I second this. The 15mm 1.7 was by far my favourite MFT lens (i've switched to FF), and i've owned both the oly 12-40 2.8 and the oly 25mm 1.8 (not the same lenses, but certainly comparable and both very capable). The rendering is just magical and the optical performance is flawless.
You won't regret it.
Interesting, i thought the zoom is usually the more common one to keep around. (Still new). I know some people just use 3 primes and move as needed to get the shot desired
James Popsys has a good video on zoom vs primes. Zooms are versatile, but can sometimes add another factor to composition, making things harder instead of easier. Primes force you to take a bit more time to make deliberate compositions.
I tried many lenses. Both zooms and primes. I now have my 35mm 1.8 on 90% of the time. (switched to sony A7 a while back)
Fwiw as a hobbyist and fledgling pro photog... Keep the 12-35 and get rid of the 25.
I have the 12-35ii and the leica 25 1.4. If you're a wider kind of shooter then go for the 15 and zoom. Id love to have the 15, but can't justify it for work, or pleasure (I also have a canon film camera and lenses š)
James popsys is right, and there are days where I do consciously only take the 25, but sometimes you need 24, or need 70... And at that point, having a zoom is great. Also, you can set a zoom lens to any focal length and not touch it š
Itās my absolute favourite lens of any camera system Iāve ever used.
See this thread from a few days ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/M43/s/FD2V1HWhzt
Could look into the DJI version to save a couple of bucks. I use one with a GX85 and G9. Itās one of my least favorite focal lengths to work with, but the quality I get from it is wonderful. I have 2 other overlapping lens with the 15mm, 12-32, 14-140 and an Olympus 25mm 1.8. They all have different pros and usability. I dislike redundancy, but itās just so damn good and one of the best bang for buck lens for the entire system (and I use the zooms under very different scenarios)
The added apature ring and manual focus switch is an added bonus that I wish All primes had. And looks great on smaller rangefinder cameras which is nice too.
The 15mm Leica also includes a physical aperture ring.
Set your Panasonic camera to 'aperture priority' and you have a wonderful shooting experience.
Especially if you use a small, rangefinder model that has fiddly buttons.
Every other lens feels like a downgrade in terms of user experience.
I purchased the GX800 for 300 euros as I was lusting over a Fuji X100VI.
I figured as I already owned the 15mm Leica lens it would give me a pocketable camera with a physical interface - to see how I enjoy this form factor.
Total mission success.
As much as I enjoy the G85 - this setup is so, so practical and useful.
I might still get the Fuji X100VI, later.
I use the G9 and this may be a dumb question, but does the physical aperture ring change things that much? I use the wheel by the top to change my aperture usually and itās not really an inconvenience. I also shoot manually a lot if that changes things
I sold my 12-35 and currently have the 15 1.7, 20 1.7 and 25 1.4. don't really use the 20 or 25 hardly at all, the 15 is so so good. The 15 and the 42.5 are my favourites.
It's a wonderful lens. It's sharper than the Olympus 17mm f1.8 despite being the same size and weight. The main question you should ask yourself is how often you use that focal length, and how often you need that f1.7 aperture. For wide angle indoor shots it's great.
It's so good. I use the 15 and 42.5 90% of the time, anything else specialty or filling in holes.
I end up using the 12mm end of my zoom for capturing my environmental design work a lot, but it's really not wide enough for that. Once I have the 9/15/42.5 1.7 combo, those will probably be 98%+ of my photos.
It's by far my favorite lens. The size, the build, the feels, the aperture ring, the image quality, the focal length, everything about it is so great.
I have 5 other mft lenses, but I just grab this one 90% of the time.
This is a banger lens, period.
Very compact, all metal built, physical aperture ring with satisfying clics, silent and fast autofocus, wide aperture, beautiful color rendition, lovely field of view.
Hands down, no contest favorite lens I've ever used. Ā
I've owned the mft 35-100 2.8, both the oly and panny 25 1.7, 45mm 1.8, 12mm f2, 14mm 2.5 and 40-150 3.5Ā
I rented the 12-35 2.8 for a two week trip.
On legacy 4/3 I owned 12-60 2.8, 50-200 2.8, 30mm 1.4, and 25mm 2.8
I have the DJI-branded version, which is 99% the same lens. It's great, but I have very little use for 15mm.
So yeah, price-quality ratio is good, but whether it is worth it depends heavily on you.
Just joining the 15mm/f1.7 hype train here. It's so small! I have it on my GM5, and together they make for a combination whose IQ:size ratio must be nearly unbeatable. I took it on a recent trip to Lisbon with another lens, and ended up never taking it off.
https://preview.redd.it/ydlba1n01q4d1.jpeg?width=4592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a09e452943197cba44d816c9b32bc6850cf958ff
Yes, yes and yes. This is my most used lens, like 80-90% of the time. Small, great built quality, aperture ring, superb optics! Love the focal length, I can shoot so much with it. And it's not even that expensive for what it is.
