New Micro 4/3 lens suggestion

[Soumik]

Hi All,

I have a Olympus Pen Mini (EPM 1), and i also have 2 lens' for it. The 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens and the 40-150mm f4-5.6.
I want to get a prime lens which will give me better color, better bouquet, and should be considerably faster than my kit lenses. In my camera, ISO more than 800 isnt something i want to use often.

I would prefer a pan cake lens, but its not a mandate, cause i probably not be putting the camera in my pocket anyways.
Budget would be a little restricted.. as in i cant go more then 20K INR(400 USD).
Options i was wondering about :

Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN
Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8

Other option is getting an adapter and adding dslr lenses to the cam, which are cheaper than micro 4/3 lenses, but will be loosing auto option while shooting.

Need some help in deciding which one to buy. Thanks in advance.

 

[sujoyp]

I really recommend you to put this question at jjmehta.com/forum ...there people r knowledgable about 4/3s.....later u can help us here

 

[nac]

Why so pricey?

 

[sujoyp]

nac ...is it pricy...actually i dont have any idea abt the effect of 4/3 on focal length ,aperture value etc...i cant comment much

but i just know that 4/3 can put any lens in universe with a adapter...which is superb

 

[nac]

but i just know that 4/3 can put any lens in universe with a adapter...which is superb

That's a nice advantage. But I am just asking out of curiosity to know...

What's the advantage (major) of having CSC against entry level DSLR?
With three lens combo, both are priced almost close.

Don't say compact, slimmer, lighter and all...

But yes, lens compatibility is a wonderful thing.

 

[sujoyp]

Don't say compact, slimmer, lighter and all...

bro these r some major advantages...cant neglect them....most dslr owners r shifting to m4/3 just for this reason...

other advantages are...
u can carry it to anywhere where dslr cant enter coz of looks...m4/3 r small and look like point and shoot
also if u r anyway able to focus manually its a nicest thing coz there r soo many minolta and pentax lenses all around which r cheap...even u have canon fd lenses and nikon ais lenses..
pankake lense will make it small and pocketable

 

[Soumik]

Rightly said sujayp..
And as far as picture quality goes, i have seen many pro m 4/3 pictures.. as well as review pictures... which are not distinguishable from a dslr picture. The thing missing would be the optical view finder. But many mirrorless cams now are having the evf which should surfice for most users.

As you suggested, i have posted the question in jjmehta forums just now. Hope to get some replies soon .

 

[sujoyp]

there r many users of m4/3rd and u will definitely get help...but dont migrate there...we need ur help here for m4/3 rd sugestions

 

[Soumik]

Offcourse..
BTW.. my cam has a crop factor of 2, so in 35mm equivalents, its basically the double of what the m4/3 lens specification is.
For my present options, its 38, 60 and 90mm respectively.
For an all time on prime lens, which focal length would you suggest is a best fit? I see my room mate having a 35mm prime all the time on his D90. While another friend suggested to keep a higher focal length prime for an all purpose lens.

 

[nac]

So the design and lens compatibility are the major things...

And there are manufacturers who makes CSC with APS C sensor, so it should be as good as DSLR (of course not FF).

 

[sujoyp]

Soumik I think for portrait and general purpose u should go for around 20-30mm and max 35mm considering 2x factor

I donno whats the use of long prime...its neither wide nor long...a 150mm prime will be nice for birding

 

[nac]

If not 50mm, check these...

AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D
AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D
EF24mm f/2.8
EF28mm f/2.8

Both the 28mm comes under your budget but 24mm are slightly higher. And check these two lenses. I don't know whether it's compatible or not with your mini...

Sony SEL 16mm f/2.8 DSLR Lens + ZoomIn Gifts worth Rs.5000 | eBay

Sony DT 30mm f/2.8 Macro Lens | Lens | Flipkart.com

 

[Soumik]

thanks for your suggestion nac.
Those look very decent lenses for the price...
I was hoping for a micro 4/3 lens so that i dont loose the auto option, but seeing those options, i am debating again.
From the Jjmehta forums, i have almost decided on the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 aspheric lens, which is a pancake.. so all the more better. The downside is its 359usd minimum price tag. For a slightly higher budget i can get the Olympus 45mm f1.8, which is rated very high, or the sigma 30mm lens for half the price, and save for some better lens later. :S

 

[sujoyp]

yesterday i was looking for adapters and found that for m4/3 there r lots of cheap adapters available in ebay.in..

u can buy a pentax 300 f4 for 9k and use it as a 600mm lens...wow isnt that great


BTW when u get the pancake lens put a picture of your setup...i wanna see how small it looks

 

[HTBR]

The Olympus 45mm 1.8 is a fantastic lens The Sigma 30mm is also good.

Review: Olympus 45mm f1.8 MSC

 

[Soumik]

Thanks for the suggestions sujayp and HTBR.
I think i will be going for the Panasonic 20mm pancake lens. its inferior to the Olympus 45mm, being only slightly cheaper, but it has the advantage of being a pancake lens. It should make the camera actually 'pocketable', as per some reviews.
Also i saw some samples of the Pana 20mm lens in the J J Mehta forums, and they were seriously good. Though they must be post processed later, but clarity and sharpness are pretty nice.
I am not planning for an adapter and classic lens combo yet cause of the bulk.. But will consider in future
There is still about 10% of my mind which says go for the Oly 45mm lens.. but rest 90% is saying go get the pancake!! I will buy it this week in all probability, so any last minute suggestions?
I heard there are still some issues with the sigma lens. Me being a rough user, those build issues are causing a little concern to me. Though quality wise, they are damn good and comparatively very cheap alternatives. :S

In case anyone's interested, this is the thread in JJ Mehta forums which i opened for this topic, where i saw those samples of Panasonic 20mm.J J Mehta Forum discussion

For Sujoyp - *www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/10/10/no-excuses-olympus-e-pm1-review-by-amy-medina/
This is a nice review of EPM1 with both the lens options tested. Its getting me more confused. It has a pic of the cam with the lens attached. Cna chk out the size there. I will offcourse post a pic after getting a new lens too.

 

[sujoyp]

I would have taken 20mm for being pancake and pocketable...and it will be 40mm on the cam which will be nice for portraits too

ummm after looking at 20mm on epm1 it doesnt look too pocketable....u have to decide this on ur own...i have never seen the cam soo cant say abt the size

 

[Soumik]

*www.mu-43.com/f38/olympus-45mm-f-1-8-panasonic-20mm-f-1-7-panasonic-14mm-f-2-5-e-pm1-23931/
- Another discussion on similar decision. I think the answer is Panasonic 20mm.

The size is not bad actually. it wont go inside a jeans pockets in anyways.. but will be easily going in a cargo or formal pocket. Or even a jacket pocket unnoticably for that matter. I havent seen the lens physically, but by comparision to the kit lens, i feel the difference should be very welcome.

 

[sujoyp]

yaah huge size difference is there...but for me its more of 40mm focal length...its really useful

 

[Soumik]

Okay... then its fixed. I'll get the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens.
Depending on the weekend plans, i'll get it either this week... or the week after. Awaiting reply from J J Mehta forums for best deal on the lens .