OM 40mm

It's a super little lens, sharp and very compact. I've used one on an OM1 quite a bit.
If I had to find a nit to pick it would be that the filter ring also doubles as the aperture ring. A necessity of the compact size.
It's never really been a problem for me, but is occasionally a little easy to bump out of place.
Not sure how to compare it to the other lenses you mentioned.

I've also owned and loved a VC 40 1.4.
 
IC, I have an OM system and this lens seems to have a reputation of being very good or very over-rated.

I'm not desperate for one and wouldn't pay more than $300, but I've seen them go for $200 and less on ebay...I saw one go for $100 with an an OM...

But I would have no interest in buying one just to sell as I know that they can sell for $400-$500.
 
I have one and rarely use it. Good bokeh and kind of cute.

But optically (resolution and distortion), my late Zuiko 35/2 and the much cheaper and not much bigger MIJ 50/1.8 run circles around it. As do the VC 40/1.4 that I still have and Summicron-C/Rokkor 40/2 that I had a couple of years back.

Much overrrated. And handling is a pain. Not only that the filter screws into the aperture ring. It will only work with some, thin enough filters to boot.

Roland.
 
When I used an OM-1, I had one for the small size and the 40mm focal length (which I love). Optically, it was an okay to good lens, but not as "punchy" as a 40mm M-Rokkor.

In the end, I sold all my OM gear and now use Contax/Yashica for my film SLR system. I find the 45mm Zeiss Tessar a better lens, although it is only f/2.8 max aperture, so not really comparable.
 
It's a very interesting lens, well made, sharp and a very useful focal length. Like many OM system lenses it's prone to fungus, but it can also be cleaned at modest cost if nccessary.
 
The lens is very nice to use, but it is quite expensive.
I used mine on a OM-1. The profile is smaller than having a wide angle Zuiko on it.
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Unless you are an excessive user of polarizing filters, it's a great lens.
In my book, filter use and its relatively high price are the two only weaknesses of the 40mm.

Aside from that, it is very much as typical Zuiko: Small, light, sharp.
The 40mm view angle is very versatile, and being able to focus much closer than the 35mm and 50mm Zuikos (not considering the 50 macros), achieves a relatively large maximum magnification.

All in all, it is the best one-for-all Zuiko to mount on your OM camera.
 
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