Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G - initial thoughts

In my last post I hinted at the end that Santa had been very good to me in 2017. I've been wanting to complete my micro four thirds kit with the two missing pieces (for me) of the puzzle; a decent flashgun and a fast 50 prime lens. Mrs Clause has been listening (thanks honey), and now I finally have both - although the lens that is the subject of this post was actually a present to myself 😉

Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G next to the excellent Canon 50mm f1.8 STM.

In the last few months of 2017 I shot a wedding, several portraits for work and a food assignment - all with my Canon 40D and the 50mm f1.8 (exclusively for the portraits and food photography). I enjoyed using the 40D with 50mm - it's a great piece of kit. But, having said that, I only used it because I didn't have the equivalent set-up with my E-M1.

For the wedding, I didn't have a flash - or a fast portrait lens, so I went with the Canon 40D (and borrowed a friends flash). For the portraits and food, again, I was missing that fast prime/portrait lens. On the 40D, the 50mm f1.8 has an equivalent field of view of an 80mm medium telephoto lens, ideal for portraits. Although I do often think it's just a little too 'tight' for some of my uses at 80mm?

Panny 25mm f1.7 G on the OM-D E-M1. A very nice combo.

I've had a hankering for a fast 50mm to go with my Olympus for a while - as a general purpose prime and occasional portrait lens. At 25mm, the Panasonic is bang on the 50mm field of view for micro four thirds (25mm x2 = 50mm), and at f1.7 is almost as fast as it gets. Olympus have their own 25mm's - an f1.8 that is about $200NZ more expensive than the Panasonic, and an f1.2 that is stupid, crazy expensive because its - f1.2 (and part of their 'Pro' line). For my budget the only consideration would be the f1.8. Yeah, OK, the Oly f1.8 is probably 'better' made, with a little more metal to it, but is it going to be $200 better in image quality? I think not.

At $255.00NZ leading up to Christmas with a Panasonic promotion, I just couldn't say no. But then there was the small matter of actually paying for the lens (just a minor inconvenience). With the flashgun problem solved as a Christmas present (more about that in a later post), my OM-D E-M1 kit was almost complete. So I decided to bite the bullet, and sell my Canon 40D to get the required funds to purchase the Pannny 25mm lens. A week later, with the Canon sold, the deal was done and the Panasonic arrived between Christmas and New Year (overnight from Photo & Video in Merivale, Christchurch - thanks Greg).

Fits the E-M1 like a glove. Sleek, black and gorgeous!

With the E-M1 body, 3 batteries, Olympus 12-50mm EZ lens, Panasonic 45-200mm, Panasonic 25mm f1.7, Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN (more on that later as well), and Godox TT350'O' flashgun - I now have an Olympus mirrorless kit to take on any challenge.

Initial impressions on the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 G are positive. It's a very 'handsome' lens when attached to the E-M1, and the size and weight are perfect. It's a little thinner compared to the Canon 50mm f1.8 STM, but has about the same heft in the hand (both are plastic with metal lens barrels). It's quick and quiet in operation, and the focusing barrel (which makes up almost the entire body), is silky smooth. But looks alone don't make a lens -right!? To see how it would perform as a day-to-day walk-around lens, I took it with me on a family outing to Punakaiki - as my only lens!

Punakaiki Rocks. OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 25mm f1.7G lens. f4 @ 1/1000th. ISO 200

Many people swear by the 50mm 'standard' prime as an ideal walk-around everyday lens. I get a little nervous at the prospect of carrying a prime as my go-to kit, even though I know it's really only psychological. I've done my own tests before to see how much 'zooming with the feet' is required for a 50mm to cover the field of view of the 35 to 70mm zoom (see the post here). It was literally a case of 5 steps back, or two steps forward. And I have to say, I happily shot all afternoon with the Panny 25mm without once wishing I had another lens with me.

Pancake Rocks beach. OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G lens. f4 @ 1/2000th sec. ISO 200.

There is an old saying that you 'Cut your cloth accordingly'. That's what you have to do if you are using a 50mm prime lens - cut your cloth accordingly. No, it's not an ultra-wide, so don't go looking for ultra-wide images. And no, it's not a telephoto - so don't go looking for telephoto images either. It can be used for landscapes (see the images above), and it can give the impression of a short telephoto for portraiture if you get in reasonably close to the subject and use the f1.7 aperture to blur the background. But every lens has its uses, and its limitations - and I'd rather carry a 50mm field of view with me than just an ultra-wide or just a telephoto - both of which would be more limiting than the 50mm.

Limpets on the Rocks. OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 25mm f1.7 G lens. f4 @ 1/320th sec. ISO 200

One of the other great features of the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 is its close-focusing capabilities. At just 25cm for the closest focusing distance, you can achieve some shots approaching macro territory. And as with macro lenses, the closest you focus, the shallower the depth of field becomes - so make sure that the aperture is closed down enough for a decent depth of field. At f4 (f8 equivalent in terms of depth of field on a full frame sensor), the bottom Limpet that I focused on is sharp in the center, and starting to blur slightly along the outer edges. The Limpet itself is probably about 3cm in length - so that's not a lot of depth of field!

Initial impressions of the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G are very positive. I want to do some more shooting wide-open at f1.7 - to see what I think about its portrait capabilities. But I'm already very happy with my post-Christmas purchase.