily seen on video with C-AF. With PRO lens you won't see any moments of defocused moving subject, especially on E-M1-III body. With 1.8 you will see moments when the moving subject is slightly out of focus.
Stanislav Samolenkov , thanks for the additional information.
I use the Lumix 20mm f1.7 as my standard lens (on Micro4/3). It's tiny, but pretty good.
In the streets I prefer the 17mm 1.8 - the only non-pro lens with focus clutch. But also the 45 1.8 does a good job in the streets. For nowadays rare indoor events I prefer the 25 mm 1.8 to be closer but not to close on people.
But having got an old Canon FD 50mm 1.4 this is now my favorite lens.
I also like the 17mm f1.8. It is a great lens.
Peter, I am sure that the Pro line is value for money for true pro shooters.
I have several standard primines, including the 25 mm non-Pro and think it will be some time, if ever before the standard lens is less than adequate for me.
That said,, I do have the 12-40 2.8 Pro and am very happy with it. Prefer the focal length and speed compared to the newish similar focal length zoom.
Hi Peter I have the 12, 25 and 45 f 1.8 primes I would love to have the pro versions but just can’t justify the cost for the amount of times they would make a difference over what I already have. Nice video thanks
Thanks for this interesting lens comparison. My standard lens is the 12-40 mm pro workhorse. I bought it 2nd hand and it is my favourite lens together with the 60 mm macro lens. My advice if you want to buy a lens: always try to find a good 2nd hand lens at a reasonable price...
alborada777 , thanks for you comment.
My standard lense if the Oly 25mm F1.2 and I love it for all the reasons you mentioned Peter! Very descent results when it's wide open, it gives a "3D look and feel" to my images.
Good combo - Oly 14-150mm f/4-5.6 zoom for outdoor images, and Oly 25mm f/1.8 for indoors. Outdoor lens is weather-sealed, indoor lens is not. Both fit in jacket pocket when not in use. 🙂
I have the Panasonic 25mm f1.7, it is a little bigger than the Oly 1.8 but it was cheaper. The quality is so great. One thing both Panasonic 25mm f1.7 and Oly 25mm f1.8 lenses lack, is the mf clutch. I wish Oly had added it to their 25mm lens because that would've been a unique selling point. I recently bought the Oly 17mm F1.8, the mf clutch is nice! The pro lenses don't interest me because they are huge and expensive. Thanks for the video, it's always good to see a new video from you!
Good info, I have the 25mm 1.8 which is Ok most of the time. Also have several Pro Lens I Prefer in most situations.
Good Report, but weathersealing is also possible with the small Panasonic 25 mm 1.4 II for example.
The PRO 25 mm 1.2, also the 17 + 45 mm are not for internal focus Stacking, why? Firmware?
Says the husband of Gabriele
No, focus stacking is not available with PRO primes.
Focus stacking is only available with certain lenses and bodies. Here is a list of those lenses: cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/qa/products/em1m2/#08
I have the 25mm f 1.8 lens which is on my 5 Mk 3. Very light and good for many situations and the combination lets me carry it all day. Image quality is not as good as the 25mm f 1.2, but its still good for most subjects.
Personally I think fast “normal” prime either 35mm or 50mm , in m43 17 or 25mm, must have lens for every photographer, of course if budget allows. In general these focal length are very versatile and suitable for range of situations. My personal preference is 17/1.2 but at the same time I had opportunity to acquire a Panasonic Leica 25/1.4 second generation which is weather sealed. I would say PanaLeica is very different from Olympus glass. It is not about better or worse, it is about been different. Rendering, handling, character - I do love it. It is nice to take snap a lightweight fast prime and want for nice stroll in the city. Looking for situational, some time magic photos. And, AF - speed of AF on Olympus PRO is brilliant. Peter, thanks a lot for video.
Thank you.
I really think Panasonic has this key lens addressed much better. The f/1.7 version can be had for £150 while the Olympus f/1.8 is £270. Then you have the new weather-sealed Panasonic Leica f/1.4, weighing and costing less than half of the Olympus Pro f/1.2. - Yes, it doesn’t have the focus clutch or the L-Fn button bit really sits in the sweet spot. Pro quality, weather sealed, compact and a lot more affordable. - This is the only Panasonic lens on my wish list as I would otherwise always go for the Olympus version. The nifty fifty has to be compact unless you’re using it for studio work or wedding photography.
