Prime Lens

[Daniel Ryan]

Hey guys, finally got my E-M5 and am truly satisfied with it. But now, my hand are itching for a prime lens. Got a chance to try the Panny 25mm 1.4f brand new from the shop I got my camera from and it was truly amazing and awesome. So i rented it and its a gem so far only this rented set makes a sound when focusing bt i guess its due to wear and tear and the many fingers its been with.

So my question to u guys out there is what is a good prime lens to get or can u recommend? I think with MFT its so much different from DSLR where prime and zoom lens even with constant aperture u dun suffer that much. I rented the Panny 12-35mm 2.8f and i do suffer a bit with the slower aperture as compared to the 25mm with 1.4f. Oly is also coming out with the 25mm 1.8f and there is also the reliable and good 45mm 1.8f. Im kinda spoilt for choice but i cant be getting all of it. haha.. Thanx..

 

[rocketatw]

P25 F1.4 is popular for its rattle snake noise which you are experiencing.
most people get this noise when they mount their oly body on this lens.

OMG, P12-35F2.8 ofcourse is slower than p25f1.4
since you are using EM5, i will strongly suggest you get Oly 25F1.8,
With Oly 25f1.8, there will not be rattle snake noise, it is also cheaper,lighter and smaller.

yes, Oly 45f1.8 is another gem too, denpending on your shooting style, you may also want to consider 17F1.8 and 75F1.8, both from Oly.

 

[keithwee]

Hmm , the rattle snake sound is a known issue with mounting the 25/1.4 on the EM5 so it's definitely not your fault.

MFT has some really good primes , a whole long list. For example the 75/1.8's IQ is mind blowing good but not everyone can use that focal length effectively. I'm generally a 35 mm shooter hence the 17/1.8 works for me and I own the 17/1.8 , 45/1.8 and now looking forward to add the 25/1.8 to my collection.

Maybe u can share your budget and the general usage situations u r looking at to start ? If u r into 50mm , my suggestion is to go for the Oly 25/1.8 as CA in not corrected when using Pana lenses on Oly bodies, unless that f0.4 difference is a matter of life and death for u

 

[egnaro]

I have been Looking around for another lens too... Currently holding 12-50mm, P25mm and 45mm... BTW I have the sound too on my EM5.

My friend have start poisoning me with 12mm F2 which I think it is a nice lens to have too... not so keen on 17 F1.8 as I already have 25mm.

Question now is should I jump into 12mm?

 

[jemjemjem]

I guess it all boils down to what you normally take I guess

I shoot mainly street so I much prefer the 20 1.7 even though I Iove the performance and quality of the 25 1.4 ,just that I find 50mm equivalent doesn't work for me.

So for me,I'll put the focal length first and then the performance of the lens next when considering your next buy.

 

[Alphonse]

I have been Looking around for another lens too... Currently holding 12-50mm, P25mm and 45mm... BTW I have the sound too on my EM5.

My friend have start poisoning me with 12mm F2 which I think it is a nice lens to have too... not so keen on 17 F1.8 as I already have 25mm.

Question now is should I jump into 12mm?

my answer is yes where the wide can help you a lot especially dining table group shot and with the help of f2.0 iso 3200(looks noise free)and em-5 5 axis, you can take those non shaky noise free night shot at almost most of the restaurant... ...

if you wana zhng (decorate) your camera it can looks like this

my answer is no is because is pretty expensive (I bought it at $1000 ++ then).

 

[maldito]

I have been Looking around for another lens too... Currently holding 12-50mm, P25mm and 45mm... BTW I have the sound too on my EM5.

My friend have start poisoning me with 12mm F2 which I think it is a nice lens to have too... not so keen on 17 F1.8 as I already have 25mm.

Question now is should I jump into 12mm?

12mm is a good lens. If you don't mind used items its selling around 700 in bns

 

[alamak]

I have been Looking around for another lens too... Currently holding 12-50mm, P25mm and 45mm... BTW I have the sound too on my EM5.

My friend have start poisoning me with 12mm F2 which I think it is a nice lens to have too... not so keen on 17 F1.8 as I already have 25mm.

Question now is should I jump into 12mm?

