Very good review Darren. You sold me. Ive just got a 45, and I love it for many things, but it can be restrictive close-up. Thanks for the wonderful photos also.
I find that the focus speed on this one in low light is much faster than the 25mm 1.8 and a little bit faster than the 45mm 1.8. It's impressive, really. Of course, in good light they're all lightening fast.
I really like your review format - good job. This lens gets frequent use on my MFT bodies. It got mediocre reviews when it first came out, but time has proven that it really is a classic MFT lens.
This was the lens that was almost always on my Oly E-PL5. Of all the lenses I own this one has the most wonderful feel to it. Just feels super well made, and I like the clutch manual focus feature. Only thing it is missing is a lens hood.
Just bought this lens, very happy with it so far. It is not stupid to buy a super (although midrange) lens, and then save your money by buying a used mft-camera. Cameras with stellar reviews from say around 2012-2014 could now be bought cheaply. Invest in lenses, they'll outlast your camera! Thx for good review.
I like this lens. I don't quite share the qualification of "stellar" but it's a very good lens which I would recommend. Note: I do have it, use it, and have no plans to get rid of it.
I am glad you have done this review as I have been blown away by it's images time after time. The magazine lab tests are rather disappointing but for some reason in practice the images are simply beautiful as you also have found out. I just shoot without worrying about what aperture it is on and have never been disappointed. I have never before had a lens that I can say that about.
The 17mm f/1.8 is the perfect companion to the Pen F, as shown by you. I was never keen on having this lens, but when I bought the Pen F, the shop assistant highly recommended the kit - and I never regretted it!
Amazing and highly professional review, Darren. I always admire the information provided with photos proving the authenticity of your quality work. It is amazing that you appreciate the massive amount of energy invested in developing new and highly competitive equipment produced by Oly, as being their fan boy. And by the way, you have a gorgeous family.
I've just watched this review and your one for the 12mm. I was having a hard time deciding on the 17mm f/1.8 or the 12mm f/2.0 so was happy to see your take on these two lenses.Excellent review, (all your reviews are very comprehensive and well done), thank you. Have shot with Olympus since 1978, (two OM-1 bodies, generally had a 24mm f/2.8 on one body and a Vivitar 70-210mm on the other). I picked up an EM-5 Mk II last year, loved it instantly for it's size, image quality and (my beloved) classic OM-1 styling and traded-in (read: happily ditched) my clunky brick of a Nikon D7000 on the spot, it was a no-brainer. I think now I'll go with the 12mm, though it is pricey in comparison, as I think there just isn't enough of a difference in field of view (for me and my style of shooting) between the 25mm and the 17mm. I'll be sure to watch many of your other reviews, they're great. Thanks again.
I have a Sony A7 and always wanted to give a olympus a try. Week ago i got the olympus E-M10II on a super great deal on the body and i just bought this lens yesterday cause of the focal length without any reviews just blind bought it. After watching this video im confident and super excited to try it when it arrive thursday!! Aweomse review and amazing images!! SUBSCRIBED!
Hi Darren, This was my 1st prime lens, and I was blown away the moment I tried it...perfect size, build quality, IQ... it's just so damn good, it's amazing! Great video and great review! Thanks!👍
Darren, I noted that in the beginning of your video your skin tones looked bluish/purplish, while in the closing minutes the skin tones were improved and looked more naturalistic, and the bluish tint eliminated. Was that color correction in your editing software, better white balance, or a change of camera? Just curious.
Good review, love this little lens...one thing to watch out with this lens is motor noise during filming.This is quality issue with lens motor .Had to send two lenses back, and third one was ok.
If I had to choose only two lenses for my E-M1 it would be this and the 45mm. Looking forward to the E-MII at Photokina. Hoping for 24mp and in body defocus control. Thanks for a great review. Just a note: the music is too loud relative to your voice.
george, hi. yes, it's common with togs to ignore the audio level. painful sometimes........... thing is, most musics are compressed, not the file type, but the original master. a voice is dynamic, these mixes are not so much. so, it's very easy to misjudge the ratio between them. also, i'll bet they are not mixed with proper monitoring. near enough is good enough? j.
Hi Darren, Enjoy your Oly videos very much. Did you find you had to stop down the 17mm to f2-4 to get best sharpness/contrast with this lens? Especially outdoors. And do you recommend AF most of the time, for ease of use when walking around? Thanks. Pete
As always, fantastic review! Thank you. Do you have some original full-size images that you can share so we can look at them for noise, sharpness, bokeh, etc?
Hi. I always appreciate your reviews. I own it and it is a very good lens. However, there are a few things that I don't appreciate about it. It doesn't include a lens hood and for the price point and it being a prime, "high-end" lens it should include a lens hood. Weather-sealing would also have been nice, though I'm not sure how much more that would add to the price. Secondly, a Bigger Problem. I don't know if other users have this problem. I bought an Olympus lens hood, but you cannot put a filter (i.e. UV) on first and then the lens hood. You have to put the hood on first, then carefully "drop" the filter onto the lens and try to use the tips of your finger to screw it in. Likewise, taking a filter off is a problem. I even took it to the camera store and asked them if this was a defective lens hood and/or filter. I also emailed Olympus, but didn't receive a definitive reply. Maybe I should try a 3rd-party lens hood at some point. This is obviously a problem if you might need to put on/take off a polarizing or ND filter quickly.
Thanks for all of your great reviews. What I like about it that it's systematic and comprehensive. I will be very happy to see you do 2 comparison videos. The 1st is Canon 85mm 1.2Lii VS Sigma 85mm 1.4 VS Tamron 85mm 1.8 VC. The 2nd video is Canon 35mm 1.4Lii VS Sigma 35mm 1.4A VS Tmaron 35mm 1.8 VC. Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Can't wait for you to review the Pen f. I love the monochrome mode so much, I could give up my A7II and buy the Pen F just for that. Do you think I would lose that much in image quality?
Just a humble tip for your vids: Bring up your voice or bring down the music, music is very loud compared to your voice, anyway thanks for the great review!
I bought this lens as well as the 25mm Oly, based on your recommendation. I wound up keeping the 17mm on my PEN F as my "Go to " , but the 25 just wound up taking up space in my bag. Gotta say though, that 17mm is Sharp!
I'm trying to decide between the 25mm and the 17mm too, I feel the 25 has a more natural visual look, but maybe the 17 is more interesting? I'm looking for a wide-angle lens mostly for travel and fine art photography, any ideas?
Great video once again Darren! I have the cheaper Olympus 17mm F2.8 pancake lens. One of my favorite lenses to take with me while traveling. However, the AF doesn't seem to work in video mode on camera's like the Panasonic GX8 and GH4 (it does work on the BMPCC). Could you tell if this one works (well) for video on Panasonic's camera's?
