M43 Olympus v Lumix 25mm Shoot Out

[@michaelgabes7574]

Hi Brian, thanks for finally addressing the story of sharpness at the edge of the image, when photographing wide open. I'm with you... "Why would anybody, -shooting wide open-, wants a sharp image around the edges anyway?" In 95% of all use cases, certainly not.

[@bigrobotnewstoday1436]

Matti Sulanto found focus shifting with the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 on his Panasonic Lumix G7. He said sometimes its there and sometimes not.

[@TheWinterHaze]

Great video Brian, thanks from the US!

[@davidbackhouse4106]

I get focus breathing on my 25/1.7 on my G85, so it is not specific to Olympus cameras. The camera focuses with the lens wide open, but as the lens stops down prior to taking the shot, the plane of focus moves. It is worst at around f4. At f5.6 and above the greater depth of field compensates for it. So focusing is accurate with a wide aperture, and acceptable with a smaller aperture, but can be an issue at moderate apertures. In most cases if you do not know about it, you do not notice it. But the lens is best kept for those situations where you want to shoot it wide open (or almost) - for general conditions a kit zoom will be better.

[@trishf29]

My Oly 25mm came with a lens hood in Australia, but I had enormous trouble, for a couple of hours, putting it on as I didn’t know about the stupid dress ring! Waste of money. Took the ring off and never put it on again. Yes, the 25mm is extremely handy, especially when on holiday! Have fun in Cyprus, hope it’s warmer than here, and we’re now officially in the best time of year, autumn. Not much summer at all this year, only rain.

[@lee541982]

I had the pana 25mm f1.7, didn't like the boheh, too buzy. Plus the focus breathing issue, so I sold it at a lost. Just bought the Oly 25, looking forward to using it!

[@Bigfarmer8]

Good real life thoughts in this video! I use and like the Oly 25mm f1.8 that much that I bought two. As so often with Olympus products the difference is in the details. A bit hard to describe but in my experience the Oly 25mm f1.8 is sharp but with a natural softness that make the photos very pleasing to the eye. I use the lens a lot for night street photography. On an outing at night with other photography enthusiasts each of us brought his/her own brand version of the nifty fifty (Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony). At night colored light sources often start to "bleed". My Oly was in the middle of the price range of all lenses used but out performed all lenses by quite a margin on this aspect.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

Great comment, thanks.

[@andybycz]

I've had my Oly 25 1.8 for quite a while, and it's one of my favs. I've been doing mostly BW and you do see the difference. Sharp as a tack, but it's in colour where it really flies. Lovely saturated colour, especially in the bokeh...

[@stephenlumsden280]

Thx. Getting an oly now for my new g100d as it's a bit smaller anyway and the price difference is not that much when it's second hand

[@imagenatura]

I've had both. I prefer the Olympus. I disagree about the focus issues. I think the Panasonic 25mm has problems with both Panasonic and Olympus bodies. I think the Olympus is more comparable to the Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 (again, the Olympus is wider though, but offers very similar DOF when the subjects are the same size in frame). The Panasonic Leica is a little sharper in the center, but the Olympus is sharper in the corners. The best 25mm is the Olympus 25mm f/1.2 Pro lens. You can find it for only a little more than the Panasonic Leica version. For travel, get the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 and for the best IQ, get the Olympus 25mm f/1.2 Pro in my opinion... of course, buy used.

[@francishwlee]

Great video. Your observations line up pretty much exactly with my own experience with these lenses as well. I actually got my Olympus open-box, with lens hood included and IMO, it doesn't really add that much utility in practice, so I don't think most users would be missing out on too much.

[@DavidMcBeth-xv9lq]

I bought a new Olympus 25mm 1.8 last year and it came with a lens hood! Not sure if it's a New Zealand peculiarity, or not. Great comparison and confirms I made the right choice. The Lumix lens that I do have and love is the aspherical 8mm-18mm F2.8-F4 - it is brilliant and much more suitable for me than the Oly 7mm-14mm F2.8. Keep up the good work.

