Smaug01
Veteran Member
...so if you could only have one, which would it be? I think that's what the OP was getting at.
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Doxa750
Senior Member
jeffharris
Forum Pro
No manual lenses? Oh well…
Panasonic 25mm f1.4. Decent lens, but it’s kind of a boring focal length. Oh well…
jeffharris
Forum Pro
Voigtländer 17.5mm. Manual and not $500… oh well…
Why only one prime?
If you only want one focal length, then why choose an interchangeable lens camera at all?
Is the question:
a) only one prime lens and no other lenses
b) only one prime lens because other lenses are zoom lenses
c) only one of 25mm/30mm primes you list, because you want only one prime in this focal length and cannot decide between these three
d) you have in mind some circumstance where you only wish to bring one prime lens, but still have a selection of lenses for other occasions? (in which case you have not said what are the circumstances)
Option c makes the most sense, but you have not phrased the question to clearly say that is what you mean. I can sympathise, because sometimes after you post a question your realise people read it differently than you meant, but you cannot edit the question to fix it.
As written it can read like you want this lens as your only lens, rather than the only one of this focal length. If it is this option c - you only want one of these lenses but have other lenses... which other lenses do you have!
Many answers have suggested the 20mm... which is not one of your options, perhaps because this is already covered in your other lenses. Who knows?
If you mean option c and just want one lens from those three... i suggest the PL 25mm
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Yeah, me too ...
RedDog Steve
Senior Member
If this is for the so-called 'normal' field of view, I personally do not prefer anything longer than 25mm.
For that use I have the 25mm f/1.4 and 20mm f/1.7, with 20mm more useful (in my opinion) as a 'normal'.
That being said, the lens that lives on my camera is 15mm f/1.7, but I'm a big fan of wide primes.
Of course, YMMV.
For that use I have the 25mm f/1.4 and 20mm f/1.7, with 20mm more useful (in my opinion) as a 'normal'.
That being said, the lens that lives on my camera is 15mm f/1.7, but I'm a big fan of wide primes.
Of course, YMMV.
Michael Meissner
Forum Pro
Frankly none of those.
After using the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 for many years, I came to the conclusion that 20mm was too long of a focal length for indoor shots when backing up isn't an option. I was looking around for something wider, and I was about to plunk down money for a refurbished Olympus 17mm f/1.7 lens, when I discovered a used Panasonic-Leica 15mm f/1.7 lens even cheaper. I really like the 15mm. It allows me to photograph people in smaller rooms.
For shooting stage shows, I prefer the longer focal length of the Olympus 45mm f/1.7 lens. It really depends on what you want to photograph, and whether you have the flexibility to change your shooting position to match the lens.
People that do formal portraits like the longer lenses, since they allow you to have the background out of focus due to depth of field at the longer focal lengths.
Now, as I've expanded my prime collection, I did recently buy an Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens (at a really good used price), but I haven't shot anything but test shots with it. Given the two, I would go with the PL 15mm over the Olympus 25mm, but I've found there are times when it is useful to have a choice if you don't have the option of changing where you are in relation to your subject.
Whatever lens you wind up with, you will need to train your eye so that you can instantly know how far back from your subject you need to be to use the lens.
I imagine from a quality point of view, the Leica 25mm f/1.4 would be the best lens. But it could also be that the Leica name is more used a symbol of its heritage, and it may or may not be a better lens.
Since the Sigma lenses were originally designed for APC cameras, they are much bigger than the native micro 4/3rds lenses. And unlike the other two Sigma f/1.4 lenses (16mm and 56mm) the Sigma 30mm isn't splash proof. So you are paying a weight/size penalty for the lens.
I suspect that maybe one day, I will round out my prime collection with the Sigma 30mm (so I will have 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, and 45mm focal lengths in the f/1.7 - f/1.4 aperture range). Either that, or I may be temped to go with the Panasonic 10-25mm f/1.7 zoom, but that may never happen.
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alan scott
Leading Member
exactly my thinking
Kiwisnap
Senior Member
Olympus Pro 25mm f1.2.
A
absquatulate
Guest
...and picked the Panaleica 25mm F1.4, classic focal length, fast, sharp and has very nice bokeh rendering and colour, job done.
sean000
Veteran Member
I always had a bad feeling about this practice as well. There are so many detailed reviews available from users as well as from professional reviewers that I just never felt like I had to see for myself. I feel like I can make just as good a decision by researching my purchase ahead of time. Then again I get that some people do just want to see for themselves, and many of us don't live within a reasonable drive of a brick & mortar camera shop that would carry even a subset of the lenses in this list. Internet storefronts like Zappos practically encourage you to order multiple pairs of shoes to try and provide free return shipping on whatever you don't want to keep. They sell the returned shoes as new as long as they still look new. I'm sure some online camera retailers do the same with returned camera gear, or perhaps they sell it as "Open box" for a slight discount off retail.
As someone who has purchased pristine used camera gear in the past, perhaps I have benefited from this shopping habit by saving a few bucks, but I still prefer to research my options and then make a single purchase.
That old DSLR lens is optically completely different from the new 30mm/f1.4 Contemporary lens made for mirrorless systems. The new lens is vastly better in every way, and the old lens is fairly irrelevant in this context.
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