Favorite m-4/3 "Aftermarket" lens in the 35mm equivalent-ish range?

[Benjamin Marks]

Thanks, it is all relevant. I am intrigued by the TT Artisans 17mm F/1.4 above, but sometimes what you don't see is as significant as what you do. What I don't see is a chorus of voices championing any of the "new" brands or their lenses. This is heartening in a way, as I can dispense with any FOMO on these new offerings, at least in their current state.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Micro 4/3 has put an odd spin on the concept of "aftermarket" -- after all all lenses, even from front line makers can be used on any m-4/3 camera. But I am intrigued by the vast number of new-ish brands out there making lenses in a m-4/3 mount (Yongnuo, DJI, Laowa, 7 Artisans, TTArtisan, Sigma etc.). Do you have a favorite in the 17mm range? I am looking for a 35mm-40mm equivalent lens for a modest price. Bonus points for a picture demonstrating the visual qualities of the same. Fixed focal only. . . don't like the lens speed on the zooms.

Dear Benjamin,

I am in my heart a zoom guy. I have the 17mm focal length covered with an Olymous 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 lens on my E-PL-9 and an Olympus 12-45 f/4 Pro lens for my E-M1 II or my E-M1X depending on which camera I have with me. I know they are slower lenses but I use them mostly for outdoor scenic and landscape shots anyway, where the faster aperture is rarely needed.

That said, I do own Meike manual focus lenses, a 35mm f1.4 and a 50mm f1.7 in M 4/3 mount that I use on occasion and enjoy using. I may add the Venus Laowa 17mm f1.8 to round out the kit. I am considering the TT Artisans 17mm f1.4 as well, but I think the Venus Laowa lens has a better appearance with it's more modern styling. I realize that is probably a ridiculous reason to reject a lens, but I can be weird that way. 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[Godfrey]

Micro 4/3 has put an odd spin on the concept of "aftermarket" -- after all all lenses, even from front line makers can be used on any m-4/3 camera. But I am intrigued by the vast number of new-ish brands out there making lenses in a m-4/3 mount (Yongnuo, DJI, Laowa, 7 Artisans, TTArtisan, Sigma etc.). Do you have a favorite in the 17mm range? I am looking for a 35mm-40mm equivalent lens for a modest price. Bonus points for a picture demonstrating the visual qualities of the same. Fixed focal only. . . don't like the lens speed on the zooms.

I don't have any experience with these new-guy lenses. But the Olympus ZD 35mm f/3.5 Macro that I had with my Olympus E-1 FourThirds system adapts perfectly with the Olympus FourThirds>Micro-FourThirds adapter and has been my standard for general shooting and modest macro work with Micro-FourThirds bodies since I first bought a Micro-FourThirds body. It's small, light, and focuses down to 1:1, and it is beautifully corrected (a bit of barrel distortion) for both near and far subjects. With the Olympus adapter, it works with all automation and AF modes of the Micro-FourThirds cameras. And ... It's not very expensive, even new. Give one a try!

For a short focal length lens, I again go back to my FourThirds lenses: the Olympus ZD 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 is a superb performer, fitted on the same adapter as the 35mm, and has made several photographs of mind that won exhibition recognition. It's not small, but it's worth the money and the weight.

Those two lenses actually comprise a fairly complete lens system right there. In 35mm equivalents: 22mm to 70mm focal length available. For more reach, I have the ZD 50mm f/2 Macro (and a 25mm Extension Tube) and the ZD 50-200/2.8-3.5 (with 1.4x teleconverter). Can't beat Olympus lens quality, and these work superbly. I use them with Olympus E-1 and E-M1 bodies. 😀

G

 

[JeffS7444]

One class of cheap/small/useful lens that I sometimes enjoy are "body cap lenses", like the original 15 mm Olympus product. My feeling is, "why buy a regular body cap when you can get a bit of extra fun for your money? So I have caps which are lenses, and others which are fitted with pinholes (but with glass, to keep dust at bay). The original Olympus has ugly flare, but avoid pointing it towards the sun, and it can be great fun for snapshots.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

I am starting to think I should pick a couple of these out and, you know, test 'em out. Just as a service to the community. Seeing as how there is a bit of a knowledge gap. . . 😉

 

[JoeV]

Here’s my Flickr gallery of Olympus 15mm F/8 body cap lens images: Olympus BCL-15

Olympus BCL-15 Body Cap Lens on Lumix G5 by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr

 

[gzisis69]

Does anyone use the 17mm 2.8 olympus lens ? Im thinking of getting it since i like 35mm equivalent but cant find many reviews. Im not going to use it as a video lens, mostly street shooting. How is the autofocus ?

 

[zane0777]

Does anyone use the 17mm 2.8 olympus lens ? Im thinking of getting it since i like 35mm equivalent but cant find many reviews. Im not going to use it as a video lens, mostly street shooting. How is the autofocus ?

I shot it for several years, had no complaints. I sold it to finance a 20mm/1.7 Panasonic, thinking the larger aperture would be useful. Turns out I don't use the 1.7 much and it's quite a bit larger than the Olympus. In hindsight, I should have just kept the Oly. I never felt the autofocus was a problem - but it's a fairly inexpensive lens so don't expect miracles. I never used it for video so have no comment in that regard.

 

[santino]

Does anyone use the 17mm 2.8 olympus lens ? Im thinking of getting it since i like 35mm equivalent but cant find many reviews. Im not going to use it as a video lens, mostly street shooting. How is the autofocus ?

The AF is rather loud for video, optically there is nothing to complain about.

 

[gzisis69]

I shot it for several years, had no complaints. I sold it to finance a 20mm/1.7 Panasonic, thinking the larger aperture would be useful. Turns out I don't use the 1.7 much and it's quite a bit larger than the Olympus. In hindsight, I should have just kept the Oly. I never felt the autofocus was a problem - but it's a fairly inexpensive lens so don't expect miracles. I never used it for video so have no comment in that regard.

I have the 20mm 1,7 and although i like it to me the 40mm is not so interesting as the 35mm and the slow focus drives me crazy. On the other side the 15mm is gorgeous but bigger and 30mm are getting too wide.

 

[JoeV]

I use the 20/1.7 almost exclusively for my main studio shot for videos. Yes, it’s agonizingly slow to focus, and when used close-up will often choose to first focus in the wrong direction. I’m not using AF-C mode thankfully, instead will use AF-S and wait for focus confirmation before commencing the clip. But it has a pleasing image shot wide open for video. I’m using older LUMIX bodies, the G7 and GH3.

Here‘s a video I made just yesterday with the 20/1.7:

 

[Archiver]

I also have the Olympus M-Zuiko 17mm f1.8 that Chris Crawford mentions. My sample is OK, but doesn’t hold a candle to the DG Summilux, even though it has some nice handling features. The Summilux is sharp enough that you can crop images down to 17mm w/out much loss in sharpness.

Very interesting. I don't have the 15/1.7, but it has been on the radar for a few years. I really enjoy the small size and rendering of the Olympus 17/1.8 but not necessarily the lower light transmission, and it's possible that the Pana 15/1.7 is better in that regard.