David's lovely voice will live forever in these videos talking about his passion: photography. I'm new to photography and I knew this channel and David's work after his passing.

Rest in peace Mr Thorpe. His voice is iconic and the way he reviewing the gears is so clear and very easy to understand.

Miss you David! Watching again!

I've moved from the Olympus 17 to the Leicasonic 15 for a reason that wasn't immediately obvious- on my Pen-F, the Leicasonic is like shooting a 35mm lens on a rangefinder. I get that little extra bit of information coming into and outside of my "shooting frame." I mentally crop to a 35mm equivalent when I shoot and then crop it in Aperture or LR. Works aces!

You're the master of these reviews, David. Always a pleasure to see your work in my sub box!

David is the reason I got into MFT, was definitely the best reviewer out there, I still haven't found anyone better. I was always looking forward to his new videos coming out back in the day. :(

Just got the 15mm silver version. It looks very great on my GX7 silver version. I do like the wider angle for landscape photography. For more normal angle photos I have the Olympus 25mn, also silver version. When I was younger my cameras were range finders with 50 mm lenses. I love your reviews, short, concise and to the point. Keep them coming.

❤️i hope this channel will be up forever 💪

What a great review. RIP Mr. Thorpe

I have my eye on this lens for a G7 shooting video in 4k. I have the panasonic 20mm 1.7 but with the ever increasing crop factors especially in 4k, we need wider lenses to offset this problem. I'd really want panasonic to make a 1.7 or 2.0 12mm prime. Come on panasonic. Pretty please? BTW, every time I see a review that has the name David Thorpe, I say YEAAAA and can't wait to watch it! Really. David pays attention to details that real users want to know about.

A brilliant review David. Your semantics is like poetry in my ears!

Thank you for your thorough, well-crafted analysis of this lens. I found it very useful.

Thank you for the reply, will look forwards to it with great pleasure as with all of your reviews .

This lens on a GX8 is just fantastic - a real modern day Leica M6 street & reportage snapper. It forces you to be a more thoughtful photographer.

I first buy those senses and then sold it, today I re-buy it, my photography level arguably have risen and I finally learned to appreciate its quality. it's IQ is superb and better than oly 17/1.8. And YES, IS would be a treat, and YES, I prefer 17mm more - but IQ is so, that cropping it to 17mm gives comparable quality.

David, thanks to you I have bought a Panasonic G7 + Olympus 45mm f1.8, your videos are so pleasant to watch and hear! keep on the good work.

dude thanks alot for your review!!! it helped me a lot!

Bought it for my GX8, love it. Lot of people think it's an analogue camera & lens.

We miss you David TT

Thank you David for your excellent reviews, it helps a lot. I really like my 15mm f1.7 at Lumix G7 particularly when recording 4K videos. Equivalens is 35mm f4 at 4K. To me the combination 15mm, 20mm and 45mm covers a lot. Kindly regards J O

I bought this lens, love it. It's often on my G7, which is not really a walk-around camera, but I do love this lens rendering and it makes me take the G7 places I would ordinarily take a point-and-shoot. The G7 is so light that I can forgive it's mini-DSLR styling. I quite enjoyed your review and very much agree with most of it, focal length being a personal perogative. On my other cameras I usually went with the 35mm equivalent lens and while this one is a touch wider, I'm still having fun with it.

I got this lens today. I'm in love! Haha Great review! You are one of the reasons why I decided to get this instead of the 12mm. Thanks!

another nice review. i love how the out of focus area is not distracting at all on this lens. it looks a little too wide compared to the Oly 17mm, if only they made it 17.5mm it would have been perfect

Hello David. Great review. I think you had the Olympus 17mm on your mind when creating the intro title to this video. I'm buying the 15mm soon. thanks

David I enjoy your videos. I own 2GH3s, 1 GH4 and the GX7 bodies. I have the 12-35mm Panasonic, 35-100mm Panasonic, and the Olympus 45mm lenses. I want to add the 42.5mm Nocticron as well as the 15mm Summilux to my collection. I love the M43 systems. I bought the GH4 and GX7 based on your videos.