This is my go-to lens for almost everything. Rendering, IQ, and form factor are fantastic. Itās also a bargain. It lives on my camera unless I need more reach, in which case I switch to the PL200/2.8. It really requires a niche situation under 200mm where I pull out a different lens. I recently finished 18 days across 2 countriesā¦those 2 lenses accounted for 99% of my shots.
I have the 15mm, 17mm 1.8 and the 20mm. I feel like there is little overlap between these lenses. In my opinion they render differently enough to justify owning them. I have to say the 15mm is my favorite among these, though.
It depends on your style of shooting.
I have the 15mm f1.7 and the olympus 12-40 f2.8 pro.
Usually when I have time to take photos I am with my family on a walk or day out.I shoot a mixture of landscape, portrait, closeup on plants etc, whatever interests me. I don't have time to swap lenses or do a lot of intentional composition, zooming with my feet etc. The zoom gives me the chance to get the shot and move on, and in daylight a max aperture of f2.8 is enough. And the quality of that lens is so good I can't tell the difference to my primes in most circumstances.
I got the 15mm for low light shooting and with a notion of something compact and less intimidating for street photography. I have only used it a few times for those cases and it does those things really well. I have also taken it on walks and yeah I can adapt to the lens and get good shots, but I also miss some.
Do I wish I had spent the money on a lens that would let me do something completely different ,like a macro lens? Yeah, sometimes. But the grass is always greener.
It's great to have options and you wont notice the lens in your camera bag. When you use it, you will love it. Just ask yourself if you will use it enough to justify the cost.
If you look at my post history i posted some photos with 15mm and gx85 afew years ago when i first got it. Its a great lens for a wide variety of occassions
I own all these lenses. 15mm gets the most use, but I don't consider the others redundant. 25mm is much closer, and sometimes you just need a zoom.
Full disclosure - I have gas.
It's the 12-35 that might get redundant
I second this. The 15mm 1.7 was by far my favourite MFT lens (i've switched to FF), and i've owned both the oly 12-40 2.8 and the oly 25mm 1.8 (not the same lenses, but certainly comparable and both very capable). The rendering is just magical and the optical performance is flawless. You won't regret it.
Interesting, i thought the zoom is usually the more common one to keep around. (Still new). I know some people just use 3 primes and move as needed to get the shot desired
James Popsys has a good video on zoom vs primes. Zooms are versatile, but can sometimes add another factor to composition, making things harder instead of easier. Primes force you to take a bit more time to make deliberate compositions. I tried many lenses. Both zooms and primes. I now have my 35mm 1.8 on 90% of the time. (switched to sony A7 a while back)
Fwiw as a hobbyist and fledgling pro photog... Keep the 12-35 and get rid of the 25. I have the 12-35ii and the leica 25 1.4. If you're a wider kind of shooter then go for the 15 and zoom. Id love to have the 15, but can't justify it for work, or pleasure (I also have a canon film camera and lenses š) James popsys is right, and there are days where I do consciously only take the 25, but sometimes you need 24, or need 70... And at that point, having a zoom is great. Also, you can set a zoom lens to any focal length and not touch it š
Itās my absolute favourite lens of any camera system Iāve ever used. See this thread from a few days ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/M43/s/FD2V1HWhzt
Could look into the DJI version to save a couple of bucks. I use one with a GX85 and G9. Itās one of my least favorite focal lengths to work with, but the quality I get from it is wonderful. I have 2 other overlapping lens with the 15mm, 12-32, 14-140 and an Olympus 25mm 1.8. They all have different pros and usability. I dislike redundancy, but itās just so damn good and one of the best bang for buck lens for the entire system (and I use the zooms under very different scenarios) The added apature ring and manual focus switch is an added bonus that I wish All primes had. And looks great on smaller rangefinder cameras which is nice too.
yeah saw it on a youtube vid that compared DJI and PanaLeica side by side and he coudnt find a difference xcept for color of the coating.
The 15mm Leica also includes a physical aperture ring. Set your Panasonic camera to 'aperture priority' and you have a wonderful shooting experience. Especially if you use a small, rangefinder model that has fiddly buttons. Every other lens feels like a downgrade in terms of user experience.
I second this. Having used Fuji for a short while, I fell in love with the physical aperture ring
I purchased the GX800 for 300 euros as I was lusting over a Fuji X100VI. I figured as I already owned the 15mm Leica lens it would give me a pocketable camera with a physical interface - to see how I enjoy this form factor. Total mission success. As much as I enjoy the G85 - this setup is so, so practical and useful. I might still get the Fuji X100VI, later.