I own a 25 mm f/1.8 lens and I use this lens often with OM-D E-M1 mk III. I'm happy with this combination. I doubt the advantage of the larger and more expensive 25 mm f/1.2 in day to day use. I agree with Ruud Dirks. That's why I use less frequently a zoom lens. A zoom lens tends to make you lazy and I want to avoid that. Nevertheless I'm also happy with my M.Zuiko 12-40 mm f/2.8 :-).
I really like the practical, no nonsense approach taken by Mr. Forsgard. Very refreshing after seeing so many channels push pro level gear at amateurs (like me) for whom the pro gear is "overkill". For outdoor travel I mostly use my 14-150 zoom because it is weatherproof and versatile and has decent image quality. For casual outdoor occasions and walkaround I use the 14-42 pancake kit lens. For inside low light shots and as a carry around lens for when I want to shoot prime for fun, I have the 17 mm f1.8 (my favourite focal length). They are all great lenses for me. I will be getting the 25mm f1.8 shortly. I would really find the 12mm f2.0 prime useful as well (especially in museums, galleries and such) but its a bit pricey for me relative to the other 2 primes. 12mm, 17mm and 25mmm Zuiko lenses would be a great lightweight carry around kit for museum, art gallery and castle/palace hopping !
Thank you. I hope you enjoy your 25mm f1.8 when you get it.
Living in Bermuda with a high humidity and a lot of moisture everywhere around Im happy with my 25mm 1.2 . the weather sealing is very important in remote locations. Great video and awesome content as always Peter!!!
That is a good point about the humidity. Thanks for sharing.
I started this year off with the 17mm F1.2 pro. The Idea was to go thru an entire year with just it. LOL. It's great for video. Been loving it for low light as well. But Alas I've gotten jobs now so I will most likely look into the 25mm F1.2 to complement the kit as I have the original 50mm F2 Zuiko ( which is excellent as well .) Great lesson as always. Thanks Peter.
Thank you.
If looking a sharp lens, stabilized ( on Panasonic ) able to do macro, with very low distortions, I think the Panasonic Lumix 30mm for $298 in the USA right now is a decent deal indeed. It is made in Japan ( check before purchase, as things can change ) The DXOMARK scores are good on the Lumix 30mm macro too. -Loren
I bought a 17mm after hearing of the wonders of prime lenses. I've only used it twice. A zoom gives you so many more opportunities. I wondered about buying a second camera to keep it on I never want to change lens when I'm out. Two OMD10s wouldn't be too big and there are some cheapish bodies about.
Thanks a Peter. The f1.2 is better in every way except size, weight and cost. The f1.8 is a really good match for the Pen F. I pretty much use the 17, 25, and 45 exclusively on the Pen F because they perform so well and look great on it, With the great quality pro zooms I find the f1.2’s are specialist lenses for low light indoor and night shots on the M1 and M1X. They are excellent for high res video. But no advantage over the very versatile pro 12-40 f2.8 in the settings you show n this video. That’s my “walking around” & travel lens.
I had the Panasonic 25mm 1.7 but ended up selling it because it was always hunting for autofocus (on an EM1ii) and it had crazy fringing.
Based on reviews, The Olympus 25 1.8 seems to solve most of those issues.
The 25mm f1.8 is my standard go anywhere lens.
I used the 25mm f1.8 quite often and I like it. My other go to lens is the 17mm f1.8.
I have the em10 mk III kit set. Should change my standard lens from the pancake lens to 12-40mm f2.8 pro? I study aboard, and i dont want to carry too many staff with me, 12-40mm f2.8 pro is very convenient lens which has big aperture and very wide angle. I'm quite a newbie in photography😬, just started shooting pictures a few months ago.
yoyo chan , it’s a great lens but it is big and heavy, particularly on an em-10. I would really try it out in a shop first to feel the balance.
I'm in the same boat except for the traveling. I have managed to get the EZ lens, 30mm macro, and the 40-150 R lens into the bag that came with the kit, as long as the R or the macro are on the camera when it goes into the bag (the EZ goes in the front pouch). You should be able to fit the 12-40 instead of the R or macro and still keep the EZ handy for when you need to lighten up even further.
