| Reviews : Olympus 25mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras |
Olympus 25mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras Product By Olympus Available From 6 Sellers |
Technical Details
- 25mm f/2.8 pancake lens
- 0.9 inches thick
- 50mm equivalent angle of view
- Ultra-compact design
- Compatible with the Olympus E420 digital SLR
Product Description
The world's smallest DSLR deserves a similarly compact lens, and Olympus has it: the ultra compact Zuiko 25mm f2.8 digital specific lens. This 0.9 inch-thick lens offers a fixed 50mm equivalent angle of view. Together with the E-420, the Zuiko 25mm f2.8 lens will offer the ultimate combination of ease of use and portability.Similar Products
Customer Reviews
By Josel (San Diego, CA)
Very soft at wide open, sharpens very slightly when stopped down.
I'm not a fan of "electronic" manual focus. I discovered that the focus ring actually turns endlessly, of course not that much if you have achieved focus, but it does go on in circles without ever stopping. That makes manual focusing too artificial to feel.
Great walk around though, light and small although not as "pancaky" as the Pentax DA 40mm f2.8.
By B. Wilcox (Ohio)
The only two lenses I owned before this were the 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 kit and the 40-150 f/3.5-4.5 (which is a real diamond in the rough), and I mainly stuck to sports shooting. I got a bonus from work and a couple friends had been pressuring me pretty hard to finally get a prime lens. For under $250, I had to wonder just how good this little guy really could be.
Short answer: Very good.
Long answer: Nobody is kidding when they talk about how small this is. Even with both caps on it's no bigger than a hockey puck. Attached to my E-410, it will fit in a jacket problem and even some pants pockets! I didn't pay a lot of attention to aperture since sports shooting s more on shutter speed, and wondered what the difference was between shooting f/3.5 and f/2.8 and it is a striking difference. Some have mentioned issues with chromatic aberration but I haven't noticed that problem. The AF is quick and doesn't make a ton of noise, although it can hunt a little in lower light, but not so much that I've really noticed. Keep in mind that Olympus bodies have a 2x crop factor so this is a 50mm equivalent.
Yes the metal (nice touch!) lens cap screws on, but it's pretty easy to get used to and if you have to deal with that in order to get this small of a lens, I'm happy with that trade. The cap is VERY thin though (like a coin), so make sure you keep it in a pocket. Fits perfectly in that small pocket of your jeans!
For the price, it's a phenomenal way to get into prime shooting. I'm thinking more about the composition of my shots before I fire the shutter, and that in and of itself is already helping me shoot better. This isn't the best prime lens on the planet, but you'd be very hard-pressed to find anything better for the price, and the size makes it a fantastic walk-around.
By Vichiousfishes
You do need this lens. If you got an E-something-'er-ether and are thinking you want to try out a small, prime, faster lens and you are on the fence about it; let me knock you off.
It is "that much faster". In a room at 9am with 2 big windows, F2.8 it shoots at 320. This is a feat the kit F4 would have to struggle with at 25. In the sun, 11am, f2.8 I found it to shoot at 3200-4000 until with good white brick reflections it was overexposed and I had to pull it down to f16 (at which point it still shot in the 200 range. The sharpness is suburb throughout.
If you have had difficulties with the kit lens's manual focus you will be impressed with this. The focusing is smooth and firm and the subject can be pulled into frame in split seconds. The action feels comfortable and natural with the left thumb as you clamp the top with the remaining fingers.
It has a metal gasket that makes a tight fit. I'm not planing on putting mine to the test on purpose soon, but I would imagine it could stand up to some good wind blown dust and sprinkler mist that plagues us so. It seams to be built of a metal shell with plastic or resin coverings and the feel of it in your hands is like a little stone to skim across the pond.
The kit lenses have a small skip at times when powering down, that of which I have not experienced at all with this.
But it's not all great. The cap has been demeaned with all sorts of profanities and I completely know why. I managed to drop it twice on the first run! You may imagine it's raised but it is actually recessed with the exception of a small serrated ring. You have to push down and spin, there is nothing to pinch or pull.
I can guarantee you will be happy with it. You will also be sure to find me with this lens on 95% of the time from now on. The kit lenses are only coming out for wide or tight occasions. I have found myself frustrated with the fact there are so few options in the 4/3 mount but I am no longer. Zuiko has proven themselves to me with this low end standard, I can only dare imagine what the high end (and the 45 years I'll have to work to pay them off) will hold.
By J. Keeling
If I could only have one lens for my Olympus DSLR, it would be this 25mm (50mm equiv) lens. I like the versatility and perspective of a normal lens, a carryover from my many years shooting film. I use this lens most of the time and zoom lenses only when necessary. This lens is very small and almost weightless; a pleasure to use inside with flash or outside. Low light shooting situations where you are not allowed to or don't want to use a flash are a challenge for any DSLR system. This is where all that experience you have pays off. In the right hands, this little lens will perform well in very little light.
By Stujoe (Illinois, USA)
I bought this lens a few weeks ago and it is a fun little lens. It makes sense if you want a really small lens for the smaller Oly bodies. I use it on my 620. The lens really is itty bitty.
Is it a phenomenal cosmic performer? Look at the size. It's a pancake! So, no, it is not. I do find it quite sharp, though, and haven't seen a lot of CA nor flare. I may not take a lot of shots that would induce those, though. I have noticed some distortion.
The point of a lens like this, though, is 'small as possible' and being a 'normal' lens, it has a lot of uses. And, it is fairly close focusing too. Decently fast and not very expensive. And small. And lite. And did I mention small?
If you want to turn your small Oly into something even smaller and with a useful, albeit fixed, focal length, this is a good lens. But don't expect Super High Grade lens performance when you are not paying Super High Grade lens price or feeling Super High Grade lens size and weight.
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