Olympus mft (only) Primes vs tele for Landscape?

Donnie

Donnie

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I've got a hankering for a prime, either the Oly 17 f.18 or the Oly 25 f1.8, I already have the f2.8 pro in both 7-14 (rarely used) and the 12-40 which seems to be on there most of the time.

Im just wondering, if you use primes only, what do you use from a mm point of view that satisfies your needs?
 
I'm using the Panasonic 15mm 1.7, lovely little prime, very sharp but ... I am trying to sell it atm because I discovered I don't like lenses too small. I prefer to have something to 'cup' with my left hand and the 15mm, even with hood, is just a little too teensy for me.
 
Not sure why you’d want a fast prime for landscape, especially if you already have the focus range covered.

If I could have only one focal length it would probably be 40mm, which is nicely covered by the 12-40 Pro which also has the benefit of having zero falloff so stitching is super easy (despite the auto correction you still get some vignetting on some lenses).
 
Primes tend to be sharper than zooms in general, even when stopped down, they're also a lot lighter to cart around
 
Donnie said:
so, the 12mm f2.0 is not as sharp as the 12-40 f2.8?
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Not from what I’ve seen, certainly not enough to be worth the extra if you own the 12-40.

If you need the extra stop then fine (for Astro?), I have a shelf full of primes and I only ever get the 17mm or PL25mm if it’s going to be dark and I need as fast a shutter speed as possible. I’ve even misplaced my 75mm 1.8, don’t know where and haven’t felt the need to find it...
 
I have the Panasonic 15mm f1.7 and 25mm f1.4, both sharp and produce a pleasing photo when the operator does his bit.
Also got an Olympus 45mm, will probably never use it, but it was cheap and might come in handy one day.

I'm thinking of getting either the Olympus 12mm or maybe push the boat out and get the Panasonic version
My daughter has the 65mm macro, that is also a very sharp lens and if you like that sort of thing excellent value.

My take on it is to get the best from the m4/3 sensor you need the fast, heavier and larger zooms or the smaller high quality primes.
Others are very acceptable, but it's a bit like Canon with the L lenses and the extra quality they bring.
 
Donnie said:
so, the 12mm f2.0 is not as sharp as the 12-40 f2.8?
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The IQ coming out of the Olympus 12-40 PRO and the 40-150 PRO is pretty impressive and quite often matches or sometimes even exceeds the IQ you get from the smaller and lighter Olympus f/1.8 - f/2.0 primes. Of course the primes are faster and also much more portable. For landscape I would stick with the PRO zooms you have given that they are also weather-sealed.

Haven't done a detailed comparison but I think the IQ of the 25 f/1.8 is slightly better than the 17 f/1.8. OTOH when I travel I bring the 17 f/1.8 because it's a more versatile focal length to my taste.

One thing I love about Olympus m4/3 is that most lenses seem to have been designed for maximum IQ, with even entry grade lenses yielding very good IQ.
 
Nawty said:
Not when compared to the pro zooms, I’ve owned all of them.

Edit: granted the primes are lighter.
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The 12-40 is a lens I would love I think. I would be very surprised if it was as sharp as the 15mm though, but I don't mind being wrong on that, because if I do stick with M43 that is the lens I will go for next
 
I would say that out of all the primes I’ve owned the Oly 17mm is the least impressive, not thaaat sharp (compared to the zooms and other primes) and seriously bad CA wide open, especially with trees against bright backgrounds.

On the other hand, optically it is good enough and the build is lovely, it’s the prime I use most. Shame it’s not weather resistant.
 
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if your mainly going to use it for landscape work then why go for MFT lens at all unless you really need that ultra wide angle , there are plenty of really good legacy prime lenses available at sub £100 , o.k with crop factor they will be a bit longer but the i.q is usually worth it .
 
Cagey75 said:
The 12-40 is a lens I would love I think. I would be very surprised if it was as sharp as the 15mm though, but I don't mind being wrong on that, because if I do stick with M43 that is the lens I will go for next
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The 12-40mm is very sharp, especially at f5.6-f8. I tend to reduce the sharpening level from the default in LR.
 
snerkler said:
The 12-40mm is very sharp, especially at f5.6-f8. I tend to reduce the sharpening level from the default in LR.
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I do this for the PL15 too - also much less use of the contrast slider, the images are already rich and contrasty upon import
 
Cagey75 said:
I do this for the PL15 too - also much less use of the contrast slider, the images are already rich and contrasty upon import
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Yeah I’ve heard the 15mm is very sharp. I doubt the 12-40mm is as sharp, but it won’t be far off, and it’s sharper or as sharp as other primes.
 
snerkler said:
Yeah I’ve heard the 15mm is very sharp. I doubt the 12-40mm is as sharp, but it won’t be far off, and it’s sharper or as sharp as other primes.
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The 12-40 is one of the most favored lenses for video shooters too, it has cracking AF for video even on the G80, should be better again on the higher up models
 
Cagey75 said:
The 12-40 is one of the most favored lenses for video shooters too, it has cracking AF for video even on the G80, should be better again on the higher up models
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Video, meh ;)
 
Cheers all, sorry for not coming back sooner, works taken it out of me this week!

I think I'll stick with what I have then for now though, perhaps its one of those itches that feels it needs to be scratched and I was convincing myself to try a prime. Mind you, now Ive pretty much eliminated that one there's always the 40-150 pro to consider :confused::confused:
 
You look like you’ve made your decision, but I can’t help but add my thoughts...

I own the 12-40 and also 17mm 1.8, 45mm 1.8 and 75mm 1.8. I find the 17 and 75 really sharp. I particularly love the 17mm as it is so light and small. I use it for family gatherings and as a general carry around when I don’t want the weight and there may be a photo opportunity - have used it for landscape in this scenario. It’s also great for gig photography - the 12-40 stays at home then.

I’ve never tried the 12mm and would like to one day.
 
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