What are the best prime lenses for Micro Four Thirds street photography?

Question

so I've been shooting mft for ages but I'm heading to chicago this weekend for a street project and realized my usual zoom is just too slow for those dark alleys. my logic was to grab the 17mm f1.8 because of the manual focus clutch which is great for zone focusing but now i'm second guessing if the af is gonna hunt too much when things get fast. was also looking at the leica 15mm f1.7 but is it worth the extra cash? i need something sharp and tiny that wont scream tourist in crowds. i only have about 600 bucks to spend before i leave on thursday and im stuck between staying wide or going with something tighter like a 25mm...

Reginald Moonbeam · Accepted Answer

Regarding what #1 said about "The Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 clutch is cool...", i actually found it a bit unreliable during a wet shoot in Seattle! For pure safety and stealth, I love the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II ASPH. It is amazingly sharp and tiny for crowds.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25mm f1.8 is another super solid choice. Quick question tho, what camera body are you using? Knowing if you have IBIS really changes my low-light advice for those alleys!

QuantumTiger · Answer

What camera body are you using? Your IBIS situation really dictates how much you need that f/1.4 aperture for those Chicago alleys. You might want to consider the Sigma 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary. It is sharp and stays well within your budget, but be careful because it is significantly larger than a pancake tho. I would suggest you make sure to check if the extra bulk wont ruin the stealth factor you're after.

Programmir_zxkt · Answer

The Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 clutch is cool but unfortunately corner resolution is disappointing.
Grab the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm f1.7 ASPH for superior micro-contrast. lmk if u need more data.