Going for OMD,need ur glass choices.....

[danielsterno]

All- new here, now that I have decided for the OMD over the Fuji xpro1 & x100, phew-glad that is over. Appreciate it if all the OMD-4/3 owners to share your good glass recommendations & experiences. Besides other reasons, one reason I chose the OMD is that I would rather put the money in glass than the $700. extra for the Xpro1. This is my first digital/ no experience in a M4/3 camera/coming from Nikon & Contax film camera's. Much thanks in advance- excited to join the Oly OMD club.....
Uses:
I do not travel/do not need landscape or wilderness/mostly street/urban/art/people.
here are my thoughts thus far:
1-looking at fixed lens 1-Leica/Panasonic summilux 25mm f1.4
2-versus the kit zoom lens that comes with camera here is one i like but mucho $$$: Panasonic lumix 12-35 mm f2.8 asph series lens. cost more than camera- if you have an alternative-thanx
so looking for your kit ideas and proven good glass.
Thanx in advance-Dan

[vrgard]

Dan, I recently made the same decision you've made (to get the E-M5) and am very happy with the decision. Despite not being a fan of zoom lenses, I bought the kit with the 12-50 zoom lens as that was all that was available. Has been nice to have the zoom simply for its flexibility although I haven't really used it that much. But my absolute favorite has been the Panasonic Leica 25/1.4 lens. I shoot with that the majority of the time. I also bought the Panasonic 14 2.5(?) to have a small wide for indoor use but haven't used it much yet (however, you can pick that up new for well under $200 from eBay). Lastly, I just got the Olympus 45 1.8 and it's a beauty that gives wonderful subject isolation via good depth of field control. That's my kit and I'm very happy with it. In your case, you might want to start with just the body and the Panasonic 25 and then see where you want to go from there after shooting a little bit. The only reasons I would suggest you get the kit zoom is if you want the weather sealing and/or you plan on shooting macro and/or if you plan on shooting group gatherings or events and can't afford two bodies to cover two different focal lengths. Lastly, my kit is fairly typical as evidenced by all the discussion on this same topic in the micro four thirds forum over in dpreview.com. Hope this helps!

-Randy

P.S. Welcome to RFF.

[hausen]

+ 1 on PanaLeica 25/1.4. Tried this combination in the shop the other day and it looks great, feels great and results were awesome. Looking through my gear for what to exit so I can buy the combination.

[n5jrn]

I have the Pana/Leica 25/1.4 as one of my three lenses (all primes; I dislike zooms). It's a great lens. Better choice in lenses is one of the reasons I got the OM-D instead of the Xpro1.

[vrgard]

Hmmm, I expected more responses to Dan's inquiry. I realize that this is rangefinderforum and the Oly is not a rangefinder but there are a few Oly owners that hang out on this site. Keith, Sug, others, what say ye?

[danielsterno]

VRGARD-
Thanks for your reply and your "nudge" to the EMD shooters- waiting for insight on lens so I can start to place an order. BTW- not sure if you saw it but i placed a thread about Fuji X announcement- has me a little interested confused being I was looking at xpro besides omd (also considered Leica M8) thanx-Dan...

Originally Posted by vrgard

Hmmm, I expected more responses to Dan's inquiry. I realize that this is rangefinderforum and the Oly is not a rangefinder but there are a few Oly owners that hang out on this site. Keith, Sug, others, what say ye?

[danielsterno]

Thats one of the reasons I too am going with OMD- lens are as/more important than the camera and would rather put money in lens thus as I upgrade a camera camera the lens just get better... Also to your point, I had/still having a tough time not going for the xpro but believe it still has QC issues IMHO. Can I ask you regarding the menu interaction and buttons on OMD- you OK there? meaning the buttons seemed liked a little small-specially in winter & many items deep within menu... like everything I am sure I will get used to both-

Originally Posted by n5jrn

I have the Pana/Leica 25/1.4 as one of my three lenses (all primes; I dislike zooms). It's a great lens. Better choice in lenses is one of the reasons I got the OM-D instead of the Xpro1.

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by vrgard

Hmmm, I expected more responses to Dan's inquiry. I realize that this is rangefinderforum and the Oly is not a rangefinder but there are a few Oly owners that hang out on this site. Keith, Sug, others, what say ye?

Haha OK, here is my personal setup and thoughts:

I'm running 25/1.4 and 45/1.8 with my OM-D. I don't do landscape or wildlife stuff neither. I mainly shoot street, casual portraits, group outing, etc for fun, and some table top product mockup and occasional event shoots for work. 28-50mm range are often covered by Leica M, and OM-D takes care of 50-90mm equiv. range and close-up shots that RF can't do well.

I've owned/borrowed 12, 14, 20, 25 and 45mm. 25/1.4 and 45/1.8 are, IMHO, the best m4/3 lenses money can buy. 20/1.7 is also great and can't beat the size, but I prefer the look of 25/1.4 a little more, and good size of 25/1.4 actually helps the ergo of OM-D setup in use.

