I didn't know this version of the 17 (@2.8) existed as an option. As all I want it for is a walk-about, I appreciate the option over the pro and even the 1.8 due to cost - allowing me more budget for the wides and telephotos I do use for landscape and wildlife in pro offerings. Thank you!
This review made me feel nostalgic. This was my second micro43 lens ever owned. Back then it is the only choice for bokeh, slightly better reproduction and staying compact...until 20mm F1.7 appeared.
Thanks for the video. The last micro 4/3 lens I purchased was a refurbished 17mm f/2.8 because it cost me only $75 and I was able to use it as a backup to the 45/20/14 three-lens combo that I normally used.
Love pancakes... this lens is perfect for the Grainy Film art filter on my old beat-up E-PL2. This lens also works with Olympus' Auto-Open lens cap (37mm)... fun lens for "snaps".
I bought the 17mm pancake after trying a variety of options including the Oly 17 f1.8, Sigma 19mm and Lumix 20mm and 14mm pancakes. The 17mm is just the right angle for me and the pancake size/weight more important than the extra stop of light. I use it as a street lens on my Lumix GX80 and keep the 9mm lens-cap and 45mm f1.8 in my pocket. That’s all I need for most street and travel trips. No bag to attract attention and no zoom to distract me. Now if only lockdown were over I could go out and use them!
I have had the 17/2.8 from my beginnings in m4/3. As a travel and vacation lens it has served me very well. I now have the 17/1.8 which usually lives on my E-M5ii while the old f2.8 has graduated from my E-P3 (which now gets the BCL 17 and 9mm) to my E-M5 original. Some of the best street and travel images I have ever shot was with this lens, as well as my first “Lego me” story. I have no plans to get rid of this rough cut gem.
Is a Olympus Pen e-p2 with this lens for 46USD a good price in 2024? Just bought a EM10 Mark II with the 14-42mm kit lens and want something “better” I love your enthusiasm and joy Robin!! Keep being who you are, I love it and I wish I was more like you! ❤
Robin, you convinced me to get this lens again. I had it several years ago and I sold it to get the Sigma 16mm f1.4, last week I bougth one unit of the 17mm f2.8 from a friend who had bought the 17mm f1.8, at a very good price, and now it is my preferred lens to take pictures of my kids.
Robin thank you very much for another video. I have been watching your videos for a short time now. You explain everything very thoroughly and accessibly. Suddenly everything becomes simple.
I totally agree with you : all three 17mm lenses make sens. I love this angle of view. I have both f1.8 that I use on a PEN-F and a f1.2 on a E-M1 iii and both are perfect on these bodies. It could be the f2.8 instead of f1.8, but I was lucky finding a f1.8 sample not too expensive so I did not hesitate. Thanks Robin !
Thank you for this video. It is very fair and accurate based on my experience with the lens, which I think was my third or fourth M43 lens from early days. First thing I learned: don't shoot it into a direct light source if you can avoid it due to the CA and flare issues. I loved the pancake design, but once I afforded the Pany 20mm, the 17 just sat in the bag, so I got rid of it. Later, I got the 17 1.8, which is far superior but not a pancake. I wish we had more M43 pancake options. I do have a twinge of nostalgia from time to time for the 17 2.8, even with the issues that made it hard to love when I had it.
Just bought one of these. Between Mr Thorpes old review, yours here and it being a pancake design I had to have it. It will come bundled with a EP-L3, a 14-42 MkII, flash and bag. All in for $150ish... First foray into the interchangeable Olympus M43, I am by far a Lumix Fellow. Now the only M43 pancake I am lacking is the Oly 14-42 and I will get one of those one day. 🙂
Damn, Robin! You just made me fish back my Olympus EPL1 and my 17mm 2.8 Pancake lens - gonna shoot some in the next days 😊 You could call it a "blast from the past" - will enjoy it
I got this lens with my OMD EM10 Mk II because it is so cute. Also have Lumix 20mm f/1.7 and find that the Olympus focuses faster and quieter than the 20mm in my experience.
Only on Olympus bodies. The Panasonic 20mm focuses faster on the GF1 it came with than the Olympus 17mm on any Olympus body, even the newest ones. The 20mm is a much better lens in general.
I bought this lens used last year. At the time I didn’t realize it was the older 2.8! No wonder I got such a good deal. But in spite of that I have been pretty happy with this lens. It came in handy getting some great wide shots of the Hoover Dam in Nevada/Arizona.
Great review and pretty much my thoughts as well. I had it originally with my EP-1 when it first came out. I recently bought the Pen again but i find it a perfect companion on my tiny Lumix GM1. I was always a little underwhelmed by it but i guess that’s relative to the awesome new lenses we have for the system. As a walk around on the GM1, it’s spot on!
I remember getting this lens free, with an Olympus promotion when I bought my first ever Pen! I thought it was very good at the time, although I used to get a lot of lens flare. I now have the 17mm f1.8, which I picked up second hand on eBay, which I do find much better and can use for Astro too :)
B&H sells a collapsible rubber lens hood that will screw into the filter threads. You will get vignetting if you put in in front of a filter, but it has threads on the other side so you can put the filter after the hood, or you can trim corner cut-outs, since it's rubber. I have one I use with the 17-40mm EZ lens when I don't have the automatic cap attached.
