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I bought this lens for the same reason that you're considering it - the extreme compact size. It's attached to my e520 body and the package is about 20% bigger than my Leica M7 with lens. As I'm giving up my film camera collection but really want to replace it with a high optical quality, compact DSLR, this Olympus combo fits the requirement very nicely. I'm much more willing to travel with a compact camera on a continuous basis versus my tendency to leave my bulkier combinations at home until I need them.

The lens is sharp - when stopped down to f5.6 to f11. It's adequate at the wider aperatures but for the price, I didn't expect to be much better than it is. It's noticeably soft at f2.8 or f4. Its optical quality is in line with an old Contax 45mm f2.8 pancake lens I used recently, and costs about the same amount of money in the used market. Other candidates for compact pancake lenses would be Pentax's or Nikon's discontinued 45mm P lens but I didn't want to start with another system to try them.

I bought this lens from B&H about a week ago. It was the only one I have seen anywhere in stock, and I grabbed it up instantly, and no others have appeared.

Complaining about the lens cap will be common to all reviews. It is a metal screw-on disc, that is hard to work unless the camera is facing up. Order a 43mm pinch lens caps when you order, along with a protective haze filter. Don't plan on a thick filter, such as a polarizing filter or a stack of filters, because you will cut off the corners of the image. Even though this is a standard quality Zuiko (expensive but not REALLY expensive) it has a metal (not plastic) connector linking it to the camera body. If you have lived your entire photographic life with a zoom lens, you may not like a prime. You do your framing by zooming your feet back and forth from the subject--or move the subject. Be careful at the rim of the Grand Canyon!

This lens is thin and light. It won't zoom, of course, but if you have 8 or 10 megapixels, you can crop and still leave respectable resolution. It's great for when your evolt series Olympus DSLR has to serve tourist duty or for holidays with the family. Auto focusing in low light is accurate and, although this is not really a macro, my rose pictures are quite presentable as are those of people.

If you already have one or more of the kit lenses for the 400/500 series, you probably have the 50mm point covered. If you want portability and don't mind the challenges of a prime, this might be for you. I suspect that it will be cheaper a few months down the road.

This is a great lens. Small. Light. Versatile. Just like having a 50mm lens on an OM-1. (which I have had since the '70s). Having grown up on an Olympus OM-1 with a 50mm lens (and others), I had longed for a digital equivalent in terms of simplicity and ease of use. This is it. Great for street and candid photography.

I bought the 25mm lens to go with my E-510 and have hardly taken it off. Typically Zuiko sharp, it does not disappoint. My other lenses are: ZD 14-54mm (f2.8-3.5); ZD 35mm f3.5 & Sigma 55-200 f4-f5.6. While the 14-54mm it a superior lens overall, the Pancake is my favourite. I look forward to Olympus extending their range to other pancakes (perhaps in the mid wide range 18 or 20mm at f2.0 - would be perfect!)

This lens was a catalyst for upgrading to an Olympus system (E-420) as I wanted portability and good IQ at the same time. It is perfect for the E-420 (or E-410) and this combination offers a great balance between portability and IQ -- plus an added bonus is that this combo is so much fun to use!

With this lens being a `prime' lens, you don't have zoom but a fixed range of 25mm (50mm in 35mm terms) which is similar to your own natural eye's view of the world. It makes for great street-photography and keeps you fitter as your legs take over zoom duties! This style of shooting make for more fun and demands more thought in composing your shots which will only improve your skill in photography. Another thing I noticed is that you can capture more natural shots where your subject does not negatively react because it is a very discreet lens; in contrast to sticking a zoom in someone's face. Gone is the problem of being paranoid in looking like a photographic geek, journalist or goofy traveller with a zoom dangling from your neck-- and that can be priceless in itself.

Image Quality wise, I find it great considering how ultra-light and compact it is. Naturally, there are primes which are sharper and can control CA better, but that are three times thicker and heavier, so there are always trade-offs. The key attraction for this lens is extreme portability and I find it easy to choose when to use this lens before I set off. It is a great feeling of freedom knowing you can just slap on this lens and go on a journey without feeling hindered and knowing you will still get some great shots. I don't think any other brands offers anything like this, so it is unique in the marketplace. Even the excellent Pentax Limiteds are quite heavy and not quite as thin.

The popularity of this lens has surprised even Olympus with them not being able to cater for the high-demand when it was first released. Hopefully, there is enough stock for everyone to finally be able to get their dirty mitts on one!

Now, I am waiting patiently for what other delicious pancakes Olympus has in store (and I am sure there will be more), but in the meantime this lens will help me capture shots with ease in places where no others will really allow.

See Customer Images for my samples shots from this lens (and comments for more info).