If I were you, I'd start with 25/1.4. Then get 14mm if you prefer wide angle, 45/1.8 if you prefer tele-photo. 12mm is also a great lens, but at 24mm equiv and the price point, I'd only go there if I were seriously into wide angles (which I'm not). The second lens choice might also depend on your other systems (if nay) that can complement.

As a side note I don't even remember the last time I owned a zoom lens so I can't speak for em...

[Steveh]

Not trying to be controversial, but if I had that kind of budget to spend on a one lens micro 4/3 system I'd get a Panasonic G5 body for a lot less cash than the OM-D, and the Panny 12-35. I finally handled the OM-d last night and was seriously underwhelmed, but I may be the only person on RFF who rates the Panasonic G3/G5.

Lens wise I have all of the 20 f1.7, 25mm 1.4 and 45mm f1.8 and I'd recommend them all without hesitation. The 25mm is quite a bit bigger than the other two, and a bit pricier. Any body plus the 14, 20 and the 45 is a very nice and very compact system if you like primes.

[vrgard]

Nice to see others chiming in here. And as should be expected, we have some similiarities and some differences of opinion (a normal and good thing, in my opinion). Hopefully this is helpful to you Dan.

As for Steveh's suggestion regarding the Panasonic G5 body, I just can't comment since I am not familiar with that camera.

As for the OM-D E-M5, I am very happy with its size and ergonomics. I've read many comments by others (not referring to Steveh here, just to postings I've read on this and other forums) that the E-M5 is too small and needs the separate battery grip to be comfortable to use. And I've also read that the E-M5's buttons and menu structure are difficult. As for me, I haven't really had any problem with them. As for size, the last digital camera I played with was a Pentax Q and by comparison the E-M5 is wonderfully large! As for buttons, yeah, they're a little mushy (apparently caused by the weatherproofing) but are certainly more than functional. The only one that bugs me (but only a little since I only infrequently use it) is the image preview button since it's small and awkwardly placed. As for the menu structure, it was an initial learning curve but didn't take long to get the hang of (perhaps it helps that I used to be a computer programmer?) and, besides, I don't have any need to climb into the menus very frequently since the Super Control Panel serves my needs most of the time.

All in all, I am very happy with the E-M5 and consider it a wonderful digital alternative to my film Leica M cameras. In fact, it's all I've shot with since getting it about 2 months ago. Small, light, high quality lenses, great imaging, wonderful high ISO, fast autofocusing, very customizable, etc., etc. Sorry if I sound like a fanboy or sales rep for Oly, but that's honestly how I feel about the camera & kit.

-Randy

[Jani_from_Finland]

I might not be the right person to talk here, but i was going for the OMD before a NEX deal came in front of me. My lens choices that i was going for was the 12/2, 20/1.7 and the waiting for the Makro 60mm lens or the Uber expensive 75mm Olympus, would have been the perfect set, all but in the normal range as the 20mm is good the m4/3 needs a very good pancake 25/1.8 lens that very very small and is SHARP and has good bokeh and a quiet af.

[stupid leica]

i've had my OM-D for about a week now, and love it.
So far i only have the kit zoom (12-50) and 14/2.5. The 14 is TOO small hahahaha. The zoom is good, but too slow aperture.
I'm thinking of selling both lenses and picking up the PanLeica 25. I think that will suite me just fine. It is supposed to be an excellent lens.
Then maybe when i win the lotto, i'll get the 7-14.

[srtiwari]

I faced a similar decision recently, and opted for the OM-D. My initial hiccups with the complicated menus almost made me want to give up, but I now just love the darn thing.
The Panny 25/1.4 is a marvelous lens, as is the kit 12-50 for its convenience (tho' not as sharp as the primes- obviously). I plan to get the 45/1.8 soon.
Surprisingly, the legacy lenses work great on the OM-D. Aside from the ability to use an adapter for Leica/Contax/Olympus/ Nikon/Canon etc. lens (if you want) it offers better focusing through their "magnifier" function and the Image stabilisation. It is almost better- dare I say it ?- than my leica M9 in that regard (not the IQ).
Check out this thread if you have any doubts about these issues -

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/4-3rds...ympus-omd.html

[PaulW128]

Daniel;

Also a recent OM-D owner. I have the 14x42 kit zoom that a close friend gave to me, I purchased the 14 2.5, 20 1.7 and the 45 1.8. I have also heard rave reviews for the 25 1.4

Good luck
Paul

[Gigibond]

12mm f2 is THE lens for omd.

[DNG]

I have had the E-M5 since March, I own the 14/2.5, 20/1.7 and a Oly 14-42mm kit zoom but, I sold cameras/lenses to expand my m4/3.. so, I didn't have the moneys I always wanted to buy what I wanted.

Personally, if I had enough money to do it again?

E-M5
14/2.5
20/1.7 (The L/P is just a bit faster, and $200 more, if you prefer)
45/1.8
60/2.8 Macro

[plummerl]

Originally Posted by Gigibond

12mm f2 is THE lens for omd.

So far, this has been the standard lens on my E-M5.

[markwatts]

Oly 12 & 45, Pana 14, 20, 25 and 7-14.

