Olympus 17mm vs 25mm vs 45mm - Which Prime Lens For You? 

Don't forget to check out a few recent videos I have made about other amazing Olympus lenses: M.Zuiko 12-100mm F4 PRO - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A7wPSN1x3kY.html M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO vs F1.8 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HAW-rR94gFc.html M.Zuiko 12mm F2 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Imzn_kS657Q.html M.Zuiko 12-200mm F3.5-6.3 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QumqmhJIrYc.html Kit lens 14-42mm EZ - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--m_8IwR4oFo.html

I have all three of these. I like them all. As you say each have their own purpose. I love their small size and I have enhanced carrying them by glueing to Olympus rear caps back to back so two lenses become a single unit for ease of portability and ease of changing lenses. My 17 and my 25 live together in the bag. My 45 and my 60 Macro are also joined together by the double rear caps.

The 45mm was my first m43 lens. Love it. I used it for a long time with the macro converter which makes it a far more versatile lens. I don't have the 17mm. I do have the Panasonic 25mm F1.7, I use that a lot, 25mm works in most situations.

I love the 45mm prime, it's a work of art!

I just got olympus 25mm 1.8 in yesterday and im already in love its so sharp and compact. I'm really thinking about getting the olympus 45mm 1.8 next for when I want to shoot portraits.

I have to say I agree, but my favorite would be the 17mm, but you knew that already😀 Good advice nevertheless.

Great video as always. I must be the luckiest one to own all of the lenses. 12mm, 17mm, 25mm, 45mm, and the 75mm. All are excellent and all have their use. My. Favourite is the 12mm for vlogging and the 75mm for portraits.

I am new to photography & I'm learning so much from Robin Wong. Thank you Robin!

I have 2 primes - 25mm & 42.5, the 25mm is my fav. Most of the great iconic photographs taken by legendary photographers from the 19th century to the 60s where taken with "normal" lens. It's so versatile, it give me the most "normal" results. Too wide or too tele draws attention away from the subject and to the lens. If I can't do it with these 2 lenses I'm not interested.

Robin, you have made another excellent video! Your honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each lens is very much appreciated. I'm grateful for your insights and look forward to continuing to learn from your experience. Un abrazo from Havana, Cuba!

3 small lenses that offer fantastic quality. Switching to Olympus was my best decision in photography ever.

I love my Olympus 25mm f/1.8 almost as much as I love your videos. Well done, Robin!

Best- and quickest answer is to this dilemma - ALL of them! Each of those has it's own purpose and advantages in different situations! I've got them all and most delighted with them in various situations! Please keep in mind, in case you have not started Photographing decades ago like I have, what the weight of equipment back in the day used to be! My 645 Pentax medium format - one lens weighted more than all Trinity described here so people, quit asking WRONG questions!

Thank you for the very practical explanation of the different uses of these lessons. I bought the 17mm when I bought my camera last winter, a real pandemic purchase to give me something more to do with my time . I can see how each lens suits a different subject. I am still having fun with my 17 mm

I have all three of these lenses and they are all fantastic. The 17mm is by far my favorite and is almost always the one on my PenF. After watching this video though I think I will put the 25mm on and give that a whirl.

Thank you Mister Wong, I'm French and have some troubles to understand no French videos about photography. And you are the only one I can understand and follow in English without inconfort. I own the 45mm, and wonder if I will buy the 25mm or the 17mm and you gave me a good answer. Many thanks and congratulation for all your videos.

Excelent video! I wish it had been available before I bought my prime lens. I bought the 17mm 1.8, and I don't regret buying it, because I like fitting many things in my pictures, instead of focusing on very specific objects. But I bought it not because of this, but because there was a good second hand offer on this lens. So I accidentally made the right choice for my style. This video highlights the goods and the bads of each lens, and what is each lens appropriate for. Very useful for those looking for their prime lens. Thanks!