The 12-40mm f2.8 is a great lens. As Hendrik mentioned is a bit big for E-M10 cameras, but if you have change to test it how it feels. Do that.
Thank you Peter for your helpful information. With your help i decided and upgrade my olympus epm2 to olympus em5 mkII and paired with zuiko 25mm f1.8. its perfect combination for every day shooting.Keep on!! 👍👍
Great to hear!
Was considering between the panasonic and olympus 25mm but went with the panasonic 25mm f1.7 instead cos its a lot cheaper. Really glad I went with the panny it renders images differently from my olympus 45mm
Peter... thanks for a wonderful and informative channel. I have been a subscriber for a while, and I will continue to subscribe even if there are no more Olympus cameras. You do such a good job of explaining things in a way that makes them easy to understand.
Awesome, thank you! Olympus will be around for a while so no change in my channel what comes to the content.
Peter, another informative video. I do not have a standard lens. I have been relying on the F2.8 12 - 40mm Pro lens. It is a bit bulky, but it is fairly fast covers a number of shooting situations. It is very sharp. I have been thinking a out getting a longer focal length standard vintage lens and an adapter for a relatively light weight medium to medium long telephoto.
That is also a good idea.
Weather sealing also keep dust out. Kit zooms in particular suck dust into themselves.
True.
I do have the 25mm f1.8, and it is a good lens (even for the somewhat high price) - but if it is about compactness combined with being fast, I'll go with the 17mm f1.8 (much more versatile, especially if combined with a zoom lens for "range").
Thanks for the good comparison Peter. Always a pleasure to watch your reviews, because they are so calm and somehow objective. 👍
I'm using the Pana 25mm F1.7 and for the same range the Oly 12-40 F2.8
I've to admit the 25mm is rarely mounted to my camera although quality (apart from build) is quite good. Maybe I should consider following more often your other tip and restricting myself to a prime lens only....
Many thanks!
Hello Peter, i just bought a 25 1.8 and it is so mobile.
Yes, it is nice a small. What are going to photograph with it?
I have an older Zuiko 25mm f/2.8 which I still use when I "need" a prime "50mm" standard lens. I think it cost me $50 about 10 years ago. My preferred all-around m43 lens is the 17mm, so I only pull out that 25mm once in a while. Why should I spend an extra $1000 for a 25mm f/1.2 that I'll hardly ever use?
You are well covered. Old Zuiko lenses are very good.
About standard lens ... well, if Panasonic 20mm/f1.7 is "standart lens", I have one. It's not 50mm, but I think it's pretty close to field of view. And I'm considering Pergear 25mm/f1.8 for fun with manual focus.
I'm a hobby photographer and I found out that I somewhat prefer smaller cameras and smaller lenses. I have Panasonic G80 now, camera is technically perfect for me, but I somewhat enjoyed GF1 which was easy to carry in shoulder bag and using fixed angle of view is ... quite interesting and challenging.
I own 25mm 1.8. first lens I buy when I move into a system. The kit zoom that the camera came with gets put into a dark drawer and is left there.
When i had pentax i had two lenses a 28 2.8 and 50 f1.4 (I still have them), but i used more 28, now with Olympus m43 my standard is 14mm with a lumix lens. 25mm is to narrow for me, but also 17mm has same problem...
Ricoh GR
Only Pentax is selling a real standard lens, either tele or wide angle, and it's the 43 mm, or a 21,5 mm mFT lens. The nearest standard lens for m43 is the Panasonic 20/1.7.
Until now it did not have a 25mm lens, but instead it used the Panasonic 20mm f1.7. I recently bought the Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 25mm f / 0.95 but it was not delivered to me yet. It was between buying this or the first generation Panasonic Leica 25mm f / 1.4 that is now available at a very good price, but I preferred the Mitakon for his small sice and his completely different character from the Panasonic 20mm.
Mitakon sounds interesting. Never tried them. f0,95 is fast.