I picked up this lens very cheaply in a clearance bucket and use it with an EPL-5 when traveling. Shamefully I have to admit that if camera and lens suffer a mishap. I won't be too gutted. That said the lens is good enough for casual snapping.. Your pics prove the point.. again. Excellent shooting.
Another great video, thank you Robin 👍. I’ve had this lens for many years, came free with an epl-5 kit and I now use it on my EM10mk3, when I want an ultra portable street lens. Pancake lens is perfect for the pocket and compliments my other lens 45mm f1.8 & 14-40 pancake kit lens. I love it, despite the imperfections, great shooting b+W
I really enjoyed the video. I enjoy using this lens on the body of Panasonic DMC-GF8 when I take pictures on the street. The combination is very light, comfortable, and cute.
I got one of these second hand but eventually traded up to the f1.8. I agree with all the positives and negatives in your review but what clinched it for me was the too slow focussing when filming videos. Each time it needed to re-acquire focus the resulting hunting was too distracting on EM-10ii or PL8. Conclusion - if that's important to you look out for the MSC label (Made for Stills and Cine). A great pancake companion to the PL8 and not bad for night sky either. Great informative review.
I considered this lens but opted for the Laowa 17mm f/1.8 as I don't mind using manual focus and the Oly 17mm f/2.8 was same price or a little more expensive in the used market here in the UK.
I have the 2.8 lens, but did get laowa for the 1.8 f stop, both are compact, and are good on the manual range. the best prime af lenses in a pancake is 14mm for video, and af work.
I had two copies. The first one was soft and I sold it. The second was much sharper and I still have that one (my son is using it). It seems there may be some copy variation or maybe fixes in firmware that make some copies better than others.
Hey Robin I'm getting this lens in the mail soon! I also got it for cheap and I am excited. Believe it or not, I am selling my 17 1.8. i just don't use it considering I have 2 20mm 1.7s and the pro trinity. You influenced me.
Hi Robin. I think maybe for me the Panasonic 12-32mm zoom could be a better option as its small like a pancake lens and not very large fully zoomed out. Apperently a very good sharp lens and quite cheap as well. Only pana have no manual focus.
I’ve had two of these and they are sharp but both of them broke. The mechanism for collapsing the lens is quite fragile in my experience (or maybe I’m just super heavy-handed?!) I fixed them with superglue fairly easily but it destroyed my confidence in the lens. It’s also a full stop+ slower than the 17mm.
@@alangauld6079 o my goodness. First time i heard that their are sort of build issues with the pana lens. I do know that the oly 14-42mm ez lens have a problem with a ribbon that tends to break
Id recently obtained a Tamron 24mm F2.8 lens for my Sony A7C. Cheapest FF lens from a Tier 2 brand I’d seen yet. Love the small size, there’s bext to no chromatic aberration, and the sharpness is exemplary. Additionally, it is capable of 1:2 Macro. Distortion is quite heavy however. Though distortion isn’t necessarily a disadvantage depending on what you’re shooting. A seemingly boring lens, but excellent at what it does.
@@mikechan31 Don’t know if this was a shot at me, , at the audience, or at Robin. Photography is an artform, and a result. I hold respect for Robin for his what he does, and the kind of person he is. (Robin looks like he’d be an awesome person to hang out with) His choice of gear bears little weight. I short on a Canon G7x mkIi for several years before getting a Sony, and the sensor on that is even smaller than M4/3. 😝 My comment wasn’t a FF vs M4/3 comparison or anything remotely close. It was more pointing out how good small, inexpensive lenses can be.
The first lens I bought after the kit lens was the Panasonic 20mm. It was my favorite for years, but the autofocus was almost entirely useless. It had me thinking m4/3 just had bad autofocus. Since getting some Olympus lenses, I havent used the 20mm pancake in years. I wish there was a good pancake lens that had acceptable autofocus.
Exactly what I am trying to tell each and every one here who brought up the Panasonic 20mm. At least I did not say it was "almost entirely useless". It was slow, very slow.
I think this lens is a little under rated at this point, it's still a very handy lens, actually pretty sharp wide open over most of the field, good overall by 5.6 for general shooting. Autofocus can be slow but manual focus is also pretty good so sometimes I use a rough form of hyperfocal focus by manually focusing at about 10 feet then using aperture priority at f8-you should get about 5 feet to infinity in focus without autofocus. Much quicker for a lot of situations but don't jar the focus ring after setting it!
Great video, great music, great images! I have never had a true pancake lens, only the Minolta MC 50 f1.7 and Canon EF 50 f1.8 nifty fifties. I don't know that I would gravitate toward a pancake, but certainly they have the advantages you described so well. I looked carefully for edge/corner softness and the only example I could find was MAYBE the shoulder of the mannequin. All the other images looked rather consistent across the frames. Perhaps it was the compression masking it, but the lens seems to perform very well for centered subjects. Although the backlit leaves showed horrendous chromatic aberrations, the backlit overhead birds had no trace that I could see. Did you remove it or was it absent due to the diffused illumination vs. the sun behind the leaves? It seems like you could squeeze a good performance with judicious application despite challenging circumstances. Another really great review, with pros and cons and useful information in every direction. You showcased great photos from your colorful corner of the world and provided a typical enthusiastic narration. I liked how you left the thunderstorm in, keeps it real. Keep it coming!
Thanks for the kind words. I did not remove the CA or do any extensive editing to the images. I think by default the camera does software correction to the purple frinting, but it failed to do so in more complex secenes. The corner softness is there, and quite noticeable, though should not be a huge concern for most ordinary shots. I have had so many encouters with rain, it came to a point I just could not bother anymore!