I have both. 17mm is very useful for daily snap shots. However it is a bit boring. 45mm is a bit long, put it on a 2nd body or b camera, it will be very useful.
Like was said before, two very different lenses. The 45mm is sweet for single subject portrait headshots and b-roll video (really good), the 17 would get groups of 3 or more, reportage and street photography. Being a bit wider than standard, you learn more about composition, storytelling, and staying mindful of your background.
Hi Darren, always love watching your reviews, like your distinct style. Surprising that you reviewed this lens so late, but just on time as I am thinking between this or panasonic 20/1.7 or 15/1.7 with a GX85. I thinking I am liking this lens...
I don't know, man. I have a (too?) large collection of M43 lenses and this one is definitely the least sharp of the bunch. Compared to the Panasonic 20 and 25, it gets smoked in terms of detail rendered. That said, it does produce very nice colors and, as a whole, I think I prefer it to the Pan 20--and the autofocus is unmatched. Also, good job managing the highlights in your samples. I struggle with that on M43.
I recently bought one. It is nice. Construction is very nice. But image quality is just...nice. Nowhere in the world is it super sharp or spectacular. Look at the images he shows, they are not that sharp. Neither are any other examples I've seen, by others or my own. But the AF is good and I like the angle of view.
When I think of it, well I'm more tempted to save the money for the 10-25 f1.7 that is optically better in every way and zooms. Way different size of course, I'd definitely prefer the 17mm on my gm5 to the 10-25
I've heard (and seen) many less then stellar things about this lens, particularly soft edges, meh center sharpness, noticeabley flaring and cromatic aberration compared to better olympus lenses like the 12mm the 25, the 45 and the excellent 75mmm. This is the first of your video that sounds more like an olympus commercial then an honest review given the not exactly cheap price of this lens in the Olympus range.
+Leptospirosi I'm telling you - maybe I got a great copy or something - I've pixel peeped images at 300% and I can count eyelashes - on my cat photos - even on the edge of the frame - the portion that's in the focal plane are ridiculously sharp. I've heard some not so stellar things about this lens too, but I can't say that's been my experience. I think it's a great lens and worthy of it's price tag. Wish it came with a lens hood, but you can't win them all...
+Darren Miles If someone is unlucky and get a problematic lens, it takes just 2-3 weeks from Olympus service to fix it (in slowest case scenario). And if someone gets the typical stellar copy, it is great one. I handled one test unit in the store for tests shots and they were drawful, as I focused on right edge to object at 80cm distance, and the focus plane went diagonally in so hard angle that at the left edge the focus plane was already over 6m away. I didn't see the problem with common center focused points, until focusing close and to flat object. Mentioned the thing to the store staff and they replaced it with a new one and it was perfect. Clearly that lens was dropped as its filter thread had big dent, like someone would have dropped it to floor from 2m height, and very likely a reason why it was decentered. Did not buy it because I still consider it too highly priced one. Here is my take for the price ranges: 12mm f/2 is 749€, should be 499-599€ 17mm f/1.8 is 449€, should be 349-399€ 25mm f/1.8 is 379€, should be 279€ 45mm f/1.8 is 279€ As I see that the people would love to buy 17mm, 25mm and 45mm combo, but putting down over 1100€ is just too much. Why little over 900€ would be better deal. I love my PRO lenses, and wouldn't even consider to ask them for lower prices as they are so stellar ones. Of course 300mm f/4 needs to wait until it hits that magical 2000€ price tag as I consider 2700€ is too much for a prime. And even when that 300mm would pay itself back in 4-5 photo gig, it is just so niche to be used if not for wildlife.
Hi Darren, thanks for this great review of the awesome Olympus 17mm 1.8 prime lens. I like this lens so much! It´s the perfect tool for black & white street-photography! Watch my black & white videos to the Olympus PEN F. The most images and videoclips are taken with the 17mm prime lens! I can agree to your quality assessment in any point.
for everday use and street photography would you go with the 17mm or 25mm. Both look great. I just bought a OMD EM5 mark 2 as a walk around camera.thanks
I have both and I would recommend the 17mm. Actually, picture quality and everything is very good on both, but I think the 17mm is a more useful focal length. I always recommend people getting m4/3 Olympus primes to start with the 17mm and 45mm. Both are cheap and amazing.
Thank you for the review. I have a question. In video mode and focus set to C-AF tracking, my copy seems to make a ticking, grinding noise. Is this normal? I noticed that in S-AF the tick only happens once when the camera locks focus in photo mode.
Darren, I have a question about technique. I've really struggled with my olympus gear in bright light--most notably the 12-40-- as contrast disappears and blue skies turn teal, even when the image is more or less evenly exposed. Are you using a CPL filter to get your skies this blue? or are you just metering for the sky?
I almost always shoot my olympus lenses wide open, rarely do I stop down... As for settings, I'm sure I was in Aperture Priority at f/1.8, ISO was likely around 1600 and shutter no slower than 1/60th...
Hi Darren, thanks for all your awesome micro 4/3 lens reviews. How about a 12mm f/2 review ro round out the primes. I am debating purchasing this lens and would love to hear your opinion. Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Hi Darren, great review after watching your review I ordered Olympus 17mm f1.8 for my gh4. Is there any clicking sound issue in C-AFC mode while shooting videos?
Hey Darren, I love my Olympus. I love prime lenses. I am trying to decide between the 17mm & 12mm primes. I have a 20mm prime but would like something a little more wide angle. Recommendations?
Hey Darren, I love your videos, thank you for all of them. They're very helpful. Would you like to rewiew the lastest Sigma 50-100mm 1.8 ART? I know you'd do a great work on that! Thanks, wish you the best, man!
I appreciate the kind words Daniel, thank you very much! That lens is very much on the radar, but I currently am not in possession of a crop sensor camera, that I said, I'm really interested in the D500 and will likely be buying one soon which will open up to the possibility of Crop sensor camera lenses like the 50-100....
Thank you for this very informative video ! I'm struggling between my first combo of lenses for my GX85.. I wanted the 25mm 1.7 + 45mm 1.8 but now I'm struggling to choose between either 17mm 1.8 or 20mm 1.7 + 45mm 1.8 ... The last is a must have, I shoot mainly video and I want a cinematic look. What would you recommend ?
+michael webb I used it for a portion of this review, but I had to send it back to Olympus before I could complete the review - it's a piece of AWESOME!!!
+Darren Miles i'am not really in to how a camera looks as long as it take good photos . but this camera is simply the best looking camera I've ever laid eyes on . it's now top of my want list . keep up the great work Darren .
Darren, hi from Boca Raton! I just found your channel and I an planning on getting the Olympus Pen-F. I am a recreational photog, upgrading from my Canon T2i with kit lenses, which is too large and heavy. I love the vintage and robust look and features of the Pen-F. If I could only have 2 lenses for general use, which of the Olympus prime lenses would you choose? I was thinking the 17mm and 45mm (f1.8). Thank you!
