Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18 mm F4.0-5.6 Lens, Wide Angle Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

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Both the focusing and zoom ring offer a decent amount of grip thanks to their slightly knurled surfaces. The amount of rotation needed to either extend the lens or to zoom from the 9mm to the 18mm position is roughly 25° in both cases, which means you can easily twist the lens from its collapsed position all the way to the 18mm mark in one turn. Build Quality The 7-14 certainly feels like the better built lens, but there is something eminently satisfying about using the 9-18mm. It’s just so tiny for an ultra-wide that it’s hard to believe it actually does what it does.

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm 1:4-5.6 review

The 9-18mm was one of the first lenses that I added to my Olympus bag and I would still buy it. At the time when DPReview still reviewed mft lenses, they called it an "engineering masterpiece" and that's really a valid description. The Olympus, on the other hand, remains the logical choice for beginners and enthusiasts who don’t necessarily require an extremely robust product or the very best optical quality for their photographic needs. It also makes more sense if you own a small Micro Four Thirds body such as the Lumix GX850 or Pen E-PL8, as it is the most compact of all the wide-angle zooms for Micro Four Thirds. It’s a shame that the lens hood is not provided but inexpensive third-party options are available.

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Its wide enough, though 7-14 was wide, insanely wide, this in my opinion is mostly what I needed, there were very few times (less thab 5%), when I missed the wider coverage. I have owned the ZD 7-14 for a few years now, and have on occasion traded off with a friend who owns the ZD 9-18. That said a small m43 body with the 14mm 20mm and 45mm should not be underestimated. It's capable of profesional results that can be printed in magazines if the person behind the camera is as capable as the body lens combination. If you focus the Olympus 9-18 mm at a distance of 2 meters, at a focal distance of 14 mm aperture and 5.6, then the sharp intake of 1 to 20 meters. With so much depth you will not get much bokeh against. But if you focus very close, you’ll get nice bokeh as can be seen in this image. Flare E-510 and the newly announced E-520 - makes capturing amazing, blur-free images possible even without a tripod. Olympus now offers two super-wide-angle zoom lenses (9-18mm affordable consumer lens and 7-14mm splash-proof lens for the pro photographer) that feature both a focal distance equivalent to less than 20mm on a 35mm camera and image stabilization. E-System owners also realize the benefits of Live View, which makes it possible to shoot from unique perspectives that are difficult with an optical viewfinder alone, including over a crowd or at ground-level to catch a toddler's first steps.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 Review

As for perspective distortion, you will get lots of it at the wide end. This is not a flaw of the lens, but has to do with the laws of optics. This, too, can easily be fixed during post-processing. Converging vertical lines at 9mm due to a steep shooting angle 9mm perspective corrected Color Rendering I am still leaning more to the 9-18 as I will be able to access it now (vs the PL9 which will need a couple of months), but the dilemma got a bit more interesting. The Olympus 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 M.ZUIKO Digital ED wide-angle zoom (35mm equivalent focal length: 18-32mm) expands the Olympus Micro Four Thirds lens system. Its ultra-compact build, lightweight construction of 155g and a total closed length of 49mm is made possible through the retractable parking mechanism. But it's not just the compact size that surprises - the excellent image quality is equally impressive. With the Olympus 9-18mm lens you can easily create powerful effects of perspective by using it at the wide-end for excellent close-up shooting with a minimum distance of just 15cm from the front of the lens. The lens is also ideal for landscapes, interior and architectural photography. The Leica is the only one to feature an AF/MF switch on the side of the barrel. To switch between AF and MF on the Olympus, you must enter the camera menu. A similar tendency can be seen at 12mm, 14mm and 18mm as well. The performance is almost identical through the aperture range and at the fastest apertures.Enjoy the impeccable optical quality inherent in all ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses with this bright model: 13 lens elements in nine groups, including one aspherical ED lens and two aspherical elements award the ED 9-18mm 1:4.0-5.6 (18-36mm) * with a pronounced advantage over the competition. Coupled with the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 18-180mm 1:3.5-6.3 (36-360mm) * lens, this affordable combination provides you with an incredible 9-180mm range (18-360mm) * for unparalleled versatility. A minimum focusing distance of 25cm round out this 2x-zoom model’s list of convenient attributes. That "contraption", I presume you mean the 9-18 is far more useful and versatile than a fixed focal length lens. Edit: I wouldn't automatically go for the PL just because it's sharper or faster, more about that in general in my comment on the previous thread. Practical things like flare resistance o In terms of build quality, the Leica is the more robust of the two. Not only is it constructed of a mix of metal and high-quality plastics but it is also dust, moisture and freeze proof down to -10°C. It comes with Nano surface coating to mitigate flare and ghosting. With the exception of the metal mount, the Olympus is mostly composed of high-quality plastics and does not claim any sort of weather resistance or lens coating. That said, it feels solid and well-made.

Olympus 9-18: Please check the status of a lens - HELP! Olympus 9-18: Please check the status of a lens - HELP!

Finally, we mustn’t forget that the Leica lens is approximately twice as expensive as the Olympus, and since the latter is one of the older lenses for the system, it can often be found for less than the official retail price. At a normal viewing size, the color fringing in the first image would hardly be noticeable. I did not take pictures of branches against the bright sky–those would probably have evoked even stronger fringing. But under most conditions, the fringing is manageable in post processing. Distortion I currently use the Panasonic 8-18; it is smaller, lighter, and takes filters. Since I use UV filters when shooting in sand and water, and ND filters for motion blurring, it is ideal for my use. Since the Panasonic is f/2.8 at 8mm, it is also good for low light interiors. So it just doesn't get to 7mm. https://olympus-summer-special.sales-promotions.com/customer-apply-for-promotion/?country_promotion=2&lng=en

The lens is nicely balanced with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and focusing is fast, quiet and accurate. The silent internal focusing mechanism moves only one lens element, and is ideal for filming. Image stabilization The Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm 1:4-5.6 is Olympus's latest all-new lens design, announced in May 2008. It sits in the company's 'Standard' series of lenses, and offers ultra-wide angle capability to the more budget-conscious user. In this regard it costs around 15% less than the venerable 'Pro' series Zuiko Digital ED 11-22mm 1:2.8-3.5, while offering significantly wider angle coverage, but giving up a stop with regards to maximum aperture and featuring lower build quality (most notably no water/dust sealing). Secondly, this lens is small and light, which makes it ideally suited for long walks. In conjunction with a small camera like the Panasonic G1, carrying it in your hand all day is no issue whatsoever. So all things considered, the M.Zuiko 9-18mm f4-5.6 is still your best bet if you want a small and light super wide-angle lens for your Micro Four Thirds system that offers you more flexibility than a prime lens such as the M.Zuiko 12mm f2. And compared to the Panasonic 7-14mm f4, the M.Zuiko 9-18 is still a bargain. Additional Image Samples Smooth operation and the extension action doesn't bother me, although I find the lens a bit wobbly when extended but that doesn't affect the IQ. I like light weight plastic body with metal mount, decent corner to corner sharpness at 9mm f5.6-f8 and the benefit of able to mount a ND filter when need. It was a no brainer for me to carry it to anywhere since it is so compact.