Such a good review and comparison, I have been looking for this. I luckily owned 17 f2.8 by chance as my nearby camera store having a clearance, I got brand new 1 year gtd. around 70 ponds and it is petty good but contrast is not sharp so I am looking for a better one.. ♥️

Nice unbiased and objective review David. Still going for the 17mm Olympus.

I miss you David! 🥲

you are best reviewer out there !!!!

In some ways it's a bit of a relief that there's a new Leica badged MFT lens I neither need nor want. I have the Oly 17 and the Panny 20 and that's probably overkill. 1/3 of a stop in speed really isn't much of an inducement, nor is the 4mm [eq] on AoV. On wides like these that one click isn't going to give any measurable limitation on DoF either - probably completely lost by the fact it is shorter. That's possibly the one reason I've still got the 20mm, where the 1/3 adds to the gain in focal length to blur the background in reasonably close subjects. But that's also the reason my pick of the general purpose primes is that PanaLeica 25mm f1.4. Better low light performance and it does allow for subject isolation in shots of small groups, which the length is ideal for. If I owned none of these lenses the 15mm might be a consideration, but I doubt it. I can see its allure for those that like a reasonably wide AoV in low light. More useful as you say for Oly shooters ironically.

V much like both the Leica 15mm & Oly 17mm David. The 15mm seems more punchy & maybe better for those who want OOC JPEG’s & tbh it’s gorgeous. Sadly the 15mm also suffers from significant barrel distortion when not paired with a Pany body I believe which is why I felt I had to side with the Oly. 👍🙏🏼

Miss you David.

Thanks David, great video and photos. Very helpful

A fantastic review! I like the aperture ring. I can change aperture faster than in the camera menu in M and A mode. So I really care about that

+John Clark I can't reply directly for some reason, John (does anyone understand Google+). I'm glad you like the reviews. Yes, nice lens and with the addition of the Olympus or Panasonic portrait lenses, you'd have an ideal prime outfit.

Great video, great photos, and great review. You are my favorite camera reviewer!

Preciosas cámaras Olympus y excelente revisión del Zuiko 28mm. Habrás hecho las delicias de los Olympistas. Acuérdate de los que amamos también a las Nikon. Te rogaría que hicieras alguna revisión de un objetivo angular que fuera asequible sin comprometer demasiado su calidad para la montura Nikon . Los que voy mirando siempre los encuentro a precios muy elevados. Gracias mil por compartir tu pasión por la fotografía.

I love the fact that is has the aperture ring.

Yes, these are the sharpest images I've ever seen on KZfaq. I simply wonder how this lens on my Panasonic gx85. As always, thanks for the upload.

Yet another excellent review, thanks! (Sorry to be boring, but the title card says 17mm not 15)

Thank You David. In my dreams if I could go back and weed out all the dusty 35mm glass I have and all the glass I used in 50 odd years, the trilogy would be; 24mm corrected , 35mm and a 105mm. Some where in the ends would be a 17mm and 200mm. My wife married me to get her mits on my Takumar 17mm! Lucky me I got the better end of the deal. The better half as it is. Running with a 35mm I often felt like I wanted some punch. Partly due to your efforts, I decided on the Lumix 20mm. With only hours in my hands, the 20 wants a mate. A 12mm is tugging on my brain. I liked the notion around the poppies and the candids of folks brandishing cameras. Cheers Chris

Very detailed review just like this pana-leica lens itself.

Agree on focal length, I also prefer 17mm and distortion has been a bit of a problem for me.

I love the comments that fitting the hood isn't as inconvenient as it could be because you'll probably lose the lens ring anyway. How true

Great review as always - thanks. I have my GX8 on pre-order - not that I expect the IBIS/IS 4/2 Axis in the GX8 to be as good as the 5 axis in Olympus or now the Sony A7m2/rm2 - but definitely good for 2-3 stops - I like using the Panasonic's, especially the GX7 over the Olympus EM5/EM1 - I do have the 20mm and yes it is a bit sluggish in focus when considering the speed on lenses now - so I am consider this lens -

Excellent review, as always. The title screen of the video says 17mm instead of 15mm, a bit confusing. I think when it comes to it, I'll get the Olympus 17mm, though.