How often do you shoot at 12mm with your 12-50? Or you want to shoot 12mm but your 12-50 not fast enough? You gotta ask yourself, is it right for you? It's a good lens but if not used to it also useless. Somemore it's not that cheap

 

[calezero]

Providing my 2-cents here.

A couple of months ago, I asked the same question and was in the same dilemma.
Couldnt decide on which prime lens to go.

After some research and renting the Panny 25mm f1.4, i ended up with the Oly 17mm f1.8.
Maybe its just me, but I felt the focus speed and bokeh performance between f1.4 and f1.8 wasnt mind blowingly different.
But dont get me wrong, the Panny 25mm f1.8 is an amazing lens.

I eventually chose the Oly because it was slightly smaller and i love the metal construction of the lens.
Other than that, I also own the Oly 45mm f1.8 which is stunning for portraits.

As a amateur, I'm pretty contented with these 2 lenses.
Never really looked back.

 

[jemjemjem]

Providing my 2-cents here. A couple of months ago, I asked the same question and was in the same dilemma. Couldnt decide on which prime lens to go. After some research and renting the Panny 25mm f1.4, i ended up with the Oly 17mm f1.8. Maybe its just me, but I felt the focus speed and bokeh performance between f1.4 and f1.8 wasnt mind blowingly different. But dont get me wrong, the Panny 25mm f1.8 is an amazing lens. I eventually chose the Oly because it was slightly smaller and i love the metal construction of the lens. Other than that, I also own the Oly 45mm f1.8 which is stunning for portraits. As a amateur, I'm pretty contented with these 2 lenses. Never really looked back.

Oh yea like calezero mentioned you can try renting it. You can check out sg camera rental for their super value Saturday, where you can get 50% off the rental price.

http://sg.camerarental.biz/New/SuperValue.aspx

 

[george671]

I use the following prime lens line up for my M4/3 kit..... Samyang fisheye... Panasonic 14 f2.5...... Panasonic 20 f1.7..... Sigma 30mm f2.8 .... Sigma 60mm f2.8 .... Plus several mf Lens adapters in Nikon... Canon FD... Olympus... etc current bodies are 2 ep 1's ...1 Panasonic G3 and 1 epl5..

 

[egnaro]

I prefer Zoom lens than prime lens for wide angle, however how much is diff is the IQ? the speed of the lens not really the main issue as I usually stop down to F8 or lower. guess 9-18 is the way to go for me... not so keen on 7-14mm as I cant use Filter on it.

 

[Oly5050]

I prefer Zoom lens than prime lens for wide angle, however how much is diff is the IQ? the speed of the lens not really the main issue as I usually stop down to F8 or lower. guess 9-18 is the way to go for me... not so keen on 7-14mm as I cant use Filter on it.

IQ of 12 mm prime is a lot better than a 12-xx zoom. I tested it out already. I thk i posted it before. But having said that i only used that lens 12 f2 once only and hv since sold it. I prefer 28-40 mm FOV prime lenses.

 

[Daniel Ryan]

Hmm , the rattle snake sound is a known issue with mounting the 25/1.4 on the EM5 so it's definitely not your fault.

MFT has some really good primes , a whole long list. For example the 75/1.8's IQ is mind blowing good but not everyone can use that focal length effectively. I'm generally a 35 mm shooter hence the 17/1.8 works for me and I own the 17/1.8 , 45/1.8 and now looking forward to add the 25/1.8 to my collection.

Maybe u can share your budget and the general usage situations u r looking at to start ? If u r into 50mm , my suggestion is to go for the Oly 25/1.8 as CA in not corrected when using Pana lenses on Oly bodies, unless that f0.4 difference is a matter of life and death for u

Budget? Not sure yet but of coz I would go for the cheaper one if its better (the panny is almost 800 bucks bt at 1.4f its a normal price).. haha.. i've been using 50mm lens all my life so i guess my direction is towards the 25mm lens in the market. I love taking those candid shots and portrait shots during a gathering or event.. btw, is the Oly 25mm 1.8f out yet? did u order ur set?

How is ur 17mm 1.8f? is it ur general lens that stays on your oly body always? I think i might rent it and have a feel.. it is tempting.. im having in mind now the 12-40mm Pro, either the Oly 25mm 1.8f (coz not decided) the panny 25mm 1.4f and maybe, just maybe the 17mm 1.8f for its wideness.. I guess that will be pretty much my lens arsenal for my mft..

