Oly 17mm vs. Pana 25mm

philliphwood · May 10, 2013

Hello all,

Appreciate you've all been asked this questions countless times before, so go easy on me.

I'm a new user of 4/3s with the OMD EM5 and have been currently walking around London during my lunch breaks and at weekends getting to grips with it.

At the end of this month I'm off on my travels: eastern Poland then Bosnia and I'm planning on ditching the Canon DSLR for the EM5.

I'm currently using the Oly 45mm and the Pana 14mm and have set aside approx. £400 for a new lens. I'd really appreciate any advice from more experienced and knowledgeable people than me as I'm torn between the Oly 17mm 1.8 or the Pana 25mm.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but as a newbie to both 4/3 and fixed lenses, I am a slightly unsure which way to go.

Unfortunately, I am presently not located near any stores to test either of them them out, so any any experienced advice would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nocloakofjustice/

A2T2 · May 10, 2013

philliphwood said:
philliphwood wrote:

Hello all,

Appreciate you've all been asked this questions countless times before, so go easy on me.

I'm a new user of 4/3s with the OMD EM5 and have been currently walking around London during my lunch breaks and at weekends getting to grips with it.

At the end of this month I'm off on my travels: eastern Poland then Bosnia and I'm planning on ditching the Canon DSLR for the EM5.

I'm currently using the Oly 45mm and the Pana 14mm and have set aside approx. £400 for a new lens. I'd really appreciate any advice from more experienced and knowledgeable people than me as I'm torn between the Oly 17mm 1.8 or the Pana 25mm.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but as a newbie to both 4/3 and fixed lenses, I am a slightly unsure which way to go.

Unfortunately, I am presently not located near any stores to test either of them them out, so any any experienced advice would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nocloakofjustice/

The Pana is a class lens, I don't own it myself, I have the 20mm and personally its the 17 or 20 you should be thinking of? The 25mm is something else again and then there is the 45mm. Personally the 20mm and 45 are the best primes bang for buck, 25mm if you want a bit more bokeh and leica creamery.

philliphwood · May 10, 2013

Thanks AT2D - I did have research the 20mm but decided it wasn't for me. Someone mentioned that because I already have the 45mm, then the combination of 17 + 45 would be more suited than the 25 + 45. I won't be able to afford more than one lens for a while so it's important that I make an informed choice.

secretworld · May 10, 2013

If you like the 14mm I see no reason to buy the 17mm (I had a very bad copy of the 14mm, very decentred, but I liked the FOV and the centre sharpness). I tested the 20mm vs the 25mm and loved both but went with the 20mm for size (and second hand price). To me the 25mm would be the ideal lens between the 14mm and the 45mm.

Art_P · May 10, 2013

Which focal length do you need/miss more?

On your Canon, which focal length do you find you've used more? (assuming you've got a zoom that covers the range of both)

17mm could be considered better focal length for street shooting/walkabout, while 25mm more ideal for portraits.

17mm is closer to your 14mm, while 25mm sits more between 14mm and 45mm

Beyond that, the more compact 17mm has a click focus ring to quickly switch between AF and mechanical focus, while the heavier 25mm has a faster aperture and is sharper.

philliphwood · May 10, 2013

Thanks for your reply Art_P.

Appreciate I'm a moron but I've only had the one lens kit before on the Canon, 18-55mm. Looking through the exif data, I tended to go from one extreme to the other without much in-between.

Zensu11 · May 10, 2013

I had the 17 and returned it for the 25. The 17 was a great lens but it didn't suit my kind of photography. IMHO the 17 takes in a wider angle of view and you need to be closer to your subject to capture a good image. The 25 lets me stand back a bit and I don't intrude as much into the subjects space. If your more interested in environmental portraiture or group photos, get the 17. If your more into facial expression or subject isolation, get the 25.

Just my two cents as we used to say.

