Best "pancake" lens?

Try IHOPL. The blueberry is very good

I see the 12-32 has several recommendations and I concur.  In the OP you mentioned the 12-35 is on your list.  I bought the 12-35 for my GX-8 thinking it would retire my 12-32 but on the contrary, the 12-32 is always on the camera and the 12-35 is usually sitting in the drawer waiting for my final decision to list it on eBay.

The 12-35 is a fantastic lens and should be a real work horse but for me the 12-32 is close enough it gets the nod when I want a zoom mainly because of the size; the weight of the 12-35 is hardly an issue for me.

When the 12-32 doesn't cut it, is seems the 12-35 doesn't get the call.  It's usually a high speed prime that goes on instead.

Just sharing my behaviour.  Certainly not advising against buying the 12-35 but if the 12-32 is suitable for you as a zoom, the money saved could go to other lenses.  The 12-32 is more than just a novel little pancake even though it is often considered just a kit lens in many circles.

Kev

Thank you, Calgarykev!

Indeed useful your points.

Months has passed from my post and now I own:

-12-35 f/2.8

-20 mm II f/1.7

-7-14 f/4.0

-25 mm f/1.4

-42.5 f/1.2

Loving ALL my lenses as I can choose which one take for any occasion.

When I have room in my bag, I usually take the 12-35 and the 7-14.

When I want to go light and small: 20 mm.

When I want to create something with nice bokeh, I take the 25 mm and the 42.5.

Wow, these two last lenses are really beasts!

The 20mm f1.7 looks fantastic, I would love something like this with weather sealing.
There doesn't seem to be many such pancake lenses with weather sealing. It seems to me to be a useful thing to have if one is going to try to pocket a GX8.

Dragon Fighter wrote:

Thank you, Calgarykev!

Indeed useful your points.

Months has passed from my post and now I own:

-12-35 f/2.8

-20 mm II f/1.7

-7-14 f/4.0

-25 mm f/1.4

-42.5 f/1.2

Loving ALL my lenses as I can choose which one take for any occasion.

When I have room in my bag, I usually take the 12-35 and the 7-14.

When I want to go light and small: 20 mm.

When I want to create something with nice bokeh, I take the 25 mm and the 42.5.

Wow, these two last lenses are really beasts!

Yes, they are.  I shoot the 42.5 f/1.2 also.  Great lens and one of the reasons the 12-35 gets bypassed.  When I shoot events and the Noctricron doesn't have quite enough reach, I use Oly's 75 f/1.8  If you like like look from the Nocticron, the 75 is another lens in that class... but certainly not a pancake!

calgarykev wrote:

Dragon Fighter wrote:

Thank you, Calgarykev!

Indeed useful your points.

Months has passed from my post and now I own:

-12-35 f/2.8

-20 mm II f/1.7

-7-14 f/4.0

-25 mm f/1.4

-42.5 f/1.2

Loving ALL my lenses as I can choose which one take for any occasion.

When I have room in my bag, I usually take the 12-35 and the 7-14.

When I want to go light and small: 20 mm.

When I want to create something with nice bokeh, I take the 25 mm and the 42.5.

Wow, these two last lenses are really beasts!

Yes, they are. I shoot the 42.5 f/1.2 also. Great lens and one of the reasons the 12-35 gets bypassed. When I shoot events and the Noctricron doesn't have quite enough reach, I use Oly's 75 f/1.8 If you like like look from the Nocticron, the 75 is another lens in that class... but certainly not a pancake!

Hummmm you're certainly tempting me to get that Oly 75! LOL

I don't have any other Oly in my bag...may be this is the best occasion to test them?

Dragon Fighter wrote:

Hummmm you're certainly tempting me to get that Oly 75! LOL

I don't have any other Oly in my bag...may be this is the best occasion to test them?

If you ever feel the need for a fast 75mm AF lens, then the Olympus is your only option.

This is by nature a specialty lens, so I don't expect Panasonic to ever make one. And the lens had been around a while, and can be found in mint condition on the used market for around $500 for a lens that was originally $900.

The lens is really superb, and it tested that way and got great reviews, so lots of people bought them, then discovered after a while they weren't using that focal length very much, so they sell them in order to buy some other lens they will use more.

I admit, I don't use mine very often, but I will never part with it. I bet if it was weather sealed Olympus could market it as a PRO lens and get $1,199 for it.

(Hey, they can still do that with a Mk II weather sealed version! Isn't Panasonic doing that now with some of their older lenses?)

(Hey, they can still do that with a Mk II weather sealed version! Isn't Panasonic doing that now with some of their older lenses?)

I hope so!

There are currently six M4/3 lenses that could be considered pancakes. Three primes, and three zoom lenses.

If you asked me to rank them, I would rank them this way:

Primes

1. Pan 20mm f/1.7 - great lens, but might have banding on some Oly models
2. Pan 14mm f/2.5 - surprisingly good lens for one so modestly priced
3. Oly 17mm f/2.8 - nice lens, great for street shooters

Zooms

1. Pan 12-32mm - a real sleeper. Excellent little lens.
2. Pan 14-42mm PZ - nice lens, very compact
3. Oly 14-42mm EZ - very good lens, equally compact

Marty4650 wrote:

Dragon Fighter wrote:

Hummmm you're certainly tempting me to get that Oly 75! LOL

I don't have any other Oly in my bag...may be this is the best occasion to test them?

If you ever feel the need for a fast 75mm AF lens, then the Olympus is your only option.

This is by nature a specialty lens, so I don't expect Panasonic to ever make one. And the lens had been around a while, and can be found in mint condition on the used market for around $500 for a lens that was originally $900.

The lens is really superb, and it tested that way and got great reviews, so lots of people bought them, then discovered after a while they weren't using that focal length very much, so they sell them in order to buy some other lens they will use more.

I admit, I don't use mine very often, but I will never part with it. I bet if it was weather sealed Olympus could market it as a PRO lens and get $1,199 for it.

(Hey, they can still do that with a Mk II weather sealed version! Isn't Panasonic doing that now with some of their older lenses?)

Initially, 75mm was a strange FL for me too.  But shooting musicians in dimly lit venues and other "crowd gathering" events, it is really nice; the contrast blows my mind.  Once in awhile I'll use it as a walk-about lens just to see what I can compose with it.  Kind of a hunting trip I guess.

While I'm using mine a lot more now, I can relate to the "never part with it" statement.  It renders very unique.  I love taking mine out after the rain while it's still a bit overcast but not sunny.  It seems to paint the world in pastel colors where the Nocticron is more like oil.

OP, sorry for being off-topic.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but curious what made you move from the X100 to M43s when you're still interested in the same focal length. Was it just for flexibility with focal length or other factors? Once my daughter starting running around I swapped my 20mm for the Oly 17 for the faster focus, but ever since I've found myself missing the 20 a bit. While I don't really notice the difference in focal length, the Oly does seem to act more wide-angle in that I see a lot more distortion than I used to with the Panny. And it being just that little bit longer makes it less pocketable in a jacket with my GX7. That has made me intrigued by one of the X100 series.

To get back to the original topic, I also have the 12-32 and it is great in daylight.  And I loved the 20mm... until I wanted to take pictures of my toddler running toward me inside. The 17 (and the Oly 45 if I have room) can handle that much better.