OM System 17mm f/1.8 Mark II Review: A Tiny Lens With Big Potential

Last Updated October 21st 2025.

I used to own the original Olympus 17mm f/1.8 back when I shot with the Pen-F. The 35mm equivalent field of view has always been one of my favourite everyday walk-around focal lengths, so that lens spent a lot of time on my camera. It was decent but not great — small and lightweight, with good-enough image quality, but it came with some compromises. One of the biggest drawbacks was the lack of weather sealing, which meant that paired with the Pen-F, it wasn’t the most reliable setup for unpredictable conditions. I now shoot this lens on the OM System OM-3. You can see my full OM-3 review here.

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Fast forward to today, and OM System has refreshed the lens as the 17mm f/1.8 Mark II. On paper, the big change is weather resistance — and paired with the OM-3, I finally have a small, sealed package that’s perfect for travel, family, and everyday photography. See my favourite travel photography lenses on the OM-3 for more about that. But is this just a rebadge with a tougher shell, or did OM System improve the optics too?

In this review, I’ll go through the new lens, highlight what’s changed, and help you decide whether the 17mm f/1.8 Mark II is worth adding to your kit. If you prefer the 25mm focal length, I reviewed the original Olympus 25mm 1.8 lens.

What’s Changed From the Original 17mm f/1.8?

One of my biggest gripes with the original Olympus 17mm f/1.8 was the lack of weather sealing. When I paired it with my old E-M5 Mark II, I never truly had a sealed system. While I’ve often risked using non-sealed lenses in light rain, the wet season here in the Philippines can drench you in minutes. Add in the constant humidity and dusty environments, and weather sealing becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

The 17mm f/1.8 Mark II finally adds IPX1 weather resistance. It’s rated as splash- and dust-proof and will handle vertical rain without issue, though sideways monsoon downpours are technically beyond its guarantee. In reality, I’ve already had the OM-3 with the 17mm II slung over my shoulder in heavy showers, attached to my Peak Design camera leash, and it performed flawlessly. I’m confident it can handle most conditions I face here.

Another change is the removal of the manual focus clutch, which helped trim a few grams and make the lens a little shorter than the original. Personally, I’m fine with this trade-off — I never used the clutch much, and the gain of weather sealing is worth it.

The lens also receives OM System’s ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating, which should improve flare resistance. In truth, I never found flare to be a serious issue on either version, so this feels more like an incremental upgrade than a game-changer.

Otherwise, the lens is the same. The optical formula is unchanged: it’s still sharp, still focuses quickly, but still suffers from a little purple and green fringing in very high-contrast scenes.

Overall, the refresh makes the lens a far more versatile everyday option. Its combination of small size, light weight, and new sealing makes it an excellent match for the OM-3. Is it worth upgrading if you already own the original? Honestly, not unless you really value the weather sealing. But I’m pleased to see OM System refreshing their popular f/1.8 primes with these updates, bringing them closer in spirit to Fujifilm’s compact “Fujicron” lenses. I’d love to see the 25mm f/1.8 II in my kit soon, and I hope the 45mm f/1.8 gets the same treatment. While these 1.8 series of lenses don’t quite offer the same image and build quality as lenses like the 25mm 1.2 pro they do highlight one of the best characteristics of Micro Four Thirds cameras, offering small, lightweight optics with good image quality.

Sample Images below: