Panasonic 12-32mm vs Small Primes

kaphinga wrote:

pixelTwister wrote:

Actually I do feel that 12-32mm would get less in people's face than my 12-40mm, but it may easily be just my imagination.

Another consideration is weight. 12-40mm isn't terribly heavy, but 12-32mm would make my kit one third lighter - something I would certainly appreciate when shooting whole day.

I am going through the same quandary. I have the 12-40, and even though it's a gorgeous lens, it does get heavy by the end of the day. And I agree that the 12-32 would be a lot less "in-your-face" than the 12-40. At the moment, my 17mm f1.8 is my preferred lens for street shooting, but sometimes a small zoom would be convenient.

Does anyone have any experience getting the Panny 12-32 from (the mostly Asian sources on) Ebay? How can they sell them for almost half the price of local sources? Are they grey market versions? It's a lot cheaper on Ebay than on B&H.

Panasonic 12-32 is an amazing lens.  Just get it.  Its tiny, its sharp, it focuses quickly.  Its smaller than the Olympus 17mm 1.8.  I also have the Olympus 12-40 but honestly the 12-32 gets more use.  The only downside is build quality.  The lettering rubs off easily and you have to be careful when he barrel is extended.  Also I would say the lens lacks micro contrast.   But you are talking about a pancake 24-70 zoom that produces great results.  Its a game changer and at sub $200 a must have.  Asian retailers split the GM1/5 kits and resell the parts at a small profit.  GM series is cheaper there.  Only downside is there is practically no warranty.