[f/22] This lens is what Micro Four-Thirds is all about, very small and light. I was surprised by the image quality. I was worried that this would only be good for drone photographers. But in high resolution mode I can see it clearly out resolves my Olympus 12-40. Also, chromatic aberration seems to be well controlled. There are some caveats that might be deal breakers for some: manual focus, no communication between the lens and camera and lots of vignetting at smaller apertures. I can think of some other small nits. The lens hood is plastic. The aperture have soft clicks in full stop increments only. The numbering is painted on the all metal construction rather than engraved. Why then do I give it five stars? Because it does what is supposed to do very well. If your use case is still photography, you want a versatile fixed focal length lens, want to travel light, and don't require autofocus then this lens is an absolute bargain.

[Manual Focus] This is a very good lens! I have the Voigtlander 17.5mm F0.95 and the Oly 17mm F1.8 and Oly 12-40 F2.8 Pro and sharpness-wise it is up there with the best Pro variants, definitely exceeding the Oly 17mm 1.8 and better corner sharpness than the Voigtlander. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled, so much better than the Voigtlander. There is a bit of vignetting and barrel distortion wide open (worse than Oly 17mm) but nothing that can't be perfectly fixed in Photoshop if it bothers you. For me it's the sharpness that wins it 5 stars, because everything else is either negligible or easily fixed. Of cours, the Voigtlander has that fricking f0.95 aperture and the Oly 17mm f1. 8 is slightly smaller and lighter, but twice more expensive. Of course, you have to be ok only focusing manually with the Laowa, don't buy it if you are uncomfortable with manual focusing

[f/2] I purchased this lens from B&H the beginning of April as a cost effective wide angle lens for my Olympus E-PL6. So far I am happy with my lens.

I have to give two caveats. First this lens will give slight barrel distortion when you're very close to your subject. However, this can be corrected with most imaging software. Second, this lens is FULLY manual where you set the aperture. Plus, you need to note your f-stop since it won't appear on your EXIF data. If these are an issue, then purchase a compatible manufacturer's lens.

All that aside, the Venus is a joy to use. I do get quality images and is great for low light. Despite the lens hood that's more of an annoyance than accessory, the lens is solidly built and fits on easily. It's a good lens for the money.

[110°] Great little lens (seriously, it's palm size), tack sharp, solid build, smooth focus ring, the clicks on this iris are minimal.
It's lightweight, small and great for travel. The lens hood is detachable. The focus breathing is minimal. Only very minor barrel distortion.
Minimum focus is great, almost like a macro lens. Has good colour rendition and contrast.
All in all, an amazing lens for its price. High quality glass with a low f stop and price tag.

[110°] It’s a perfect wide angle to use with JVC Ls 300, a 35mm for MFT cameras, solid construction

[f/2] I tested this lens out of the box as soon as it was delivered and I was impressed. My UHD 24p video from my Panasonic GH5 looks crisp, sharp, colors look fantastic. This lens is light, too! The aperture ring is not declicked, however, if you turn it carefully you can get exposure between marked F stops. I am glad I purchased this and I hope it holds up over time.

[7] It's not shown in any of the photos but you can remove the hood and anything to it with step up rings.

There's a little bit of vignetting when it's wide open and in the sun, but it's barely noticeable.

This seems to be the better one between this and the 17mm TTArtisan.

[f/22] For the ridiculously low price, I had zero expectations. Incredibly, the lens is very sharp even at f2, has very low chromatic aberrations and distortion, minimal vignette. Great contrast and color. I'm thrilled!
If you're ok with manual focus, and are debating this Laowa vs the Olympus 17 1.8, forget about the Olympus. This is a better lens, by far. I sold my Olympus because it was so soft and had such bad CA and vignetting.
Build is metal, good quality and feel. Only negatives are the focus throw is very short between 1m and infinity, the aperture clicks are really soft, and the white numbers are painted on (the red are engraved and filled, oddly).
This lens isn't leaving my GX9. Worth every penny.

[f/2] What a surprise this lens turned out to be. Relatively compact, generally well built and very sharp even wide open. Certainly equal to lenses more than twice the price.


The lens also seems to be quite resistant to flare and I had no issues shooting into a setting sun. Quite remarkable.



It is a pretty good match for some of the smaller Micro Four Thirds bodies like the Olympus Pen F.


The lens has a nice weight to it without being too heavy and the focus and aperture rings move smoothly. It is close to Voigtlander lenses in build quality.


Image quality is excellent at all apertures, the focusing is accurate although it would have been nicer to have just a little more travel in the focus ring for a manual focus lens. That said, I haven't found any difficulty in obtaining accurate focus.


The uneven spacing of the aperture settings is something you either accept or hate. I have a few lenses with this type of spacing so not overly bothered by it. The aperture detents are a little on the light side and there is no aperture detent for f/2 which seems odd when there is such a large space on the aperture ring between f/1.8 and f/2.8.


As seems to be the norm with Laowa lenses, the lens hood doesn't have the most positive locking but it is substantially better than my Laowa 12mm full-frame lens.


If you are on a budget and are happy with manual lenses, this is a great choice. The focal length of 17mm (or 34mm equivalent in full-frame terms) is close to ideal as possible in a fixed focal length for a walkabout lens.