Oly 9-18mm m43 review at DPR

[Roel]

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/olympus_m_9-18_4-5p6_o20/

Looks pretty good - I am impressed with how small it is. Still keeping my Panny 7-14mm f/4 though...

 

[Diane B]

As I am my ZD 9-18. I've considered selling it for the 7-14 but decided I w am happy enough with it and for some shooting will go with the 5D and 12-24. In truth the ZD9-18 doesn't really feel too big for me on the G1 so it would really be more for FL, constant f/4 and IQ than for size that I'd consider switching lenses

 

[ggibson]

Looks good. I have the 7-14mm already, but I have yet to decide whether I use it enough to justify the cost. This 9-18mm might be a nice compromise even if I give up some performance and 7-8mm. I love the small size.

 

[PeterB666]

It is a good review and great IQ from f/5.6 onwards makes it a very appealing lens. As I do a lot of low light work, I just wish it was a bit faster - just for manual focus and framing rather than the aperture in use.

I face a tough decision between the new 9-18 and the FT 11-22 with an adapter.

 

[Steve Fines]

Hello,

I saw the review of this lens and thought it looked interesting.

I've been thinking of getting a GF1 and had a newbie 4/3 question - would the Oly 9-18 autofocus on the GF1?

I know they are both micro 4/3 mounts, but didn't now how compatible this was between Oly and Panasonic.

thanks,

 

[Devon Shaw]

Hello,

I saw the review of this lens and thought it looked interesting.

I've been thinking of getting a GF1 and had a newbie 4/3 question - would the Oly 9-18 autofocus on the GF1?

I know they are both micro 4/3 mounts, but didn't now how compatible this was between Oly and Panasonic.

thanks,

Yes it will.

 

[Diane B]

And to carry it a bit further, all Oly m4/3rds will work fine on Panny and vice versa. Some of the Oly 4/3rds lenses also AF just fine. I have the ZD 9-18 which I bought a year ago and think I will just keep it. AF is a tad slow, but for what subjects I shoot, its fine. IQ is quite nice too.

The nice thing about the m4/3rds standard is that everything is interchangeable. I have an Oly 17 f/2.8 which I bought last Spring waiting for the 20 f/1.7's shipping to be announced. Very nice on either of my Panasonic G's, though I prefer the 20 just because I like a faster lens--but the 17 FL is sometimes nice.

Diane

 

[Roel]

And to carry it a bit further, all Oly m4/3rds will work fine on Panny and vice versa. Some of the Oly 4/3rds lenses also AF just fine. I have the ZD 9-18 which I bought a year ago and think I will just keep it. AF is a tad slow, but for what subjects I shoot, its fine. IQ is quite nice too.

The nice thing about the m4/3rds standard is that everything is interchangeable. I have an Oly 17 f/2.8 which I bought last Spring waiting for the 20 f/1.7's shipping to be announced. Very nice on either of my Panasonic G's, though I prefer the 20 just because I like a faster lens--but the 17 FL is sometimes nice.

Diane

What Diane said.

I think it is great that 2 companies (at present) are participating in m43... that ultimately means a larger selection of bodies/lenses that we m43 users can mix and match. I think it will only get better as time goes on (and it is pretty good now).

And... for those people who had a few (or a lot) of MF legacy lenses gathering dust in the closet, the m43 cameras with an adapter has given them new life...

 

[Terry]

There is a difference though. If you use the 7-14 lens on a Panny camera CA will be corrected and with the Oly 9-18 on the Panny camera it won't be corrected.

 

[PeterB666]

There is a difference though. If you use the 7-14 lens on a Panny camera CA will be corrected and with the Oly 9-18 on the Panny camera it won't be corrected.

If you use the 7-14 on the Olympus you get IS and on the Panasonic you don't. Likewise the Oly 9-18 on the Oly and likewise not on the Panasonic. It seems strange that Panasonic make lenses that cater for the lack of in-body IS in their cameras.

It also seems strange that Olympus don't do CA correction for any of their lenses either. That said, the CA is pretty easy to fix in most instances when it is visible.

While Panasonic and Olympus both share FT and MFT, it is dissapointing that they don't talk to each other and try and make a range of lenses that complement each other rather than predominately compete. There are just too few lenses in the range to behave like that.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

There is a difference though. If you use the 7-14 lens on a Panny camera CA will be corrected and with the Oly 9-18 on the Panny camera it won't be corrected.

Is it corrected when shooting RAW as well?

 

[Terry]

Is it corrected when shooting RAW as well?

Just like lens corrections, they are part of the raw file. If the raw converter can read the corrections they will be applied (ACR/LR/C1/Aperture all recognize this).

The CA is not camera dependent but a combo of camera and lens. So the lens has to capture it and the camera needs to record it. So, Panny lenses on Oly cameras (NO), Oly lenses on Panny cameras (NO),

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Thanks, Terry. That means I will probably go for the Panasonic WA lens after all... unless I buy a DP-2 to complement the GH1 that is

 

[CPWarner]

If I did not already have the Panasonic 7-14mm I would take a serious look at this. OIS in a superwide is not as usefull to me as in a telephoto. On the other hand 7 vs 9mm is significant perspective change on the wide end and that is something I really like about the Panasonic 7-14mm.

 

[paparazzi666]

the options for superwide on m43 is not very much.
i would prefer a fast wide prime lens, like a 10mm f1.4.
but if it had to be a zoom, then i would buy oly 9-18 because it is cheaper than 7-14 and the end result (the picture) will not differ much.
however if i shot with a theoritical 10mm/1.4 there will be a significant difference in end result.

 

[Howard]

I partially agree with paparazzi666, I prefer a very good or better WA prime like a 10mm over a WA zoom. While I prefer faster lenses, I would opt for a 2.0 or 2.8, especially if a f1.4 WA lens is either too large or too costly. While the 9-18 is a good zoom range for me, smaller and it is less expensive than the 7-14, the 9-18 lens does not automatically correct for CA distortion on my G1. The cost of a product is not just the initial price, but includes the cost in time and effort in manually correcting the CA distortion every time use the lens and PP an image produced with the lens. Therefore, I prefer the Panasonic 7-14, despite its greater initial price and bulk.