I had the PEN-F at the same time I had the 300mm f/4 - the PEN - F is a very capable little camera - the women loved it because it looked more like a fashion accessory than a serious camera... But it's capable and I LOVE Olypums!
Hi Darren, well I have switched gears and decided on the new Fujifilm X-T20 with kit lens (18-55) and the 35mm F2 lens. Still has the classic look of the Pen but the X-T20 has the wheel control for shutter speed and aperture on the Fuji lens. Camera is still on Amazon pre-order for another week.
+simianinc I am a fanboi of Olympus - I admit it :-) I've reviewed 2 Pany lenses - the 42.5 f/1.2 (AWESOME!) and the 7-14 - also very good (except for weird flare) - I had the 20mm f/1.7 and I loved it too...
alex collie The problem I have with the Panasonic 20mm is that the focus is too slow. I tried using it at a low light event once, and I kept missing candid moments because it took too long to grab focus. I now use the Panasonic Leica 15mm. The focal range felt a bit strange at first, but now I love it.
Dear Darren,I bought a EM5 Mark II together with a 12-40mm F2.8 and 45mm F1.8 lens of Olympus last year. As I want to have more lens to fit for different situations, I watched a number of your videos for Olympus lens and gain much information. Though I am sure I 'll buy 40-150mm F2.8 and the 1.4x teleconverter later, I find it difficult to decide whether I shall buy a single lens of 7-14 mm F2.8, or separate lens for 12mm F2.0, 17mm F1.8 or 25mm F1.8 and the 75mm F1.8 from the Olympus series.Let say I will have budget of about US$2,000, would you let me have your professional advice on how to choose these lens amongst each other? Thank you.Michael
What do you want to shoot? Of those I'd get the 7-14 PRO and the 75, but that assumes you want to shoot landscapes/architecture with the 7-14 and portraits with the 75... The 75 is one of the best Olympus lenses... EVER... :-)
I am looking to buy an Olympus camera now "yep sorta shameless fanboy like you haha" I am really impressed with the quality of your photos... So which camera you used? Please tell me it is Olympus.. If not then recommend me something not pro lvl but also not entry lvl camera from Olympus. Also.. I want a lens for macro photography... So 30MM F3.5 or 60MM F2.8? Both cost almost the same so I don't mind.. Price is not an issue just what's the best for macro? Thanks and I LOVE YOUR vids! :)
Hello Darren... As a beginner, I am considering the 17mm(since it is wide angle) for landscape, but on further research realized that for landscape requires small F-stop(8 or beyond) which I can get from the kit lens itself(14-42mm 3.5-5.6). So other than the obvious low light advantage(which also I can overcome with tripod and reduced shutter speed), what is the real advantage of this lens? Also, with panorama available through software, is wide angle still that much advantage for landscape? Sorry for lots of questions, but would greatly appreciate your thoughts
I assume you probably got your answer already but if not; you're correct, this lens would offer little to no advantage to your kit lens at the same focal length and the same aperture. It might give a slight sharpness advantage
Considering that OM-D EM10 Mark II comes with 14-42mm f3.5-f22 (the default kit lens), why should you buy extra lens to cover the same focal (17mm) ? It's nice to have bigger aperture, but not sure if it's worth it.
let's just forget you said this, the 17mm is much much sharper as a prime and even so most zooms are sharper then a kit lens, not to mention the focus clutch metal build quality and from 3.5 to 1.7 is massive in light and bokeh
the difference between 3.5 to 1.8 is pretty huge. The kit lens also has considerable distortion and artifacts that the prime does not. This is usually true regardless of system for zooms vs primes, especially kit zooms.
That's kit lens is good, but miles away from this little gem. I sold my kit lens and bought the 17mm f1.8... One if the best lenses I ever bought, hands down!
17mm is fixed focal length, i.e. no zoom, but lets in more light so can show shallower depth of field (at 17mm) and you can use lower ISO in low light. 14-42 is more versatile but more of a daylight lens
Hi Darren, great review. Have been watching plenty of reviews for this lense. However another lense comes to my mind: the pancake Lumix 20 mm f/1.7. The focal length of the Lumix 20mm sounds closer to 35mm equivalent of 50mm. But I shot streetphotos mostly though, and I own an Olympus 45mm f/1.8. Still a bit undecided now, but I'm more toward the Oly 17mm f/1.8. What do you think? :)
It's easy to calculate the 35mm equivalent focal length of micro 4/3 lenses. M4/3 is half full frame (35mm). So a 17mm M4/3 would be a 34mm equivalent. If you wanted a 50mm full frame equivalent lens for M4/3, get a 25mm lens.
Thank you Matthew Shaffer. Actually what I asked was whether the Lumix 20 mm f/1.7 pancake might have something in it that's better than the Oly 17mm f/1.8. Surely the focal length is different by 3mm or 6mm of 35mm equivalent and offer different perspectives.
They're very similar. Pluses of the Olympus 17mm: 35mm is an amazingly good focal length for everyday use. It's wide enough for indoor use or tight spaces, and a 40mm or 50mm generally is not. The build quality is nice, and it feels like you spent your money on something nice. I personally like having a depth of field scale for manual focus, as it aids in discreet street shooting. At 1.8 it's not quite as sharp as the 20mm at 1.7, but when you stop it down a step or two it's incredible sharp and optically fantastic. Also, it has faster and more silent focus than the 20mm 1.7. Pluses of the 20mm 1.7: Sharper wide open, cheaper, and smaller. Both are great lenses. If you're tight on cash go with the 20mm and you won't be disappointed.
Tzadeck thanks a lot your reply is very elaborate. I have finally acquired the F/1.8 17mm and found all your descriptions accurate indeed. Well made material, nice feel, and most notably the ability to control depth of field. I've used the d.o.f. ring quite extensively for shooting street photography. I was more accustomed to using F.L. 50mm equivalent, but now start to appreciate on the 34mm F.L. equivalent's versatility in confined spaces. The biggest challenge was overcoming that feeling when trying to take pics of people at such close range to fill my frame lol! BTW I was lucky to acquire it brand new at bargain price. Again, many thanks!
I have both. The 17 beats out the 20 by its faster and more reliable AF in low light. And the 20 is plagued by potential ISO banding at high ISO settings in some conditions. So for carefree shooting, I like the 17.
Hi Darren the video is great! Thank-you! Hey I was wondering about the video footage you shot and if you could tell me how you sped up and slowed down your footage? I have OMD em1 2. Thanks in advance
I'm an Olympus fan myself but I can't agree on the value proposition here. Consider that a 35mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor can be purchased for $200; the Olympus prime costs twice the Nikon equivalent in speed and coverage. I will agree that the design and build of the Olympus is better in this case but the Olympus also benefits from requiring much less material than the Nikkor. I think the Zuiko 17/1.8 is overpriced and Olympus needs to bring it down for the sake of the m43 marketplace. Consider zooms, Olympus' 12-40 f/2.8 is only $900 compared to Nikon's 24-70 f/2.8 setting you back $2,400. Why does Olympus charge so much for their primes?
