What Pana Lens is worth considering Over Olympus lens if you use OLY body?

Trying to compare the closest Focal Length and Aperture Lenses Between Pana and Oly.
It appears that the Panasonic Lenses OIS is significantly driving the cost of each Lens purchase.

Question
1.What Pana Lens is worth considering Over Olympus lens if you use OLY body?
I found 1 focal length range is cheaper in Panasonic.
That is the Panasonic 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 (165 USD) vs Olympus 12-50 f/3.5-5.6 (500 USD)

Comparison:

Pana is 1.5x more expensive

Pana 1.3x more expensive

Pana is 3x Cheaper

Pana is 2.5x More Expensive

Each of your three examples of Oly lenses being less expensive are showing $100-off sale prices at B&H for the Oly lens. Whether the remaining price differences are due to OIS is hard to say. The 15mm is branded with "Leica," has an aperture ring, and I think is regarded by many as being better than the Oly 17.

What Pana Lens is worth considering Over Olympus lens if you use OLY body?

Robert Evagelista wrote:

What Pana Lens is worth considering Over Olympus lens if you use OLY body?

None.

And I wonder why B&H does not carry Panasonic 14-42 II? Is that not sold stand-alone in US?

Well to answer the question in your title and ignoring the price comparisons in your text:

• 20mm f/1.7 (because I love mine)
• 14-45mm (because it is still probably the best kit lens and I have no intention of selling mine)
• All the various Panasonic Leica lenses (although they are too expensive for me)
• 12mm f/12 3D and the other lenses for which there is no Olympus equivalent.
• Any Panasonic OIS lens if you think that you might switch to Panasonic at some stage in the future.
• Any Panasonic lens if you think that DFD might be the killer AF system in the future.

I will take the Panny 15 over the Oly 17, the Panny 25 over Oly 25 and definitely the Panny 42.5 over the Oly 45.  Unless I want to travel light in which case the Oly 25 and 45 are better choices.  For weight reasons, I would go for the Panny 12-35/35-100 combo over the Oly 12-40/40-150 f2.8 versions.  Oh, and yes, this does come from personal experience.

Panny 35~100 f/2.8.  It isn't cheap to be sure, but it is a wonderful optic, it is weather sealed and it is tiny and it focuses in an instant on my EM-1.  I've found it most useful for street photography, as a travel lens and useful in low light.  It's only fault for me is that it doesn't focus very close which would be nice to have for some things.  Otherwise it's excellent.

I have the Oly 40~150 but it's too big to use for much of what I do and so I use the Panny.  When the extra reach is needed then the Oly is fine.

Robert --

I have three Panny bodies (starting with the G1) and two Oly's (which were my last two acquisitions).  Since you brought up pricing . . . let me assume that you somewhat interested in that dimension and, actually, would be open to other vendors than Oly.  With that in mind, here's my short take:

• For a mid-zoom, Panny's original 14-45, 12-32 pancake and the newer 14-42 mid-zooms are excellent and a cut above the Oly offerings . . . at the same pricing more-or-less.
• In reasonably priced tele-zooms i have less experience: my Panny 45-200 has been a disappointment to me, but that may partially be due to the shutter shock that early Panny bodies were er to. I've not had experience with the others.
• In primes, more or less they are all good BUT for cost-effectiveness (but not, sadly, size or aperture) consider the Sigma f2.8s.  Their 60mm f2.8 is one of the absolutely best m4/3 lenses available.  Both the 19mm and 30mm are not slouches either.
• It is pricey but the $900 Oly 12-40 f2.8 is a lens for the ages; it unfortunately is awfully big too, but Lordy, what images.
• I don't shoot all that much tele anymore, but since you have an Oly body w/IBIS consider doing what i do:  using a MF film lens and an adapter.  I use the Metabones speedbooster with my Nikkor 200mm f4 and it is perfectly satisfactory as a 280mm equiv f2.8; yes, MF but that isn't an issue for my work/

Good luck.