This video convinced me to try the Zuiko 17mm F2.8. A recent vacation to Portugal with this lens made some great images. A few times, indoors and selfies, a bit wider like 14mm might have been better, but 17mm still sort of worked in those situations. I like the look and feel of the 17mm F2.8 on my camera. This 17mm pancake lens E-M1 MK II makes the camera look unpretentious. When vacation traveling or taking photos at a restaurant of my beautiful wife, a low profile camera is the best. The manual Pre-Set feature came in really handy too. Many photos were taken in hyperfocal mode. So missed focus. Prior to purchasing the 17mm F2.8, I purchased a used Panasonic 20mm F1.7 version II. The AF speed was too slow for me. Also the 20mm lens looked too chunky on the E-M1 MK II. Not what I expected in a pancake design. Fortunately the store gave me a full refund after returning the lens.
Hi Robin! Been watching your videos for awhile and thanks to you I just got a few days ago my Olympus e-m1 mark ii with only 4K shutter count! 😅 The camera came with the oly 14-150mm lens but I wanted to add a prime however on a very tight budget. I was looking at the oly 17mm f2.8 or the lumix 20mm f1.7. What are your thoughts on this lens? Much appreciated for your insight. Best regards from Portugal! 😊
Looking online in 2022 the secondhand price of the 17mm f/2.8 is holding up well. I could find just one under £100. There are cheaper used 45mm f/1.8s!
@@bensonarizona7820 well, tell me, how many prime lenses fo we have from Micro Four Thirds 10 years ago? Now with so many options, the bokeh which was once smooth (no other F1.7 option at that timer) has fallen behind in terms of creaminess/smoothness in comparison to many better, more superiorly designed optics in newer releases!
I have tonnes of m43 lenses, Olympus, pan y and third party. The one I keep coming back to is the 20mm 1.7. It’s my all time favourite lens on any system
I also recently picked this lens up for a VERY cheap price. Basically free given it was part of a larger set. I had the 17/1.8 from before, but was still surprised by the 17/2.8. Not the premium build, but good enough. Same can be said for IQ - good enough! Given the very low price today I would absolutely recommend it for a compact walkaround. You can see my shots (so far) with the 17/2.8 here www.flickr.com/search/?sort=date-taken-desc&safe_search=1&tags=olympusmzuiko17mmf28pancake&user_id=50745249%40N02&view_all=1
I'm using a kit zoom 14-42 EZ. Focal length I use most often is about 17mm. Max aperature at this focal length is F/3.7. I am considering buying the 17mm prime lens as an upgrade in terms of image quality and aperature. Do you think the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 would be a noticeable upgrade to the 14-42 EZ set at 17mm?
Sadly for me after over 60years of photography I am not able to hand hold a camera steady. So I thought I would try a olympus m4/3 camera to see if it could help this lens was my first purchase that I picked up used at a great price knowing I could get my money back on it if I was to resell it if things didn't work out for me! I then searched for a good used omd camera body and dropped on a lovely omd_em5mkll body at a good price. And wow o was sold on it the sharpness and contrast and detail were spot on and just what I needed this lens is among my most used almost permanently mounted on one of my now six omd bodies and would probably be the last lens I would part with it can't be beat 0n size and quality! Well maybe the 2 x body lens caps Great to see some older early gear tested 😁👍 let's see some more please 5mk1 1mk1 etc thank for vlog
Hi! Nice video! I’m becoming passionate about Olympus pen troughs your videos. I was wondering what the rotating wheel of the zuiko 17 mm 2.8 lens does. Because I bought one and it just rotate
I have the chrome version and it is one of my favorite carry everywhere lenses. It lives mostly on an EP1, and that combination goes with me everywhere. I think this lens is under rated and under appreciated. Thanks for reviewing it!
@@robinwong I found mine on ebay for 55 dollars US. While very basic, it takes wonderful pictures. I have newer, more capable Olympus cameras, but I love carrying this camera and lens. The size and feel remind me of the rangefinder Leicas I used to carry many years ago.
Great video Robin! Could you please suggest the best wide angle lens for m43 on a budget? I need wider field of view for either street or group photography. I am struggling currently with the field of view issue. I need a lens with less than 14mm.
Sorry Robin I really cant see any benefit versus the F1.8 version which is super small and light (don't see the need for pancake size)... but still a well thought out video with of course a fab photo of a cat :-))
I have the 1.7/20 mm Pancake from Panasonic and I don't get that blurry background you get with a wider and slower lense. I guess you went really close, when you took the fotos in the video.
I love Olympus lenses but I think that the Panasonic 20 mm f1.7 wins out at this focal length range. The Panasonic is close in price to the lens under review but is closer in performance to the Olympus 17 mm f 1.8. It also has a unique film-like color rendition.
"this focal lenth range" is a very dangerous thing to describe. 17mm is not 20mm, or vice versa. I cannot get the same perspective or framing by using one lens for the other. 17mm is made to be close to the classic 35mm, when you use the Panasonic 20mm, it becomes 40mm, and the shift of framing, though ever so slightly, throws the balance and intention completely off. Same with using a Sigma 30mm, vs a true 50mm equivalent from Olympus 25mm lenses, they just don't frame things the same way. The Panasonic 20mm is just a different lens, and should not be compared. It is also much slower in AF, and has harsh bokeh, both severe flaws I cannot live with.