+Al Dente Yes and no - the 35mm f/1.8 for DX is actually a 52.5mm full frame equivalent field of view - yes it's cheap, but it's a cheaply built lens... Though I understand it's optics are really good!
I have a problem with cluth ring on mine 17mm f/1.8. In manual mode position it has 0.5-1mm luft zone while rotating the ring. This delay is very annoying and disturbing. It riuns the sense of using the cluth ring - I can't precisely focus manually during video or macro photography. Anybody has the same problem, or it's the defect of my lens?
Darren, I looked carefully at a number of your shots with the 17mm 1.8. Your shots with this lens are very sharp. However, I find the bokeh poor. Not average, poor. I am also an Olympus fan boy. I currently own two Olympus cameras. The 50mm f1.8 Olympus lenses I have with these have very good bokeh. So Oly knows how to do it, but per your samples this lens does not have it.
+Robert Nuttmann Interesting - I find bokeh quality to be highly subjective and to me, I think the bokeh from the 17 is nice, but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder - moderately wide angle lenses aren't renowned for the subject isolation, which could be a factor...
+Robert Nuttmann www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57772245 look at those. Very well handled the lens for portraits and controlled the background for shallow DOF, and the lens renders very nice bokeh. The Bokeh is not disruptive or it doesn't hide the background characters. That makes the lens produce excellent portraits because you focus to the person first and then when you look around you can still see the environment and the person fits to the environment itself then. This can be as well seen with Darren samples, as in portraiture you need to have a environment, that puts the person in time and place. And when FF fans push to their f/1.4-1.8 lenses or even f/2.8, they simply destroy the portraiture by that. Only reason to try to get the background totally out of focus is when it is simply a bad one that doesn't add anything to photo (then it takes away from it).
RusMark RusMark - bokeh is subjective. I looked at the pictures in your link. To my eye the subject is in very sharp focus, but the bokeh is not pleasing. There is bokeh, but my eye does not like the look of it. I have a number of Olympus lenses. Several of them make really good bokeh, so I know Oly knows how to do it. But I don't think the 17mm 1.8 has good bokeh. And that is my humble opinion.
I very much disagree with this review. This lens has the least amount of sharpness than all the other f1.8 primes. 75,25,45,12,17 is the order. Sure this lens is nice when you don't compare it to anything else. But when you compare it to the other Olympus primes IQ wise it's a dud.
+hyprz Honestly, I've pixel peeped this thing at 300% and I find it sharp as a tack - I can count eyelashes - honestly... I've used virtually all of the Olympus primes (except for the 12mm f/2) and I love them all, and to me, this one is in the same league. Maybe my copy is exceptional, but my images are really, really sharp...
@@martinschnabel1961 I’ll try stopping down a bit. I was looking for a fast compact lens, but I’m ending up with a selection of them now. Hey, I think Darren Miles gave up on micro 4/3rds. I haven’t seen any of his new videos. Thanks for the reply!
![ค้าง (STILL) - GEMINI [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ftxx3hk5vkU/mqdefault.jpg)
Jeez even years later this is still the best Olympus 17mm review. I’ve never owned this lens but I finally might pull the trigger!
You wont regret it....my most used lens ever....
The best review of Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 on TH-cam. Great work Darren. Always a joy to watch your reviews :-)
+Parminder Bedi Thank you very much!
Looking to add this one for indoor natural light photography. Looks like a winner. Thank for the review
Very good review Darren. You sold me. Ive just got a 45, and I love it for many things, but it can be restrictive close-up. Thanks for the wonderful photos also.
Some of the best examples I've ever seen with this lens. Really great!
Watching this in 2021 as I've just picked up an oly epl5 for family shots and street photography 👌🏻
Best reviews (content and presentation) online.
I find that the focus speed on this one in low light is much faster than the 25mm 1.8 and a little bit faster than the 45mm 1.8. It's impressive, really. Of course, in good light they're all lightening fast.
Shooting the 17mm 1.8 with my EM-5 and it became my go to lens right away. Staying on my camera 90% of the time. Fast to autofocus and sharp as a tac.
I really like your review format - good job. This lens gets frequent use on my MFT bodies. It got mediocre reviews when it first came out, but time has proven that it really is a classic MFT lens.
This was the lens that was almost always on my Oly E-PL5. Of all the lenses I own this one has the most wonderful feel to it. Just feels super well made, and I like the clutch manual focus feature. Only thing it is missing is a lens hood.
Just bought this lens, very happy with it so far. It is not stupid to buy a super (although midrange) lens, and then save your money by buying a used mft-camera. Cameras with stellar reviews from say around 2012-2014 could now be bought cheaply. Invest in lenses, they'll outlast your camera! Thx for good review.
Thank you, it's my new lens and agree, it's really great.
one of the best lenses i have ever uses. character, bokeh. Just perfect
Thanks for another great review. This lens is now next on my list.
I like this lens. I don't quite share the qualification of "stellar" but it's a very good lens which I would recommend.
Note: I do have it, use it, and have no plans to get rid of it.
Thankyou for making such great reviews... the images you created are amazing .. You are a true artist...
Thank you very, very much!
I am glad you have done this review as I have been blown away by it's images time after time. The magazine lab tests are rather disappointing but for some reason in practice the images are simply beautiful as you also have found out. I just shoot without worrying about what aperture it is on and have never been disappointed. I have never before had a lens that I can say that about.
The 17mm f/1.8 is the perfect companion to the Pen F, as shown by you. I was never keen on having this lens, but when I bought the Pen F, the shop assistant highly recommended the kit - and I never regretted it!
Christian Augustin Me too. I like it even better than the Oly 25mm.
Always enjoy your reviews, and looking forward to more. Excellent job.
+Neerbija Thank you very much!
You should compare it with the Leica 15
Amazing and highly professional review, Darren. I always admire the information provided with photos proving the authenticity of your quality work. It is amazing that you appreciate the massive amount of energy invested in developing new and highly competitive equipment produced by Oly, as being their fan boy. And by the way, you have a gorgeous family.
+Alex Cimpoi Thanks Alex!
