Olympus 25mm 1.8 or Panasonic 20mm 1.7?

PSCL1 wrote:

To the OP: The Panasonic 20 f1.7 is one of the great lenses of all time, despite complaints about slow AF in low light. I suspect Leica had a hand in designing it, since picture appearance and quality is right up there with 35 and 50 Summicrons. I do not have the Oly 25 but the recently advertised $99 25 f1.8 is not even close to the 20.

Finally - an honest assessment from a purchaser of the Panasonic 25/1.7.

To the OP: Olympus 25/1.8 like the 17/1.8 renders differently than 20/1.7 (I have all three lenses). Difference is the 20/1.7 has a smoother more restrained look that is really nice for landscapes, for instance, less so for shots of people or street scenes. The Olympus lenses are a bit punchier. The 25/1.8 is as sharp or nearly as sharp as the 20/1.7 and the 17/1.8 is not that far behind. The 25/1.8 is the most contrasty of these lenses - most people really like its rendering. In terms of AF performance and appearance the two Olympus lenses blow the 20/1.7 out of the water.

As far as which to buy listen to your "uncle" Marty. I put those parts I strongly endorse in bold:

Marty4650 wrote:

The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 is an excellent lens, but it has been reported to be slow in focusing and to exhibit some banding on certain Olympus cameras. The EPL6 is one of those cameras. It might do better with a newer OMD version or the new Pen F. [. . .]

Again, this is my own personal view. For street shooting, 20mm or 25mm is too wide [he means too narrow]. I much prefer 17mm, or even the wider 14mm lenses. If I didn't already own the 14mm and 17mm lenses, I would rush out and get the PanaLeica 15mm f/1.7, which is a superb lens by all accounts. Superb, but pricey!

[. . .] If you want a 50mm equivalent lens, then the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 is hard to beat. Based on the few reviews I have seen for the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7, it doesn't score as well. The major issues were corner sharpness and build quality. But it still is a very good lens. At $99 it is a real bargain, at $250.... not so much.

If you are on a tight budget, the Olympus outlet storehas refurbished 25mm f/1.8 lenses available for around $319. They don't have any right now because they sold them all out on their recent President's Day 20% off sale. If you aren't in a hurry to get that lens, just bookmark that site and keep watching it. Some more will turn up.

Good luck!

Edit. to the OP - you made a good decision.