@@robinwong Thanks, Robin for your reply. I agree I may have been painting with a broad brush. 17mm is not exactly the same as 20mm. But they are so close I would not need to have both. I never cared for the "classic 35mm," since I have always found it to be neither fish nor foul. I use the 20mm (or 40mm for Micro 4/3) as a "wide normal" lens. I personally find the results, especially the color rendition, from the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 to be very aesthetically pleasing but some may not. (BTW, the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is the only non-Olympus Micro 4/3 lens I own. I generally prefer Olympus lenses but I find something special about the 20mm f1.7.) There is room for disagreement about subjective preferences in this hobby, which is one of the things that makes it interesting.
Hi, how about reviewing BodyCapLens? I think should be even slimmer than this lens. I got 1 the 9mm fisheye and it's Great for taking simple city landscape. No autofocus but it simply focus everything at Infinity distance
Even when this lens came out, it was a missed opportunity for Olympus. Panasonic's 20mm f1.7 pancake lens is almost as small, equally flat, much faster and much sharper. It was available even earlier than the Olympus lens. I wish Olympus would design a new version of it's 17mm pancake lens. It should have fast auto-focus, be sharper at the edges and half a stop faster, maybe even a stop faster. It's possible. The Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is evidence. I use the 17mm f2.8 on a Pen E-PM2. That is the smallest MFT setup from Olympus.
There is no point comparing against the Panasonic 20mm. It is not the same lens, they provide different focal length coverage, one lens cannot be used for another. The Panasonic 20mm also comes with its own long list of problems - slow AF (to the point it was unforgivingly unreliable) and harsh bokeh, which defeats the purpose of shallow depth of field rendering. I'd still choose the Olympus 17mm, because it shoots much closer to a true 35mm coverage.
You should only buy this lense for historical reasons, especially if it comes on a e-p1 with the viewfinder. Otherwise, buy the new one with metal-housing. Much better in all ways..
Cult made across Olly 17/2.8 leads to pathological prices (i.e. in Poland). I must be stupid to purchase - Sigma 19/2.8 is better in every aspect (suppose I will need some in this parameters), except pancake, not less than 2x cheaper
I'm done investing in Olympus . I will use my current gear and who knows time will tell but I may sell everything eat the lost and buy into canon or Sony. Both companies are more reliable in the long run than Olympus.
You're WrONG, you can have everything in one lens, image quality, compactness, a nice bokeh at a very affordable price, just buy the Panasonic 20mm f1.7...
@@robinwong You should try the version II... I understand that as an Olympus Visionary you can't but suggest OMD lenses,, the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is far superior to the Oly 17mm f2.8...
Did I say that? Don't put words in my mouth. But you know what? Go do what you want and believe what you want. What's the point of me sharing the truth if people just want to hear what they want to what and twist my words. I'm sick and tired of having say the right things all the time. If you don't want to admit that the Panasonic 20mm is the slowest micro four third lens, then feel free to live in your own delusional world.
@@robinwong yes, I am an amateur photographer and I bought this lens for its pancake size but I do video footage from time to time, it is an experience that I wanted to share.
I will be going live with @Peter Forsgard soon! Come say hi.
ruclips.net/video/Cis93FFNWZI/видео.html
I didn't know this version of the 17 (@2.8) existed as an option. As all I want it for is a walk-about, I appreciate the option over the pro and even the 1.8 due to cost - allowing me more budget for the wides and telephotos I do use for landscape and wildlife in pro offerings. Thank you!
This review made me feel nostalgic. This was my second micro43 lens ever owned. Back then it is the only choice for bokeh, slightly better reproduction and staying compact...until 20mm F1.7 appeared.
How's the autofocus on the 20mm?
Thanks for the video.
The last micro 4/3 lens I purchased was a refurbished 17mm f/2.8 because it cost me only $75 and I was able to use it as a backup to the 45/20/14 three-lens combo that I normally used.
10:08 I would have jumped out of my skin!
My heartbeat wouldn't have liked it either.
Glad you left that in. It was amusing!
Love pancakes... this lens is perfect for the Grainy Film art filter on my old beat-up E-PL2.
This lens also works with Olympus' Auto-Open lens cap (37mm)... fun lens for "snaps".
E-PL2 is a camera I have not tried.
@@robinwong E-PL2, my 2nd Olympus... my inital one was the first popular pocketable film camera -- Olympus XA.
I bought the 17mm pancake after trying a variety of options including the Oly 17 f1.8, Sigma 19mm and Lumix 20mm and 14mm pancakes. The 17mm is just the right angle for me and the pancake size/weight more important than the extra stop of light. I use it as a street lens on my Lumix GX80 and keep the 9mm lens-cap and 45mm f1.8 in my pocket. That’s all I need for most street and travel trips. No bag to attract attention and no zoom to distract me. Now if only lockdown were over I could go out and use them!
17mm pancake and 45mm F1.8, perfect combo for street indeed! I'd do the same
That's it! I'm definitely getting it just for the imperfections. 👍😊
I have had the 17/2.8 from my beginnings in m4/3. As a travel and vacation lens it has served me very well. I now have the 17/1.8 which usually lives on my E-M5ii while the old f2.8 has graduated from my E-P3 (which now gets the BCL 17 and 9mm) to my E-M5 original. Some of the best street and travel images I have ever shot was with this lens, as well as my first “Lego me” story. I have no plans to get rid of this rough cut gem.
