It is just not as sharp as the Panasonic 15mm. Angle of view is not the issue between these two; perspective is. How multiple planes of space get layered. For layering space, this lens has an advantage. But that does not offset the softness in my opinion.

This prime is excellent for what it is. It's a fantastic streetshooter and the build quality is what I expected paying the high dollar for it. I love the Oly hood for it, too! Images with it are cleaner compared to the 17 2.8 pancake. It's truest strength is its fast AF speed and quiet motor.

Handling and Features Performance Verdict Specification This premium compact wide angle lens sports a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture and is compatible with all Micro Four Thirds cameras. The lens provides a field of view roughly equivalent to a 34mm lens used on a 35mm camera and costs around ￡440.

Very; very sharp; Excellent build; Compact; Lightweight; Good value for money

Not weather sealed; No hood supplied as standard

The beautifully crafted, all-metal Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.8 is a strong performer in the optical department, offering very good sharpness wide open, and excellent performance when stopped down to f/2.8 or f/4.

Not the sharpest lens in M.Zuiko Premium line, but definitely decent enough even wide open. Perfect everyday prime. It's no way cheap lens, but still cheaper than closest equivalents in other systems: Canon 35/2 IS, Nikon 35/1,8 FX, Fuji 23/1,4, Tamron 35/1,8, Sony 35/2,8,...

Very good build quality; Very fast and silent AF; Very good MF; Size and weight perfectly fits on OM-D; Full metal

No lenshood and no pouch in package

Before buying the Olympus 17mm f1.8, I'd been using the 1st-generation Panasonic 20mm f1.7 as my main lens for over three years. The Olympus is bigger and heavier than the Panasonic, which is not to say that it's either big or heavy (it's perfectly in proportion with my E-PL3 and GF-1), just that...

The new M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 wide-angle lens isn't the first 17mm lens Olympus has produced for its PEN and OM-D cameras. But it's the fastest and one of the fastest in the Olympus stable. The other lens is a pancake-type lens that's only 22mm long but has a maximum aperture of f/2.8.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.8 ($499.99 direct) is a fast wide-angle lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras . The image sensors in these cameras are smaller than a 35mm film frame or a full-frame D-SLR, which gives the lens a field of view that's roughly equivalent to a 35mm lens in that format-a...

Very sharp; Fast aperture; Compact; Manual focus clutch system.

Hood not included; Not weather sealed

Back in the day, when film was still in, people were talking about 35mm photography. Well, this is the closest lens to that old standard. I received this lense as an Xmas gift a year ago. Since then, this lens has become the standard lens on our GX7 Panasonic camera.

This premium compact wide angle lens sports a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture and is compatible with all Micro Four Thirds cameras. The lens provides a field of view roughly equivalent to a 34mm lens used on a 35mm camera and costs around ￡440.