Peter, thanks for sharing this video and all the information you share to help and guide novel photographers. Regarding the standard lens, and just for stills, do you think it is the same to use Olympus, Panasonic or even SIGMA standard lenses? I have been checking (and seen your reviews of SIGMA lenses) and when you consider the three there might be very good opportunities to save some euros. Just for beginners.
Glad it was helpful!
What is your opinion on choosing between Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro vs Oly prime combo: 12mm f2 + 17mm f1.8 + 25mm f1.8 + 45mm f1.8. I now they are a little faster but having to carry one weather sealed good IQ pro lens with clutch vs all 4 primes is something to think about. That could be an idea for one of you next videos maybe ? 🙂
That is a tough choice. Both choices have their advantages. Having only one lens is convinient, but very seldom having one lens is enough. A fast prime for low light moments is good to have. I need to think about that and see if that is something I can make a video about.
Peter Forsgård , agree that is a difficult one. I faced that question when the sales guy offer me the 12-40mm with the argument of being one do it all to carry around, I ended up buying the 17mm f1.8 to use in low light on the street and the 14-150mm II for outdoor travels. I am happy but I still think about that 12-40PRO too as a good travel do it all. I would like to see you pointing the pros and cons of each choice : do it all pro f2.8 vs standard primes set f1.8-f2
I can tell you my experience with Panasonic lenses (12-35mm/f2.8, 20mm/f1.7, 12-60/f3.5-5.6, olympus 45mm/f1.8). I would not buy 12-35/f2.8 today. Olympus lenses may differ in characteristics and flaws, but conclusion would be likely the same.
12-35/f2.8 has it's use: bad weather, dull sky, lower light conditions. I mean autumn and winter walks. In other cases, there is always better option.
12-60mm/f3.5-5.6 is just as sharp, it does not suffer from lens flare so much (despite not being advertised as having nano-coating). It has more versatile zoom range, size is roughly the same and it's lighter. Only disadvantage is aperture when it matters and not so smooth zoom for video (you always somewhat rotate whole camera with zoom ring). So this is my all-round lens for summer and travelling.
20mm/f1.7 is old lens (autumn 2009!) with slow focus and no IS, but it's by far superior than f2.8 zoom for various indoor social events. You can set shutter speed to 1/60s or 1/100s and difference between f1.7 and f2.8 can be ISO800 and ISO2500. It has quite nice bokeh.
45mm/f1.8 is great for portraits and kids
Basically what I want is low aperture sacrificing zoom. For zoom lenses, I would prefer zoom range and weight saving sacrificing aperture. Zoom with medium aperture sits in the middle, it can somewhat do all, but it's rarely the best option.
NOTE: it can be best option, but 12-60 is too good for the price (especially in sets) and situation may differ for Olympus lenses. And I did not considered use for videos.
Pavel Peřina, Thanks for you comments. Seems to agree with my initial reasoning when buying the 17mm f1.8 plus 14-150mm II. Your Pana 20 f1.7 is a great little lens, I also tried that but ended up buying the Oly 17 for the extra wide angle, clutch and faster auto focus on Olympus body. Anyhow I totally agree with your point on the importance of fast lenses for M43 sensors, specially for indoors and low light situations. Oly's 45mm f1.8 is one of the best sellers, appreciated for the IQ/value, that is on my wish list.
@@Ed-bj5eq You are welcome. I forgot one use and it's taking hand held photos of the city after sunset.
I Have the 25 1.2 but also the 17 1.8 which I use for all my street photography. I am hoping The rumoured 1.4 primes materialise :-)
Peter Budd , like the 25mm f/1.4 from Panasonic that is weather-sealed ...
@@hnahler yes but I don't usually mix makes. Otherwise I would have bought the Pana 100-400 by now :-(
Enjoying your videos Peter, I have the 25mm 1.8 and the 17 1.8 perfect for my Pen f, my larger pro zooms are great for the EM 1 mk2
Cheers,
John
Thank you.
Hello Peter, thank you for this great comparison. I found a list online of OM lenses which are compatible with OM's in-camera focus stacking. I didn't see either of these two 25mm primes on that list. Can you confirm if either lens is usable with in-camera focus stacking?
If I remember correctly niether one of these are. The list that OM SYSTEM has is correct.
