New M43 PRIME LENS - Yongnuo 17mm f1.7 STM - RED35 Review

[@FierceSleepingDog]

OM System should release a 10mm f1.4 constructed like its 20mm f1.4.

[@NiSE_Rafter]

Ive been waiting for someone to cover this lens in english since i first saw it listed last month! Finally!

[@milunacodes]

The Olympus 17mm f1.8 might be old but seeing competitors like Canon release lenses with noisy STM motors make me appreciate even more the quality of the Olympus lens. In my opinion those 1.8 lenses were ahead of its time and are not so outdated to current standards!

[@RainIndex]

Micro four thirds was ahead of its time really, but the competitors caught up

[@tomds1864]

Lovely video Jimmy, thanks for the review! One thing you didn't mention that I think is quite important, is the maximum magnification in the Yongnuo is WAY better than the Olympus. That is the same case as with the TN 25/1.8, and is the reason the lens is that much longer than the Oly version [or at least it takes advantage of that, and it goes for both the 17 and 25mm].

[@trevtog]

It's not a typical focal range for me, but for the money, I think I may be adding this to my bag.

[@vermis8344]

Happy that Yongnuo is making M43 lenses; depressed that no-one else is. Probably not looking to replace my Mitakon 17mm anytime soon, but Yongnuo have caught my attention.

[@video-carl]

Marketing wise: why don't manufacturers label these lenses 17.5mm? fov is rarely the same across such lenses so why not?

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

@@video-carl But why would they?

[@video-carl]

@@wtfiswiththosehandles because 17.5mm is the equivalent, in full frame terms, of 35mm. This is one of the most popular focual lengths. 34mm isn't.

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

@@video-carl And this matters how? It's not 34 or 35mm, it's 17mm. Olympus already makes three 17mm lenses and I don't see people complaining they're not 17.5mm. Panasonic doesn't make any at all - they went for 15 and 20mm instead. Don't see that as a problem, and neither do people who love those lenses. I am glad they decided to break the mold, because I own three 50mm lenses for Canon EF and they all have slightly different FOV. But no, marketed as "50mm" because what would people say...

[@timothykieper]

For me, it confirms one of the least mentioned issues with MFT. You get a 34 mm equivalent view with the lens distortion of a 17 mm lens.

[@andreassilverbris9924]

Hi Jimmi. Me and my Wife are visiting London 23-30 Oktober. We are from Sweden. You are the reason I got into photography and m4/3 in 2019. It would be an honor for us if we could arrange a photo walk. Thanks for a good video. Peace. ✌️

[@Red35Photography]

Hi Andrea, I am available on 24th Oct at present. Please email me [e-mail] so we can discuss further. Jimmy

[@pgy8863]

I as hopeful that this might surpass the Oly 17. I'd like to see a weatherproofed 17 1.4 (that doesn't kill my neck like the Oly 17mm 1.2.

[@winc06]

It is HUGE! It looks bigger than a full frame 35mm. That is not exciting at all.

[@sbeckmesser]

MFT has yet to produce a lens with the focal length and speed equivalent to the FF Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8. This is an extraordinarily useful lens and is in fact the reason I have bought into Sony FF (A7C-II). There are MFT lenses with greater overall zoom ranges (Oly 12-100mm F4 and Oly 12-200mm F3.5-6.3) and MFT fast zooms (Oly 40-150 F2.8, Pana/Leica 35-100 F2.8) but none that offer the combination of wide range and speed of the Tamron. For my work (nightclubs and indoor performances) that combination is a necessity. Unfortunately, an important hindrance to 3rd-party zooms, fast or otherwise, is their interaction with the IBIS systems of Panasonic and OM-OLY cameras, which themselves are incompatible. A 3rd party zoom must 1. have no optical stabilization (most likely), or 2. OSS that is optimized to either Panasonic or OM-OLY IBIS, or 3. (most unlikely) switchability between the different IBIS systems. A tough nut for Yongnuo to crack.