Great vid Robin! Of course the answer depends on what you shoot, as you said at the end. I have the 17, 45, and 75 1.8, along with the Panasonic-Leica 25 1.4. For me, if i could only have one, it would be the 17 1.8. I could probably travel with just this lens, but I usually pack it and the Oly 12-40 2.8.

Own the 17mm and 45mm and love both. The 45mm is really sharp and i love it.

The first prime I bought was the 45mm but it wasn't long before I added the 25mm which sits 75% of the time on my camera. Have to agree about the working distance of the 45mm. Nearly fell off a mountain taking pictures of my family 😉. You didn't mention the 30mm macro though. I have one and find it really cool when visiting Gartens in the summer. It gives a nice perspective and I can zoom in for macro shots without having to change lenses.

I'm new to Olympus & the 45mm f1.8 was my first purchase (before camera!) as I wanted a lens for gig photography. So far, it seems a good choice for that purpose, as you now confirm. However, realistically, one other important factor in favour of this lens is how much cheaper the 45mm is. It's certainly massive value for money, especially on the used market (circa £100). Also, although not f1.8, I figured the basic zoom lenses are relatively brighter through the wider focal lengths anyway so I would see most benefit with a longer focal length prime. For my own style of shooting this has worked well for me so far.

I say you need to have all three if you use prime lenses. I sure do! I'm old and when I was coming up, zoom lenses were unsuitable and had low contrast. Then after you get all three, you get the 75mm f/1.8 and the 12mm f/2. The last part took me a few years. I don't think I have a desire for the f/1.2 versions of the trinity as long as I have to buy them myself!

I have the 17mm and the 45mm. I have never used the 25mm. Instead of the Olympus 17mm, I prefer the image quality of the 20mm f/1.8 Panasonic, I really like the 45mm f/1.8. It is a great head & shoulder portrait lens. The 14mm f/2.5 is the third lens in my 3-lens micro 4/3 prime kit (14/20/45). The 14mm is a great landscape lens.

Hello Robin thanks for your great video. I own all the three lenses and I’m saving money to buy the 12mm f2.0 The lens I most frequently use is the 17mm because I love street photography. Greetings from Sicily Marco

I owned the 17mm f1.8, and enjoyed it when doing street photography. I particularly liked the manual focus clutch with a depth of field scale, which allowed me to easily "zone focus" to get shots more quickly and covertly. I also had the 45mm f1.8 briefly as a portrait lens, and it worked fine. But then I got a great deal on a second hand 12-40 f2.8 Pro zoom, and it has been living on my camera ever since. I do 95% of my shooting with it. For what I do, I see very little difference between the f1.8 maximum aperture of the primes and my 2.8 zoom, but I know others may feel differently. And I love the build quality, weather sealing, and manual focus clutch of the Pro zoom. I eventually sold the two primes because I wasn't using them much. I do have two EM-1 bodies, and am thinking about getting one of the primes again to stay on the second body as a small, light, "grab and go" camera. Not sure whether it will be the 17mm again, or a 25mm. On the used market the 17mm seems to be about twice the price of the 25mm, although neither one is all that expensive. I'll shoot with the zoom for a bit and then look at which focal length I use more to decide.

I have all three of these prime lenses. Of course, each has its purpose but I was shooting in the 80's so the 25mm (50mm FF) is what I usually use. As usual Robin, great video!

This is really easy, I don't need to watch: All 3!!! ;-) On a more serious note: I have them all three, and I could not decide which one I would keep if I would be only allowed to have one of them. Most likely the 17mm, because it is such a nice and small lens. Combined with a good zoom lens (not the 14-42 kit lens, though) it could be a perfect set. A fine combination for nearly every kind of subject could be the 17mm F1.8, 30mm F3.5 Macro (instead of the 60mm macro) and the 45mm F1.8. And they are quite affordable. Put the 12mm F2 into the mix, and you are above the price of the 12-42mm F2.8 Pro - but with better low-light performance "at the ends" (and with the macro lens you can do subjects that are "out of reach" for the 12-42 Pro). But you have a valid case for the 25mm F1.8 - a good performer, even though a bit too high of a price!

