Lens choice

[Charles B]

I'd be very grateful for any users' advice as I'm trying to choose between the:

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7
Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm f/1.7
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7
Olympus 17mm f/1.8

as a walk around prime for my E-M1 Mkii. Their use would be mostly around towns and cities. Happy to pay up to £350. Appreciate there's a wide focal length range. Image quality and weight being the two key criteria for me.

 

[woof woof]

I have the Pan 20mm f1.7 and Oly 17mm f1.8.

The 20mm is compact with nice image quality but it is slow in operation. The 17mm is much faster and beautifully made with a nice mf function.

 

[d00d]

Everyone should have a nifty fifty, or equivalent, in this case, the 25mm. The "normal" focal length.

And that Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 is a fab little lens (they all are). Compact but not too compact, meaning it's easy to support camera with left hand.

The rest are wide angle, will distort more, and you'll get less of the shallow dof and oof background.

 

[woof woof]

David, these are not wide angle lenses. The widest is the Oly 17mm but this is mft so it'll give an equiv of 34mm and whilst that could give perspective distortion close to a subject (and so could a 25mm) it's still more of a "normal" than a wide angle option.

 

[d00d]

David, these are not wide angle lenses. The widest is the Oly 17mm but this is mft so it'll give an equiv of 34mm and whilst that could give perspective distortion close to a subject (and so could a 25mm) it's still more of a "normal" than a wide angle option.

Yeah ... there's just a school of thought that says wide angle starts at wider than the 50mm equiv, ultra wide angle starts at wider than 24mm equiv. Not sure I buy it. But I do say 50mm is my favourite focal length and the one I'd choose from the OP's list.

 

[d00d]

There is also the Lumix 14mm f/2.5. I've not used it but it's highly rated.

@Charles B might want to consider the 25+14?