I've just watched this review and your one for the 12mm. I was having a hard time deciding on the 17mm f/1.8 or the 12mm f/2.0 so was happy to see your take on these two lenses.Excellent review, (all your reviews are very comprehensive and well done), thank you. Have shot with Olympus since 1978, (two OM-1 bodies, generally had a 24mm f/2.8 on one body and a Vivitar 70-210mm on the other). I picked up an EM-5 Mk II last year, loved it instantly for it's size, image quality and (my beloved) classic OM-1 styling and traded-in (read: happily ditched) my clunky brick of a Nikon D7000 on the spot, it was a no-brainer. I think now I'll go with the 12mm, though it is pricey in comparison, as I think there just isn't enough of a difference in field of view (for me and my style of shooting) between the 25mm and the 17mm. I'll be sure to watch many of your other reviews, they're great. Thanks again.
I habe a silver one and got lately in a combo with the Pen-F a black one too. Also I got black and silver Olympus camera-bodies. Perfect!
I have a Sony A7 and always wanted to give a olympus a try. Week ago i got the olympus E-M10II on a super great deal on the body and i just bought this lens yesterday cause of the focal length without any reviews just blind bought it. After watching this video im confident and super excited to try it when it arrive thursday!! Aweomse review and amazing images!! SUBSCRIBED!
how do you think in comparison with panny leica 15mm f1.7?
Hi Darren,
This was my 1st prime lens, and I was blown away the moment I tried it...perfect size, build quality, IQ... it's just so damn good, it's amazing! Great video and great review! Thanks!👍
Darren, I noted that in the beginning of your video your skin tones looked bluish/purplish, while in the closing minutes the skin tones were improved and looked more naturalistic, and the bluish tint eliminated. Was that color correction in your editing software, better white balance, or a change of camera? Just curious.
Good review, love this little lens...one thing to watch out with this lens is motor noise during filming.This is quality issue with lens motor .Had to send two lenses back, and third one was ok.
If I had to choose only two lenses for my E-M1 it would be this and the 45mm. Looking forward to the E-MII at Photokina. Hoping for 24mp and in body defocus control. Thanks for a great review. Just a note: the music is too loud relative to your voice.
Two great lenses - I love the 45!
george, hi.
yes, it's common with togs to ignore the audio level. painful sometimes...........
thing is, most musics are compressed, not the file type, but the original master. a voice is dynamic, these mixes are not so much.
so, it's very easy to misjudge the ratio between them.
also, i'll bet they are not mixed with proper monitoring. near enough is good enough?
j.
What happened to the gmaster 85mm video? Got deleted?
Hi Darren,
Enjoy your Oly videos very much.
Did you find you had to stop down the 17mm to f2-4 to get best sharpness/contrast with this lens? Especially outdoors. And do you recommend AF most of the time, for ease of use when walking around?
Thanks.
Pete
close up food photos look great on this lens
Very nice review. Could you please tell us what soundtrack was used, starting at 6:02 ? Thank you
+Live from the Flight Deck I got it on PremiumBeat.com, it's called "We're taking off" by Vincent Tone.
Great review as always, Darren!
+Andrew Somerville Thank you very much!
As always, fantastic review! Thank you.
Do you have some original full-size images that you can share so we can look at them for noise, sharpness, bokeh, etc?
Hi. I always appreciate your reviews. I own it and it is a very good lens. However, there are a few things that I don't appreciate about it. It doesn't include a lens hood and for the price point and it being a prime, "high-end" lens it should include a lens hood. Weather-sealing would also have been nice, though I'm not sure how much more that would add to the price.
Secondly, a Bigger Problem. I don't know if other users have this problem. I bought an Olympus lens hood, but you cannot put a filter (i.e. UV) on first and then the lens hood. You have to put the hood on first, then carefully "drop" the filter onto the lens and try to use the tips of your finger to screw it in. Likewise, taking a filter off is a problem.
I even took it to the camera store and asked them if this was a defective lens hood and/or filter. I also emailed Olympus, but didn't receive a definitive reply. Maybe I should try a 3rd-party lens hood at some point.
This is obviously a problem if you might need to put on/take off a polarizing or ND filter quickly.
Thanks for all of your great reviews. What I like about it that it's systematic and comprehensive. I will be very happy to see you do 2 comparison videos. The 1st is Canon 85mm 1.2Lii VS Sigma 85mm 1.4 VS Tamron 85mm 1.8 VC. The 2nd video is Canon 35mm 1.4Lii VS Sigma 35mm 1.4A VS Tmaron 35mm 1.8 VC.
Thanks again and keep up the great work.
+Fahad Bashraheel The Tamron is on my list... As for comparo's we'll see :-)
+Darren Miles thaks😀
Can't wait for you to review the Pen f. I love the monochrome mode so much, I could give up my A7II and buy the Pen F just for that. Do you think I would lose that much in image quality?
Great video thanks! Like long for either a Panasonic 25mm or Olympus 25mm for my Panasonic gx85. Now I'm thinking 17mm
Just a humble tip for your vids: Bring up your voice or bring down the music, music is very loud compared to your voice, anyway thanks for the great review!
I really want to get your take on the Pen F.
I bought this lens as well as the 25mm Oly, based on your recommendation. I wound up keeping the 17mm on my PEN F as my "Go to " , but the 25 just wound up taking up space in my bag. Gotta say though, that 17mm is Sharp!
I'm trying to decide between the 25mm and the 17mm too, I feel the 25 has a more natural visual look, but maybe the 17 is more interesting? I'm looking for a wide-angle lens mostly for travel and fine art photography, any ideas?
Great review. I agree the performance is fantastic for such a compact lens.
Any chance you'll review the Panasonic Leica 12mm f/1.4?
Love your videos. Getting my first m43 camera next weekend! Have you got a chance to use the sigma 30 1.4?
Great video once again Darren!
I have the cheaper Olympus 17mm F2.8 pancake lens. One of my favorite lenses to take with me while traveling. However, the AF doesn't seem to work in video mode on camera's like the Panasonic GX8 and GH4 (it does work on the BMPCC). Could you tell if this one works (well) for video on Panasonic's camera's?
Hi Darren,
Can't decide between this little gem or the 45mm f/1.8. Aiming for outdoor portraits, landscape and maybe moving animals
Cheers
17mm and 45 mm are entirely different lenses for different uses. You need both!
I have both. 17mm is very useful for daily snap shots. However it is a bit boring. 45mm is a bit long, put it on a 2nd body or b camera, it will be very useful.
Like was said before, two very different lenses. The 45mm is sweet for single subject portrait headshots and b-roll video (really good), the 17 would get groups of 3 or more, reportage and street photography. Being a bit wider than standard, you learn more about composition, storytelling, and staying mindful of your background.
Yep, agree with Peter here 👍 Get both! 😁
The 45mm should be the first in the buying list
Really enjoy all of your reviews Darren.. Thanks
Hi Darren, always love watching your reviews, like your distinct style. Surprising that you reviewed this lens so late, but just on time as I am thinking between this or panasonic 20/1.7 or 15/1.7 with a GX85. I thinking I am liking this lens...