I just bought my first prime lens 45mm, it came in a kit of 3 lens and because I use my telephoto lens a lot If I was to get another prime lens it would either be the 12mm or maybe the 75mm

Primes .. oh my, i have 7.5*, 17, 25*, 45, 50* (* manual) .. and the 12-40 that almost does it all. With 2 bodies I usually have one wide and one long prime on and then it depends on the mood, if I'll shoot at night i take my 25/0.95 , for an easy walking around the 17 and 45. The 50 is mostly for fun right now, it's kinda heavy and a pain to focus... also 25 works well enough for portraits. The 7.5 is small enough to always be there if needed.

I find Olympus 45 mm 1.8 lens to be my favourite from all my Olympus and Nikon lens lineup. For color rendering, sharpness, size/weight and price it is an absolute masterpiece in the world of lenses. What about 17 mm - strangely it did not impress me in terms of image quality, although I love this focal length. In my hands it gave images not distinguishable from the kit zoom.

Nice pix! What to do? Pen-f + lens= I grind on the choices! You should add the 75mm f1.8 to this mix! I am just now trying it (from LensRental) and love it! Compact, fast, isolates a subject brilliantly! Now my 45mm & 25mm are wides! Lol! All good lenses- I really love the Pen-f and lens options! Your message & photos resonate with me! Thanks! 😊

The 30mm f3.5 may be another consideration in that as a walk-about lens, you have a little more range than the 25mm, a low price of $225 or less, and macro on hand, should you find a flower to photograph while walking the street.... Just a thought. -Loren

Hi Robin, I Thanks for another great video! I agree with everything you shared about these 3 lenses. My first Olympus prime was the 25mm f1.8, and it is my favorite of these 3. I have found that the build quality and feel of the 17mm is significantly better than the 25mm and 45mm - which have a 'plasticky' feel to them. The 17mm feels like a 'pro' lens because of its alloy material and its manual focus 'clutch' ring. Also, I think that image quality varies among these 3 lenses. In my experience, the 45mm renders the sharpest images, followed closely behind by the 25mm. Maybe, perhaps I either acquired a 'faulty' 17mm f1.8, or that I became used to the sharpness of the 45 and 25, and thus expected similar sharpness out of the 17mm - (which I bought last) I found the 17mm to be the softest of the 3. The 17mm still renders superb, sharp images but it doesn't perform as good as its longer siblings. Am I wrong? (I know that you've worked with Olympus, and that you've worked extensively with these 3 lenses, so I'd appreciate hearing from you with regard to the 17mm f1.8 being the softest). Thanks!

I have the holy trinity, with the 25 mm F/1.7 Panasonic instead of the oly, it came "free" with the GX8 house. The 45 was the first add-on lens I bought when I came into the M43 mulitiverse, due to it being hyped as much as it was back then, to give a bit more reach over the kit 12-32 that came with the GX7, and the 17mm came a year later. The one I have used most is the 17mm, dont know why, but I am somewhat bored of the "nifty fifty", probably from running that quite a lot when I came into photography back in the film days, I then ran a 28mm which had just come into fashion then, 50mm and a 135, so the 17mm angle of view is somewhat fresh to me. I ran with that solo for 10 months or so and find it to be very, very nice to the tune of I am quite happily popping it on the GX8 with a fresh battery in and that what I need for a day of shooting a bit of this and that. For tasks, I must admit to preferring zooms, but the simplicity of a single camera/lens combo is rather nice and unobtrusive.

This video was exceptionally helpful for me. In one video you explained differences, how photos will look in real life situations. And also when possibly use each of them. Helped alot to decide where to go from here.

I have all of 3 and my favorite 25 mm . it's not too narrow not too wide , its just perfect.