[@keithwilkinson8310]

Thanks. I have the Lumix 25mm it is usually used stopped down a little but when I used it wide open on my EM5-III for night photography I noticed that often images were slightly out of focus. I thought it must be me doing something wrong but then when I used my Olympus 45mm (not the 25mm which I do not have) wide open at night I did not see this problem. That would tie in with what you said about focus being slightly off

[@g0fvt]

An interesting analysis, I do appreciate the effort you have put in to comparing these.

[@steveschnetzler5471]

the lumix 25mm is normally in my bag when I am out in the evening, with my g85 or g9. No complaints.

[@Ricalex67]

Great heads up Brian, I almost went for the LUMIX but being an oly user, I’ll stick to the more expensive oly lens

[@redposthill7253]

Great video thank you (as someone returning to photography/DSLR to MFT after a few years out). One question - what do you think of the Panasonic f1.4 25mm?

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

I love mine, I’m actually on my second one as I “lost” the first. It’s very inexpensive second hand at just over £100 UKP. There is a better mk2 version which I believe has weather sealing. I have actually done a couple of videos on it. It’s not perfect but it’s tiny, reasonably fast, inexpensive and great value for money…..and mine is almost I always in my bag and used often. Happy new year.

[@redposthill7253]

Fab - thanks!

[@miguelmayer3473]

I just switched from the Lumix to the Oly mainly for the look&feel and because it's a bit smaller. Yesterday I also got a ttartisan 25 2,0. Very curious if it's worth it .

[@gregm6894]

I bought the Lumix 25 f/1.7 and returned it, as it did not give me sharp images. I subsequently bought the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 and it is razor sharp. I have a number of other Lumix lenses that I love -- they are all very sharp.

[@ulfjonsson2122]

Nice video. I use a 15 mm deep round lens hood, works perfectly and much smaller than the plastic original, as I also have!

[@elzafir]

Hey, great job, sir. Would you also do a comparison between the Olympus 25mm f1.8 vs the Panasonic Leica 25mm 1.4 Mk1? In the used market, they are roughly the same price at around $200-250, and it might be an interesting comparison to do: is the larger aperture worth it by sacrificing the portability? Or is there any other thing to consider, like sharpness, color, IQ, etc.? Thanks.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

Thank you for the comment. Unfortunately I’ll probably never go for the 1.4 Leica as, for me at least, the difference in DOF is minimal, I’m not a great bokeh fan, the extra stop of light really has never been a problem for me (I’m saying this based on the differences I used to get when using my canon system years ago where I rejected getting the better but much more expensive faster primes over the f1.8 lenses), and the extra size and weight negates the beauty of the M43 system. The IQ I get from the M43 primes in the f1.8-2.5 range I find is excellent and beyond what I can normally display either on social media, KZbin or print. However, I usually shoot around most lenses sweet spots of around f4-f8 where the quality is at its best. I rarely see any colour difference issues on M43 lenses these days. That’s not to say that there are not differences and advantages which may very well be highly important to you and your style but for me they don’t figure in my style and just impose a weight/size disadvantage even if only slightly. Best wishes

[@elzafir]

@@ThatMicro43Guy Thank you for your reply. It's very useful to see a perspective from someone who's more experienced. I am really interested in the Olympus 25mm 1.8, it seems the smallest of them all! I think I'm going with that one. Size matters the most to me at this time. Best wishes

[@francishwlee]

@@elzafir For what it's worth, the Panaleica 25mm is known to have pretty substantial CA, amongst other quirks, particularly when shot at wide open. It also has an older generation (slow) focusing motor and a very bulky lens hood. Also, F1.4 is nice, but it's not exactly game-changing over f1.8, like f1.2 would be. If you're looking for an easy-to-use lens, you're probably better off with the Olympus IMHO.

[@elzafir]

@@francishwlee thanks for the perspective. I'm more inclined for the Oly as it is much smaller, more suitable for my GM1. I just don't want to regret my decision if the Panaleica is the same price and much better. But apparently it is not much better and in some cases worse, so I'm going with size this time.

