the 17 is the only af prime for my ep1\gf1 i own its a nice focal length ,and i like the lens............however...........
As i gaze at the tiny front element approximately the size of an american dime, sitting on a plate of polycarbonate the diameter of a tennis ball i cannot help but think how cheap and out touch with the customers who love olympus stuff these clueless and soulless product planners are. my guess is about 1\4 inch more diameter on the front element
would have got them to f2 or 1.8.
What more would it have cost them to make this prime f2 in speed ??? im sure they could have done it at the current price point and still have made their 3000%profit on it
Its only 2\3 of a stop faster than the kit zoom , not enuf to distinguish it from the kit zoom at 17 imho. the product would have been infinitely more useful AND more sensible a product in the lens lineup at f2 , not to mention the prestige and respect from the photographic community they would have garnered for showing a more serious commitment to the micro four third system [ and calling it a "system" at this juncture is my generosity toward Olympus ,totally unrequited, of course]
a fast prime would have made so much sense and made their customers happy , [like Panasonic had the decency to do} .........so ,of course, it was not done