[@thomasanderson5929]

I keep saying that M43 badly needs a new lens, especially something in the range of 12-75mm f/2.8 IS Pro to compete against that Tamron. Even Sigma now has a 28-105mm f/2.8. The real problem are the old head M43 shooters with their heads up their ass that complain that such a lens would be too big. Yah? Well the olympus 12-100mm is 'big' and it sells like hotcakes. And the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 is way bigger than that and it's considered the holy grail of lenses for all purposes especially wedding photographers. Wtf does either Olympus or Panasonic have in response to that? NOTHING.

[@thomasanderson5929]

Add Sigma to that list, they just released the 28-105mm f/2.8.... MFT is long overdue for a solid low light wide range workhorse. The 12-100mm f/4 is great for travel, but not indoors.

[@TroyKucks]

Can confirm that the lens hood is not removable. I have had my copy of the yongnuo 17mm f1.7 lens for 2 1/2 weeks now. Mined you I have plenty of 52mm filters so it isn’t such of a bother for me

[@skfineshriber]

So, I wonder why he says he can’t use it for video. There are 52mm ND filters, aren’t there?

[@Estirvana]

@@skfineshriber Good filters aren't cheap, so it's better to standardize around one and then just get step up rings.

[@RainIndex]

Nice video! I really hope Yongnuo keeps producing these lenses, they have gotten a lot better. Unrelated question though, what camera did you use to film this video?

[@Red35Photography]

Cheers, I filmed with LUMIX GH7

[@phaselead_dj]

Both happy and sad to see this lens. Too big for an MFT lens. However It would still be an option for ppl who are looking for a budget option but would not want to buy used ones.

[@sergeigoow511]

unfortunately, like m4/3 cameras, they are getting bigger and bigger

[@jan63938]

glad to see you reviewing a m43 lens again! may i ask how this lens compares to the laowa 17mm since you might be the only one who has tried both? im currently looking for a budget 17mm and im not sure which one to try. i dont mind the manual focus, but how is image quality compared to the laowa? i like the fact that it has auto focus but the laowa seems much smaller and is about 50 euros cheaper. which would you recommend more?

[@Red35Photography]

Laowa's 17mm is quite old (by design) so Yongnuo is actually better, but it has slightly more distortion. Yongnuo also has better edge performance when shooting at 1.7 too.

[@thomasanderson5929]

Filters on a lens like this with a fixed hood can kind of be easily solved with a filter set that's magnetic so you can take it on and off a lot easier. I have a set for my 12-100mm and it really speeds up things when I vacation. I got mine from K&F and they're perfectly fine, I use a uv filter as the base and then stack either a CPL or ND1000 (or both) whenever needed.

[@haomingxia2109]

Thats weird, i wish they kept the screw in lens hoods from the 42. 5mm and 25mm Hopefully they release a 7-14 wide angle soon

[@pgy8863]

Here's a thought. So many KZbinrs have been whinging about the need for a small MFT rangefinder body with an EVF. Maybe the Chinese will move into that niche?

[@GrimYak]

Lumix GX line? Pen F?

[@gusatvoschiavon]

Wish they made a 14mm also

[@housemusic325]

Give us more small lenses. M4/3 is all about his. Why every lens are so big nowadays ?

[@GrimYak]

Because they are making for multi mount compatibility and also makes lenses for apsc

[@WhoIsSerafin]

Can nobody else make a lens like the 20mm 1.7 from Panasonic. So frustrating even the 3rd party manufacturers don’t get the point of m4/3. But I guess video ruined m4/3 more than anything when you have to make these lenses appeal to the video people also which increases the size.