Great colors in the photos! Nice little lens, especially for travel kit. Thx
I love colors!
Is a Olympus Pen e-p2 with this lens for 46USD a good price in 2024? Just bought a EM10 Mark II with the 14-42mm kit lens and want something “better”
I love your enthusiasm and joy Robin!! Keep being who you are, I love it and I wish I was more like you! ❤
Robin, you convinced me to get this lens again. I had it several years ago and I sold it to get the Sigma 16mm f1.4, last week I bougth one unit of the 17mm f2.8 from a friend who had bought the 17mm f1.8, at a very good price, and now it is my preferred lens to take pictures of my kids.
Robin thank you very much for another video. I have been watching your videos for a short time now. You explain everything very thoroughly and accessibly. Suddenly everything becomes simple.
Thanks for the kind words. I do my best! More videos coming for sure
I totally agree with you : all three 17mm lenses make sens. I love this angle of view. I have both f1.8 that I use on a PEN-F and a f1.2 on a E-M1 iii and both are perfect on these bodies. It could be the f2.8 instead of f1.8, but I was lucky finding a f1.8 sample not too expensive so I did not hesitate. Thanks Robin !
Thank you for this video. It is very fair and accurate based on my experience with the lens, which I think was my third or fourth M43 lens from early days. First thing I learned: don't shoot it into a direct light source if you can avoid it due to the CA and flare issues. I loved the pancake design, but once I afforded the Pany 20mm, the 17 just sat in the bag, so I got rid of it. Later, I got the 17 1.8, which is far superior but not a pancake. I wish we had more M43 pancake options. I do have a twinge of nostalgia from time to time for the 17 2.8, even with the issues that made it hard to love when I had it.
Yeah, we need more pancake lenses!
Just bought one of these. Between Mr Thorpes old review, yours here and it being a pancake design I had to have it. It will come bundled with a EP-L3, a 14-42 MkII, flash and bag. All in for $150ish... First foray into the interchangeable Olympus M43, I am by far a Lumix Fellow. Now the only M43 pancake I am lacking is the Oly 14-42 and I will get one of those one day. 🙂
Damn, Robin! You just made me fish back my Olympus EPL1 and my 17mm 2.8 Pancake lens - gonna shoot some in the next days 😊 You could call it a "blast from the past" - will enjoy it
I got this lens with my OMD EM10 Mk II because it is so cute. Also have Lumix 20mm f/1.7 and find that the Olympus focuses faster and quieter than the 20mm in my experience.
Only on Olympus bodies. The Panasonic 20mm focuses faster on the GF1 it came with than the Olympus 17mm on any Olympus body, even the newest ones.
The 20mm is a much better lens in general.
@@weisserth I am not surprised. I have only used it on an Olympus body.
I bought this lens used last year. At the time I didn’t realize it was the older 2.8! No wonder I got such a good deal. But in spite of that I have been pretty happy with this lens. It came in handy getting some great wide shots of the Hoover Dam in Nevada/Arizona.
Great review and pretty much my thoughts as well. I had it originally with my EP-1 when it first came out. I recently bought the Pen again but i find it a perfect companion on my tiny Lumix GM1. I was always a little underwhelmed by it but i guess that’s relative to the awesome new lenses we have for the system. As a walk around on the GM1, it’s spot on!
super sharp & lightweight
indeed
I remember getting this lens free, with an Olympus promotion when I bought my first ever Pen! I thought it was very good at the time, although I used to get a lot of lens flare. I now have the 17mm f1.8, which I picked up second hand on eBay, which I do find much better and can use for Astro too :)
B&H sells a collapsible rubber lens hood that will screw into the filter threads. You will get vignetting if you put in in front of a filter, but it has threads on the other side so you can put the filter after the hood, or you can trim corner cut-outs, since it's rubber. I have one I use with the 17-40mm EZ lens when I don't have the automatic cap attached.
Definitely, the 17mm F1.8 is a superior lens in every way! Glad you found one
@@robinwong I have both but prefer the 2.8 pancake myself camera fits in my jacket pocket with it fitted 😊👍
I picked up this lens very cheaply in a clearance bucket and use it with an EPL-5 when traveling. Shamefully I have to admit that if camera and lens suffer a mishap. I won't be too gutted. That said the lens is good enough for casual snapping.. Your pics prove the point.. again. Excellent shooting.
Another great video, thank you Robin 👍. I’ve had this lens for many years, came free with an epl-5 kit and I now use it on my EM10mk3, when I want an ultra portable street lens. Pancake lens is perfect for the pocket and compliments my other lens 45mm f1.8 & 14-40 pancake kit lens. I love it, despite the imperfections, great shooting b+W
I really enjoyed the video. I enjoy using this lens on the body of Panasonic DMC-GF8 when I take pictures on the street. The combination is very light, comfortable, and cute.
I got one of these second hand but eventually traded up to the f1.8. I agree with all the positives and negatives in your review but what clinched it for me was the too slow focussing when filming videos. Each time it needed to re-acquire focus the resulting hunting was too distracting on EM-10ii or PL8. Conclusion - if that's important to you look out for the MSC label (Made for Stills and Cine). A great pancake companion to the PL8 and not bad for night sky either. Great informative review.
I considered this lens but opted for the Laowa 17mm f/1.8 as I don't mind using manual focus and the Oly 17mm f/2.8 was same price or a little more expensive in the used market here in the UK.
