Years ago when I first bought my original EPL-1 I paired it with the m. Zuiko 17mm ƒ2.8 and I loved it. The 17mm ƒ2.8 wasn't the sharpest lens of the block, but it didn't need to be. The focal length was perfect for street and the size made it easy to pocket. Those two attributes continue with what I consider to be the modern incarnation of that lens, the 17mm ƒ1.8. I absolutely love this lens. The build, the optics, the size, the weight, everything. The focal length of 17mm on a m4/3 body is just about perfect. The full frame equivalent of 34mm makes it an extremely versatile lens for a variety of photographic scenarios that I put myself into on a regular basis. I paired my copy with the LH-48B lens hood. I love the metal hood on the metal body, it just feels right. That's the thing about this lens, it just feels right. These days I shoot on an OM-D E-M10 Mark III, it's a smaller OM-D body and this lens is a perfect fit. There's just something about this combination that begs to be used, no, it demands that you use it. It has a feel, a potential that just seems to emanate. I purchased my copy in the Olympus Travel Lens Kit that ships with the m. Zuiko 14-150mm ƒ4-5.6 Mark II. That's a great lens too, worth of praise in its own right, but the combination together makes the the whole greater than the sum of its parts. At the end of the day, a lot of people may say that a 50mm equivalent is the classic focal length for street. I say that depends on the camera system. For Micro Four Thirds, there is no better classic focal length than 17mm. It just makes an OM-D feel, for lack of a better word, complete.

I really like to travel with my E-M1 II (and now III, if I ever get to travel again) and I love my M.Zuiko PRO lenses because they are so sharp ... and weathersealed. But they are also somewhat big and heavy for just everyday sightseeing shooting. That's where THIS little guy comes in -- at 17mm, it's perfect for street and landscape shooting, at f/1.8 it's perfect for indoor museum and restaurant shots, and it's short (and light) enough to make the camera feel travel-sized, as opposed to something you need to constantly keep from protruding into people and objects as you move. I recommend the metal lens hood to travel with this, because it not only protects the optics well but gives the whole kit a vintage vibe. It's a good, sharp-enough lens which kind of acts as a vacation from the larger, more "serious" PRO lenses. This one is just more fun ... as long as it's not raining, snowing, or blowing dust. But weathersealing gaskets would make it bigger and heavier, so that's the trade-off.