Newbie!! Which wide (28-35) for light, sharpness and other things

[colonelpurple]

Hi,
Probably an often asked question although not see anything specific which compares, particularly from folk who have had the opportunity to test multiple lenses.

I am looking a main urban walk around lens, which can double for landscapes where appropriate. I will be often using the lens at night or low light and I prefer to keep the camera on ISO 800 or lower (ok with this as I shoot a lot of film so am used to not going above ISO 400). Normally I use 35mm (FF equiv) but am not bothered too much about small variations and have used down to 28mm before, although prefer 30mm and up, say a maximum on 40mm

I am looking for a fast lens that is sharp wide open in the centre and as good on the sides a possible. Good contrast is the next bonus with flare control. I have a PEN-F (awesome - will comment on more later).

I am currently using the Oly 17mm f1.8 and although excellent it sharpens up considerably at f2.8 meaning that wide open its not the sharpest. I would also prefer f1.4 or below but that doesn't seem to be on offer in this range (am I missing something).

The other lenses I am look at:
1. Keep the Oly 17mm as its good enough and invest in the new Oly 25mm f1.2 or Panny 12mm f1.4 for other uses
2. Get the Panny 15mm f1.7. Slightly more light, apparently sharper wide open ? Better micro-contrast ?
3. Go back to MF and get the Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95. Apparently bundles of coma until f2.8 but its got an extra 1.4 stops and is not bad. Is MF ok for low light on the PEN-F ?
4. Panny 20mm f1.7 v2 - is it in the running in this group ?

Anyone who has had all of these lenses (or any 2 of them) - would be very interested to hear what you think and also what you ended up with !!!

 

[astrostl]

I have owned the O17, and currently own the P15, V17.5, and P20. For me, my favorite among them is easily the V17.5. For your parameters, I think the P15 makes the most sense. Small, sharp out of the gates, peaks by f/4, fantastic edges, and folks love the "rendering." The P20 checks a lot of boxes too, but I think you'll find the 30mm equiv FL more versatile for a street/landscape combo.

 

[dornblaser]

I have both the O17 and V17.5 and like both for different reasons. In reply to the OP's question, MF in low light is fine if you are comfortable with MF. The O17 is particularly nice if you want a compact form factor. Here is a thread comparing the O17 to the P15. A few hours with the 17mm Olympus and the 15mm/25mm PL lenses

 

[barry]

Hi, the P20 can have trouble focusing in low light.
(The O17/1.8 has great AF performance.)

If you don't mind waiting, Oly will probably have a 17/1.2 Pro sometime next year, but it will be big and expensive.

Otherwise, see if you can borrow the P15 or the Voightlander if you're not happy with the 17.

There was a thread here in the last week comparing the 15 & 17:
A few hours with the 17mm Olympus and the 15mm/25mm PL lenses