Great detailed review, thank! But there's a typo in the title card

Thank you David for the great video! I just bought this lens, but it did not come with a lens cover. At 2.35 I see a lens cover that actually works on the lens with the hood. Where did you get that? I would like to order one too. Many thanks from across the pond.

Proud to have the Panasonic leica 15mm in my collection 😉

You never mentioned the Panasonic 20mm which may well be one of the best of all Micro Four Thirds !?. Does everything the 15mm does and better. While not quite WA I have found it a great walk around.

Its a great lens but i agree 15mm is a bit odd size, i still struggle with that at times. It complements my 25 1.4 Summilux witch has been my only lens for some years on my EM-5. In my opinion the 15mm does not have the same magic as the 25.... The 15 renders similar and very much Leica style with colours and bokhe and so on... But somehow it does not manage to be as much an artists tool as the 25, perhaps just because of its wider angle who knows. Its still definitely worth its money and its a great piece of quality glass...

if a camera's dial (OMD, Pen) can set the aperture what's the use of a dedicated aperture ring?

Thank you for this nice review. There are a lot of talk about special rendering (mini contrst, 3d pop ...) of this lens. How different it is from olympus 17mm f1.8? Would it will be noticable in the prints (15"×10")? (I am thinking between oly em10iv+17mm1.8 and pan gx9+15mm1.7, which would have similar prise now). Thanks.

I just cut a deal for this lens and another much much rarer and cooler Panasonic item that I'll find the video about and comment there for :-D Exciting, much better suited to street/travel than the 16mm Sigma 1.4 that I also have. Will go well on the GX9 and GM1 :-) Thanks for your videos!

Pfew ! I am glad you agree. Enjoyed watching ! Thx.

Thanks David !

if you pair it with for example the lumix g85 which has Ibis body stabilization, it works great!

Hi David, i love your review! One of the best for the M43 systems. For primes,between this and the olympus 17 1.8, which is better for video work?

Thanks David - nice review as always. You are right that the nice 20mm F1.7 is a bit slow in focus compared to others - I do like my 25mm F1.4 but would be nice if it was a bit smaller - but now I have also the LX100 so hard to justify getting the 15mm as it does 24-75mm F1.8-2.8 and IS - I was wondering if you are going to spring for the LX100 - which to me is very nice but not perfect - and just amazing why Panasonic did not include Touch LCD ! - so many screaming out Sony to include it and yes some at Fuji - but we have been spoiled with Panasonic and Olympus but more so Panasonic - I think also they could have included a Tilt-LCD - but otherwise a real joy and in my mind a very nice lens - I think IS is not as good as in say the 12-35 lens but still OK - compared to my Fuji X100s with no IS It does fit in a winter coat pocket - I also got the GM1 few months back - very happy with it - so small - will upgrade for sure if GM6 has IBIS as it would be really nice have IBIS for lenses like the Olympus 45mm F1.8 which is mostly on my GM1 - The 15mm is larger then the LX100 lens - I suppose maybe a bit sharper at 30mm but for $300 more one gets a camera with a super lens and 4k video -

I think OIS is left out of high performance primes because it might require some weight to be saved elsewhere and the first place they'd do it is to the optics.

Hi David watched this a few times over the last few months, are you saying the the pany doesn’t have a manual focus ring? That would be a no no for me. Love your reviews thanks

Dear David, as much I enjoy watching your beautifully narrated tests I am left somewhat broody concerned for the focus on gear rather than photography. I certainly appreciate the folks over at ePHOTOzine who entrust you for these reviews (and I admit I do occasionally browse the review section of their site) but I feel, given your experience as a pro 'tog, the attention should be more on the tool as the mean to a goal rather than the opposite. Btw I don't even shoot m43 but I watch your videos because I enjoy your narrative style. I am a bit tired of the youngsters who approach photographic gear with a computer benchmarking like mentality. Greetings from Herts.

Hello! I'm considering buying a Panasonic GX7 in silver, but the only issue is that I'm unsure about the lens. I'm not sure whether the 20mm would be better, as it's a fixed lens, or whether I should sacrifice image quality for zoom. I take both portrait and scenery shots, so, what would you personally choose seen as you own one? I'm totally mind-boggled at the moment, ha ha!