The 45mm offers flattering compression for portraiture. Flattens extremities like a jutting chin, pointy nose or sunken eyes. Longer focal length can add visual interest to a panoramic frame by compressing foreground and background. Does anybody recall the first appearance of Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia? A desert action scene captured on film via a really long lens. A similar shot in the opening is Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter. Also a long lens. A thousand Harley riders or Antelope heading your way? Get out the long lens to fill the frame. 🙂

My most used lens is the first one I purchased s/h used the M.Zuiko 17mm f2.8 much maligned by many Olympus users though I’m not really sure why it’s a fabulous pancake lens that allows my camera body to fit in my pocket. And it was because of the image quality I went on to purchase 17mm 25mm 45mm 75mm all f1.8s along with the 30 & 60mm macros and I have now completed my primes with the 12mm f2.0. And all packed into a bag they weigh less then any of my other systems.

I don't have the 17mm but I have 15 and 20mm, and have the other two focal lengths (42.5 Panasonic 1.7 and 25 f1.4). Personally I'd rather have all the focal lengths you will use and pick the one you need when you need it, rather than trying to push one lens as a do it all lens. Just like a contractor has many tools and chooses the one that's right for the job.

will probably get a 45mm because i just bought the 12-40mm 2.8 to replace the kit lens. but also need another lens to put on the gh5 i just ordered

Either 17mm / 45mm duet or the 25mm / 75mm duet. I agree with the working distance when working with the 45mm / 75mm. In addition, balancing on non-OMD bodies is difficult.

if you`re using a (D)SLR a prime lense with a starting aperture 1.4 or 1.8 makes the viewfinder much brighter under bad light conditions no matter which aperture you use to shoot the photo in the end

David Thorpe calls the Olympus 17mm and 45mm the “Batman and Robin” of MFT lenses... not sure which one is “Robin”. 😉

I just received my EM5II. Loving it. But the menu has so many options not so use to it.

I've got only 25mm with my M10 M1 about 6 years. It's suitable for everything!

Distilled the differences among the lenses so choosing is easy. Thanks Robin. The more I watch your videos the greater my appreciation of your abilities as a communicator and photographer. Wishing you a happy healthy 2020.

I own all the lenses you compared along with a basket of other olympus lenses. When shooting primes I like the 17mm and 45mm combo for the interesting changes in perspective. I was concerned about using the 17mm to shoot people but used it with a flash at a crowded event in a small room with good results. Your video has motivated me to dust off the the 25mm and try it again especially for portraits.

Thank you for your work Mr. Wong. I have been pondering a few options with Olympus. Your example images, thorough explanations, and positive attitude have been most welcome. Cheers sir!

I like to shoot wide open @ 35mm equivalent and herein lies the problem. I noticed some softness in my 17mm shots, so I tested the 17mm, 25mm & 45mm with a lens sharpness chart & the 17mm is very soft @ f1.8 & 2.8. And even f4.0 is only good for social media. Whereas the 25mm & 35mm are usable from f1.8. So now my everyday lens is also the 25mm, with the 45mm & 12mm my very capable backups.

I've been shooting M4/3 since 2010 but never got around to getting the 45mm (still my only Oly prime) until last year. Wish I had taken the dip sooner. As you said, the 45mm is great for isolation and is so tiny and easy to carry around. I usually have an Oly 12-40mm or Pany 10-25mm on my camera and the 45mm is my +1 lens.

Great review of there great prime lenses. You had some great photos showing what these lenses can produce. I own all 3 of these lenses. The 17/1.8 and the 45/1.8 gets used more than the 25/1.8. I really should use the 25/1.8 more. Happy Holidays and wishing you a great 2020.

I love the 45mm. I bought it for my Inspire 2 a couple of years ago. I recently bought the M1X. I have to say it does look a little funny on that camera but works pretty good for video.

