Olympus M ED

Olympus M ED
Olympus M ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 micro Four Thirds Lens for Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Third Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera

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By Harry M. Shin (Livermore CA USA)
1. I pretty much agree with the initial reviewer of this lens. Here are a summary of my random thoughts after several days use of this lens:

a. First of all as all initial reviews have stated--> it's small. It's an obvious statement but unless you actually see / physically handle the lens it's somewhat difficult to appreciate. It's about the same size as the kit lens. The main issue for me (and perhaps for some others) is that it is definitely smaller than the olympus 9-18mm regular four-thirds lens (which I have)... so much so that just based on size alone I do feel it's worth getting this lens for your EP camera even if you already have the 9-18mm four-thirds version.

b. This is just pure personal impressions but this lens seems to be built better than the kit lens. The zooming action seems to be a bit more... smoother. I don't know if that means that it's a better built lens but in general it feels fairly nicely made (although as with all of these types of lens--> plastics etc...). Hey it's not a Zeiss Distagon etc...

c. Autofocus--> basically decent enough for me. Expect in dim lighting the autofocus is quick and precise. For those with the regular four-thirds 9-18mm this micro fourthirds 9-18mm is much much much quicker in regards to autofocus. Just based on this reason alone--> get this lens.

d. Image quality: Good enough for the purposes of this lens for this type of camera system etc... Good enough for me means that you'll get images that you'll be very pleased with. Again it's unfair to compare this lens to... something like my favorite Zeiss Distagon 21mm 2.8. With that being said you'll be able to get high quality images that you should be happy with. In regards to the comparison to the regular four-thirds 9-18mm I haven't done any head to head testing but I'm going to guess that it's very similar and again based on the small size factor and autofocusing advantage if you have a micro-fourthirds camera--> this is the superwide angle lens to get (esp if you have an Olympus).

e. I appreciate the ability to put on a filter etc...

f. Movies: This is probably going to be my main lens for shooting video clips. Perhaps because of the formatting size of the video screen but I find it easier to shoot video with a fairly wide angle and this lens is perfect for shooting video; I like it better than the kit zoom.



2. Downsides? I completely agree with the initial reviewer that Olympus should have included the lens hood. I mean come on--> you're going to want /need a lens hood for this superwide angle lens you're putting out decent bucks--> please just include the lens hood. Furthermore the lens is out but as of this time I can't figure out where in the world to buy the lens hood (I'm sure in time it'll appear somewhere).

The plastic nature of lens construction these days I guess that's the way it is. It would be nice if the construction was a bit more... professional.

Slow lens? I guess that's the way it is as well--> ie faster lens--> bigger lens--> more expensive lens etc...



3. Overall I'm very happy with this lens purchase. I would think that most all micro-fourthirds owners would be happy with lens.