OM Zuiko 28mm versions - what's the current consensus on relative merits?

[albireo]

My trusty Zuiko OM 28mm f/2.8 took a major blow and it's now, sadly, only good for the bin.

I was about to buy another one, as I like it very much, when I noticed there are other two OM Zuiko 28mm primes around: a f/3.5 and and f/2.

Which one would people recommend out of the three in 2024?

Widest aperture is not a big concern - I tend(ed) to use my f/2.8 copy at or around f/4 or f/5.6 anyway, handheld. It would be nice to have that f/2 option for emergency situations but I'll hardly use it - I'm quite sensitive to the effect of wide open softness in old lenses. So I'd probably end up stopping it down a little for all shots.

Which one would people go for if main concern is good performance f/3.5-f/5.6 and lowest distortion?

 

[koraks]

EDIT - could a mod please fix my typo in the title - 'version' should be 'versions' - thanks

Done

 

[albireo]

Done

Thank you!

 

[Frank53]

This is what testreports said when those lenses first came out.
i would choose the cheaper one.

 

[MattKing]

The f/3.5 version served me well for years, and is incredibly tiny.
The biggest reason to go for the f/2 version would be the brighter view - important when trying to nail focus in dim situations.

 

[Chuck1]

The 3.5 is underrated and inexpensive

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

I used the 28/2.8 for many years and just loved it. It's a great lens. And per the old OM Sales Info files, the 2.8 is just as small as the 3.5 (well, just one mm longer.)

I haven't used the other Zuiko 28s, but if there isn't much price difference nowadays, I'd recommend the 2.8 over the 3.5 just for its slightly brighter viewfinder image. Also, the 2.8 stops down to f/22 vs. the others at f/16.

You know, I ended up trading my 28/2.8 for a 24/2.8... And I don't like it as much: images from the 24mm always scream WIDE ANGLE at you in a way that the 28mm doesn't. (To get the 28mm look, I've been using our old - we got it in 1968 - Nikkor 28/3.5 on my F2 and Nikkormat.)

 

[albireo]

Some excellent points, thanks everyone. The viewfinder dimness one is a great point. I often select my OM2n explicitly because I find its viewfinder so big and bright - with the lenses I own, which are all f/2.8 or wider. So it would be a shame to cripple this with a darker lens.

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

FYI, a pile of Zuiko lenses, including the 28/2.8, just showed up at UsedPhotoPro:

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