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

Product Information

It’s definitely not a lens that you use on a daily basis, unless you’re a landscape or architectural photographer. During my summer holidays in the Alps, this was my most used lens, as I frequently found myself in situations where I wanted to capture the full extent of a landscape. So I made frequent use of the 9mm setting. When promenading through towns and villages, the 18mm setting came in handy, as it is the ideal focal length for street photography. In that regard, the focal length range of the lens proved to be ideal. Image Quality I used the M.Zuiko 9-18 with a polarizer filter attached most of the time, but in the few situations where I did not use it, my impression was that the lens renders colors slightly muted and a tad to the coolish side. Of course, this is all relative when you shoot raw files and tweak the colors during post-processing. In general, less saturated colors give more leeway for post-processing. Conclusions 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. With a focal length range of 9-18mm and an aperture range of f4-5.6, there is no such thing as bokeh. Not even when you’re very close up. Also, this lens is best suited for landscapes and architecture, which aren’t really scenarios where you’d want a shallow depth of field. Much to the contrary. Sharpness

Olympus Zuiko 9-18mm f/4-5.6 ED Interchangeable Lens Review

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 There is a lot of detail in the photos and they seem pretty sharp from edge to edge. Flare is minimal at 18mm and low at 9mm.However, those drawn to the Leica’s versatile zoom range may also find themselves wondering how it compares to another wide angle zoom for the system with an almost identical range of focal lengths: the Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6. Now why people take so many great images with it? well it's so small it's owners will bring it everywhere creating that wide FoV for interesting images. 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. I would really value some input from people who have used the Olympus lens on a Panasonic body, does the camera implement distortion and CA control as it would with the Panasonic lens. The Olympus 7-14 is big, heavy, and does not take filters naturally (I do have an adapter that lets me mount 105mm filters).

Olympus 9-18, but: Micro Four Thirds Had decided on the Olympus 9-18, but: Micro Four Thirds

The lens' lightweight design coupled with In-Body Image Stabilization - available in the flagship E-3, Lenses get tested on charts. These charts show that the Olympus isn't the best lens wide-open. But stopped it ain't bad! nope but with my UW converter lens it becomes 11mm. The lens was so cheap i bought it as a bundle. The reason i did not buy it was that i already have the 7.5mm fisheye and the 11mm with the 14 + converter. + I am not creative enough to see the potential like mister Wong on the streets.Considering their limited application they often stay home. But when used some of these will create even more stunning perspectives. If you want to see some real world result on this, have a look at my recently uploaded photo set dedicated to this lens:

Panasonic 7-14mm vs Olympus 9-18mm - Admiring Light Panasonic 7-14mm vs Olympus 9-18mm - Admiring Light

In the scope of the four thirds format, f/8 should provide enough depth of field for most landscape applications, so the performance here is very good for these kinds of applications. 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).The biggest selling point of the M.Zuiko 9-18mm over its main competitor, the Lumix G 7-14mm, is probably the size and weight advantage the former has over the latter. Thanks to its clever collapsing mechanism that Olympus introduced with the first M.Zuiko 14-42mm kit lens, the M.Zuiko 9-18mm has a length of only 5 cm (2 in) when not in use, compared to the 7-14mm’s 8.3 cm (3.3 in). The M.Zuiko also weighs only half as much as the Lumix G. This makes it a pleasure to use, as it’s small and light and doesn’t get in the way. In its extended state, however, the size advantage is lost altogether. Extremely light weight, small size, and decent image quality out of this lens. Samples of my favourite shots out of this lens: