OLYMPUS OM SYSTEM 25mm f1.8 Interchangeable Lens - International Version (No Warranty)

This is a follow-up (edit) of my original review, now about one and a half years ago...In my opinion, this should be the first lens for anyone on micro four thirds. It is a practical, pleasing focal length. It performs well in low light (which is often a struggle for the smaller sensors on MFT) and it is very sharp and quick to focus. The lens body is fairly compact and lightweight. It is arguably the best value of any native MFT lens.This lens will also help you grow as a photographer by forcing you to be (slightly) more engaged, e.g. moving your feet to zoom and compose your shots, and becoming aware of your aperture. With the possible exception of the pancake lenses or the 12 or 15mm primes, this is the best walk-around lens for MFT and the one to leave on your camera for normal use. I've also used (rented) and can recommend the excellent 45mm sister lens which I've used mostly for portraits. After nearly two years of owning this, I've taken thousands of exposures and can say it is a truly satisfying purchase. The fit of the lens mount is secure, but not as unsettlingly tight as it was initially.I'm including a few sample photos shot on my GH4. You can find other excellent sample images on places like flickriver and Google.Original review from August 10, 2014:There's plenty of reviews out there which make the case for this lens. Can't go wrong with this.Pros: good quality; I love the size and weight; sharp results; fast AF; etc., etc., etc.Cons: the mount is a little tight...I'm glad I opted for this one over the Pana-Leica.

great lens, super quick, tack sharp, i was concerned if it will give me a lot less bokeh effect after my 45mm but no. its still Great. honestly. also im happy to have sold my 14mm pana(since it was very soft at the corners and too wide for my use) and 45mm oly for saving some money, and bought this instead. i dont change my lenses anymore. very usefull focal length. planning to buy 75mm in future as well for street and portrait photography.and an additional thanks to J-Made for sending me the product by the expedited shipping despite i paid for standard shipping.UPDATE: I have been using this lens for a month now, this lens makes u feel, u dont need any other lenses 90% of the time. this is the best all purpose and best price/performance lens for the omd system in my humble opinion. u can shoot very nice portraits despite its not a portrait lens,.. its a PERFECT walkaround street lens, for random pics, landscapes, lowlight conditions,etc. also let me put it this way its FAST :) last but not least it helps to develop your creativity after u get used to the fixed focal length(which is very easy to adapt since its the same view with human eye) it was a perfect buy for me which deserves every penny i gave for.

This is my first fast prime and I have zero regrets about getting this one. I bought it to take lots of pictures of my first child (just born a month ago) and agonized over whether 50mm (35mm equivalent) would be too tight for general purpose use. Having taken hundreds of pictures with it now, I can say I'm very happy with my choice. While I do have to stand back for indoor group shots, it's definitely doable even in our smallish house, and for closeups of my newborn it's excellent - very flattering. The lens itself is super sharp (in my case paired with a Panasonic GX7) and the wide f1.8 aperture makes for low-noise shots indoors without flash, with nice bokeh. As with any wide aperture, the shallow depth of field does mean you have to be careful with your focus points which makes taking pictures with this a lot less forgiving than, say, a smartphone camera. But the end result is far more artistic and beautiful, and the low light performance is great. I'd recommend stepping down the aperture to something smaller (f5+) when outdoors with a lot of light; unless you're going for bokeh the shot will be sharper and more in focus.Note for Panasonic owners - this lens is not stabilized which means you're probably better off with a Panasonic lens (even the kit lens) for video. But for stills I highly recommend this whether you shoot Panasonic or Olympus.

Great lens but extremely tight fit. I feel like I'm opening a stuck jar trying to put this thing in. compared to the prime lens my E-M10 came with that slips in and out with ease. Don't know if it's limited to only the international edition. Other than that, I have no complaints as this lens takes some amazing photos!

Nice compact, fast and sharp fixed lens (equivalent to 50mm on full-frame/35mm). Minimum focus distance is about 11". Great lens!!!PROS: Razor sharp and fast autofocus. Works beautifully on PEN E-PL5 and -PL7. Good contrast, color rendition, and great bokeh. This has become my main working lens as it is 50mm (35mm equivalent) - sharper than Oly. 17mm and kit zoom 14-42mm at 25mm. Paired with the 45mm which is almost exactly the same size and a wide angle, you have a very compact and high quality setup.CONS: Plastic construction and non-weather-sealed. Bought this as international so it lacks US warranty. However, this saved $100 and lack of warranty is not such a big deal since if lens doesn't work for you, or is defective, it can still be returned within Amazon's return period.

This is such a great lens, it's really outstanding for low light and looks really sharp on my Olympus M10. It's also incredibly fast to focus.