[@gershonportnoy5589]

I choose the Lumix 20mm 1.7 over the 25mm 1.7 due to the focus shift issue but mainly following the late David thorpe personal preference and don't regret it at all, the sharpness and look of the image is fantastic.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

I miss David’s videos and knowledge

[@gershonportnoy5589]

@@ThatMicro43Guy Two weeks ago found a video of him telling about his experience as a reporter in the first gulf war in 91 during Scud missile hit on some city in israel which had garden in its name... thats Ramat-Gan half an hour drive from where i live😊 what a small world...

[@c.augustin]

Yes, lens hoods would be nice with the Olympus lenses - but I also don't like this bayonet for the lens-hood! I've bought screw-in 46mm metal lens-hoods and a step-up ring for the 45mm Olympus lens (37 to 46mm), so now I can use 46mm filters on all my lenses (I always wonder why Olympus made the 45mm lens with this smaller filter diameter).

[@ankagie]

How about close focusing? I used to have Lumix on my Oly camera but quickly sold it as I didn't like how it rendered bokah/highlights wide open, I also didn't enjoy the closest focusing point but I guess my 12-45mm F4 Olympus has spoiled me in that one

[@MrRoqblok]

For my shooting wedding and Portrait work I use the Summilux 25 1.4. yes, it’s a lot more money & sharper, I’d like the backgrounds to disappear sometimes.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

Superb lens

[@williamsiviter8760]

Thanks

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

Many thanks for your channel support Willian

[@artistjoh]

I chose the Lumix 25/1.7, or more correctly, the lens chose me. Mine came as a promo bonus lens when I bought the GH5 M2. I am curious now - does anyone know what is the actual focal length for the Oly and the Lumix?

[@RyougiVector]

not exactly related to either lens, but I will note that the BMPCC original sees that the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 has an f/2.6 aperture wide open.

[@lorenschwiderski]

That is a nice lens for the price. You see some distortions, but that pancake design, and pretty good sharpness at center, for a low-low price makes it a great little lens for street photography. I normally shoot in the 25mm or 35mm range, so I decided to pass on an upgrade to the 15mm. The Oly 17mm is a lens one hears both good and bad about, with reviews also being in the range of OK, to very good. Simply impossible to get a handle on all reports. Looks like it needs lots of corrections in that lens via the camera, so I decided to not buy it. Got the Oly 25mm instead. I have a good Canon RF 35mm lens, so I am covered for that width anyway. Shooting with the 14mm on the street is interesting, a challenge, and at time rewarding. Take care, Loren

[@garycasey7986]

I bought the Lumix 25mm f1.7 a few years ago to use with my E-m1 ii. I recently became aware of the focusing issue and found that it is indeed true. In all honesty though, I hardly ever use this lens, it's probably the least used of my MFT lenses.

[@richardwalker4518]

That Olympus 25mm 1.8 is classy optic, one of my favourites. Its a great choice for those times you just want to pack light with a small body and one prime. No weaknesses, excellent rendering, fast and silent autofocus, good close focus, low light demon, great wide open. I've not used the Panasonic version, its probably better value, but stood alone the Olympus is well worth its ticket.

[@sietsewolters6652]

I bought the m.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 last month, because of a cash back promotion by OM System. It came with a lenshood!

[@MichaelGerrard]

I have the Lumix 25 f1.7, I have not had the focussing issue. I have a GX9 🙂. I like the Lumix 25 f1.7, I don't mind the plastic feel. Maybe the Oly is a little better but I don't use this focal length so much. The smaller size is an attractive feature though.

[@san-chil]

I find that the Olympus 25mm f1.8 to be visibly sharper than the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 as well, when pixel peeping. However the Lumix 20mm is a gem and very pleasing lens; is a bit more compact and nice to carry around.

[@WhoIsSerafin]

I've been looking for a lumix 20mm 1.7 vs olympus 20mm 1.4

[@antoniotvs]

Thanks for the video!

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

You're welcome!

[@geuskoeman721]

i am gonna buy ,but do not know wich one

[@jpsteiner2]

I don’t have the Olympus 25mm, unfortunately. I do have the 17mm f1.8. Love it. I do have both the lumix 25mm and the Leica 25mm. Big difference. Both come with a lens hood, too :)

[@jkroemer2685]

How does that Leica 25mm 1.4 compare? You see a big difference there?