Jeff108 · May 10, 2013

I have the OMD EM5. I have the following lenses

Pana 14mm, Pana/Leica 25mm, Oly 45mm, OLy 40-150, Pana 100-300, Oly 12-50

I travel a lot and the lenses that I use are the Pana 14mm, Pana/Leica and Oly 45mm

The 14mm is great for when you want to travel light and go a bit wider.

I love the 45mm and use it for street photography but I don't use it as much as the other 2

The 25mm is what is on my camera 75% of the time. Its amazing

I don't know about the 17mm, but I cant see it being any better than the 25mm and the 25mm gives you more of a difference compared to your 14mm

My only guess is that the 17mm would be a bit lighter and maybe better focus than the 25mm

sigala1 · May 10, 2013

They are both good lenses. I would say that the 25mm lens is a little bit better technically because it's faster and doesn't have as pronounced field curvature which causes the corners to be out of focus when used wide open, and it's sharper (but the 17mm is really sharp enough for a 16MP sensor, even wide open, and you won't be able to see the difference in real life photos). I think the 17mm is slightly overpriced compared to the 25mm, but only slightly.

However they are different fields of view. The 25mm can be seen as a portrait lens, and the 17mm a better general purpose lens for documentary photography.

Buy the lens based on the field of view you need.

philliphwood · May 10, 2013

Thanks all, greatly appreciate your help.

As I understand it then, sounds like the 25mm is safe bet. My 14mm should cover the wide-angle documentary street stuff, while my 45mm can cover the environmental shots if needed.

Gregm61 · May 10, 2013

philliphwood said:
philliphwood wrote:

Thanks AT2D - I did have research the 20mm but decided it wasn't for me. Someone mentioned that because I already have the 45mm, then the combination of 17 + 45 would be more suited..

It is an excellent, extremely light two lens setup. Those two, plus the 7.5mm Rokinon, 12mm f2 and 75mm f1.8 are what I will be carrying most of the time at White Sands National Monument in a couple of weeks. I'll actually have the rest of my lenses in another bag in the trunk just in case there's something I do not think those five can handle, but having been there before, I do not anticipate that happening much.

jalywol · May 10, 2013

You already have the 14mm, and the 17mm would not be a very large change in FOV from that, so it really would not give you a substantially different focal range than you are working with now. The 25mm on the other hand is a perfect focal length for settings where the 45mm is too long, yet the 14mm is too wide. It also has just the most beautiful image quality of any of the M43 lenses I have used to date (which is most of them).

When I am out and about, in town, I have the 14mm stuck on the camera most of the time. Indoors, it's the 25mm. I occasionally use the 45mm, but find the 25mm far more useful for everyday work in slightly closer spaces. If I am out doing nature shots, I am usually using telephotos (about 75mm to 300mm, with a lot of images way out at the 300mm end of things). So, If I had to pare my kit down to four lenses, I would keep the 14mm, 25mm, 14-140mm, and 100-300 lenses....(and, if I was allowed one more, that would be the 12mm, although I find the 14mm more useful in street use).

The 25mm is a spectacular lens, in a very useful focal length, and would be my choice in your situation.

-J

philliphwood · May 10, 2013

Thanks all, decision made.

http://www.digitalrev.com/product/panasonic-leica-dg-summilux-25mm/MTIxNDg_A

Art_P · May 10, 2013

you need the 12/2 rather than the 17/1.8

I know what you mean though... I hardly ever shoot in the 'normal' range.

but I find the 14 a bit wide for general use (and not bright enough for night shooting)

Like you, I have the 14 and 45, and I'll probably get the 17/1.8 next

btw, if you don't need the brighter aperture, just the focal length, consider the 17/2.8 which is barely larger than the 14, and costs significantly less than the f1.8... or just stick w the 14

My main reason for wanting the 17/1.8 is to replace the 14 for my night shooting... Although my latest outing has me thinking the 12 would be useful too :0

--
Art P
"I am a creature of contrast,
of light and shadow.
I live where the two play together,
I thrive on the conflict"

Zensu11 · May 10, 2013

Art_P said:
Art_P wrote:

I know what you mean though... I hardly ever shoot in the 'normal' range.