I don't understand your comparison of the Olympus 12-50mm and Panasonic 14-42mm lenses--two completely different lenses in this case.  If you wanted a fair comparison, you'd pick something like Olympus 14-42mm R II.

Olympus 12-50mm is a specialty lens: weather-sealed, pseudo-macro magnification, significantly larger zoom range.  Panasonic 14-42mm is a basic kit lens--like Olympus 14-42mm R.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110955796927925538104/MonastereOrthodoxeDeLaTresSainteEtDivineTriniteDompierre2014#6004323905054754674

https://picasaweb.google.com/110955796927925538104/Lithuania2015#6167701579987399426

https://picasaweb.google.com/110955796927925538104/Lithuania2015#6170603413129140610

Bobby J wrote:

Panny 35~100 f/2.8. It isn't cheap to be sure, but it is a wonderful optic,

Agreed, absolutely

it is weather sealed and it is tiny and it focuses in an instant on my EM-1. I've found it most useful for street photography, as a travel lens and useful in low light. It's only fault for me is that it doesn't focus very close which would be nice to have for some things. Otherwise it's excellent.

I'm not trying to be contentious, but this is kinda close.

I have the Oly 40~150 but it's too big

Again, I agree, which is my I can't see myself buying it for a long time yet, if ever.

to use for much of what I do and so I use the Panny. When the extra reach is needed then the Oly is fine.

-- hide signature --

BJM

If you have an Olympus body, then you don't have to worry about whether a lens has OIS. So the full range of Olympus and Panasonic lenses will be stabilized on your camera.

Both Panasonic and Olympus make some really great lenses. They both also make some pretty average ones. You should just select the ones that suit your shooting style, shooting needs, and budget the best.

Aside from the kit lenses, there really are no "exactly the same" lenses. And even those have some variations.

In every single case you sited, something is different. Like your comparison between a 12-50mm weather sealed lens to a 14-42mm non weather sealed one. Or comparing faster lenses to slower ones, or comparing a 17mm lens to a 15mm lens. They really aren't the same thing.

The closest "same lens" I can find is the Olympus 14-42mm EZ compact lens and the Panasonic 14-42mm PZ compact lens. And BOTH sell for around $200 on Amazon. And both are considered fairly mediocre lenses. The Panasonic lens has the advantage of having OIS, which is of absolutely no benefit to the Olympus user.

But even if you don't need OIS, it never hurts to have it. Because you might someday own a Panasonic camera, or there might be a dual IS system developed for Olympus cameras. So I don't see it as a negative.

If the Panasonic lenses cost more it isn't primarily due to OIS. It is due to them being wider, faster, or branded as Leicas.

It really will be interesting to see some tests on the new Panasonic 42.5 f/1.7 and the soon to arrive 25mm f/1.7. While the Olympus versions are excellent, these might be even better, thereby justifying a higher price.

We have a problem that some other brand users wish they had. Too many good lenses to pick from! So we quibble about their prices and try to find things to make them seem better or worse.

X2. I really like the 12-32 as my walk around and the 35-100. (Either version) for the size vs their closest Olympus competition. Don't be a brand snob!

Robert Evagelista wrote:

Trying to compare the closest Focal Length and Aperture Lenses Between Pana and Oly.
It appears that the Panasonic Lenses OIS is significantly driving the cost of each Lens purchase.

Question
1.What Pana Lens is worth considering Over Olympus lens if you use OLY body?
I found 1 focal length range is cheaper in Panasonic.
That is the Panasonic 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 (165 USD) vs Olympus 12-50 f/3.5-5.6 (500 USD)

Comparison:

Pana is 1.5x more expensive

I have an E-M10 and a GM5 that I use my lenses on.

As for the first two, there are some things you are not taking into account. First off, the Panasonic-Leica 15mm does not have OIS. Secondly, the Olympus 17mm is currently on sale; the regular price is $499. Then if you consider the fact that the Panasonic-Leica 15mm includes a metal hood and a storage bag, while you have to buy the metal hood from Olympus as an add on for $50 and there is no storage bag, the price difference starts to shrink. You're also paying an up-charge because Leica's name is on the 15mm. Panasonic builds the 15mm and nobody knows how much input Leica had in the design, if any.