And, the OM-1 and other cameras of the time CAME WITH a lens attached. My Petri came with a 45mm lens.
zuiko lens slept on forreal
There is one more 25mm lens for MFT that is really worth considering: Voigtlander 25mm f0.95. I know this channel is mainly about Olympus gear, but this lens works so well with both Oly and Lumix bodies it would be a crime not to mention it.
The first thing that you notice is of course the extreme speed of f0.95. That is good, of course very useful in low light situations, also helps with beautiful bokeh that this lens is able to produce. However! I would say this is not the defining feature of this lens. For me it is the fact that this lens is 100% manual. No electronics at all, only manual focus (though the body can help with focus peaking). The lens design itself is heavily inspired by lenses from the past. The build quality is also amazing.
The price sits somewhere between Oly’s f1.8 and f1.2 Pro. It definitely is not a lens for everyone. I would not recommend this lens for people who earn money with their photography due to lack of AF and weather sealing.
But if you are an enthusiast like me, if you love „slow” photography where gear encourages you to think, if you like dreamy look on your photos, the Voigt is a lens you should seriously consider. It is my fav standard lens ever, though probably if it didn’t exist I would use Oly 25mm f1.2.
I have Voigt lens. It is challenging to focus correctly. I sometimes wanna sell it, but the image quality is always better than Oly F2 lens. So I keep it.
I have a SLR Magic T0,95 lens. It is a wonderful lens. I use it for video sometimes. Never tested Voightlander. Hear that they are also very good.
lethansolobe Assuming that the build quality of Voigt lenses is same for all units, I’d say this just requires some practice. I personally use focus peaking + focus magnification, to help with it. I’ve got enough experience with MF to be able to get all my pics taken with this lens in focus... if the subject is not moving.
17mm 1.8 is my standard lens. In film days it was a 35mm 2.8.
My standard lens is the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7. Hard to pass up a nifty fifty for $150. That said, while it seems pretty sharp, it doesn't have nearly the build quality of my Olympus lenses.
I am considering the Lumix 30mm macro. It is sharp, no distortion, stablized, and made in Japan, for $298 in USA right now. I do have the 25mm f1.7 China lens, and it is good. The 30mm is a cut above. Take a look at DXOMARK and the many reviews --- the 30mm macro just kills the competition in every way, at a decent price. -Loren lorenschwiderski.smugmug.com/
I use mostly Olympus lenses. However when shopping for a 25mm 1.8, the Oly is $399.00 while the Panasonic 25mm 1.7 is $147.00 with the same image quality (IMO). The Oly doesn't have $252 advantage over the Panasonic (it's the only Panasonic lens I own).
I own the panasonic 25 1.7 too and i really dont like it . It renders the colors yellowish and its not sharp at all if you shoot at 1.7 i was very disapointed to see the cheapest kit lense 12-32mm is twice as sharp wide open. The 25. 1.7 is not usuable at 1.7. it is cheap yes but its not worth it . Its the only lense i regret buying
Hi Peter, really love your videos and the information you provide. I recently bought the 25mm Pro f1.2 lens as my first prime lens and will be taking it out this weekend. I have been learning about focus stacking and understand this lens is not compatible, would you know the reason why this is the case?
Unfortunately I do not know the reason. It can be a technical thing. It strange anyways that it is not.
the belgian site is in maintenance. Hope they reopen soon. Should I buy from the Netherlands instead?
If you can then you should try.
Thank you Peter - thought provoking as always 1 I have an Olympus 17mm f1.8 prime lens - do you have a video about this lens or any views on it? I use it as a general purpose lens for landscape ++. I wonder if you have videos etc about the Olympus 30mm and 60mm macro lens ?
I do have videos about those lenses.
17mm f.18: ruclips.net/video/sA1IU9WYZmE/видео.html
30mm f3.6 Macro: ruclips.net/video/aA8YW-mQ_VA/видео.html
60mm f2.8 Macro: ruclips.net/video/yvirSlcyIrA/видео.html
I have the 12-40 pro which is excellent in all ways. But I have been purchasing a "non-pro holy trinity mix" taking advantage of the offers from Olympus. I have the M.Zuiko 17 & 45 1,8 and the Lumix 25 1,8. Neither of them are better than the 12-40 in terms of image quality but I use them when I want this step of aperture plus the less size and weight. I know the primes aren't weatherproof (I admit I never concerned about it with the Zeiss lenses I had in the film era) but I ask myself: what do they resist? I mean, the first raindrop can damage them or the camera or -they look well built- I must not be so scared about this?
