This article compares the sharpness of the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm 1:1.8 and the Panasonic Lumix G 1.7/20mm. I am currently working on a full comparison review.
Test Procedure
All pictures were taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M10. I used a tripod, the 0 sek. anti-shock setting, a remote release and turned the stabilization off. I also took several pictures for the image center and the image border for every aperture and selected the sharpest to make sure that the result was not affected by focusing errors or other external factors (f.e. vibrations).
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm 1:1.8 vs. Panasonic Lumix G 1.7/20mm – Image Center
Maximum Aperture
F/2.8
F/5.6
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm 1:1.8 vs. Panasonic Lumix G 1.7/20mm – Image Border
Maximum Aperture
F/2.8
F/5.6
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm 1:1.8 vs. Panasonic Lumix G 1.7/20mm – Conclusion
In the image center, both lenses are quite similar. At F/2.8 the M.Zuiko seems to be a tiny bit better, but at maximum aperture and F/5.6 it is hard to see any difference.
At the image border, there is a noticeable difference between the two lenses: At maximum aperture and F/5.6 the M.Zuiko is a lot better and at F/2.8 still a bit better than the Lumix.
As 20mm and 25mm are focal lengths often used for photos where the image borders are important, the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm 1:1.8 wins the comparison. However, this does not mean that the Panasonic Lumix G 1.7/20 is a bad lens.
The full comparison review will be released soon.