A few hours with the 17mm Olympus and the 15mm/25mm PL lenses

[sdb123]

Regarding the 15mm, have you noticed the infamous shutter shock syndrome when used on Olympus bodies ?

Never had an issue on when I used the PL15 on my old E-M10.

 

[ijm5012]

Regarding the 15mm, have you noticed the infamous shutter shock syndrome when used on Olympus bodies ?

Haven't had an issue with it on my E-M1.

 

[Deleted member 25391]

Thanks guys !!

 

[zensu]

Haven't had an issue with it on my E-M1.

Or either of my E-P5's which had notorious shutter shock when it was introduced before the added 0 second anti-shock in a Firmware update. Since the Firmware update there is no shutter shock on any of my lenses past or present on the E-P5 and never saw it on the E-M1.
I had the Olympus 17mm F1.8 and someone gifted me the PL 15mm F1.7. I ended up selling both and now that I have all the PRO zooms I want I'm rebuilding my primes and I'm saving my money to buy my next prime, the PL 15mm F1.7 (unless Olympus comes out with a 30 or 35mm [FF Equiv.] in the PRO line of primes).

 

[barry]

There's a rumor that a 17/1.2 will follow the new Oly 25mm

 

[zensu]

There's a rumor that a 17/1.2 will follow the new Oly 25mm

I hope it's a little more compact than the 25mm F1.2

 

[dornblaser]

I hope it's a little more compact than the 25mm F1.2

It seems to me that good 35 mm, or 17 17.5 lenses are bigger than their 50 mm or 25 mm counterparts.

 

[ijm5012]

Yep, look at it across systems: Canon 35L vs 50L, Fuji 23 f/1.4 vs 35 f/1.4. The 35mm equivalent focal length lens is always larger.

 

[JamesD172]

If that's true and a similarly constructed 17mm f1.2 would be larger than the 25, I sincerely hope they make some compromises to bring it down to a reasonable size. I'd even be fine with a f1.4 aperture, but I know that won't happen.

 

[dornblaser]

I have the 25/1.2 on my E-M5 ii today and I like the combo.

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

Regarding the 15mm, have you noticed the infamous shutter shock syndrome when used on Olympus bodies ?

The focal length and solidity of the lens make me think I won't see any shuttershock, and so far : none.

 

[mcapil]

The 15mm looks gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your pics. Definitely thinking about picking this up to pair it with my PL 25mm.

 

[pdk42]

There's a rumor that a 17/1.2 will follow the new Oly 25mm

I'd buy that lens immediately, no question (so long as it's not huge ).

 

[dornblaser]

I'd buy that lens immediately, no question (so long as it's not huge ).

+ 1 It will be big, but worth it.

 

[Mike Wingate]

Nice gritty photos of Oldham St. And the Design Centre. What camera body were the 15mm shots taken on. I am debating about the P15 and Ol17 for dull days, indoor shots and evenings on the streets. I don't have a fast lens yet for my GX80. To get better shots in churches and dark indoor settings are a need for me. I am a local and a WG too.

 

[Christop82]

Maybe it's just me, but in the one and only comparison shot, I prefer the rendering of the 17mm. Colors are bolder and there appears to be more contrast.

Remember, I didn't use a tripod or any direct method, but this is the 17mm wide open:

View attachment 245927

...and a similar scene with the 15mm wide open

View attachment 245988

 

[pdk42]

The 17 isn't a bad lens and it does deliver pleasing images - but it's just not that sharp wide open. It usually doesn't really matter and in fact adding sharpening in post goes a long way.

But then you compare it to a better lens (e.g. I'm using the Sony FE 35/2.8 on the A7rii at the moment and that really is sharp!) and its shortcomings are obvious. Just go out though, use it and enjoy it and there really is little to complain about.

 

[jrsilva]

Before the release of the Pana/Leica 15mm I used to read positive comments about the Oly 17mm.
So I think it is still a good lens.
I'm just about to pull the trigger for a second-hand 17mm for portraiture work.
Let's see how it performs.

 

[JamesD172]

My guess is that more than anything, the differing opinions on the Oly 17 are due to how people evaluate lens performance.

From a zoomed-out view, on a 25" 1440p monitor (which equates to a print size of roughly 11" x 14", at 117 PPI), images from the Oly 17 are very sharp, even wide open. You can see a little bit of softness at the extreme edges and corners wide-open, but if you're aware of this, you can adjust your composition when shooting wide open accordingly.

If you're in the habit of zooming in to 100%, the Oly 17 is still a reasonable performer, but it's not in the same league as other m43 primes, some of which have an unbelievable level of sharpness even at 100% (Oly 75, PL42.5, PL25). Keep in mind, though, that zooming in 100% on a 25" 1440p monitor is equivalent to a 30" x 40" print. It is unreasonable to expect tack-sharp images from a prime wide-open at this print size.

In all other respects, the Oly 17 is a gem of a lens. I think we're just spoiled with other offerings in our system.

 

[ijm5012]

My guess is that more than anything, the differing opinions on the Oly 17 are due to how people evaluate lens performance.

From a zoomed-out view, on a 25" 1440p monitor (which equates to a print size of roughly 11" x 14", at 117 PPI), images from the Oly 17 are very sharp, even wide open. You can see a little bit of softness at the extreme edges and corners wide-open, if you're aware of this, you can adjust your composition when shooting wide open accordingly.

If you're in the habit of zooming in to 100%, the Oly 17 is still a reasonable performer, but it's not in the same league as other m43 primes, some of which have an unbelievable level of sharpness even at 100% (Oly 75, PL42.5, PL25). Keep in mind, though, that zooming in 100% on a 25" 1440p is equivalent to a 30" x 40" print. It is unreasonable to expect tack-sharp images from a prime wide-open at this print size.

In all other respects, the Oly 17 is a gem of a lens. I think we're just spoiled with other offerings in our system.

How did you determine the viewing size/resolution/print size relationship James? The reason I ask is that I have a 24" 1440p monitor, so it'd be good to get an idea of the relationship between viewing size on-screen, and print size.

Regarding the O17 vs PL15, there's really not a comparison. I've owned both, and the PL15 is a better lens regarding sharpness. I just wish that they would've made it a 17.5mm rather than a 15mm, and f/1.4 instead of f/1.7. I've since sold both and have the Voigtlander 17.5, as it gives me the focal length and fast aperture that I'm looking for. It will be interesting to see what happens with the rumored Olympus 17.5mm PRO.