Most likely small water drop wont do any harm, but I would still be careful if the body or lens is not weather proof.
Does anyone know how Robin Wong is doing?
I think he is on. Was chatting with him in Messenger a few days ago. Malesian goverment made a turn and YouTubing is ok.
I have de 25mm 1:8 with may OM-D 10 I travel with nice 5 years et i am very happy with.
Isn't focal length equal to sensor diameter the "true" normal lens? An MFT sensor has an imaging area of 17.3 mm × 13.0 mm, so 21.6 mm diagonal, so a 21.6 mm lens should be a "true" normal lens? So, a 17 mm is just as close to a normal lens as a 25 mm?
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Comparing the mZuiko 17 mm/1.8 vs. the Panasonic 20 mm/1.7 (I used to have that one), the 17 mm has a *slightly* wider angle of view than my eyes, while the 20 mm has a tad narrower angle of view than my eyes. So when I walk around and find a nice subject for an image, using the 17 mm allows me to frame the subject and include everything that my eyes see. As an extension, if I have a 25 mm on my camera, I normally have to step back a few steps to get the same framing as what my eyes see. But perhaps the natural angle of view from ones eyes varies from person to person.
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[I really liked the Panasonic 20 mm/1.7, but there was a slight blueish taint in the images from that lens, and the AF was painfully slow.]
That is true. It is like FF standard is close to 40mm than 50mm. I think the reason is that it was easier to make a 50mm lens than a 42mm. Not sure if that is the reason.
I just bought the smaller lens, I’m just learning photography. And since I have put that lens on I haven’t been able to control the iso? Is it the lens?
No it is not he lens. Do you have some special features on? What camera body you have?
Peter's all dressed up!
Good video Peter! Is it the Java House (2:25) by the Embarcadero in San Francisco?
Thanks. Yes it is. Image was taken a few years ago.
What about the Panasonic Leica 25mm - kind of splits the difference?
Have not tested it, so cannot really say anything.
@@ForsgardPeter as an Olympus representative the best thing you can do is have knowledge of competing products
Woah! I just bought Pana 25mm 1.7 online last night and I kinda want to cancel if it’s allowed coz of issues.
Your Lumix lens is a fine lens and if you got it for a good price, keep it.
I have the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 and it's not a bad lens. I believe Rob Trek did a video a while back which showed that the video autofocus on it is slower than the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 when used with an Olympus camera, but I have found it to be fine for stills. Sometimes it will hunt a little bit with a moving subject in low light, but that's true of most any lens. However, when you consider that you can often get a brand new one cheaper than a used or refurbished Olympus 25mm, it's hard not to like that lens. And it's sharp enough that I don't hesitate to use it wide open. I haven't used the Olympus or Sigma 25mm and 30mm lenses so I can't compare it to those, but I haven't experienced any issues with this lens being extraordinarily soft wide open or producing a lot of chromatic aberration or anything like that. In fact, the only mft lens I have sold due to image quality issues is the Olympus 45mm f/1.8.
Panasonic 25 mm f1.7 lens are as good as M.Zuiko 25 mm f1.8. In my opinion, Panasonic better renders colours while M.Zuiko slightly sharper as wide open.
Pana lenses are great lenses. I still recommend using M.Zuiko lenses on Olympus bodies. One thing is the af speed that was mentioned.
@@ForsgardPeter I don't think most people will notice any difference in autofocus speed between the Panasonic, Olympus, and Sigma lenses for stills, with a few exceptions like the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, which is notoriously slow to focus. However, if you use autofocus for video, the autofocus will probably be the deciding factor. For sports and wildlife photography, you definitely want a camera and lens from the same manufacturer in order to get continuous autofocus in burst mode, but for most people shopping for a 25mm lens, that's probably not a big deal. And don't rule out the Sigma lenses. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 has been around long enough that I've seen it going used for close to $200 in the U.S. and according to dxomark.com, it is brighter than the Olympus 25mm f/1.2! So that may be another alternative for those who prefer a slightly longer standard lens and don't need weather sealing. It's a lot bigger and heavier than the 25mm f/1.7 and f/1.8 lenses though!
