I've just had for few days the prototype of the upcoming SLR Magic 17mm T1.6 lens in micro 4/3 mount.

This lens reminds me the one from Voigtlander the 17mm f0.95 I test once .

Despite it's a T1.6, the SLR is a very fast lens, and I had to use strong ND filter on it to be able to use it at it's fastest speed at 1/50 shutter speed. This lens is a prototype so I can't show it, but this model looks quite like the 25mm T0.95 from SLR. It has also a no click aperture ring. Most of the shot of the movie are taken at T1.6, and you can see the very good sharpness of the lens, even at its fastest aperture.

SLR Magic told me that : "this is a SLR Magic CINE designation lens and not a HyperPrime lens so it is made for the budget indie filmmaker. It is in the same series as our 35mm T1.4 CINE II lens. Price of the production 17mm T1.6 lens is TBA (to be announced). The SLR Magic CINE 17mm T1.6 will have the same mechanical build as our 35mm T1.4 CINE II lens that repeatable focus. The 35mm T1.4 CINE II lens will be compatible with our upcoming 1.33x Anamorphic adapter but the 17mm T1.6 will not be on the compatible list. Field curvature effects causing softness at extreme when focusing at close focus distance were put into consideration during lens design and edge sharpness should be quite sharp even when wide open. Light falloff during wide open aperture is well controlled."

I have use the OMD E-M5 from Olympus. I've bought recently this camera because I was really impressed by the movie of Andrew Reid, where we can see the proficient internal 5 axis stabilization system. It was quite hard for me to use this new camera. Two main problems have appeared :

1. I found that the contrast in classic image mode are very strong, the black are too black to my opinion (I've used the Natural mode). Then I decided to change the mode and I've used the Art filter 3 (ton neutre et lumineux, I suppose in english it's "neutral and bright tone") to have less strong blacks. But this mode gives green rendering (and the ND add it too), so I try to color corrected it. That's why you have two mode in this movie, the Art filter 3 is in the countryside and seaside shots. I did light color correction in quite all the clips.

2. The second problem is the using of ND filter on OMD with the stabilization. At the begining of my shooting I was using a variable ND filter from Cokin. The problem is that there is slight vigneting when you are closing it. And this vigneting is moving because of the stabilization. You can see this issue in some of the shot, the traveling with the girl with the yellow bag, for example.Then I decided to use another ND filter, not a variable, the Hoya NDX400. With a constant ND filter, the problem of the "moving vigneting" disappear. But it's less easy to use. Especially with the OMD that has less efficient dynamic range than the GH3.

Anyway despite this problems I have discover with my first use of the OMD camera, I'm really impressed by its internal stabilization sytem, for example it allowed me to do these shot from the car in the small roads of north Ireland, with a third part lens such as this SLR Magic 17mm T1.6. I'm really happy using this lens, it is a good experience and it's useful to have a fast 17mm, especially when you think that 25mm is not enough wide, and 12mm too wide.

• Olympus OMD E-M5
• SLR Magic 17mm T1.6 (prototype)
• 1080P 30
• "Natural" and "Art 3 bright and neutral" modes
• Variable Cokin ND filter
• NDX400 ND filter from Hoya
• edited on Adobe Premiere CS6
• CC on Premiere

Music (mash up) : * Midlake "The Courage Of The Other" * King Crimson "In The Court Of The Crimson King""