Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 6/5/26

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Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 6/4/26

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Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 6/3/26

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Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 6/2/26

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Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

Cameras and Lenses: The Olympus E-PM2, and a M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8, an ultra-compact, pocketable mirrorless digital with a classic 34mm equivalent full-frame setup.

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For the vintage enthusiast working with a set or limited budget, a compact digital camera setup with a 2013 Olympus PEN E-PM2 and a 2009 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 is a very interesting digital mirrorless camera kit for having fun and enjoying photography, in or around the home or garden, or even on city streets.

The reasonably priced pair (on the auction market) is a highly compact, pocketable, and capable everyday camera, with excellent and sharp images from the 16MP E-PM2. The 17mm pancake lens (equivalent to a 34mm lens on a full-frame camera) offers a versatile wide-angle view and excellent close-up capabilities.

The Olympus PEN E-PM2 (PEN Mini 2), a compact, entry-level 16.1MP Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera launched in 2013, features the same high-quality sensor and image processor as the flagship E-M5, 8 fps shooting, in-body image stabilization, and a 3-inch touchscreen in a very compact and minimalist body.

The camera, designed for ease of use while offering advanced manual controls, features a plastic body available in black, silver, red, or white. Features include exposure bracketing, art filters, manual focus override, and sensor-shift stabilization. ISO sensitivity is automatic from 200 to 25,600, and autofocus is a 35-point contrast-detect system.

Though aged, the camera is still in favour today, praised in vintage circles for street and travel photography, and its adaptability to legacy manual focus lenses, with a recent review noting its enduring and sustainable image quality. The kit is equally ideal as a carry-around for everyday photography as well as for beginners.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8, a compact pancake prime lens for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless cameras, was originally released as the kit lens for the Olympus PEN E-P1. The lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 34mm, which is highly suitable for street and travel photography.

The lens, launched in 2009 as a kit lens for the Olympus Pen E-P1, weighs just 71 grams, measures 22mm long, accepts 37mm filters, and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2 meters. Optical construction is 6 elements in 4 groups with 5 rounded diaphragm blades to help produce smooth bokeh.

Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

Reviews praise the lens's portability for landscapes, portraits, and close-ups (as seen in this post), though autofocus can be slower and noisier on modern bodies. Optical quality is moderate to good, with some corner softness and fringing, but it excels as a lightweight walk-around option. The lens, though, is often considered inferior to the later 17mm f/1.8 version, a 9-element in 6 groups construction introduced in 2012.

Olympus PEN E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 3/27/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 3/26/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 3/25/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 3/24/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

Cameras and Lenses: First impression images with the Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8, a legacy wide-angle lens known for its excellence and many variants.

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What seems to be the main points of discussion around the legacy Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8, a classic manual focus wide-angle prime lens acknowledged as an excellent example of a third-party lens manufactured in the 1980s, are not about the quality of their images, but rather the origins of its manufacturer.

The lens, known to have several variants, is primarily manufactured by Komine, is identified by the serial number 28xxxxxxxx. And is available in multiple mounts, including Canon FD, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus OM, Pentax K, and others.

The unit I have, however, has the serial number etched on the lower part of the lens barrel itself (rather than on the lens trim plate), and has the serial number starting with 98xxxxxxxx, which, as pointed out on PentaxForums, is manufactured by Cosina.

Nominally, as described for the Komine version, the lens is a 7-element in 7 groups design with multicoated elements, has 6 iris blades, a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters, takes 49mm filters, weighs around 206 grams, and comes with a non-rotating front element.

The Cosina version of the lens enjoys a rating of Sharpness at 7.7, Aberrations at 7.7, Bokeh at 7.4, Handling at 8.0, and Value at 9.1 on the forum.

Aside from the starting serial numbers already noted, there is also a version identified as Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 Close Focus Wide Angle, which differs from the 28mm f/2.0 version by having a slower aperture and an aperture click between f/11 and f/16, and a Kiron version of the lens with serial numbers starting with 22xxxxxxxx.

On the mirrorless Olympus PEN E-PM2, the lens is equivalent to a 56mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera, with a versatile mid-telephoto perspective that is an excellent choice for portraits (headshots to half-body), with potentially excellent subject isolation and creamy bokeh.

The focal length is also excellent for detail shots in travel, and isolating subjects in street photography with compression that adds a pleasing, three-dimensional look.

On APS-C DSLRS with 1.5x crop sensors, the Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8 will be equivalent to a 42mm prime, just a titch wider than the 40mm, which is considered the 'sweet spot' lens for photography for its natural perspective that mimics what the eye sees, ideal for everyday shooting, street, and travel, for its ability to balance wide scenes with subject isolation.

Olympus PEN E-PM2, Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8

The Olympus PEN E-PM2, one of the smallest and lightest footprints among interchangeable lens cameras, is an entry-level MFT (Micro Four Thirds) system camera introduced in 2012. The camera features a 16.1MP CMOS sensor, the same as found on the OM-D E-M5, acknowledged for its excellent image quality and color reproduction, a 3-inch touch LCD screen, Full HD 1080p video recording with full-time autofocus.

Olympus PEN E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 2/6/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 2/5/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 2/4/26

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Olympus PEN E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 2/3/26

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Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6, Night Scenes

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Cameras and Lenses: An Olympus PEN E-PM2, with a Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6, a compact budget-friendly setup with a 70mm full-frame equivalent portraits and street lens.