 

[keithwee]

I prefer Zoom lens than prime lens for wide angle, however how much is diff is the IQ? the speed of the lens not really the main issue as I usually stop down to F8 or lower. guess 9-18 is the way to go for me... not so keen on 7-14mm as I cant use Filter on it.

The IQ for 12/2 is definitely better than the 12-35 /2.8 but not a large difference , prob an issue only if u r a pixel peeper.
Looking at zooms , u've the Oly 12-40/2.8 and P12-35/2.8. My advice is if u r willing to spend a bit more and using an Oly body get the O12-40/2.8. I moved from the 12-35 to the 12-40.

The 7-14/4 is much sharper than the 9-18. I had the 9-18 before I sold it for the 7-14. Only drawbacks for the 7-14 is that it's quite prone to flare and yes, it doesn't accept filters unless u DIY.

 

[Daniel Ryan]

Oh yea like calezero mentioned you can try renting it. You can check out sg camera rental for their super value Saturday, where you can get 50% off the rental price.

http://sg.camerarental.biz/New/SuperValue.aspx

Yeah bro... I also rent.. i always rent 1st before diving into any camera or lens purchase bt sometimes their collection is not as wide as we hope to be.. anyway, renting 1st is always better coz these equipments and the photography hobby ain't cheap.. haha

 

[Daniel Ryan]

Providing my 2-cents here.

A couple of months ago, I asked the same question and was in the same dilemma.
Couldnt decide on which prime lens to go.

After some research and renting the Panny 25mm f1.4, i ended up with the Oly 17mm f1.8.
Maybe its just me, but I felt the focus speed and bokeh performance between f1.4 and f1.8 wasnt mind blowingly different.
But dont get me wrong, the Panny 25mm f1.8 is an amazing lens.

I eventually chose the Oly because it was slightly smaller and i love the metal construction of the lens.
Other than that, I also own the Oly 45mm f1.8 which is stunning for portraits.

As a amateur, I'm pretty contented with these 2 lenses.
Never really looked back.

An amateur here too bro.. which of the 2 lenses u use more? as in ur general lens.. what is the focal distance u get on ur 17mm?

 

[Daniel Ryan]

my answer is yes where the wide can help you a lot especially dining table group shot and with the help of f2.0 iso 3200(looks noise free)and em-5 5 axis, you can take those non shaky noise free night shot at almost most of the restaurant... ...

if you wana zhng (decorate) your camera it can looks like this View attachment 499

my answer is no is because is pretty expensive (I bought it at $1000 ++ then).

Bro, the lens in the picture is a 12mm is it? where did u get the lens hood?

 

[Alphonse]

Bro, the lens in the picture is a 12mm is it? where did u get the lens hood?

Yup. LH-48 is the model name, I got 3rd party one. Ebay is my usual shopping place

 

[wonglp]

I prefer Zoom lens than prime lens for wide angle, however how much is diff is the IQ? the speed of the lens not really the main issue as I usually stop down to F8 or lower. guess 9-18 is the way to go for me... not so keen on 7-14mm as I cant use Filter on it.

Oly 12/2 is a very fine lens, albeit with quite a bit of distortion correction done in camera, and it's small. However, the O12-40/2.8 is certainly up there not that far enough to be an issue for me personally. So depends you prefer versatility or size & 1 stop brightness.

P7-14 can be modded to use filters (100mm slot in) as mentioned by Keith, it's alot sharper than 9-18, & 2mm wide is really a lot of difference, setback is the flare and lack of filter thread(and it seems O7-14 is too) and size compared to O9-18.

Yeah bro... I also rent.. i always rent 1st before diving into any camera or lens purchase bt sometimes their collection is not as wide as we hope to be.. anyway, renting 1st is always better coz these equipments and the photography hobby ain't cheap.. haha

The lenses, if you can get it at a good price on BNS, you can probably sell it at same price, so rental fee is saved. A good start is to know which focal length you like, can see from the shots you took to determine. For the EM5 do remember to update your firmware to latest, it has small AF boxes and ISO100 now. Happy searching