Hi David; Nice video, as always... when are the poppies out?... haven't seen them yet... re; Cycling; Please ride with at least (3) ULTRA bright LED lights on the rear (too many reasons to explain why here, beyond the obvious)... Hate to lose one of the Best reviewers...

I wish this had a stabilizer on it! Would be perfect for the Blackmagic pocket

Thanks for another enjoyable review David. Do you think the 15mm f1.7 is worth considering for landscapes (as an alternative to the 14mm f2.5), or is it perhaps not wide enough?

Besides the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and that Olympus 17mm 1.8 there is the Panasonic 14mm f2.5. Why not included in the comparison? To small max aperture? Love the channel and would love to get your option on the Panny 14mm. (P.S. Your audio seems to be quieter than other youtube channels. Please turn up.)

Amazing reviews, Thanks!

Another great review David. For those OOC jpeg you using any special picture styles or just Standard all set to 0? On my GH3 I find the noise reduction to be extremely heavy handed to the point where I usually have it set at -4 or even -5.

It really bugs me that Olympus do not include a lens hood with most of their lenses. Anyway, great review, I still think I will go for the Oly 17mm soon

Intro say 17mm f1.7, the blue static image in the video.

David many thanks for your review of the pans Leica 15mm i had thought of purchasing but have decided on the Oly 17mm by the way what is that cord attached to the VF

Hi, I know this is an old video but I just got this lens. I just wanted to know when you half press the shutter button to autofocus does the lens flicker/shake a lot? My copy of the lens seems to do that...

Hi David, would you please kindly let me know what editing software and codec used on processing this video? Thanks.

You're reviews are among the best reviews for anything on KZfaq! And you sound like Jason Statham to boot!

Thank you David, I enjoy your reviews VERY much! Waiting for the newly announced GX85...vs gx7 or 8... For 50% the cost does one get half the pleasure...I think with the 15mm f1.7 that could MY go to in my pocket kit? WHAT say you ( ...when the time comes:-)

I have a Panasonic G9 with the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7, Olympus 45mm f/1.8, and the Olympus 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6. I'm wondering if I should get the Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 or a Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8. What do you think?

Hi David, I love your reviews a lot. I have a question and hope you can answer. I own a GH5, which I love a lot and own a speedbooster (0.71 Nikon mount). Now I need a lens for low light conditions and therefore I am looking at the 15mm (20mm) 1.7, but also consider with the speedbooster the Sigma 20mm F1.4 Art. The Panasonic would be a final 30mm F3.4 and the Sigma a 28.4mm F2, but will be only manual. Which one would you recommend and go for? Thank you so much for taking your time to answer.

Hi, do you give me some advice on what is best for my needs? I have a Panasonic G80. What do you recommend me between these two summilux: 15mm f1.7 or 25mm f1.4. The use is for photos and videos in low light conditions, portraits, interiors, excursions and fast focusing. Thank you.

Great review as always

Richard Parrington Mine arrived today £284. Bought it from a reputable E bay firm, the first time I've not used Amazon or Wex Photographic. I think I've saved £100 or more . Lovely jewel of a lens including all the extras, plus guarantee . Has all the attributes that Kai has described. Great Bokeh opened up wide, and lovely colour rendering plus deeper depth of focus stopped down. This is a very useful focal length for video work. Grabbing more of the scene and still remaining sharp and detailed. Any lens addicts out there that want to form a counselling group to reduce the impact of these irresistible marvels on family finances..........contact me ? Reply ·

Great review David (as always)! Have you tested the Oly 12mm f/2.0?

IS it good for video for the micro 4/3 lumix dmc-gh3 camera.?IT has no stabilisation but is it still good for photo and video for the lumix dmc-gh3 camera?

David - love your videos. 2 quick questions: have you had a chance to use the SIgma 16mm 1.4, and if so, how does it stack up against the Leice 15mm and Oly 17mm (besides being much bigger)? Thanks for all your hard work.