Hello. Great pedagogic video, thanks. Zooms are more useful, when ligth exists. If not a 1.8 or 1.7 is much better even than a 2.8 fix lengh. So it s a question of use. For travelling without too much weight i take a 12/60 2.8/4 or simply 17mm 1.8. If i m courageous i bring my 12/100 f4 OMD1 only, with great stabilization, but much heavier. Its very important to think about the use before leaving house - ) Thanks again

Hi Robin I watched this video a couple years ago when I had the 17mm. A year ago I bought the 25mm and just recently I bought the 45. My go to lens is the 25mm but I love the 45 for blurry back ground and every now and then the 17 comes out. Thanks for the videos and sample images.

It’s funny because on the canon generally encourages the 50mm which is an 80mm on APSC. Or an 85mm on a full frame. I actually prefer the 90mm focal range of the 45mm. It’s a little bit more dramatic and most people using MFT use it as a standard lens (switching from Canon)

I love the 17mm and the 25mm, and I have them both. The 17mm lens is extremely well made and the image quality is superb. I love it the most. But it is a harder lens to use, especially for beginners. You must take more care to the composition, because you have more things in background. Also the 25 it is a super sharp lens, and the focal range it's also beautiful, better for portraits, with a little more compressed background. I only use these two lenses on my M5 Mark II now, even for travel, when I carry around only the 17mm 1.8 most of the time.

similar thoughts, 25mm all day everyday anyday.

I started with the 17 as a wide and FAST companion to my travel lens (either P-Lumix 12-60 or Olympus 14-150). My logic was, if it was dim, I was probably indoors where I did not have much space. So the wider 17 made more sense to me than the normal 25. I have since gotten the 45, to duplicate the old 35mm film pair 35 + 105. I am now looking at the 25/1.8 or 20/1.4 for shooting gym sports (basketball and volleyball). The gym is dim, and I've given up trying to use a zoom.

Robin, with your videos we certainly get value, you put a lot of work into them. Hats off and a useful vid here, thank you.

Just stumbled on this video, so very late to this party, but the video is just exceptional, and thank you for making it. Straightforward, honest, and informative. I have all three lenses. I shot a 50mm FF= lens for many years in the film days, but if you asked me today, (now that I am using MFT) I would respond by telling you that I currently use the 17 and 45 most often. I rarely reach for the 25. If I want an intermediate lens between the two, it is more likely to be the Panasonic 20 (also a great lens). Don't get me wrong, both the Oly and Panny versions of the 25 are great lenses. But in the field, if I'm going to be using two primes, it's the 17 and 45; if only one, it's the 20. But certainly, each to his own.

I have learned so much from you, as I just received my first Olympus camera! You’re such an inspiration and I love seeing life through your eyes!

Good video , very educational. I learned something. Your Malaysian, I was also just in Penang for six days in October. Love Malaysia especially Borneo . Great for photography, no place better . I have a 45 mm Olympus lens that I use with my gf5 and Gx9 . Great lens . I recall going in a camera store in KL opposit the Central Hotel where we stayed . Tioman island we intended to stay three night but ended up spending fifteen . Stunning.

I have and love the 25mm. Thanks so much for this great review and saving me a few $$'s. If I go wide, I'll probably get the 12mm f2.0 instead of the 17mm for landscapes. The amazing 45 though is on my want list.

Hi Robin I bought the 45mm after watching a Rob Trek video and find it great for getting candid shots at family get togethers. Have you used any vintage lenses ? Although manual I have had some success with the old Olympus and Pentax primes. It’s usefull having image stabilisation in camera and focus peaking the omd e10 seems well suited to their use

I got 17mm for street photography and 45 and 75mm 1.8 for portraits

I have all 3 of these lenses, shooting on a PEN-F and EM10 mk2. While versatile, with the focus clutch and metal construction, the 17mm (I have found) renders the softest images of the 3 lenses. The 45mm is sharpest, followed by the 25mm. The 17mm is sharp enough for most users, I am certain but just not as sharp as its M. Zuiko siblings. I am wondering if I am the only one who has noticed the slight softness in image quality of the 17mm? Could it be that I've got a faulty copy of this great lens?

