The M. Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm F4-5.6 is Olympus's third lens for the Micro Four Thirds system to reach the market, covering the wideangle end of the spectrum. It was first announced at the same time as the E-P2 in November 2009 (alongside a forthcoming 14-150mm superzoom), with more details appearing coincident with the E-PL1's launch in February 2010. Its headline feature is undoubtedly its miniscule size - it adopts the same collapsing design as Olympus's Micro Four Thirds 14-42mm kit zoom to realize dimensions of just 2.2" x 1.9" (57 x 50 mm) when retracted, and an extremely light weight of 5.5 ounces (155g). This makes it the smallest wideangle zoom lens on the market by some considerable margin. We can take the worst m4/3 objectives out there and get amazing results. Like the 15mm f/8 BCL from Olympus can give just amazing results, even when Olympus doesn't even brand it as Zuiko because even Olympus knows it doesn't deserve to be called as Zuiko. 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. Its sharp enough, don't compare with Panny at pixel level specially at corners and you are fine. Little PhotoShop RAW adjustment and there you go. I found it shapest at f5.6 and 9mm.

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

The most natural point of comparison for the recently released Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4.0 is the only other high-end wide angle zoom for Micro Four Thirds, the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO. (In fact, it was the very first comparison we published after receiving the Panasonic zoom to test.) Vignetting is kept low. Only at a focal distance of 9 mm at full opening there can be, in practice, a slight degree of visible vignetting. In all other cases, vignetting is negligible. Distortion The 9-18mm's only direct competitor in the Four Thirds system is the Sigma 10-20mm 1:4-5.6 EX DC HSM, which at the time of writing is rather cheaper and features ultrasonic-type focusing, but loses at the wide end where every millimetre of focal length counts (9mm offers an extra 5 degrees angle of view over 10mm). The Sigma will be subject of a future review; for now let's see how the 9-18mm fares in our tests. Use of the Panasonic L10 as Four Thirds test body I personally find the Leica’s focus ring easier to use because it offers more resistance and extra precision when making very fine adjustments to focus. The Olympus’ focus ring moves a little too freely by comparison. In both cases, I can't guarantee that no ringers have crept in - but should give some indication of the results you could expect... drawn from a rather wider base than you've had respondents here?Thanks to a collapsible barrel similar to that of the 14-42mm kit lens, the Olympus M.ZUIKO 9-18mm is extremely small for an ultra-wideangle zoom.

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

Well 35mm sensors just perform better due to having the laws of physics behind them. However those same laws make the camera's and lenses bulky and unwieldy. m43 compromises High ISO in favour of having a smaller more nimble system. Whether one thinks it's a good trade-off is personal opinion. While the crop factor of MFT format cameras boosts the telephoto abilities of lenses, it makes the design of ultra-wide optics more of a challenge. The M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro is a remarkable wide zoom lens with a minimum focal length of just 7mm, delivering an astonishing 114-degree viewing angle, similar to using a 14mm lens on full-frame cameras.Like other lenses in the Pro line-up, it’s immaculately turned out, with fabulous build quality. Contrast and sharpness are outstanding, while color fringing and distortions are negligible. As with many ultra-wide lenses, however, the hood is built-in so there’s no filter attachment thread. So the dilemma now is a used copy of Olympus 9-18 (~300Euro) vs a new PL 9mm/f1.7 (~500E). Quality wise I don't expect them to be very different. It's worth noting that the best aperture for optimum sharpness with most Micro Four Thirds lenses is around f/4. Since both of these lenses start there, they only suffer in terms of resolution from stopping down. Of course, to get the ideal depth of field for landscape shots you might need to do so anyway, so the good news is that while there's a dropoff in sharpness, it's remarkably gentle. Image Quality Comparison: Field Shooting 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.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 Some raw converters - such as Raw Therapee - can show you the uncorrected image which, in the case of this particular lens, tends to have a lot more distortion to it, at least at the 9mm setting. Here are three photos with the Em1x. All raw. All DXO processed with lens sharpness added. All at F8. Maybe this will help your decision.

Olympus Wide Angle Zooms 9-18 vs 7-14 Review Part 3 Olympus Wide Angle Zooms 9-18 vs 7-14 Review Part 3

You can't go wrong with either of these lenses; just be sure to assess your needs before plunking down the cash. 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 Mainly, it's smaller, lighter, will accept filters, and doesn't have that bulging front element. So it's definitely more convenient, and isn't necessarily a UWA lens when it's at 18mm.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 This last shot is what impresses me the most. Look at the corner of the 7-14mm!!! Not only does it have good definition…it does not have the smearing a lot of wide angles have in the extreme corner. For being a 7mm lens…this is pretty amazing. The Olympus 9-18 mm offers you a 2x zoom range. In practice you will discover that the 9 mm focal length will be used predominantly. Set to a focal length of 9 mm, the Olympus 9-18 mm delivers an impressive viewing angle of 100 degrees. This is ideal for panoramic photographers, because you – taking into account sufficient overlap – only need 5 shots to make a 360 degree panorama. In this case, a single image has been cropped to a panoramic format. Construction and autofocus The lens feels good on the Olympus PEN cameras. Although a telescoping lens, there is only minimal play when extended. Optical Quality – Through the lens GH5, 1/800, f/3.5, ISO 200 – Leica at 8mm Pen F, 1/1000, f/8, ISO 200 – Olympus at 9mm

Olympus 9-18mm M. photos on Flickr | Flickr Olympus 9-18mm M. photos on Flickr | Flickr

Mostly wide open, and in situations with bright light and strong contrast edges, the M.Zuiko 9-18 tends to exhibit some color fringing. But the lens correction tools in Lightroom 5 are more than capable of dealing with it. Color fringing uncorrected Color fringing corrected Chromatic aberrations, typically seen as purple or green fringes along contrasty edges, are a problem with this lens, although you may be able to reduce them in post-processing.

It is a joy to use and the only caveat I place on that is that as the lens is so compact, I found that you can accidently change the focus (I shoot a lot of MF) when you zoom the lens. Once you get use to it, that problem is essentially eliminated.