Good for you. No AF no go for me
I have the 2.8 lens, but did get laowa for the 1.8 f stop, both are compact, and are good on the manual range. the best prime af lenses in a pancake is 14mm for video, and af work.
Ever since getting my own pancake lens (an Industar-50-2 50mm) I can't look back! This looks like a great option for Micro 4/3rd users.
Pancake lenses rock
Thanks for the info on this lens Robin. Never knew it existed. May keep an eye out for one!
Now you know! I am sure you can find one dirt cheap now
I had two copies. The first one was soft and I sold it. The second was much sharper and I still have that one (my son is using it). It seems there may be some copy variation or maybe fixes in firmware that make some copies better than others.
I suspect as much, my previous encounter with this lens, I knew it was not that sharp!
I own the 17mm f1,8 for nearly ten years now and I love it much. Despite that, the 17mm f2,8 has it's charm to me because of the pencake design.
Hey Robin I'm getting this lens in the mail soon! I also got it for cheap and I am excited. Believe it or not, I am selling my 17 1.8. i just don't use it considering I have 2 20mm 1.7s and the pro trinity. You influenced me.
after watching your video I bought one (dirt cheap, used) for my EM10MkIII. Can’t wait to test it!
Enjoy!
Hi Robin. I think maybe for me the Panasonic 12-32mm zoom could be a better option as its small like a pancake lens and not very large fully zoomed out. Apperently a very good sharp lens and quite cheap as well. Only pana have no manual focus.
I’ve had two of these and they are sharp but both of them broke. The mechanism for collapsing the lens is quite fragile in my experience (or maybe I’m just super heavy-handed?!) I fixed them with superglue fairly easily but it destroyed my confidence in the lens. It’s also a full stop+ slower than the 17mm.
@@alangauld6079 o my goodness. First time i heard that their are sort of build issues with the pana lens. I do know that the oly 14-42mm ez lens have a problem with a ribbon that tends to break
I always enjoy the occasional captions you put with the image metadata. Pet the cat!
Id recently obtained a Tamron 24mm F2.8 lens for my Sony A7C. Cheapest FF lens from a Tier 2 brand I’d seen yet. Love the small size, there’s bext to no chromatic aberration, and the sharpness is exemplary. Additionally, it is capable of 1:2 Macro. Distortion is quite heavy however. Though distortion isn’t necessarily a disadvantage depending on what you’re shooting.
A seemingly boring lens, but excellent at what it does.
Robin has run out of topic, hence making video for this junk 11 years old pancake 17mm 2.8 lens
And i like your Sony comment here on Olympus fanboi robin page
@@mikechan31 Don’t know if this was a shot at me, , at the audience, or at Robin.
Photography is an artform, and a result. I hold respect for Robin for his what he does, and the kind of person he is. (Robin looks like he’d be an awesome person to hang out with) His choice of gear bears little weight.
I short on a Canon G7x mkIi for several years before getting a Sony, and the sensor on that is even smaller than M4/3. 😝
My comment wasn’t a FF vs M4/3 comparison or anything remotely close. It was more pointing out how good small, inexpensive lenses can be.
The first lens I bought after the kit lens was the Panasonic 20mm. It was my favorite for years, but the autofocus was almost entirely useless. It had me thinking m4/3 just had bad autofocus. Since getting some Olympus lenses, I havent used the 20mm pancake in years. I wish there was a good pancake lens that had acceptable autofocus.
Exactly what I am trying to tell each and every one here who brought up the Panasonic 20mm. At least I did not say it was "almost entirely useless". It was slow, very slow.
Thank you very much... 👍👍👍🙏 Health and Greetings from Spain... 👋👋😃
Cheers
Fantastic vlog ,Iam a big fan of the brand.
Some great streetphotography there, Robin. I have the 17 mm f 1.8 and as a pancake lens I have the Lumix 20 mm f 1.7.
After you said "imperfection", the thunder stuck... not perfect weather I know, welcome to KL....
I think this lens is a little under rated at this point, it's still a very handy lens, actually pretty sharp wide open over most of the field, good overall by 5.6 for general shooting. Autofocus can be slow but manual focus is also pretty good so sometimes I use a rough form of hyperfocal focus by manually focusing at about 10 feet then using aperture priority at f8-you should get about 5 feet to infinity in focus without autofocus. Much quicker for a lot of situations but don't jar the focus ring after setting it!
Great video, great music, great images! I have never had a true pancake lens, only the Minolta MC 50 f1.7 and Canon EF 50 f1.8 nifty fifties. I don't know that I would gravitate toward a pancake, but certainly they have the advantages you described so well.
I looked carefully for edge/corner softness and the only example I could find was MAYBE the shoulder of the mannequin. All the other images looked rather consistent across the frames. Perhaps it was the compression masking it, but the lens seems to perform very well for centered subjects.
Although the backlit leaves showed horrendous chromatic aberrations, the backlit overhead birds had no trace that I could see. Did you remove it or was it absent due to the diffused illumination vs. the sun behind the leaves? It seems like you could squeeze a good performance with judicious application despite challenging circumstances.
Another really great review, with pros and cons and useful information in every direction. You showcased great photos from your colorful corner of the world and provided a typical enthusiastic narration. I liked how you left the thunderstorm in, keeps it real.
Keep it coming!
Thanks for the kind words. I did not remove the CA or do any extensive editing to the images. I think by default the camera does software correction to the purple frinting, but it failed to do so in more complex secenes.
