Olympus Unveils New Micro Four Thirds 17mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Lens

Today, Olympus officially announced the M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 lens. The new lens is designed for street photographers, and is a fast and moderate 17mm wide-angle lens for the Micro Four Thirds system that features a maximum aperture of f/1.8, as well as depth-of-field and distance indicators. The aperture and focal length make it a great option for street, landscape, or low-light photography.

The lens is constructed mostly from metal parts and features the same Snapsnot Focus mechanism with a distance indicator as already seen on the premium 12mm lens, which allows for easy pan focusing with the built-in distance indicator. Extra-low reflection optical coatings were also applied to the lens to help reduce lens flare and ghosting, even when shooting against the light.

The focus ring on the new lens can be used to quickly snap between manual- and auto-focus modes, and sliding the ring back reveals range markings on the lens barrel that include distance and depth-of-field scales, which act as useful guides when optimizing the focal distance. There's also a high Refractive index lens to help reduce aberrations.

The lens measures less than two inches long, which makes it compact and easy to carry around. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.8 lens will be priced at around $500, and should be available sometime next month. A release date and price in the UK is still yet to be determined by Olympus.