[danielsterno]

DNG:: Thanx much. Just visited your OMD blog- your eye & skills are inspiring, u make that OMD sing..I see on your if I can do it again list- the kit zoom is not on it which makes sense- because budget is limited object-i will choose one primary lens and waiting until after Photokina to see what is announced... much thanks...

Originally Posted by DNG

I have had the E-M5 since March, I own the 14/2.5, 20/1.7 and a Oly 14-42mm kit zoom but, I sold cameras/lenses to expand my m4/3.. so, I didn't have the moneys I always wanted to buy what I wanted.

Personally, if I had enough money to do it again?

E-M5
14/2.5
20/1.7 (The L/P is just a bit faster, and $200 more, if you prefer)
45/1.8
60/2.8 Macro

[n5jrn]

Originally Posted by danielsterno

Thats one of the reasons I too am going with OMD- lens are as/more important than the camera and would rather put money in lens thus as I upgrade a camera camera the lens just get better... Also to your point, I had/still having a tough time not going for the xpro but believe it still has QC issues IMHO. Can I ask you regarding the menu interaction and buttons on OMD- you OK there? meaning the buttons seemed liked a little small-specially in winter & many items deep within menu... like everything I am sure I will get used to both-

The menus are OK. The worst thing about them, and the OM-D in general, is the poor quality of the documentation. It takes a fair amount of experimenting to discover how to do things.

There's a number of buttons and dials that can be programmed for common functions. Once you get those set up appropriately for your usage habits, you don't have to delve into menus that much.

[danielsterno]

All- wonderful feed back- I see a few patterns of top choice lens options... I would also appreciate any other council on ownership/usage- Thanks.Dan

[Archiver]

My current lens setup for the OM-D is the Pana 14/2.5, and Sigma 19 and 30. I figured that these would tide me over until the Pana 12-35 becomes both more available and more affordable, but I'm having a great time with this combination in the meantime.

While a max aperture of f2.8 is no way near f1.4, the OM-D's high ISO and IBIS are excellent, so I often get street images that surprise me. The 14/2.5 is very sharp in the centre, even wide open, and the Sigma lenses are quite nice as well, not to mention being super value. I got those three lenses for about the same price as the Oly 12/2 in Australia.

The only caveat about the Sigma lenses is startup time. Apparently they use a new linear drive focusing motor which the camera must 'index' every time it is turned on. This indexing takes up to three seconds, which means startup to shot time is at least three seconds or more. The Pana 14/2.5 starts much faster, fortunately.

I imagine that when I have the 12-35mm I will still use the 14/2.5 because it makes the camera so compact and discreet. But we'll see how that goes when the time comes.

[Timmy P]

Depends on your budget and what you want I spose. I'll break down my thinking at least

Lens's with little depth (cheap to expensive) -

Pana 14, Oly 12mm, Oly 9-18

Len's with a bit of depth

Sigma 19mm, Pana 20mm

Len's with good depth

Oly 45mm, Pana 25mm, Pana 45mm

Good all around

Pana 12-35mm

I guess it really depends on your budget and whether you want that "blur" you get from a DSLR. I don't find it too limiting because the sensor is small, but if you are one of those DOF junkies just be aware anything below the 40mm-effective range in 4/3rd is quite light on the depth unless you focus close. I'd say for a cheap prime kit you can get the Pana 14, Sigma 19 & Oly 45, possibly sub the sigma for the Pana 25 or 20 if you're feel like spending a bit more.

You can have the Pana 14 insanely cheap off ebay if you buy it split from a kit box, I got mine for around $180. And my Sigma 19mm for $200 from Teds, and the 45mm for around $350 off HK ebay seller.

Having just got the Pana 12-35 though, I can say it's fairly kick ass as an all around lens for the camera. I already have a DSLR for primes, and while I did end up getting three primes for the OM-D they were all so cheap it wasn't a huge deal. But if you've got a DSLR system already I don't know how much sense an expensive collection of m4/3 primes would be, except maybe the Pana 25mm.

[danielsterno]

All- saw this lens that is confirmed: All Black 45mm 1.8 “limited” edition lens coming.
Black mockup via Mike Kobal.

Well known trusted sources confirmed that Olympus will launch a Black “limited edition” Olympus 45mm at Photokina. Let’s just hope that the “limited edition” definition doesn’t mean we have to pay more than the normal $399 for it!

[danielsterno]

All: So thank you again for your input. While waiting for photokina to make a final camera decision I am renting the E-M5 with a 20/1.7 + Pana 12-35mm lens from LensRental.com being I am 95% leaning to the OMD.
Based on all of your input this seems like a good kit and based on how I shoot this would be perfect. Being I will have it for the Labor Day weekend, is there any fast start that I can set up the menu to eliminate not setting it up correctly and quickly? I like to shoot in manual or A priority. Last- I hear that OOC JPEG is so-so and I should shoot in RAW. I do not have any PP applications (i'm a film guy) so the rental is to get me a feeling of the interaction of the camera and ability to make quick ISO/Aperture and shutter decisions- any advice here??? Thank you in advance....dan