Olympus makes an unfeasibly small 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens that measures just 57x22mm and nudges rather than tips the scales at a mere 71g. This 'Premium' class lens isn't quite so tiny but it's still very compact at 58x36mm and 120g.

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.

I decided to rewrite my review of this Olympus 17mm f/1.8 prime lens, because the optical quality of the first sample I had of this lens was really disappointing. Something was wrong with it. Luckily the sample I have now is much, much better. The build quality is great.

Build quality; autofocus; sharpness; contrast

Slight corner softness at large apertures

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

This lens is the latest addition to the Olympus range of premium prime lenses for the micro four thirds system cameras. It can be used on either Olympus or Panasonic cameras. The new lens is not to be confused with an older 17mm f2.8 unit. The new optic is faster, sharper and has quicker auto-focus.

Good image quality; Lightweight yet durable; Easy-to-use manual focus ring; Fast and quiet AF

Manual focus ring and AF not mechanically linked; Not the absolute sharpest lens available for micro 4/3

As you can see above, there's no shortage of alternatives in this category - in the world of micro four-thirds, the manufacturers are all looking for that walk-around lens that the photographer will keep on their 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.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 is - as of the time of this review - the 4th high-speed prime lens for the micro-four-thirds (MFT) system by Olympus. It is a moderate wide-angle lens thus targeting applications such as street-, landscape- and still-life photography.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.8 ($499.99 direct)($339.00 at Amazon) 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 classic wide-angle design. It's incredibly sharp, even wide open, and compatible with mirrorless cameras from Olympus and Panasonic. It's a bit more expensive than the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM($249.00 at Amazon), which is compatible with EOS M cameras, but is compatible with a wider range of camera bodies. Because of this it earns our Editors' Choice award for wide-angle lenses for compact interchangeable lens cameras. The lens is fairly small, measuring just 1.4 by 2.3 inches (HD). It's a bit heavy for its size at 4.2 ounces, but that's due to an all-metal lens barrel. It has a standard 46mm filter thread and includes a clip-on lens cap, but there's no lens hood incl...

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.8 is a fast wide-angle lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. It's extremely sharp, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Very sharp; Fast aperture; Compact; Manual focus clutch system; Virtually no barrel distortion

Hood not included; Not weather sealed