Lenstip's opinion: 17 1.8 vs 17 2.8

Have you held one in each hand and directly compared the look/feel? One is obviously a premium product when compared with the other, even though in use you may not see a difference in the results. Unlike you, to many people the jewellery aspect of cameras and lenses does not have zero significance Olympus is not ignorant to this sector of the market entirely.