I have both of these lenses. They both have blazing fast autofocus and excellent image quality. The 17mm has a full metal body and is smaller than the 15mm. The 17mm has the Olympus snapshot feature; pull back the focus ring, the camera goes into MF, and you have a distance scale for zone focusing. That's a big feature for street shooters and works on both Olympus and Panasonic bodies. The 15mm comes with an aperture ring which can be handy but, it only works on Panasonic bodies. For my part, I bought the 15mm in a post GM5 acquisition GAS attack. After the initial new lens excitement died down, I find that I tend to use the 17mm more often and I also have the 12mm f/2.0 which is my favorite on the E-M10.

The Olympus 45mm f/1.8 versus the new Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7; again, the price difference is deceiving because Olympus has all of their lenses on sale until September and the 45mm is normally $399. I have the 45mm but, all I've seen of the 42.5mm is pictures and user comments. The 45mm has been around for quite a while, it is one of the most popular M43 lenses, and is used with both Olympus and Panasonic bodies. The one downside of the 45mm is the cheap plastic build quality of the body but optically it is superb and the autofocus is virtually instantaneous. The 42.5 seems to have a much nice body that is all not cheap plastic and it comes with a hood. From the various samples posted, the image quality is a virtual tie.

I have the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8, which is back in the box on the shelf and I had the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 until I sold it. Both are excellent lenses and they were all I used with my E-M10 for about six months. I chose the Panasonic 35-100mm over the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro because it is quite a bit smaller and lighter. That was worth more to me than the extra 50mm on the Olympus. If I did not have the 12-40mm f/2.8 already, I would also buy the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8; again because it is smaller and lighter than its Olympus counterpart. All four lenses offer excellent build quality, excellent image quality, and blazing fast autofocus, plus they are all f/2.8 in their entire range. I never turned on the OIS on the 35-100mm because it's redundant on an Olympus body and not as good as 3-axis or 5-axis IBIS.

The rest of the lenses you listed are apples and oranges, different focal ranges, some are older, some are newer, and it's not as even a comparison as the primes you listed.

Astrotripper wrote:

And I wonder why B&H does not carry Panasonic 14-42 II? Is that not sold stand-alone in US?

Yes, but it doesn't seem to be available from typical retail places. I got a debited one via eBay.

Acually, the last time I checked, Panasonic's US web site doesn't list it. Very strange.

I think most replies have hit on the obvious ones to consider. I'd add the Panny 45-150mm, mostly because it's so small (even smaller than the diminutive Oly 40-150mm) and just as sharp. In fact, my copy's slightly sharper, though the differences are small.

Being brand-agnostic I have a mix of Panny and Oly lenses for my Panny and Oly camera bodies. I prefer the Panny 12-32mm over any pancake zoom, the Panny 14-45mm over any non-pancake slow zoom, and the 45-150mm over the Oly 40-150mm.

The Panny 20mm f/1.7 really has no competition--it's the only fast, sharp, pancake prime in a "normal" focal length.

tjuster1 wrote:

I think most replies have hit on the obvious ones to consider. I'd add the Panny 45-150mm, mostly because it's so small (even smaller than the diminutive Oly 40-150mm) and just as sharp. In fact, my copy's slightly sharper, though the differences are small.

The 45-150mm from all reviews and accounts I've seen is the better lens, marginally. It includes a lens hood, too… as do most Panasonic lenses, except for the pancakes.

Being brand-agnostic I have a mix of Panny and Oly lenses for my Panny and Oly camera bodies. I prefer the Panny 12-32mm over any pancake zoom, the Panny 14-45mm over any non-pancake slow zoom, and the 45-150mm over the Oly 40-150mm.

The pancake zooms are overpriced and not very good.

The Panny 20mm f/1.7 really has no competition--it's the only fast, sharp, pancake prime in a "normal" focal length.

Clearly it's the most popular lens in the system.