Micro 4/3 Comparison PL25 & P20

My only comment is a woefully unscientific and unobjective one: I prefer the rendering of the 20mm to the 25mm in most of the comparisons except the one with the close focus points of the bird house. In that one, the 25 wins out by a hair. Also, weirdly, in the nighttime shots (of all the vans lined up), I like them both. But for me, the differences really come down to how the different FOV's affect what one can do with the lenses; for me, the 25mm almost feels a bit more of a telephoto, while the 20mm corresponds more to how I 'see the world' normally.

With regards to focusing speed, I've owned 3 copies of the 20mm; my first was the v1, my second the v2, and my 3rd is also the v2. With regards to the focusing speed (AF quickness) questions, once again my own (admittedly subjective) perceptions are on the weird side: I found the first generation (v1) copy of the lens to focus very quickly - while both of my copies of the v2 either focused more slowly (than the v1) or occasionally 'hunted' (which my v1 never did).

I think the lenses are different enough that one could relatively easily justify having both - possibly on different bodies. But my fondness for the 20mm means that whenever I have one, it usually 'lives' semi-permanently on one of my favorite mu4/3 bodies.

Thank you for a great - and quite thought-provoking - comparison of these lenses, David. It's given me (and keeps giving me) food for thought.
 
@MiguelATF , this comparison is suppose to be more feel and less unscientific. It's also to help me evaluate parts of the kit I have and what I'm considering getting. Let me step back a bit and expand on that.

I currently have an E-M1.2 and E-P7 (yes E-P7 import and not the E-PL7). I have or am completing lens kits for each. For the E-M1.2 I have the O8-25 and O12-100 Pros plus the O75-300. For the E-P7 I have the P14 and P20. I also have the O9 BCL, O12-45 Pro, PL25, P30 macro, and S56; which (except the 9mm BCL) tend to handle better on the E-M1.2 for me.

I'm eyeing the new O20mm Pro in part because it's sealed which would give me a nice companion to the sealed S56 for the E-M1.2. Also partly because I think I tend to like the look of the slightly wider FOV and it works better in social/family event settings. Sadly those settings are also where the P20 struggles the most.

As @Tili mentioned adding a smaller zoom probably it's a bad idea, probably a P12-32. Then the question would be what goes with the P12-32? Some combination of the O17/25/45? And the follow up of what to do with the P14, P20, and PL25. Nothing says I have to sell them, but I tend to be pretty good at keeping my kit at a reasonable size.
 
Day 6, more the case of the extra reach getting me closer to the shot I wanted to get. The stream was a bit high and I couldn't get to the spot I really wanted. But it's what I planned for today so.

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Day 7
A bit cold today and I wanted to get a 20mm and 25mm shot so I put my 12-45 on so I didn't have to change lenses in the cold and dark. I prefer the 20mm for this one. Even wider probably would have been better, but I was trying to at least stay to the 20mm & 25mm focal lengths. Actually wider and closer I think, but too late for that now, but these were shot from the same spot.

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Thanks to the mu-43 migrants thread. I like the angles better in the PL25 today. And a bonus since our other cat was nice enough to pose tonight (after I turned his bed around enough times that he finally gave up and stayed put).
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Day 14, the P20 was easier given the space. Witch is better? They seem pretty close. I got a pair of new monitors at the office today.

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Not much difference on this instance. It's just the usual 40mm vs 50mm EFL differences where the 50mm EFL, in this case the PL25, isolates the subject completely while the 40mm EFL, the P20, captures a bit more of the environment.
 
Day 16, I took out my cold weather kit and shot it at 20 & 25 for comparison. I like the 20mm shot better, but that could be more that the cold stopped me from staying as long as I might have otherwise to double check I had the right angle for the shot. Otherwise I probably could have gotten a similar shot with the 25mm focal length if I shot it a little closer to the ground.
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Day 17, resetting up my tablet with a custom ROM and it got into a boot loop so I needed to pull the power plug. Almost fixed. But I figured it might be interesting.

A bit lower light and closer focus. BOTH really struggled to focus. Not as surprising on the P20, but it was on the PL25.

The P20 got a bit closer so I think that one wins today..

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Day 18, another busy day.

I've come to a few conclusions. Yes I like the wider in general and yes known AF issues are issues for me, especially at this time of the year when hours of light are limited. To that end I just picked up a P12-32 and O17 f/1.8. I have the P12-32, the O17 should be later this week. The P12-32 was hampered by the slower aperture today, but even still it focused faster than either of the other 2. I'm thinking the O17, P12-32, O9BCL, and maybe a P42.5/O45 might make a nice kit with the E-P7 in a small package.

Anyway:
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At the risk of having people hate me (and maybe looking stupid, but I'm used to that), I have to say that 50mm equivalent lenses are neither fish nor fowl (although they are pretty foul!), and have always been. A little wider is almost always better.

Back MANY years ago when I got my first SLR - a Pentax Spotmatic, without even a built-in light meter, if you can believe it - it came with a 50mm lens. I never liked it and always wished it was wider, but I didn't know anything so figured it was just me.

Fast forward a few years, when I got a Pentax MX (built-in light meter!). By then I was savvy enough to know that you could just buy a body without a lens. I added a 35mm lens to it. Well, now you're talking!!

Fast forward like 50 years and this thread is yet another good example of how a 50mm FL is kind of mediocre for almost anything (IMHO) and wider is usually better. Am I surprised? No. The real question is why photogs continue to - OK, I'll say it - WISH that 50mm seemed better but it seldom does. Is this some purist thing or something? I say forget it!!

Sorry!! :)
 
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