What? I’ve never written about my newest lens acquisition.? Am I becoming that spoiled? No. Not at all. I’ve just been so super busy. This blog article is late because of that!
The Older Brother: The Panasonic Leica 25-50mm f/1.7 Lens
It’s funny how I initially welcomed this lens when I heard about it. I already own the absolutely amazing 10-25mm f/1.7 lens. That lens is a no-brainer. Basically, a wide-angle zoom version of my beautiful 42.5 f/1.2 Nocticron lens. I’ve had it for about 1 year and have done 10s of thousands of images with my 10-25mm f/1.7. Mostly landscapes but have done some minor fashion work with it.
I rented the Panasonic Leica 10-25mm f/1.7, the older brother to the 25-50mm f/1.7 and the second to the holy trinity, a couple of years before purchasing. Arrogantly, used it for a photo shoot without much practice with the lens, with my San Francisco muse Chalyce. I got some good shots, I got many more misses. I wasn't even sure I was going to purchase it due to my missed shots. But when I nailed it....
This is the kind of of shots where the 10-25mm f/1.7 lens shines brightly.
Another way the 10-25mm f/1.7 shines is with landscapes. The lens may be worthwhile for this reason alone. Gorgeous.
One of the first few images I took with the 10-25mm f/1.7 when I rented it. The quality of the image is super good. The detail, color and final image rendering. Especially that the flower is in direct sunlight. Exposure is good. It's a good picture. But not very interesting. Look at the two previous images and this. I'm quite certain you can tell the difference between the images where I didn't have any experience with the lens and the ones I did...
The Younger Brother: The Panasonic Leica 25-50mm f/1.7 Lens
The 10-25mm f/1.7 and 25-50mm f/1.7 side by side. There is a reason why they look exactly the same: videography. The lenses can easily be swapped out and you won't have to make any adjustments to the camera cage. I've done some test video with the 10-25 and the output is gorgeous. But the lens is worth its cost on photographic merits itself. Both lenses.
But when the 25-50mm lens was announced, I was like “That’s a strange focal length. Why would I need it?”. Then I did the research in my image database and found out: literally 99.9% of my images are done within 10 – 50mm. I rarely need to do any work above or below the range. So with the 25mm – 50mm lens, I basically have all my bases covered for any kind of work I can do. Seriously, two lenses… Mind you, it’s not un-common for photographers to have a dozen lenses and more. I sort of get it. It’s gear. Guys just love gear. I simply don’t have the cash. But the plus side to that is gear doesn’t sit on a shelf collecting dust. Which is why I sold my GX8 when I got my G9 cameras. It just sat on the shelf for months.
The day I first bought the 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron for my GX8. When I got my G9 camera(s), the GX8 just sat on the shelf for months. I just love my G9 so much. But the GX8 is fantastic for street photography. Funny enough, it's a great ice-breaker with people. I wish I didn't sell it.
The 25-50mm f/1.7 all on its own. It was a tiny bit anti-climatic when I got it because of the stupendous performance of its 10-25mm older brother. I was expecting to get great images out of it. My Nocticron was criticized by stupid amateurs for being too big. But these f/1.7 lenses are HUGE in comparison. Love these lenses. And they deliver!
I haven’t used the 25-50mm much except for some street photography. I’m trying to get used to using the focal length. What? What am I talking about? Well, when you get a new car, don’t you have to get used to how it drives? How it corners? How it accelerates? How the seats feel after a certain amount of time in them? Well, that’s what I’m talking about. You have to learn what angles you can use. How far you need to stand from a subject. How a focal length works on a subject in relation to the background. So yes, it takes time to squeeze out all the performance and options you have for a particular lens. It takes time.
With the 25mm - 50mm f/1.7 lens, I didn't nearly as much practice with it as I did with the 10-25mm f/1.7. Because my Nocticron is 42.5 basically in the middle of this zoom lens. It does allow for certain extras like zooming in just a bit closer. This is Chinatown in New York City just a few days ago. My second real outing with the lens. I'm super happy with it.
I haven’t had any shoots that would require or benefit from the 25-50mm yet. Which is fine since I want to be comfortable with it before using it in a paid scenario. So I’ve been pushing myself to use it on my street photography ventures. Which is actually quite hard because I love using the 10-25mm on the streets of New York City. With the wide lens, you want to get more of the background. It’s a seriously photogenic city. You CAN use the 25-50mm in the same way. Sort of. You just need to be a bit more creative and know how to use the lens.
Too many photographers make it about the gear. Great gear just gives you options. You can make art with just about anything. Might take a little more work. But that's art. Before I got my super 10-25mm lens, my wide angle lens was my 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6. It's a kit lens that came with my GX8 that I wouldn't pay more than $100. But I did this image with that cheap lens. It's one of my favorites ever. It got a ton of Likes on Instagram. Despite the price, I love the lens. Making great images with lesser gear just makes it all that more special.
I’ve just been super impressed with the images I’ve been getting lately with my newest lens. I’m actually doing a ‘Last Days of New York City Winter Street Fashion’ coming out in a few weeks and using the 25-50mm as my main lens for the project. Keep a lookout for it on Instagram @RicardoOfNYC!