Micro 4/3 'star' lenses - opinions please

<p>The 60 is fairly close to the 45 (120mm vs 90mm). The 45 is a stop faster but the 60 is much sharper wide open. Anyways the point of this comment is that I would use the 60 a bit before deciding if you need the 45 as you might find having both lenses redundant.</p>

<p>I think it's bad form in this economic climate to berate someone who balks at spending the sums asked for some of these lenses. Looking at the UK price-list of Panasonic is quite a sobering experience. I can get the 20/1.7 here for 2,400 RMB, around 40% off the list price, but have not got round to it yet. Probably will bite the bullet at the end of next month. But I was shown it and I have to admit I picked it up and thought "Woah, how much for this tiny thing?" I know this is the whole point of the system and the tolerances probably have to be even tighter than in a full-frame lens, but human nature is what it is. There are millions of people out there trying to figure out how to pay the rent when the landlord comes round next week. I think it is only fair to recognise this.</p>

<p>I like my 20/1.7, for the price and size <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.182591415136188.47370.171846589544004&type=3">it does what I need it to do</a>.</p>

<p>This is an older thread, but I thought it would be nice to share my opinion anyway. The set I like to use consists of the Olympus 12mm f/2 (limited edition, just for it's looks and I had the chance to buy it for a nice price), Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 II, Olympus 45mm f/1.8 and the Olympus 75mm f/1.8. These lenses do not render the same, but the results I get from them are excellent.</p>

<p>The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 produces images with biting sharpness and high contrast and the colors are 'cooler' then the colors from the Olympus lenses. Focussing is slower and noisier then the Olympus lenses, but I don't find that a problem. All of the Olympus lenses are sharp with good contrast straight from the widest aperture.</p>

<p>Some people (and scientific tests) say that the 12mm f/2 is not sharp enough, but that's just balderdash. Just because a lens is not as sharp as another that is absolutely amazing, doesn't mean it's a lesser optic. I never had any problem with it's sharpness in real world use. It's sharp wide open and even sharper stopped down a little. It's an excellent low light lens with superb build quality and an handy pull back manual focus system.<br>

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I did try the Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 for a while, but I quickly sold it. It was visibly sharper then the Olympus 12mm (bitingly sharp and contrasty, just like the 20mm), but the flare this thing produced was horrible. It ruined many shots and photo opportunities. The 12mm is a lens that just works perfectly. Slap it on and don't worry about it. Just like the other lenses I mentioned in this post.</p>