Lens review

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17 mm f/2.8

10. Autofocus

The specificity of the Micro 4/3 system has so far forced the focusing mechanism to be less dependent on the camera body than the lens. Autofocus based on contrast detection working in the Live View mode is subjected to its own laws. The set E-P1 plus a lens, when trying to focus, always does a so called lap around the perfect position, first by going past it and then by going back. It’s understandable that it takes some time and the speed of focusing is not very high. Fortunately, the focusing is quiet and we have no reservations about the accuracy. The number of misses recorded in studio conditions amounted to mere 2%. There were no problems with front- or back-focusing, although a large depth of field obtained with a lens of these parameters obviously helped here.