When I purchased my OM 10 ii I selected the 12 - 50 weather sealed lens with the Manual / auto focus, manual / auto zoom and which has the LF button on it's side? I didn't see any reason in your video Peter to recommend an amateur selecting the Pro version?
Stephen Mason, I love that lens, too. It’s often on my E-M1 when around on my walks in Scotland where rain is always on the cards. It’s great because it’s light, weather-sealed and can do very good close ups of flowers or insects. I often prefer it over my 12-40 Pro which is heavy and not good for close-ups, not to mention that those additional 10mm are really convenient for wildlife. It’s a shame they don’t make that lens anymore. But when it comes to street photography, the 25mm or 17mm prime come out. They are sharper and just so much faster. - As Peter said, it depends on what you are using the lens for.
When you upgrade to an EM-5 or EM-1, your sealed lenses can be used on the sealed body and you can take photos in rain/dust/cold.
M.Zuiko 12-50mm is a good lens. One reason to the get Pro lens is if you need a weather sealed lens. But then you also need a weather sealed body.
What does a bigger AF motor do? Is this more precise at focusing?
The elements in the F1.2 are bigger and heavier, you need more motor power to drive the focussing process.
@@brianlaunchbury4491 Ahhh makes sense. Thank you!
Thanks sharing for your experiance.
Thanks for watching!
For me, the 17mm, the 25mm, and the 45mm ... perfect in my pockets to visit a city, light, better than zooms ....
hello. i have pana 25mm 1.7
in steps, how much is the difference between oly 1.2 vs pana 1.7.
These are lenses of different classes. M.Zuiko 25 mm f1.2 one can compare with Panaleica 25 mm f1.4.
The difference is about one stop from 1.2 to 1.7.
@@ForsgardPeter One stop from f1.2 will be f1.4.
@@sstansm7f From f1.2 to f1.4 is 1/3 of stop.
@@ForsgardPeter The F-stop factor is square root of 2 - 1.414. 1.4x1.414 = 2, 2x1.414=2.8, 2.8x1.414=4, 4х1.414=5.6, 5.6x1.414=8 - results bit rounded. But you are right 1.2x1.414=1.7. Really one stop.
Pro leneses are a blessing but also a Cross for OLYMPUS! ....
The merit of 1.8 lens is that it's quite sharp at f1.8 and at f1.8 the full figure portrait of the person is separated from background. Not so much as using f1.2 but anyway, e.g. photos.app.goo.gl/iT6M1QLWkpmTLjNF7 (it's me). I don't have f1.2 PRO but I often use f1.8 for outdoors and street photography and I photograph with it in different genres including sport. I even created album of photographs made with M.Zuiko 25 mm f1.8 with different bodies from E-PL2 to E-M1-III photos.app.goo.gl/cEz8pZmdGM5Ei1pV7
Saludos.desde.colombia
All these pro lenses cost the company lots of money in R&D and they never made the money back in sales.
Dragonfire 2701119 , it is always a shame when a company develops a great product the public under appreciates or cab not afford.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
25 mm f1.2 is a perfect example where Olympus shouldn't go. It's full frame equivalent of 50mm f2.4 but... Far bigger, far heavier and far more expensive. Complete disaster and reason of their failure. 25mm f1.8 is a different story where we see the biggest advantage of Olympus system.... portability.
Yes, the biggest Olympus mistake was choosing 'portable' sensor size and then instead of being consistent and make portable system.... they built bulky and expensive lenses to convince us it can be an equivalent of full frame. But still f1.2 is only an equivalent of f2.4 so no way... They took a beating here.
It is not equivalent to f2.4. The aperture is f1.2 when we talk about the exposure. The dof is equivalent to f2.4.
@@ForsgardPeter yes, i do agree with you. But nowadays we do have very sensitive sensors, thus usually we no longer fight for more light like in the past. Nowadays we fight for shallow dof. On the other hand sometimes people wish it to be so shallow that it is just unusable and yes, full frame dof is often too shallow (but what to do, people are crazy on this)... I may be wrong of course.
I know it is a bit confusing.