+Mahesh Gogtay Thank you! 20mm f/1.7 is better optically, but it's really slow to focus. I haven't used the 15mm f/1.7 so I can't say....
I don't know, man. I have a (too?) large collection of M43 lenses and this one is definitely the least sharp of the bunch. Compared to the Panasonic 20 and 25, it gets smoked in terms of detail rendered. That said, it does produce very nice colors and, as a whole, I think I prefer it to the Pan 20--and the autofocus is unmatched. Also, good job managing the highlights in your samples. I struggle with that on M43.
What camera are you shooting on?
I'm curious because I shoot Pana 15 and 20 on the old EM5.
EM-1. The autofocus on the 17 is unmatched by anything I have ever used, on any system. But sharpness is an issue compared to the Pana lenses.
I recently bought one. It is nice. Construction is very nice. But image quality is just...nice. Nowhere in the world is it super sharp or spectacular. Look at the images he shows, they are not that sharp. Neither are any other examples I've seen, by others or my own. But the AF is good and I like the angle of view.
When I think of it, well I'm more tempted to save the money for the 10-25 f1.7 that is optically better in every way and zooms. Way different size of course, I'd definitely prefer the 17mm on my gm5 to the 10-25
@@Whatsup_Abroad I picked the up 17/1.7 for $300. The 10-25/1.7 is around $1500. Hard to compare the two. But sure, nice lens.
So what
Great review Darren. Love the family images. Your son looks just like you. I have the Voigtlander 17.5mm F/0-95 lens on my Panasonic GH5s
I've heard (and seen) many less then stellar things about this lens, particularly soft edges, meh center sharpness, noticeabley flaring and cromatic aberration compared to better olympus lenses like the 12mm the 25, the 45 and the excellent 75mmm.
This is the first of your video that sounds more like an olympus commercial then an honest review given the not exactly cheap price of this lens in the Olympus range.
+Leptospirosi I'm telling you - maybe I got a great copy or something - I've pixel peeped images at 300% and I can count eyelashes - on my cat photos - even on the edge of the frame - the portion that's in the focal plane are ridiculously sharp. I've heard some not so stellar things about this lens too, but I can't say that's been my experience. I think it's a great lens and worthy of it's price tag. Wish it came with a lens hood, but you can't win them all...
+Darren Miles If someone is unlucky and get a problematic lens, it takes just 2-3 weeks from Olympus service to fix it (in slowest case scenario). And if someone gets the typical stellar copy, it is great one.
I handled one test unit in the store for tests shots and they were drawful, as I focused on right edge to object at 80cm distance, and the focus plane went diagonally in so hard angle that at the left edge the focus plane was already over 6m away.
I didn't see the problem with common center focused points, until focusing close and to flat object.
Mentioned the thing to the store staff and they replaced it with a new one and it was perfect.
Clearly that lens was dropped as its filter thread had big dent, like someone would have dropped it to floor from 2m height, and very likely a reason why it was decentered.
Did not buy it because I still consider it too highly priced one. Here is my take for the price ranges:
12mm f/2 is 749€, should be 499-599€
17mm f/1.8 is 449€, should be 349-399€
25mm f/1.8 is 379€, should be 279€
45mm f/1.8 is 279€
As I see that the people would love to buy 17mm, 25mm and 45mm combo, but putting down over 1100€ is just too much. Why little over 900€ would be better deal.
I love my PRO lenses, and wouldn't even consider to ask them for lower prices as they are so stellar ones. Of course 300mm f/4 needs to wait until it hits that magical 2000€ price tag as I consider 2700€ is too much for a prime. And even when that 300mm would pay itself back in 4-5 photo gig, it is just so niche to be used if not for wildlife.
Hi Darren, thanks for this great review of the awesome Olympus 17mm 1.8 prime lens. I like this lens so much! It´s the perfect tool for black & white street-photography! Watch my black & white videos to the Olympus PEN F. The most images and videoclips are taken with the 17mm prime lens! I can agree to your quality assessment in any point.
Hey Darren what is the song you have around 6:03 in this video? I've heard it in other YT videos so I assume it is some royalty free song? Thanks
+Rediscover Film I got it on PremiumBeat.com, it's called "We're taking off" by Vincent Tone.
It's a soft lens -- it pairs nicely with older M43 system that's all. Like my EP5
for everday use and street photography would you go with the 17mm or 25mm. Both look great. I just bought a OMD EM5 mark 2 as a walk around camera.thanks
I have both and I would recommend the 17mm. Actually, picture quality and everything is very good on both, but I think the 17mm is a more useful focal length. I always recommend people getting m4/3 Olympus primes to start with the 17mm and 45mm. Both are cheap and amazing.
Thank you for the review. I have a question. In video mode and focus set to C-AF tracking, my copy seems to make a ticking, grinding noise. Is this normal? I noticed that in S-AF the tick only happens once when the camera locks focus in photo mode.
Would you recommend this lens or a olympus 20mm F1.8 as a first lens/ travel lens ?
Darren, I have a question about technique. I've really struggled with my olympus gear in bright light--most notably the 12-40-- as contrast disappears and blue skies turn teal, even when the image is more or less evenly exposed. Are you using a CPL filter to get your skies this blue? or are you just metering for the sky?
whats the song name during the photo montage? It's nice.
Great video, as always! Love this channel
what settings did you use when photographing the kid's feet, have difficulties shooting people in low light with this lens
I almost always shoot my olympus lenses wide open, rarely do I stop down... As for settings, I'm sure I was in Aperture Priority at f/1.8, ISO was likely around 1600 and shutter no slower than 1/60th...
Hi Darren, thanks for all your awesome micro 4/3 lens reviews. How about a 12mm f/2 review ro round out the primes. I am debating purchasing this lens and would love to hear your opinion. Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Thanks Chad! it's on my list, in fact, I'd like to get one of those (the 12mm f/2) to put on the Zenmuse camera option on the DJI Inspire 1....
"Sunny Napel Flordia...not today" hahaha
Are you going to review the new Sigma SD Quattro?
Hi Darren,
great review after watching your review I ordered Olympus 17mm f1.8 for my gh4. Is there any clicking sound issue in C-AFC mode while shooting videos?
None that I am aware of...
Hey Darren, I love my Olympus. I love prime lenses. I am trying to decide between the 17mm & 12mm primes. I have a 20mm prime but would like something a little more wide angle. Recommendations?
Both are awesome! Really hard to decide...
Hey Darren, I love your videos, thank you for all of them. They're very helpful. Would you like to rewiew the lastest Sigma 50-100mm 1.8 ART? I know you'd do a great work on that! Thanks, wish you the best, man!
I appreciate the kind words Daniel, thank you very much! That lens is very much on the radar, but I currently am not in possession of a crop sensor camera, that I said, I'm really interested in the D500 and will likely be buying one soon which will open up to the possibility of Crop sensor camera lenses like the 50-100....