[@ulfjonsson2122]

Forgot to say it's a metal hood around 49 mm in outer diameter, on the olympus 25/1,8.

[@lorenschwiderski]

Got the 25mm f1.8 Olympus to replace use of my Lumix 25mm f1.7 with iffy focusing. It is a nice little lens, made in Japan. The Olympus 25mm comes with a lens hood, but my decoration ring is stuck on it, so I ordered a vented hood for ten bucks, and will pretend it to be a Leica hood ;) According to reviews the Olympus is sharp at center, at f2.0 and better at the edge in the f4 to f8 range. Best center and wide is f5.6 The best Lumix is the 30mm macro lens f2.8 lens. Take care, Loren Schwiderski

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

I started buying lumix cameras for my Lumix lenses. Each manufacturer will build in compatibility with the rest of their products. On an outing, two small cameras is not too burdensome, and it keeps lens changes down.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

In ‘theory’ they would be totally compatible but of course, as you say, they build in to their lenses ‘extras’ over the standard which alters the response between brands. Dual IS and focus stacking both come to mind when it comes to an incompatible variation on the standard. I must admit I do now tend to stick to lumix on lumix, oly on oly where possible.

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

@@ThatMicro43Guy Lens stabilization, focus speeds, digital compensation for wide lenses were all my concerns. An Oly camera will know how to compensate for a 8mm Oly lens. I don't know if the digital compensation inside of the camera applies to all 8mm lenses.We will spend $300 on a new lens, but hesitate to buy another camera for $300. I recently bought a Lumix GX85 open box for $485. It came with two lenses.

[@lorenschwiderski]

@@DannyB-cs9vx I get what you are saying, but there are some interesting options for lenses, such as use of the Lumix 14mm on a PEN PL camera -- works like a champ, or using Olympus 25mm and 45mm excellent and inexpensive lenses on the Lumix -- it works well. If someone needs to stay with Lumix on Lumix for lenses, and in the range or 25mm to 30mm, I recommend the 30mm macro when on sale -- it is great deal. It is tad longer, but well built. In the 25mm, I think the Olympus is worth the price difference, at least when on sale, which is often. - Loren

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

@@lorenschwiderski There are lenses that work well on both. But I know that Lumix lens stabilizers do not work on Oly cameras. This may be a moot point as Oly has good in camera stability. Some Lumix cameras rely on the lens for stability, and a number of OLY lenses don't have it. I have both brands of cameras and lenses. I even dabble in APSC lenses with a speed reducer. It just seems like using something that is not made for the other thing brings about complications.

[@andrewkunyev5243]

Thank you for a great video! I recently purchased Olympus em1 mark ii and now looking for a 25mm lens. Weathersealing and sharpness is quite important for me but both Oly 25 1.2 and 20 1.4 are quite expensive so I was thinking of getting a Leica 25mm 1.4 ii which is a bit cheaper in my area. However I have read a few forums and there is an opinion that combination of Olympus camera with Leica lens may not provide a reliable weather sealing because rubber ring on Leica lens would sit above the screws on Olympus mount. I will be thankful for your advice. Thank you

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

I’ve never used it so really couldn’t comment

[@andrewkunyev5243]

@@ThatMicro43Guy Thank you. May I ask, into your opinion, how much sharper is Olympus 25mm 1.2 vs 25mm 1.8 if we rank them oт ten-point scale?

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

@@andrewkunyev5243 honest opinion? I don’t know as I’ve never tried a direct comparison. It “should” be sharper at the same f number but that’s not always the case. Sorry I cannot advise any better but I won’t make up an answer if I haven’t tested it myself.

[@theredengineproduction2069]

Big fan ❤️

[@lensman5762]

If you use a Lumix body and a Lumix lens and shoot jpeg the camera applies corrective profile to the photos, however a Lumix body could not do the same for the Olympus lens and this applies to the Olympus bodies with Lumix lenses too. Interesting comparison nonetheless. Thank you.