The corner softness is there, and quite noticeable, though should not be a huge concern for most ordinary shots.
I have had so many encouters with rain, it came to a point I just could not bother anymore!
This video convinced me to try the Zuiko 17mm F2.8. A recent vacation to Portugal with this lens made some great images. A few times, indoors and selfies, a bit wider like 14mm might have been better, but 17mm still sort of worked in those situations. I like the look and feel of the 17mm F2.8 on my camera. This 17mm pancake lens E-M1 MK II makes the camera look unpretentious. When vacation traveling or taking photos at a restaurant of my beautiful wife, a low profile camera is the best. The manual Pre-Set feature came in really handy too. Many photos were taken in hyperfocal mode. So missed focus.
Prior to purchasing the 17mm F2.8, I purchased a used Panasonic 20mm F1.7 version II. The AF speed was too slow for me. Also the 20mm lens looked too chunky on the E-M1 MK II. Not what I expected in a pancake design. Fortunately the store gave me a full refund after returning the lens.
I gave the lens with my old E-P2 to my 5 years old grandson to learn to take pictures. The results are great.
Robin, I really like your reviews, such a great presentation.👍
Hi Robin! Been watching your videos for awhile and thanks to you I just got a few days ago my Olympus e-m1 mark ii with only 4K shutter count! 😅
The camera came with the oly 14-150mm lens but I wanted to add a prime however on a very tight budget.
I was looking at the oly 17mm f2.8 or the lumix 20mm f1.7. What are your thoughts on this lens? Much appreciated for your insight.
Best regards from Portugal! 😊
Even though it always rains, I love the Malaysian colors!
the God of Thunder was blessing you, robin...
Hah, or his lightning throw missed me...
@@robinwong yep. can be an option...
Great video as always Robin. Seeing you expose the camera sensor in the rain make me freak out a little bit though!
Don't worry, the lightning did not hit the camera.
I just picked one up three days ago.
Been thinking about the macro 60mm 2.8 macro
Looking online in 2022 the secondhand price of the 17mm f/2.8 is holding up well. I could find just one under £100. There are cheaper used 45mm f/1.8s!
If you want a pancake, look for the Panasonic 20mm 1:1,7.
No. That lens has harsh bokeh and the slowest AF ever.
No.
@@bensonarizona7820 well, tell me, how many prime lenses fo we have from Micro Four Thirds 10 years ago? Now with so many options, the bokeh which was once smooth (no other F1.7 option at that timer) has fallen behind in terms of creaminess/smoothness in comparison to many better, more superiorly designed optics in newer releases!
I have tonnes of m43 lenses, Olympus, pan y and third party. The one I keep coming back to is the 20mm 1.7. It’s my all time favourite lens on any system
The 17mm f1.8 is my ‘standard’ lens.....😘📸🇬🇧🌈
I also recently picked this lens up for a VERY cheap price. Basically free given it was part of a larger set. I had the 17/1.8 from before, but was still surprised by the 17/2.8. Not the premium build, but good enough. Same can be said for IQ - good enough! Given the very low price today I would absolutely recommend it for a compact walkaround.
You can see my shots (so far) with the 17/2.8 here www.flickr.com/search/?sort=date-taken-desc&safe_search=1&tags=olympusmzuiko17mmf28pancake&user_id=50745249%40N02&view_all=1
Thanks for sharing! Indeed the 17mm F2.8 is underrated and deserves a bit more attention
I'm using a kit zoom 14-42 EZ. Focal length I use most often is about 17mm. Max aperature at this focal length is F/3.7. I am considering buying the 17mm prime lens as an upgrade in terms of image quality and aperature. Do you think the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 would be a noticeable upgrade to the 14-42 EZ set at 17mm?
There is one unmentioned benefit of the 2.8 is that it uses the same 37mm filter, this is the reason I use mine over the 1.8
Sadly for me after over 60years of photography I am not able to hand hold a camera steady. So I thought I would try a olympus m4/3 camera to see if it could help this lens was my first purchase that I picked up used at a great price knowing I could get my money back on it if I was to resell it if things didn't work out for me! I then searched for a good used omd camera body and dropped on a lovely omd_em5mkll body at a good price. And wow o was sold on it the sharpness and contrast and detail were spot on and just what I needed this lens is among my most used almost permanently mounted on one of my now six omd bodies and would probably be the last lens I would part with it can't be beat 0n size and quality! Well maybe the 2 x body lens caps
Great to see some older early gear tested 😁👍 let's see some more please 5mk1 1mk1 etc thank for vlog
Great video! Which lenses do you recommend for OMD EM-10 Mark lll to have as a must to street, travel, and portrait photography?
Hi! Nice video! I’m becoming passionate about Olympus pen troughs your videos. I was wondering what the rotating wheel of the zuiko 17 mm 2.8 lens does. Because I bought one and it just rotate
The 17mm 2.8 & 45mm 1.8 live on my EPL-3 for my #EDC
I have the chrome version and it is one of my favorite carry everywhere lenses. It lives mostly on an EP1, and that combination goes with me everywhere. I think this lens is under rated and under appreciated. Thanks for reviewing it!
Such a handsome combo with the E-P1. I should be hunting down a used E-P1, hope I can find one.
@@robinwong I found mine on ebay for 55 dollars US. While very basic, it takes wonderful pictures. I have newer, more capable Olympus cameras, but I love carrying this camera and lens. The size and feel remind me of the rangefinder Leicas I used to carry many years ago.
