Lens for Street Photography?

Marty4650 wrote:

Mohamed Mansour wrote:

Which of the following is the best for street photography?

1. Panasonic 20mm f1.7 II (pancake)

2. Panasonic 25mm f1.7

3. Olympus 25mm f1.8

At least for me, I prefer something much wider.

25mm is too narrow for hip-shots.

20mm is too slow to focus for grab shots.

I currently have the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 and the Olympus 17mm f/1.8. And both are pretty good for street photography. The 17mm gets used most often.

If I had it to do over I'd probably get the outstanding Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 lens. But I have too many lenses right now, and I just can't justify one more!

Yes - I used to use a 9-18 zoom and found somewhere around 12-14 was my sweetspot.

And does the first lens being a pancake affect output in anyway?

It might theoretically, but the 20mm f/1.7 lens is so GOOD that I doubt you would see any difference between a 20mm pancake and a 20mm conventional lens design.

Of your three options, I'd take the 20mm... because it is significantly wider, even if not wide enough for my taste.

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Marty
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Wormsmeat wrote:

Yes - I used to use a 9-18 zoom and found somewhere around 12-14 was my sweetspot.

I had the 9-18mm Four Thirds lens before I migrated to M4/3. And that might have been the perfect range for street shooting.

But my absolute favorite Four Thirds lens was the 11-22mm lens because it had a nice range and was fast enough to use indoors in tight spaces without using flash.

If we are only considering prime lenses, then a 14mm f/1.8 would be a nice addition to the Olympus M4/3 lens catalog.  A lens that could compete with the outstanding Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 lens while being faster than the Panasoni 14mm f/2.5.

A 14 F1.8 might be a tad big, but not a bad idea. Throw in an aperture ring and I'm sold!

generikku wrote:

A 14 F1.8 might be a tad big, but not a bad idea. Throw in an aperture ring and I'm sold!

There's the 15mm f1.7, that checks all the boxes.

Gah, I might have to rebuy it sooner or later. Had to return a decentered one. It sure was a fantastic lens. Handled well - AF or manual focus - for my type of shooting, mainly street. And that aperture ring really was great. I wish there were more M43 lenses with an aperture ring...

generikku wrote:

Gah, I might have to rebuy it sooner or later. Had to return a decentered one.

You didn't get a replacement?

It sure was a fantastic lens. Handled well - AF or manual focus - for my type of shooting, mainly street. And that aperture ring really was great. I wish there were more M43 lenses with an aperture ring...

I love lenses with aperture rings. It's so much simpler and intuitive than twiddling dials.

I've been debating whether to sell my 14mm f2.5 and 20mm to get a 15mm. Those are two lenses I rarely use and wouldn't have to shell out much extra cash to make up the difference. If only it were weathersealed!

Nope, since I also use my Voigtlander 17.5 and the 12-32mm quite a bit for street. Recently, also been shooting with the 15mm BCL and it's not as bad as I originally thought! Well, in good light My 20 appears to have fungus so I stopped using it...

Good idea though. Sell the 14 and 20 and go for the 15 - it's a gem of a lens on M43!

generikku wrote:

Nope, since I also use my Voigtlander 17.5 and the 12-32mm quite a bit for street. Recently, also been shooting with the 15mm BCL and it's not as bad as I originally thought! Well, in good light

Oh, the 15BCL. I have one kicking around in a drawer. I never use toy lenses, because I always regret not using a real lens instead. Although, I've been forcing myself to use the Rokinon 7.5mm GAS-attack lens lately and getting some fun shots. I guess that's what they're all about, eh? 😃

My 20 appears to have fungus so I stopped using it...

Bummer. Nice lens, bit it's an odd field of view for me.

Good idea though. Sell the 14 and 20 and go for the 15 - it's a gem of a lens on M43!

Yeah, it's a waste having them and never using them when someone could be enjoying them.