2:28 Absolutely!🤣

Great review as normal David, a question and if money isn't an issue (funds being available) is it worth buying this Panasonic 15mm Leica over the Olympus 17mm? From what I see if I brought the Olympus, I'd save $100-150. So if I have the money would the Panasonic 15mm be a better buy? I'd use it on a Panasonic GX8.. Thanks again for yet another brilliant review..

Got this today as a rebranded DJI for a third of the price, as open box new on ebay. Can't wait to go out with my GX80!

A great review as always David. Your one of my top places online to get the MFT info I want. Keep up the great work 😀

David. I see a Panasonic GX8 in some of your videos, will you be doing a review at some time ?

Dear David, Thank you for your excellent reviews. I've recently discovered your work. I have just acquired a GX9, upgrading from a GX1. I have been using the GX1 with the 20mm f1.7 for going 'commando' doing street photography and on travels. I'll like your advice if I should be upgrading to the 15mm f1.7 will result in any appreciable extra value above the 20mm f1.7. You've pointed out that the 15mm f1.7 is high-speed wide-angle (hence there'll be a bump in focusing speed, which is great). Nonetheless, since you own both the 15mm and the 20mm for 'commando' purposes, any comments about the difference between them in (1) low light performance, (2) shallow DOF bokeh, With the in body 4 axis stabilization on the GX9, I reckon on board stabilisation is not a big drawback, since I've been using the 20mm f1.7 on an obsolete GX1 body for so long, and have adapted to not having stabilisation in low light. - PS. I am getting the Panasonic Leica f2.8-f4 12-60mm for as the kit zoom lens with the GX9

Great review. i was leaning on the Olympus gor my GX1 but there's a sale on the Summilux... now i just can't decide.. please help :-)

Hi david.. I want to order this lens, but still curious, does the aperture ring works on creative movie mode?? I'm using gh5 btw, i just dont want it to accidently move the aperture ring and mess everything,, thanks.. 😁

Very good review! Thanks! Do you found the autofocus as good as the 12-35 f2.8?

Great review. Im looking at a lense for my G7 to shoot video in a gym which is a confined dark space and I want the background blurred, is something like this my best option?

Hello David. I can’t seem to find out if this lens will be stabilized by my GX9. Still trying choose between the Olympus 17 or this 15mm Panasonic. What a choice it is. I think, if the GX7 would stabilize it then the GX9 would but maybe u can say if it does. It will be the first lens I get next to the 140mm but also the last for a while. General purpose inside the street. No 2nd hand of any of the two around and only 50€ difference. Would the GX9 body stabilize both of them? Regards,

Can you please make a sigma 30mm F 1.4 review ? There are some reviews on the youtube, dxo also reported that "it is the 3rd best lens for GM1" but your reviews are always golden. Want to know your opinion. Thanx!

Hi David! I'm currently using my Olympus Pen E-PL7 with my Panasonic 20mm f1.7. Between the Panasonic 15mm and the 20mm, which would you say has the edge in sharpness and overall image quality?

Hi David! Regards from Stockholm again where we've had windy weather, above 0 temps and not a trace of snow since Christmas! Horrible weather! Lots of questions for you today - if you have the time to answer them! I'm hoping to get a GH5 by March or April. I"ve managed to pick up both the Leica 8-18 and the Leica 12-60, f f2.8 lenses for 100 quid. But, my head is spinning researching low light alternatives. Would you go the speedbooster route with something like a Nikon 50 mm f 1.4 which is, as I understand it, a lens meant for a mirrored camera, or this F 1.7 Leica which is, of course, a native MFT lens. A guy at Scandinavian Photo here in Stockholm was of the opinion that putting lenses made for mirrored cameras on mirrorless cameras was never a good idea. What do you do think?

i love your competence and your passion about photography! if I shoot jpg with olympus body..camera will correct automatically distortion and chromatic aberration? or it works just with panasonic bodies (shooting jpg) thank you:)

Surprinsingly, it doesn't seem to be as cinematic as an old 15-30mm 3.5 Sigma zoom (200-300$). I've seen the pics of this 15mm Summilux on Flickr, they're really georgeous. But it might be a waste for video, a part if u need the extra 1.7 to 3.5 F aperture range, this old zoom can't offer u. Or u may choose the new 15-30mm 2.8 from Tamron... a real beast (900-1000$).