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My first impression of the Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6 turned out to be quite a surprise, as the lens lived up to its name, recognized for its wide f/1.6 aperture and vibrant, saturated SOOC (straight-out-of-camera) colors.

I did another test with the lens recently, for low-light and extended exposure shots, in RAW (post-edited), and was equally impressed with the results as the lens stood up to its billing as a good candidate for the genre.

The lens, an affordable manual focus APS-C model originally designed for CCTV, is a sturdy 4-element in 4-group all-metal and glass design. A fifth-generation build, the lens is a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) variant with a fixed mount. Its property includes a smooth focus ring with a very short quarter-turn focus throw and a clickless aperture ring.

Images were taken with the lens mounted on the 16MP Live MOS Olympus Pen E-PM2.

On the Olympus Pen E-PM2 and the Lumix DMC-G5, it was tested earlier; the lens is equivalent to a 70mm short-telephoto lens on a full-frame camera, a focal length ideal for everyday photography, portraits, street photography, travel, events, and experimental shooting.

As a normal-use lens, a 70mm (or equivalent) lens is ideal for portrait work, particularly in head-and-shoulders compositions, where perspective compression creates facial flattery while maintaining natural-looking proportions. Working distance can be kept at a comfortable shooting distance between the photographer and the subject.

For environmental portraits, background scenes may appear closer to the subject than they actually are. This allows the inclusion of details without losing subject prominence. For street photography, the compression aids in capturing detail-oriented street scenes, small subjects that become compositional focal points rather than background elements.

Olympus Pen E-PM2, Risespray HD MC 35mm f/1.6

Focusing complications may arise, of course, with the very short focal throw of the lens, when the camera is mounted on a hand-stand, instead of a proper tripod setup, and placed on a hard surface at arm's length away. A handy way to alleviate the situation is to set the Live Guide button of the E-PM2 to the Manual Focus Assist function. When pressed, the function will zoom in the view on the LCD for a magnified focusing help.

Olympus E-PM2, F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 8/29/25

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Olympus E-PM2, F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8

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The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 8/28/25

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Olympus E-PM2, F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 8/27/25

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Olympus E-PM2, F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8

The Galleria, Photo of the Day, 8/26/25

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Olympus E-PM2, F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a vintage legacy Olympus F.Zuiko Pen-F38mm f/1.8, a compact, sharp, and high-resolution vintage half-frame lens, a 76mm full-frame short-tele equivalent on the mirrorless Pen E-PM2.

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While the 'Compact Comeback,' which refers to a recent trend of increased interest and resurgence in smaller and more portable digital cameras, or digicams, is strong with young enthusiasts looking for a nostalgic appeal in retro looks and simple point-and-shoot cameras.

Others, on the other hand, could very well look at 'Half-Frames,' another resurging trend that started out with the recent launches and interests in the reincarnation of the 35mm half-frame film cameras.

The half-frame format, though, is not strictly film only, as many digital cameras are also available with image frame settings that could be adjusted in-camera to the ratio.

An interesting vintage setup that can be used with the in-camera frame setting for half-frames is the mirrorless Olympus Pen E-PM2, the smallest and lightest compact system camera on the market when it was launched in 2012, seen here coupled with a legacy manual focus Olympus Pen-F F.Zuiko 38mm 1:1.8, a 35mm half-frame film camera lens from the 1960s.

Though focused on being small, minimalist, and easy to use, with a body dimension of approximately 109.8 x 64.2 x 33.8mm and 223 grams in weight, the Pen E-PM2 is highly functional as it comes with flagship-camera features including a 16.1MP sensor and TruePic VI image processor (as seen on the E-PL5 and OM-D E-M5), a 3-inch touchscreen, two-axis image stabilization, and a customizable interface that allows the camera to be set up to users preferences.

The accompanying F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8, which should be well past 60 years old by now, is part of the Olympus Pen-F series of half-frame SLR system cameras, which were in production from 1963 to 1972. The solidly built lens features a classic double Gauss design with 6 elements in 5 groups, 5 aperture blades, measures approximately 50mm x 35mm in size, accepts 43mm filters, and weighs 138 grams.

The lens has a minimum focus distance of 0.35 meters, and at 38mm on the half-frame, is equivalent to a standard normal 50mm on a 35mm full-frame camera. Designed specifically for the Pen F system with a fast f/1.8 aperture, the lens is known for its good image quality, particularly when stopped down, with minimal distortion or chromatic aberration.

On the 2x crop sensor E-PM2, the F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8 is equivalent to a 76mm short telephoto lens on a 35mm full-frame. For good use, a 75mm short telephoto lens is an excellent choice for portrait photography, with a flattering perspective, good background separation, and compression. The focal length is also versatile enough for street photography (which I will try on another session), especially when you want to isolate subjects or create tighter compositions from a mid-to-long distance.

Olympus E-PM2, F.Zuiko Pen-F 38mm f/1.8

With its short telephoto mode, wide aperture, and close focusing distance, the lens is equally suitable for use in close-ups and macro shots. Though thoughtfully disadvantageous without the help of a 'peak focusing' feature, the E-PM2 can be fitted, optionally, with an external EVF (electronic view finder) to enhance focusing accuracy.