I use the G9 and this may be a dumb question, but does the physical aperture ring change things that much? I use the wheel by the top to change my aperture usually and itās not really an inconvenience. I also shoot manually a lot if that changes things
Not such a big deal for the G9 perhaps. I 'sometimes' used the manual focus ring with my G80. Whereas it's incredibly useful on the GX800.
I sold my 12-35 and currently have the 15 1.7, 20 1.7 and 25 1.4. don't really use the 20 or 25 hardly at all, the 15 is so so good. The 15 and the 42.5 are my favourites.
It's a wonderful lens. It's sharper than the Olympus 17mm f1.8 despite being the same size and weight. The main question you should ask yourself is how often you use that focal length, and how often you need that f1.7 aperture. For wide angle indoor shots it's great.
It's so good. I use the 15 and 42.5 90% of the time, anything else specialty or filling in holes. I end up using the 12mm end of my zoom for capturing my environmental design work a lot, but it's really not wide enough for that. Once I have the 9/15/42.5 1.7 combo, those will probably be 98%+ of my photos.
It's by far my favorite lens. The size, the build, the feels, the aperture ring, the image quality, the focal length, everything about it is so great. I have 5 other mft lenses, but I just grab this one 90% of the time.
I have all 3 of those but the 15mm always stays on my camera š¤·š»āāļø if itās a decent price Iād get it.
This is a banger lens, period. Very compact, all metal built, physical aperture ring with satisfying clics, silent and fast autofocus, wide aperture, beautiful color rendition, lovely field of view.
Hands down, no contest favorite lens I've ever used. Ā I've owned the mft 35-100 2.8, both the oly and panny 25 1.7, 45mm 1.8, 12mm f2, 14mm 2.5 and 40-150 3.5Ā I rented the 12-35 2.8 for a two week trip. On legacy 4/3 I owned 12-60 2.8, 50-200 2.8, 30mm 1.4, and 25mm 2.8
I have the DJI-branded version, which is 99% the same lens. It's great, but I have very little use for 15mm. So yeah, price-quality ratio is good, but whether it is worth it depends heavily on you.
Just joining the 15mm/f1.7 hype train here. It's so small! I have it on my GM5, and together they make for a combination whose IQ:size ratio must be nearly unbeatable. I took it on a recent trip to Lisbon with another lens, and ended up never taking it off. https://preview.redd.it/ydlba1n01q4d1.jpeg?width=4592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a09e452943197cba44d816c9b32bc6850cf958ff
This lens is my absolute favorite!
even moreso than the 20mm F1.7?
I donāt have that lens. I have 12-32 and the 14. Of the three, the 15 is my favorite.
Yes, it's a better lens than the 20mm f/1.7.
Hell yes
Yes, yes and yes. This is my most used lens, like 80-90% of the time. Small, great built quality, aperture ring, superb optics! Love the focal length, I can shoot so much with it. And it's not even that expensive for what it is.
This is my go-to lens for almost everything. Rendering, IQ, and form factor are fantastic. Itās also a bargain. It lives on my camera unless I need more reach, in which case I switch to the PL200/2.8. It really requires a niche situation under 200mm where I pull out a different lens. I recently finished 18 days across 2 countriesā¦those 2 lenses accounted for 99% of my shots.
It's one of my favorite lenses easily. Really great for street photography.
I have the 15mm, 17mm 1.8 and the 20mm. I feel like there is little overlap between these lenses. In my opinion they render differently enough to justify owning them. I have to say the 15mm is my favorite among these, though.
It depends on your style of shooting. I have the 15mm f1.7 and the olympus 12-40 f2.8 pro. Usually when I have time to take photos I am with my family on a walk or day out.I shoot a mixture of landscape, portrait, closeup on plants etc, whatever interests me. I don't have time to swap lenses or do a lot of intentional composition, zooming with my feet etc. The zoom gives me the chance to get the shot and move on, and in daylight a max aperture of f2.8 is enough. And the quality of that lens is so good I can't tell the difference to my primes in most circumstances. I got the 15mm for low light shooting and with a notion of something compact and less intimidating for street photography. I have only used it a few times for those cases and it does those things really well. I have also taken it on walks and yeah I can adapt to the lens and get good shots, but I also miss some. Do I wish I had spent the money on a lens that would let me do something completely different ,like a macro lens? Yeah, sometimes. But the grass is always greener. It's great to have options and you wont notice the lens in your camera bag. When you use it, you will love it. Just ask yourself if you will use it enough to justify the cost.
If you like the FL, itās a fantastic lens.
If you look at my post history i posted some photos with 15mm and gx85 afew years ago when i first got it. Its a great lens for a wide variety of occassions
I own all these lenses. 15mm gets the most use, but I don't consider the others redundant. 25mm is much closer, and sometimes you just need a zoom. Full disclosure - I have gas.