My choice exactly - 25 f1.8... also love my 60mm.

The neat things about primes is they force you to not be lazy. I have too many pictures where I forgot what zoom my 12-40 was on so the full body portraits looks fine but the background got warped. Have the 45pro, thinking of putting the 17 on the wish list for 2/3 to 1/1 portraits and groups.

I have all the prosumer primes and they are all competent lenses (12 and 17 slightly less then the 25 and 45 imo). What I'd like is to see are weather sealed version of these small primes since as street photography lenses you never know how the weather will be. The pro 1.2 are specized lenses that offer the most in portraits and low light but are too bulky and heavy on anything except the largest Olympus bodies. I'd also wish Olympus could release a 40mm equivalent like the Panasonic 20mm (which is painfully slow focusing), because that is my perfect focal.

I have all three lenses and I agree the 25mm is the one I use the most. On occasion I do need the 17mm but it's rare. I find I can step back a bit in most situations. Not all, but most. If I need a longer reach, I'm a big fan of the built in 2 x teleconverter. I know, it's not everyone's favourite but I find I do get good results. I rarely use the 45mm but it's in my bag just in case.

Thanks for posting this! I've been debating between the 25 & 45 for awhile. I'm a newbie and have been using the 17mm on my olympus pen-f but want to branch out now and do some more portrait shots. Definitely though, the 17mm has been my best friend on my travels.

I decided for 12/25/75 priumium and 45 PRO 4 stunning lenses

I decided to buy all three of them plus the 40-150

I have all three of them ☺️. And I will buy 60 mm too. It does make sense.

I Disagree about the dining table - I've shot great images at the dining table with 45 and 17 f1.8 Zuikos. One-person with the 45 - just right - it's a little gem! My 1.2 should arrive tomorrow ... I already upgraded to the 17 1.2 - it's beautiful :) With those two focal lengths you won't NEED a 25 and the 1.8s fit in a pocket easily :)

In my humble opinion, you should also give information af/mf clutch of Olympus 17mm f/1.8. Even though I always choose 25mm in terms of focal length, 17mm f/1.8 is the only one that own clutch mechanism among Olympus prime lenses you've mentioned. This mechanism facilitates usability of lens under some circumstances. This is the reason why I chose 17mm for me. What about you, dear Olympus users?

I would only change the 17mm for the 12mm f2.0. I prefer the versatility of having and all purpose kit with these 3 lenses. I personally own the 25mm (my most used lens) and the 45. The 12mm is almost 3x the price (used) of the other two in my country, though.

I kinda like photos from the lens you already let go of.

While I completely agree with the 25mm being the best single choice, I personally would nevet limit myself to only one lens. I always prefer at least 2 lenses. And the Olympus 45mm f1.8 would be my star performer. I bought that lens in 2016 and nevet regretted it. Olympus lenses have great color as well.

Im lucky to owned all three lenses in my journey of MFT photography. However, as my photography hobby grow deep i eventually ditched all of them in favor of high tier gears of equivalennce , like the 16mm F1.4, 25mm F1.4 and 45mm F.2.8 Marco. They are still decent cheap and easy to carry around, except the sigma 16mm.

I use the 17mm & 45mm combo. Like you I will shoot small concerts with the 45mm. I have the Lumix 25mm and you get what you paid for. It's a fantastic plastic for $147 but it is garbage when it comes to C-AF in comparison to using Olympus lenses on Olympus bodies. I barely us the 25mm because of my combo I shoot with now but like you, if I could only pick one, it would be the 25mm. On a side note, I'm actually impressed with the 60mm lens for non-macro shots and I might see what happens when I use it in live music with the limiter set to the 0.4m-infinity. 12-40mm is good enough for me instead of buying the 12mm prime. My next lens will be the 40-150mm Pro and the shallow depth of field is good enough at 75mm.

Hi Robin, just purchased the 45mm. It is Magic. Reminds me of the crisp images i got on the classic analogue mjuII olympus...