Great video Robin! Could you please suggest the best wide angle lens for m43 on a budget? I need wider field of view for either street or group photography. I am struggling currently with the field of view issue. I need a lens with less than 14mm.
This was my first MFT lens and it’s still in my camera bag.
I think the lens deserves more attention! Shoot more
Sorry Robin I really cant see any benefit versus the F1.8 version which is super small and light (don't see the need for pancake size)... but still a well thought out video with of course a fab photo of a cat :-))
I have the 1.7/20 mm Pancake from Panasonic and I don't get that blurry background you get with a wider and slower lense. I guess you went really close, when you took the fotos in the video.
Super &great👍
Cheers
I love Olympus lenses but I think that the Panasonic 20 mm f1.7 wins out at this focal length range. The Panasonic is close in price to the lens under review but is closer in performance to the Olympus 17 mm f 1.8. It also has a unique film-like color rendition.
"this focal lenth range" is a very dangerous thing to describe. 17mm is not 20mm, or vice versa. I cannot get the same perspective or framing by using one lens for the other. 17mm is made to be close to the classic 35mm, when you use the Panasonic 20mm, it becomes 40mm, and the shift of framing, though ever so slightly, throws the balance and intention completely off. Same with using a Sigma 30mm, vs a true 50mm equivalent from Olympus 25mm lenses, they just don't frame things the same way.
The Panasonic 20mm is just a different lens, and should not be compared. It is also much slower in AF, and has harsh bokeh, both severe flaws I cannot live with.
@@robinwong Thanks, Robin for your reply. I agree I may have been painting with a broad brush. 17mm is not exactly the same as 20mm. But they are so close I would not need to have both. I never cared for the "classic 35mm," since I have always found it to be neither fish nor foul. I use the 20mm (or 40mm for Micro 4/3) as a "wide normal" lens. I personally find the results, especially the color rendition, from the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 to be very aesthetically pleasing but some may not. (BTW, the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is the only non-Olympus Micro 4/3 lens I own. I generally prefer Olympus lenses but I find something special about the 20mm f1.7.) There is room for disagreement about subjective preferences in this hobby, which is one of the things that makes it interesting.
Hi, how about reviewing BodyCapLens? I think should be even slimmer than this lens. I got 1 the 9mm fisheye and it's Great for taking simple city landscape. No autofocus but it simply focus everything at Infinity distance
You may do a quick search Robin Wong body cap lens. Google will point you to the right direction.
Should an OM-D E-M1 camera only be paired up with Pro lenses? Or are there other options?
Even when this lens came out, it was a missed opportunity for Olympus. Panasonic's 20mm f1.7 pancake lens is almost as small, equally flat, much faster and much sharper. It was available even earlier than the Olympus lens.
I wish Olympus would design a new version of it's 17mm pancake lens. It should have fast auto-focus, be sharper at the edges and half a stop faster, maybe even a stop faster. It's possible. The Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is evidence.
I use the 17mm f2.8 on a Pen E-PM2. That is the smallest MFT setup from Olympus.
There is no point comparing against the Panasonic 20mm. It is not the same lens, they provide different focal length coverage, one lens cannot be used for another. The Panasonic 20mm also comes with its own long list of problems - slow AF (to the point it was unforgivingly unreliable) and harsh bokeh, which defeats the purpose of shallow depth of field rendering.
I'd still choose the Olympus 17mm, because it shoots much closer to a true 35mm coverage.
You should only buy this lense for historical reasons, especially if it comes on a e-p1 with the viewfinder.
Otherwise, buy the new one with metal-housing.
Much better in all ways..
10:12 buy the 17mm f/1.8 - the Lord hath spoken
Yeah, the 17mm F1.8 fixes all problems from the F2.8 panacake.
How to bye us❤️
Good!!
Cheers
Cult made across Olly 17/2.8 leads to pathological prices (i.e. in Poland). I must be stupid to purchase - Sigma 19/2.8 is better in every aspect (suppose I will need some in this parameters), except pancake, not less than 2x cheaper
Super ❤️ sri lanka
I'm done investing in Olympus . I will use my current gear and who knows time will tell but I may sell everything eat the lost and buy into canon or Sony. Both companies are more reliable in the long run than Olympus.
You're WrONG, you can have everything in one lens, image quality, compactness, a nice bokeh at a very affordable price, just buy the Panasonic 20mm f1.7...
Nope. That lens is painfully slow, I would miss 100% of my shots. No thanks.
@@robinwong You should try the version II... I understand that as an Olympus Visionary you can't but suggest OMD lenses,, the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is far superior to the Oly 17mm f2.8...
I was talking about version II
@@robinwong you can't be serious by stating that the Oly 17mm f2.8 is better than the Panasonic 20mm f1.7....
Did I say that? Don't put words in my mouth. But you know what?
Go do what you want and believe what you want. What's the point of me sharing the truth if people just want to hear what they want to what and twist my words. I'm sick and tired of having say the right things all the time. If you don't want to admit that the Panasonic 20mm is the slowest micro four third lens, then feel free to live in your own delusional world.
This 17mm 2.8 is awful in video mode, it dont stop pumping
why would you use it on video? I am a photographer by the way.
@@robinwong yes, I am an amateur photographer and I bought this lens for its pancake size but I do video footage from time to time, it is an experience that I wanted to share.
💯❤❤❤❤❤💯