I like the normal range as my base point for starting out. It stays on the camera over 50% of the time. I find if I need wider use the 9-18 zoom or need closer use the 40-150 zoom. The zooms are for when I get a wild hair!

Savas Kyprianides · May 10, 2013

philliphwood said:
philliphwood wrote:

Hello all,

Appreciate you've all been asked this questions countless times before, so go easy on me.

I'm a new user of 4/3s with the OMD EM5 and have been currently walking around London during my lunch breaks and at weekends getting to grips with it.

At the end of this month I'm off on my travels: eastern Poland then Bosnia and I'm planning on ditching the Canon DSLR for the EM5.

I'm currently using the Oly 45mm and the Pana 14mm and have set aside approx. £400 for a new lens. I'd really appreciate any advice from more experienced and knowledgeable people than me as I'm torn between the Oly 17mm 1.8 or the Pana 25mm.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but as a newbie to both 4/3 and fixed lenses, I am a slightly unsure which way to go.

Unfortunately, I am presently not located near any stores to test either of them them out, so any any experienced advice would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nocloakofjustice/

Get the 17.

azazel1024 · May 10, 2013

Since you already have the Panasonic 14mm and Olympus 45mm I'd suggest the Panasonic 25mm next. It is the most in the middle focal length and a truely amazing lens. I don't own the Olympus 17mm (okay, the f/1.8, I do own the f/2.8), but the word on it is that it is a very nice lens.

However, the Panasonic 25mm isn't a very nice lens it is an excellent lens. Probably after the Olympus 75mm THE best autofocus lens in m4/3 mount. The Olympus 45mm maybe being a very close runner up behind it.

If you had something wider than the Panasonic 14mm then I'd say maybe look at the 17mm. However, unless you generally only shoot at 35mm and then jump up to portrait focal lengths I think you'd find the most use out of the Panasonic 25mm.

Just my 2 cents.

juansin · May 10, 2013

My street kit is the 17mm, the 25mm and the om 50mm. Love everyone of them, the most used are the 17 and 25mm, I rather use the 50mm. Between the 17 and the 25 they are not even comparable.

From the 17mm f1.8: Love the angle of view, it's the perfect focal lens for street shooting, and I love this kind of photography. Solid, well constructed, small and portable (mine goes into a pocket). Fast focus and great overall HQ.

But the 25 is an especial lens: For street portraits and bokeh, the colors are amazing!, the bokeh is wonderfull, and the images taken with it are sharper than any lens I have. But, it's bigger, isn't so good consctructed than the 17, and focus slowly.

I can't tell you wich onw you sould buy, but I can say tha I can't leve one of the at home!

Both are diferent, both are wonderfull and special lenses. Maybe the king of fotography you shoot more woul decide it.

Look at my blog, you can see street photography and more with these lenses.

http://juansinponte.blogspot.com.es/

philliphwood · May 10, 2013

azazel1024 said:
azazel1024 wrote:

Since you already have the Panasonic 14mm and Olympus 45mm I'd suggest the Panasonic 25mm next. It is the most in the middle focal length and a truely amazing lens. I don't own the Olympus 17mm (okay, the f/1.8, I do own the f/2.8), but the word on it is that it is a very nice lens.

However, the Panasonic 25mm isn't a very nice lens it is an excellent lens. Probably after the Olympus 75mm THE best autofocus lens in m4/3 mount. The Olympus 45mm maybe being a very close runner up behind it.

If you had something wider than the Panasonic 14mm then I'd say maybe look at the 17mm. However, unless you generally only shoot at 35mm and then jump up to portrait focal lengths I think you'd find the most use out of the Panasonic 25mm.

Just my 2 cents.

Oly 17mm vs. Pana 25mm

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