[@chrysalva1684]

Unfortunately 20mm that pancake lens has horrid and no AF-C access..so yeah ended up going for the non pancake Olympus (om) 20mm

[@artistjoh]

The Lumix 20mm f1.7 was the first prime I bought for MFT back in 2009. I still have it. In my opinion it is a cr*ppy lens that I dislike intensely. I almost never use it because it is too small as well as its many other bad qualities. 17mm is a far better focal length, and my Olympus 17mm f1.8 is a far superior lens than the 20, plus a better focal length. 20 is too close to 25mm, it is slow to focus, and is too small to be enjoyable to use. The Olympus 17mm is a perfect small lens size, and is brilliant at manual focus, and AF is superior to the 20. I am not saying that the Yongnuo is a good lens to use (I also think it is too big), but pointing out that the too-small, and sluggish focusing, lousy MF, Lumix 20mm 1.7 is not an ideal to aim for. On the other hand, the Olympus 17 1.8 is definitely a better sized and ergonomically pleasing 35mm equivalent. I also have the Sigma 16mm and I only use it at night when the f1.4 is useful, but that lens is too large for general use. I just wish Panasonic would make a 17mm f1.7. They would have a winner if they made it very close focusing, like the 42.5 1.7

[@sbeckmesser]

​@@WhoIsSerafin There are plausible reports on YT that the Panny 20mm behaves better in autofocus with the latest Panny flagships, namely the G9M2 and the GH7. I hope to find time to check this out using a G9M2 vs a GX9.

[@WhoIsSerafin]

@@chrysalva1684 The auto focus complaints are WAYYYYYYYY OVER exaggerated. At least on the newer bodies.

[@WhoIsSerafin]

@@artistjoh I was using that as just an example because I really like it when I’m not using my 17mm 1.2pro. Whichever one you prefer is fine. But it seems something that small anymore isn’t possible and giving the video people what they want also. So it’s ruined m4/3 for the photographer in many ways.

[@newtronicz2905]

Can i detach the hood?

[@gtam3habitat]

Anyone else here to just to look at the Pen F 😂. Damn. Where is the mk II

[@arkon6084]

Image quality is not good (in my opinion based on the pictures I see from your clip unless you set the aperture to 5.6) and the lens is too big.

[@mitchellwnorowski6747]

Why, Pany 9mm f1.7 is the best.

[@IvoTichelaar]

It's biiiiiiig, but I like the image quality. Not bad for the price, I think.

[@jerry2357]

When the Olympus 17 mm f/1.8 exists, why did Yongnuo bother with this lens? It's too big.

[@Red35Photography]

Price vs performance. Olympus is great, as mentioned at the end of the video. But Yongnuo is half the price new, it's bigger but not heavier. Optically is on par and it's an easy recommendation for those who don't often use prime but want an affordable and performing option.

[@lenongrumpies3981]

Used Olympus 17 mm f1. 8 is more expensive and averagely not good condition. I found the dynamic range Olympus 17mm not good. Too sharp and too bright. I need something cinematic.

[@petepictures]

very likely its designed for the APSC , being so large.

[@elzafir]

But YN doesn't sell a 17mm APSC lens; the closest option is the 16mm f/1.8, which has a different casing. The likely reason for its larger size is that they reuse their internal PCBs and motors for all of their lenses, reducing the production cost of creating a smaller version.

[@andersistbesser]

Ja all mft lenses are old but olympus are just the best you can get. Iwish om system would make a 10-50 1.2 or 1.4 as panasonic clearly does not want to do it. I dont like 10-25 and 25-50 i dont want to pay 2000 two times for a focal range that should be in one lense. 1.7 is disapointing as well. 1.4 is the least i expect for a 2000 zoom lense. I dont care about mft being small. I want the best of the best image.

[@sbcwinn]

How much does that lens cost??

[@piotr433]

I found it for 202 Euro on Aliexpress.

[@haomingxia2109]

178 usd on aliexpress

[@artsonpl9821]

Why not 20mm?!

[@productguru8323]

Did Robin get a better copy of this lens? Or he got a not so good copy of the Oly 17mm 1.8? He said this Yongnuo has better IQ than the Oly.

[@GrimYak]

His judgement is clouded by his dislike of the Oly 17. He says he doesn’t like the oly but wont say why

[@EricGlenSnyder]

I think DP review has the chart which shows how sharp it is and it's soft in the corners is my recollection... Lots of people do not like the Olympus lens. I'm looking to buy a moderately wide fast lens for indoor use and am looking at lots of reviews of various lenses. ​@@GrimYak