Thank you for this very informative video ! I'm struggling between my first combo of lenses for my GX85.. I wanted the 25mm 1.7 + 45mm 1.8 but now I'm struggling to choose between either 17mm 1.8 or 20mm 1.7 + 45mm 1.8 ... The last is a must have, I shoot mainly video and I want a cinematic look. What would you recommend ?
late reply here, for video I got the 17 f/1.8 Olympus, 25 f/1.7 Panasonic and the 45 f/1.8 Olympus on the gh 5- works for me.
@@indraneilbiswas reply so late that it’s utterly useless
Hi Darren..excellent and deep review. Thank you. By the the way...what song is that.
+Ricardo Soler Fischmann Thank you! I got it on PremiumBeat.com, it's called "We're taking off" by Vincent Tone.
+Darren Miles Thank you Darren and keep up those excellent reviews...!!
great video as always . have you reviewed the Olympus pen F yet ?
+michael webb I used it for a portion of this review, but I had to send it back to Olympus before I could complete the review - it's a piece of AWESOME!!!
+Darren Miles i'am not really in to how a camera looks as long as it take good photos . but this camera is simply the best looking camera I've ever laid eyes on . it's now top of my want list . keep up the great work Darren .
Darren, hi from Boca Raton! I just found your channel and I an planning on getting the Olympus Pen-F. I am a recreational photog, upgrading from my Canon T2i with kit lenses, which is too large and heavy. I love the vintage and robust look and features of the Pen-F. If I could only have 2 lenses for general use, which of the Olympus prime lenses would you choose? I was thinking the 17mm and 45mm (f1.8). Thank you!
I had the PEN-F at the same time I had the 300mm f/4 - the PEN - F is a very capable little camera - the women loved it because it looked more like a fashion accessory than a serious camera... But it's capable and I LOVE Olypums!
Hi Darren, well I have switched gears and decided on the new Fujifilm X-T20 with kit lens (18-55) and the 35mm F2 lens. Still has the classic look of the Pen but the X-T20 has the wheel control for shutter speed and aperture on the Fuji lens. Camera is still on Amazon pre-order for another week.
Darren, you Olympus fanboi. How about showing Panasonic some love?
I really enjoy your reviews. My favourite bits are your real world examples.
+simianinc I am a fanboi of Olympus - I admit it :-) I've reviewed 2 Pany lenses - the 42.5 f/1.2 (AWESOME!) and the 7-14 - also very good (except for weird flare) - I had the 20mm f/1.7 and I loved it too...
+Darren Miles Is it worth upgrading from the the Panny 20mm to this? It's subjective but I think the 20mm has nicer bokeh.
alex collie The problem I have with the Panasonic 20mm is that the focus is too slow. I tried using it at a low light event once, and I kept missing candid moments because it took too long to grab focus. I now use the Panasonic Leica 15mm. The focal range felt a bit strange at first, but now I love it.
Dear Darren,I bought a EM5 Mark II together with a 12-40mm F2.8 and 45mm F1.8 lens of Olympus last year. As I want to have more lens to fit for different situations, I watched a number of your videos for Olympus lens and gain much information. Though I am sure I 'll buy 40-150mm F2.8 and the 1.4x teleconverter later, I find it difficult to decide whether I shall buy a single lens of 7-14 mm F2.8, or separate lens for 12mm F2.0, 17mm F1.8 or 25mm F1.8 and the 75mm F1.8 from the Olympus series.Let say I will have budget of about US$2,000, would you let me have your professional advice on how to choose these lens amongst each other? Thank you.Michael
What do you want to shoot? Of those I'd get the 7-14 PRO and the 75, but that assumes you want to shoot landscapes/architecture with the 7-14 and portraits with the 75... The 75 is one of the best Olympus lenses... EVER... :-)
+Darren Miles
Thank you ver much for your advise, Darren.
I am looking to buy an Olympus camera now "yep sorta shameless fanboy like you haha"
I am really impressed with the quality of your photos... So which camera you used? Please tell me it is Olympus.. If not then recommend me something not pro lvl but also not entry lvl camera from Olympus.
Also.. I want a lens for macro photography... So 30MM F3.5 or 60MM F2.8? Both cost almost the same so I don't mind.. Price is not an issue just what's the best for macro?
Thanks and I LOVE YOUR vids! :)
Hello Darren... As a beginner, I am considering the 17mm(since it is wide angle) for landscape, but on further research realized that for landscape requires small F-stop(8 or beyond) which I can get from the kit lens itself(14-42mm 3.5-5.6). So other than the obvious low light advantage(which also I can overcome with tripod and reduced shutter speed), what is the real advantage of this lens? Also, with panorama available through software, is wide angle still that much advantage for landscape? Sorry for lots of questions, but would greatly appreciate your thoughts
I assume you probably got your answer already but if not; you're correct, this lens would offer little to no advantage to your kit lens at the same focal length and the same aperture. It might give a slight sharpness advantage
IQ and compact size are the advantages of the prime lens.
Oly 17mm f1.8 or Pana 15mm f1.7?
Considering that OM-D EM10 Mark II comes with 14-42mm f3.5-f22 (the default kit lens), why should you buy extra lens to cover the same focal (17mm) ? It's nice to have bigger aperture, but not sure if it's worth it.
I would say that you don't buy the kit lens to begin with
let's just forget you said this, the 17mm is much much sharper as a prime and even so most zooms are sharper then a kit lens, not to mention the focus clutch metal build quality and from 3.5 to 1.7 is massive in light and bokeh
the difference between 3.5 to 1.8 is pretty huge. The kit lens also has considerable distortion and artifacts that the prime does not. This is usually true regardless of system for zooms vs primes, especially kit zooms.
That's kit lens is good, but miles away from this little gem. I sold my kit lens and bought the 17mm f1.8... One if the best lenses I ever bought, hands down!
With kit lens you feel like having a point and shoot camera while with the prime lens you feel like working with a DSLR
Do you do professional studio work with micro four thirds?
+batterista I usually don't but I certainly could - the cameras and lenses are more than capable...
whats the difference between 17mm f/1.18 and 14-42mm lens? (sorry im a complete beginner)
17mm is fixed focal length, i.e. no zoom, but lets in more light so can show shallower depth of field (at 17mm) and you can use lower ISO in low light. 14-42 is more versatile but more of a daylight lens
what camera did you use to shoot the video with the 17mm
+Daqwan Koenig Most likely the GH4
Hi Darren, great review. Have been watching plenty of reviews for this lense. However another lense comes to my mind: the pancake Lumix 20 mm f/1.7. The focal length of the Lumix 20mm sounds closer to 35mm equivalent of 50mm. But I shot streetphotos mostly though, and I own an Olympus 45mm f/1.8. Still a bit undecided now, but I'm more toward the Oly 17mm f/1.8. What do you think? :)
It's easy to calculate the 35mm equivalent focal length of micro 4/3 lenses. M4/3 is half full frame (35mm). So a 17mm M4/3 would be a 34mm equivalent. If you wanted a 50mm full frame equivalent lens for M4/3, get a 25mm lens.