I wish I have all of them.... the reality is dinamic and so must be ours kits of lenses... nice video. tks...

I bought the 45mm because I intended to take more portraits, however that's not been the case much. If I go to a music event in low light though it's my choice. I dont have the other two primes, but after your information the 25 is looking appealing 😊 Do you have anything on the 60mm macro by chance as I'd like to be using it better. Thanks for all your great information and presentation 👍🏻

Great video. I'm new to photography but the images and explanation gave me a good idea what was going on with these lenses.

These 3 or sigma's 3 1.4F lenses 16mm, 30mm, and 56mm good to have

Now I have all of them and everyone is a good lens for itself. I use the 17mm most of the time, the 45mm is a bit special. And the 25mm is very new to me, so I have to discover it some more. My suggestion to Olympus would be to update these three lenses for some features. First to implement in all lenses the manual focus ring like in the 17mm and improve a little bit of sharpness at the 17mm lens. Second enable focus peaking automatically when pushing to MF.

I got a good copy of a zuiko 17mm. It can get up close and resolve a nice amount of detail. Unfortunately it wasn't weather sealed. My EM5 mki body survived flooding but the lens didn't.

Don't forget the 12mm f2. And also using the 60mm macro as a short telephoto.

Happy New Year Robin, may 2020 be a wonderful year for you in your personal and professional life. When I first became serious about photography way back in 1975, I bought an Olympus OM1 and it came with a 50mm f 1.4 lens. After the Digital era I stuck with Olympus and bought the E-520. Later when the mirrorless era was upon us I got the E-PL1 and the kit lens. When I needed a prime lens naturally I got the 25mm f 1 8, since then I added the 45mm f.1.8 and the 17 mm f 1.8. When the OMD series were introduced I bought the OMD EM-5 and then the Mark 2. Later I got the Pen F which is my favourite camera at the moment,(On the 30th of December I bought the E-M 5 Mark III with the kit lens 14-150mm as a new year present to myself, but I have yet to use them) I found myself using the 17mm more and more for street photography as I tend to shoot in old cities with narrow streets and sometimes there is not enough space to step back when I want to shoot an interesting subject. I tend to use the 45mm for portraits indoors or outdoors and alas the 25mm is staying in my bag. Thank you for your illuminating video now you have inspired me to go back to the 25mm 1.8 in together with my new Mark III. I learn a lot from you and always look forward to your latest videos 😊

An interesting and informative video, Robin. I have all three primes (as well as the 60mm f2.8 macro and my wife bought me the 75mm f1.8 as a Christmas present). Of the three you reviewed in this video, my go to lens is the 17mm - I simply find it the most versatile of the three. Sometimes when I go out for a photowalk (as I do at least once every day and always with my two mini schnauzers), I take my Pen-F and one prime. I find it forces me to work harder in my search for a subject and keeps the walk interesting.

Olympus 25 1.2 pro is my favorite most.

This is lovely. Thank you for your teaching about focal length and what these lenses are for. Oh yes, i am looking at Sigma 56mm mft for my GH5ii.

The 12 mm f/2 and the 45 mmf/1.8!!!!!

Thank you for doing all these reviews.. I have an EM-1 mark 1. I carry over a couple MFT from Lumix system: 20mm, 12mm. I have the Olympus 75mm and 12-40mm pro. Now just need a proper 1:1 lens. Thinking maybe 25mm.

Hi Robin, If you had to carry just one fast prime for indoor use to photograph, lets say; people in restaurants, or churches, or indoor weddings, or parties, etc., what focal length would you pick?

Well said, all good but I love the 25mm

Great video and some nice images. A difficult choice for photographers looking for one lens, I'd buy all three because they're inexpensive, small and nicely made.

if i can have only one of these lens it's definitely 17mm 1.8. Great walk around lens. Great review and very informative thanks!

I wish they made more in metal with MF clutch like the 17mm. A pity that even the very nice 75mm does not have the clutch.😞