Would a 25mm add something to a kit with a 20mm and 30mm?

So far I have been able to control my g.a.s. and didn't buy a 25mm lens. But now, with an online price of €260 and the EU €75 back action, I am tempted again.

I already own a 20mm f/1.7 and a 30mm f/2.8. Would a 25mm f/1.8 have a value in my kit? What do you think?

Dreeke wrote:

So far I have been able to control my g.a.s. and didn't buy a 25mm lens. But now, with an online price of €260 and the EU €75 back action, I am tempted again.

I already own a 20mm f/1.7 and a 30mm f/2.8. Would a 25mm f/1.8 have a value in my kit? What do you think?

Honestly, it's a luxury that you don't need, so you are dealing with GAS.

If you do go for the 25mm, the trade-offs abound. The Oly f1.8 is small with decent IQ. The Pleica f1.4 is sweet but more expensive and a bit larger (and has the stupidly-non-reversible "hey look at me, I'm a special square leica hood" thing going on.) The Pany f1.7 is either good or hopelessly soft depending on who is reviewing it, but as cheap as US$99 and only a smidgen larger than the Oly. The Voigt f0.95 is insanely fast and built like a tank (including its weight.)

I have the Pleica f1.4 and the Voigt f0.95 (in addition to the 20mm pancake). Completely different lenses that happen to share a focal length. I really like them both (and use them both, although not enough!), but like I said, it's a matter of trade-offs.

cameron2 wrote:

Dreeke wrote:

So far I have been able to control my g.a.s. and didn't buy a 25mm lens. But now, with an online price of €260 and the EU €75 back action, I am tempted again.

I already own a 20mm f/1.7 and a 30mm f/2.8. Would a 25mm f/1.8 have a value in my kit? What do you think?

Honestly, it's a luxury that you don't need, so you are dealing with GAS.

If you do go for the 25mm, the trade-offs abound. The Oly f1.8 is small with decent IQ. The Pleica f1.4 is sweet but more expensive and a bit larger (and has the stupidly-non-reversible "hey look at me, I'm a special square leica hood" thing going on.) The Pany f1.7 is either good or hopelessly soft depending on who is reviewing it, but as cheap as US$99 and only a smidgen larger than the Oly. The Voigt f0.95 is insanely fast and built like a tank (including its weight.)

I have the Pleica f1.4 and the Voigt f0.95 (in addition to the 20mm pancake). Completely different lenses that happen to share a focal length. I really like them both (and use them both, although not enough!), but like I said, it's a matter of trade-offs.

Since the manual focus Voigtlander 25mm was mentioned, the smaller and cheaper Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm 0.95 is also a contender. It might add value to OPs kit since it's insanely fast for those low light needs, or for shooting wide open to get some crazy bokeh swirls that the 20 or 30 lenses won't be able to provide. I own the Panny 20mm and the Oly 25mm 1.8 and find the FOV different enough that I have room for both. Also, by going manual, it is a different shooting experience that differentiates it from the others too, so there is room for GAS!

Negative287 wrote:

Is the Voigt Auto Focus?

No. The Voigt lenses are all manual focus. They make a 10.5mm, a 17.5mm, a 25mm, and a 42.5mm -- all f0.95 but all manual focus!

I have several of these, and used to shoot some of their Leica M lenses years ago. Great products, particularly considering the prices, but it's not the original German Voigtlander company -- the brand has been operated by the Japanese company Cosina for close to 20 years now.

Hate to add this for you but the 15mm 1.7 for me is much better that the 25mm or the 20mm.  Field is slightly too narrow for my liking.  I rarely use the 25mm or the 20mm and almost always use the 15mm.  It is a great lens.  In fact, I am thinking of selling the 25mm and keeping the 20mm on my GM 1.  On my GX8 90% of the time I use either the 15mm or the 12-35 zoom.

Hal

EarthQuake wrote:

I would replace both the 20/1.7 and 30/2.8 with the 25/1.8 or 25/1.4, but would not buy a 25mm lens to use in addition to a 20 and 30.

I think EQ is correct that these FOV are ultimately too close to one another, but heck you should experiment and see what you like for your "normal" lens. 20, 25, 30 are all candidates for that. The Olympus 25/1.8 matches up very well against the Panasonic 20/1.7 in terms of image quality. See which FL - 20 or 25 you prefer, or indeed the 30.

Once you decide which you like, you could then move on to a wide angle - 12, 14, 15 or 17 - the FL dependent a bit on what you like and what you have chosen for your normal, for example 30 + 17 or 25 + 12, etc. I have 25 + 17 and use the 17 most of the time, but really like the 25 for specific uses.

Hugh J wrote:

Dreeke wrote:

So far I have been able to control my g.a.s. and didn't buy a 25mm lens. But now, with an online price of €260 and the EU €75 back action, I am tempted again.

I already own a 20mm f/1.7 and a 30mm f/2.8. Would a 25mm f/1.8 have a value in my kit? What do you think?

Yes. Not for the focal length, but for the f/1.8. This is assuming of course that you often find yourself shooting the 30 wide open and still wishing you had more speed.

This is a good point. The 30/2.8 is a bit under-spec'd to make for a fair comparison with the other two lenses. I would also say if you can get the 25/1.8 at a good price and generally like the 50mm (equivalent) FL I would buy it. It is really a very good lens.

for putting my feet back on the ground. You said what I had been telling myself but it just was so tempting for less than €200. Well GAS cured. Thank you all again.

EarthQuake wrote:

I was going to suggest something to fill a hole in your kit, but I just checked your gear list and you've got roughly half the lenses in the system, only really missing ones that would be clearly redundant. I can't see why you would need any more, unless lenses are like Pokemon and you're trying to collect them all.

Lol, you're quite right. I do have trouble giving up lenses. I "replaced" the 17mm f/2.8 with the f/1.8 and than decided to keep the pancake for it's size. I do use it on the PEN to put it in my coat occasionally, so it will stay afterall

I've owned most of the lenses you have currently (though not all at once), and personally I've found it very productive to reduce my collection and focus on the lenses I genuinely use often rather than holding onto gear that is infrequently used. As is, I struggle to understand how you have the time to use what you currently own.

Effectevly I have two kits: the PEN with the oly primes I use "privately" I really like shooting with primes. So when going out for an afternoon of photography fun or on a family outing I carry the PEN with three to five primes in small pounches on my belt and some spare batteries in a pocket.

I bought the G6 when I "needed" a camera that would handle my pana 100-300 better when I was on a job about a year ago. Then I kept using it when working and added the other two pana zooms because I "needed" something that would be easier to use when working than my primes. Now the G6 with the 3 zooms and the batterygrip is my "work" kit. I keep it in my car in a small bag.

That is how I can use most of my gear.

The two oly zooms are rarely used any more. Only on holidays when I bring the PEN and want a zoom that is lighter than the pana zooms and they would be stopped down any way.

The mf SLR lenses I have neglected the last year. I only brought them out once. But since they are cheap selling them wouldn't amount to much.

I would suggest taking the money you're thinking of spending on a new lens and using it to go somewhere interesting to take photos instead. I think you'll find the outcome far more rewarding than the short lived joy of a new toy.

I agree, I have a list of places I would like to visit. Problem is available time ...