Kowa Prominar 25mm f/1.8 Review

Kowa Prominar 25mm f/1.8 Performance

Central sharpness is very good at f/1.8 and excellent between f/2.8 and f/11. There is still very good sharpness at f/16.

The edges are very good from f/1.8 to f/2.8, excellent from f/4 to f/11 and again very good at f/16. Overall, there is a very satisfying crispness to images.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is commendably low both centre and edge and is unlikely to be a problem. If further correction is needed then there are software solutions, although for most of the time it will not be necessary.

Interestingly, Kowa provide a distortion figure and they quote -0.57% barrel distortion. The measured figure is -0.98%, which is still excellent. Again, further corrections can be made in software if desired.

Flare is generally well under control, with no signs of loss of contrast against the light. In the worst case scenario, with the sun in frame and at just the right angle, there will be obvious flare as in the sample image, but this is an extreme situation.

Bokeh, the quality of the out of focus areas, is super smooth, which seeing the rounded shape of the diaphragm is no surprise. This leads to very attractive looking images, which coupled with the high sharpness certainly have an overall feel that looks very, very good.

Value For Money

The Kowa Prominar 25mm f/1.8 lens is priced at £599. There is a vast choice of alternative fast, bright 25mm lenses, including:

Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph, £148
Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 Asph, £459
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8, £299
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.2 PRO, £1099
SLR Magic 25mm f/0.95, £552
Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 Nokton II, £719
Meike 25mm f/0.95, £455
Zhongyi Mitakon 25mm f/0.95, £261

There is some powerful competition, and the Kowa lens, excellent though it is, is priced quite high in the overall field. Equally well, it is a classy performer, so the price point may be the only downside. For more options have a look at the Top 35 Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses.

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