Thank you Matthew Shaffer. Actually what I asked was whether the Lumix 20 mm f/1.7 pancake might have something in it that's better than the Oly 17mm f/1.8. Surely the focal length is different by 3mm or 6mm of 35mm equivalent and offer different perspectives.
They're very similar.
Pluses of the Olympus 17mm: 35mm is an amazingly good focal length for everyday use. It's wide enough for indoor use or tight spaces, and a 40mm or 50mm generally is not. The build quality is nice, and it feels like you spent your money on something nice. I personally like having a depth of field scale for manual focus, as it aids in discreet street shooting. At 1.8 it's not quite as sharp as the 20mm at 1.7, but when you stop it down a step or two it's incredible sharp and optically fantastic. Also, it has faster and more silent focus than the 20mm 1.7.
Pluses of the 20mm 1.7: Sharper wide open, cheaper, and smaller.
Both are great lenses. If you're tight on cash go with the 20mm and you won't be disappointed.
Tzadeck thanks a lot your reply is very elaborate. I have finally acquired the F/1.8 17mm and found all your descriptions accurate indeed. Well made material, nice feel, and most notably the ability to control depth of field. I've used the d.o.f. ring quite extensively for shooting street photography. I was more accustomed to using F.L. 50mm equivalent, but now start to appreciate on the 34mm F.L. equivalent's versatility in confined spaces.
The biggest challenge was overcoming that feeling when trying to take pics of people at such close range to fill my frame lol!
BTW I was lucky to acquire it brand new at bargain price.
Again, many thanks!
I have both. The 17 beats out the 20 by its faster and more reliable AF in low light. And the 20 is plagued by potential ISO banding at high ISO settings in some conditions. So for carefree shooting, I like the 17.
Review the Olympus 25mm F1.2 please xD
Hi Darren the video is great! Thank-you! Hey I was wondering about the video footage you shot and if you could tell me how you sped up and slowed down your footage? I have OMD em1 2. Thanks in advance
shouldn't the total score be 48/50?
What body were you shooting on in the stills?
Both the GH4 and the EM-1 - Mostly the EM-1 which I prefer for stills, but the GH4 is WAAAAAAAY better for video...
+Darren Miles thank you.
Well now you must test out the Oly 12mm f2.0... ;)
Can someone tell me if this makes a blurry background with this lens on VIDEO ?
Exactly....
What song is that between min 6-9?
"We're taking off" - by Vincent Tone... You can buy the license to use on PremiumBeat.com
thanks! very informativ
You're welcome!
in the term of olympus lenses, just buy anything that mark with F1.8 lol
Agree! Phenomenal!
I'm an Olympus fan myself but I can't agree on the value proposition here. Consider that a 35mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor can be purchased for $200; the Olympus prime costs twice the Nikon equivalent in speed and coverage. I will agree that the design and build of the Olympus is better in this case but the Olympus also benefits from requiring much less material than the Nikkor. I think the Zuiko 17/1.8 is overpriced and Olympus needs to bring it down for the sake of the m43 marketplace. Consider zooms, Olympus' 12-40 f/2.8 is only $900 compared to Nikon's 24-70 f/2.8 setting you back $2,400. Why does Olympus charge so much for their primes?
+Al Dente Yes and no - the 35mm f/1.8 for DX is actually a 52.5mm full frame equivalent field of view - yes it's cheap, but it's a cheaply built lens... Though I understand it's optics are really good!
To increase the company's revenue. The demand is not strong enough, to lower the prices and make the same or higher revenue.
I have a problem with cluth ring on mine 17mm f/1.8. In manual mode position it has 0.5-1mm luft zone while rotating the ring. This delay is very annoying and disturbing. It riuns the sense of using the cluth ring - I can't precisely focus manually during video or macro photography. Anybody has the same problem, or it's the defect of my lens?
Sounds defective to me....
Darren Miles Thanks for reply, usefull comment!
Is a price point like a price?
Darren, I looked carefully at a number of your shots with the 17mm 1.8. Your shots with this lens are very sharp. However, I find the bokeh poor. Not average, poor. I am also an Olympus fan boy. I currently own two Olympus cameras. The 50mm f1.8 Olympus lenses I have with these have very good bokeh. So Oly knows how to do it, but per your samples this lens does not have it.
+Robert Nuttmann Interesting - I find bokeh quality to be highly subjective and to me, I think the bokeh from the 17 is nice, but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder - moderately wide angle lenses aren't renowned for the subject isolation, which could be a factor...
+Robert Nuttmann www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57772245 look at those. Very well handled the lens for portraits and controlled the background for shallow DOF, and the lens renders very nice bokeh. The Bokeh is not disruptive or it doesn't hide the background characters. That makes the lens produce excellent portraits because you focus to the person first and then when you look around you can still see the environment and the person fits to the environment itself then.
This can be as well seen with Darren samples, as in portraiture you need to have a environment, that puts the person in time and place. And when FF fans push to their f/1.4-1.8 lenses or even f/2.8, they simply destroy the portraiture by that. Only reason to try to get the background totally out of focus is when it is simply a bad one that doesn't add anything to photo (then it takes away from it).
RusMark RusMark - bokeh is subjective. I looked at the pictures in your link. To my eye the subject is in very sharp focus, but the bokeh is not pleasing. There is bokeh, but my eye does not like the look of it. I have a number of Olympus lenses. Several of them make really good bokeh, so I know Oly knows how to do it. But I don't think the 17mm 1.8 has good bokeh. And that is my humble opinion.
I think the fascination with bokeh is a little strange.
Thumbs up up up!
I very much disagree with this review. This lens has the least amount of sharpness than all the other f1.8 primes. 75,25,45,12,17 is the order. Sure this lens is nice when you don't compare it to anything else. But when you compare it to the other Olympus primes IQ wise it's a dud.
+hyprz Honestly, I've pixel peeped this thing at 300% and I find it sharp as a tack - I can count eyelashes - honestly... I've used virtually all of the Olympus primes (except for the 12mm f/2) and I love them all, and to me, this one is in the same league. Maybe my copy is exceptional, but my images are really, really sharp...
It’s not known as a sharp lens!
my copy gets significantly sharper at f2 that I can't complain.
@@martinschnabel1961 I’ll try stopping down a bit. I was looking for a fast compact lens, but I’m ending up with a selection of them now. Hey, I think Darren Miles gave up on micro 4/3rds. I haven’t seen any of his new videos. Thanks for the reply!
@@DJFAmenHeavy where?
说重点