17mm to replace 17mm

[alex66]

Sadly yesterday my bag was snatched with my G3 and 17 2.8 so I am looking to replace the pair, how happy are owners of the 1.8 version of the lens, as it is a walkabout in good light I don't need the 1.8. If you have had both or own both what advantages does the 1.8 have if any IQ wise or AF wise stopped down to F5.6-6.3 or there a bouts.

 

[Vivalo]

I'm very happy with my 17mm 1.8. I have owned the 2.8 version in the past but that was for a very short period. The 2.8 was a good lens but I think the 1.8 version is much much better. Here should be a lot of earlier discussions about those two lenses if you need more inormation about people's opinions.

 

[David A]

What Vivalo said.

I own both. I kept the 2.8 and it tends to live on my E-P3 which often gets thrown in my shoulder bag as my "take with me" camera for catching anything odd that I see. The size of the 2.8 and E-P3 combination is ideal for that.

As for the 17mm F/1.8, it lived on the E-M5 for months after I bought it. I rarely used anything else for a period. Most of the time I wasn't using the 1.8 because I tend to shoot at F/4 or F/5.6 most of the time anyway but it's nice to have the wide aperture for when you need the speed, even if it is only a bit more than a stop faster than the F/2.8. Where the F/1.8 wins over the F/2.8 in my view is that it's sharper and handles contrasty light better. Even looking at completely unprocessed RAW files, the images from the 1.8 grab me more than the images from the 2.8. I like the 2.8 but I love the 1.8.

 

[alex66]

Thanks all I have decided to bite the bullet and just get the 1.8, looked around at images taken with it and it seems worth the extra. Now replacement camera is another headache so much choice so many good options.

 

[drd1135]

G6 or EM10?

 

[alex66]

G6 or EM10?

Both of those and the GX7 are really tempting, the EM10 has the bonus of using a battery type I already have, but that never has bothered me in the past and I do feel a certain affinity for the GX7 form factor.

 

[Art]

E-M10's IBIS is superb w/Oly 17mm for both stills and video. Also it corrects CA in both jpeg and raw for this lens. I eventually sold the lens because it didn't provide any resolution advantage over kit zooms although it does have nice rendering. I think silver E-M10+silver O17 would be very nice.

 

[broody]

You should take a look at the 15mm 1.7,too. Both have their own, unique rendering. The 15mm has better edge sharpness, the 17mm focuses a bit faster.

 

[dornblaser]

You should take a look at the 15mm 1.7,too. Both have their own, unique rendering. The 15mm has better edge sharpness, the 17mm focuses a bit faster.

I am going to draw flack here but I peter Panasonic lenses on Panasonic bodies and the same with Olympus. That said, one of our O-M10 bodies maybe permanently attached to the O17 1.8. While we have other bodies and lenses this is my have with me always gear. It has cured my GAS for the X100(s).

 

[broody]

I am going to draw flack here but I peter Panasonic lenses on Panasonic bodies and the same with Olympus. That said, one of our O-M10 bodies maybe permanently attached to the O17 1.8. While we have other bodies and lenses this is my have with me always gear. It has cured my GAS for the X100(s).

Well, modern Only bodies correct CA on Panasonic lenses just as well as Lumix bodies do; however it's true that the aperture ring on the 15mm only works with Panasonic bodies at the moment and the snap focus ring on the Oly has no such issue. But as an owner of the 17mm 1.8 which spends a lot of time on my GM1, I find the IQ of the 15mm hard to ignore for new buyers.

 

[dornblaser]

Well, modern Only bodies correct CA on Panasonic lenses just as well as Lumix bodies do; however it's true that the aperture ring on the 15mm only works with Panasonic bodies at the moment and the snap focus ring on the Oly has no such issue. But as an owner of the 17mm 1.8 which spends a lot of time on my GM1, I find the IQ of the 15mm hard to ignore for new buyers.

We disagree as to CA correction.

 

[broody]

We disagree as to CA correction.

What is there to disagree about? The EM1 and EM10 correct lens CA regardless of brand and all future Oly bodies will do so as well.

 

[alex66]

You should take a look at the 15mm 1.7,too. Both have their own, unique rendering. The 15mm has better edge sharpness, the 17mm focuses a bit faster.

Alas as nice as the 15mm PL is its nearer to a 14/28mm to my eye than 17/35mm and 28mm has never been a focal length I can get really enthused by, so it has to be either of the Olympus lenses, I also want AF so that rules out the others.

 

[rparmar]

From all the reviews the 17/1.8 is a good but not stellar lens. I would have no problem buying one myself, if I ever had a budget for more gear. Because the difference between good and great in lenses rarely compensates for the difference in the shooting situation and my own skill.