[@StephenStrangways]

You're wrong. Camera bodies from both manufacturers can correct each other's lenses. Do you know how bad the barrel distortion on the wide-angle lenses would be if they didn't?!?

[@lensman5762]

@@StephenStrangways Thank you for your assertive reply. As far as I know Prior to 2013 only peripheral illumination correction was available for the other guy's lens. Then they decided to incorporate some additional lens data from the other guy to correct for some distortion. CA was never corrected by either. Most definitely focusing issues have not been addressed. So yes, IMHO, it is best to use an Olympus lens on an Olypus body and an Lumix on a Panasonic body. All that these cameras have in common is just the mount and the MFT formfactor.

[@StephenStrangways]

@@lensman5762 you're still wrong. Peripheral illumination distortion and geometric distortion were always corrected. Lumix cameras always corrected chromatic aberration since their very first m43rds camera. Olympus cameras correct chromatic aberration as of the TruePic VII processor and later. There is no correction from either company's bodies for focus shift based on aperture, though Lumix cameras can be set to focus stopped-down at your chosen aperture which can eliminate that issue.

[@marksieving7925]

Some video reviews have said there is a focus shift on the Lumix 25mm, especially around F/4. Have you seen that?

[@lorenschwiderski]

Not just f4.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

Yes, as Loren says not just f4 although most pronounced around there. At the time of my original review video I hadn’t noticed it but since then I’ve become more aware of it when I use it. That said it’s never been a problem either, just something I naturally work around. I think as something of an “old soldier”, starting in the days of fully manual everything I may see things in a different way to people newer in the industry (by newer read in the last 50 years lol) in that every new feature has had shortcomings at first but it was always better than I was used to, so I naturally accepted those shortcomings for the inherent gains, I just naturally became adept at work arounds. Newer photographers have usually started with many of those features as the better developed norm and they are less willing, or able, to accept them. They are often much more conscious of them than I.

[@lorenschwiderski]

@@ThatMicro43Guy My first camera was the Kodak Brownie Holiday Flash. First SLR camera was the Canon TLb, which was built like a tank! I still have both camera. Once I bought a Pentax SF1, with auto-focus, there was no going back to manual focus. Dad's old camera has that split image focus, which is kinda cool, with the two levers -- Graflex Grafics 35 -- cool looks indeed! Shot a few with that one. If I ran Canon company, I would re-introduce the Canonet line of cameras to compete with Fujifilm cameras, and offer a 40mm lens, calling it the Canonet Street kit.

[@juliotamayo413]

I wonder why Lumix lenses seem to usually be a little faster than their olympus equivalents, at least on paper. Dora anyone have an idea?

[@StephenStrangways]

Do you mean f/1.7 vs f/1.8? Both numbers are rounded off, and neither are accurate, it's often just that a manufacturer will prefer a certain number for historical reasons. You'll also see Panasonic and Leica selling the exact same lens but one calls it f/1.9 and the other f/2.

[@StephenStrangways]

With these two lenses specifically, they have been measured as the Panasonic being 25.88mm f/1.76 and the Olympus being 24.53mm f/1.82

[@juliotamayo413]

@@StephenStrangways I mean for example the 100-300, the panasonic is one stop faster and that's the case for many other lenses.

[@StephenStrangways]

@@juliotamayo413 well, Olympus doesn't have a 100-300mm, they have a 100-400mm which is 2/3rds of a stop slower at 100mm, and a 150-400mm which is 1/3rd of a stop slower at 150mm but 2/3rds of a stop faster at 300mm. It's hard to directly compare them.

[@androidgameplays4every13]

You should have compared the Lumix 20mm 1.7 against the Olympus 25mm because as we all know the Lumix 25mm is not really great.

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

But that’s like comparing apples against pears to see which tastes the most like a peach. These are the two direct competitors.

[@androidgameplays4every13]

@@ThatMicro43Guy I would like to see how the Olympus 25mm performs against the Lumix 20mm, a kind of prime lenses comparison, what also would be great is a comparison between the Olympus 20mm against the Lumix 20mm!