Olympus 17/2.8 Lens review

[hkrz]

I think this may interest a few people here. I advise, before going to the review, to have a look at the description of their testing methodology.

http://www.lenstip.com/index.php?test=obiektywu&test_ob=183

 

[JBurnett]

Thanks for posting.

As the reviewer pointed out, designing an affordable lens of this focal length for the format poses some real technical challenges, particularly when small/pancake is also one of the desired attributes. While not without its issues, the 17mm appears to be a good option. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the 20mm from Panasonic (whenever it arrives -- sigh).

 

[hkrz]

The review stated, what I think many of us forgot, that this is a kit lens (just around 200$) and should be judged as such.

 

[back alley]

it sells for $299 u.s.

 

[principe azul]

That probably means 299 GBP, then.

Would have bought this, but in the UK you can only buy the kit with the zoom at the moment - body only or the kit with the 17mm means you have to order and wait a few weeks. Which p***ed me off.

Now I'm kinda glad I couldn't buy one. I found the lens does work well with the camera - as the review says - and I liked the few in-store images I took from it, but the lens' shortcomings screw up any idea of eventually using it on another body.

And 5.4% barrel distortion is pretty lame on a slow-speed medium-wide lens. We wouldn't accept this from a film 35mm lens.

I guess it is a kit lens, as hkrz says. But in the UK the kit is 50 GBP more than the zoom kit, you have to wait for it, and the viewfinder, though clear, is flimsy enough to make me resent the premium.

Disappointed. May wait for the Samsung NX, then have similar reservations then wait for Zeiss to come out with a full-frame rangefinder, then find fault with it... aaargh!

Or I could get the E-P1 and be resigned to using the 17mm as a dedicated snapshot lens. Difficult call - the UK price is too steep for me if I'm still going to have reservations.

Edit. At current exhange rates, 749 GBP for the 17mm kit is 1,215 USD against a B&H price of 8,99 USD!

 

[scho]

kit lenses

kit lenses

The Panasonic 14-45 is also just a kit lens, but performance on the G1 is truly outstanding. I hope that Olympus produces some higher quality lenses for their next m43 model.

 

[Paul T.]

It IS irritating. But the barrel distortion can be easily corrected in software.

 

[ampguy]

Looks like it is doing what the G1 does - highly distorted optics, but in-camera fixups.

 

[payasam]

Not terribly different, except in angular coverage, from the Zuiko 25/2.8 in 4/3 mount.

 

[hkrz]

it sells for $299 u.s.

I was thinking about "bundled" price rather than stand alone. I think I saw one for 249$ on Amazon also.

 

[Sonnar2]

The Pen F "kit lens" from 1962 (38/1.8) is 1 stop faster and should do better than 51lp/mm as well (besides it has twice the format).
An old Olympus employee told me that some 100's of 38/2.8 lenses were destroyed in Hamburg freeport according to Olympus' decision not to deliver the camera with a f/2.8 lens to the shops - at a time where f/2.8 lenses were quite common with German SLR's.
So for me who don't see just digital as an improvement it's hard for me to see progress at all...

 

[Y.B.hudson III]

yehh...I would go for the Zeiss Ultra prime 20mm T1.9 arri mount...$ 150/d@y rental...and a deal @ that...of course you would need a arri/micro 4/3 adapter... $ 125 on e-p@Y... now were cooking with gas...

 

[pvdhaar]

What a neat little package this lens is.. I really wish there'd be something similar for my D40

 

[.ken]

The price is a bit ridiculous + separate ovf

 

[antiquark]

HOLY CRAP!!! (But at least the camera removes distortion on the fly).
http://www.lenstip.com/183.6-Lens_review-Olympus_M.Zuiko_Digital_17_mm_f_2.8_Distortion.html