Olympus E 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 Zuiko Lens Review
September 14th, 2009
Olympus E 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 Zuiko Lens Review from Jeremy. an important focal range well served, This lens is physically just a little bigger than the 2 kit lenses. The front element, with a 72mm filter size, is the thing that sticks out compared to the kits.
It is Japan-made, not Chinese, which generally represents a higher quality even though it is in the same “Standard” range as the kits. It is nicely finished, with the same textured black paint as the E-510 camera body. The attachment base is metal, rather than the plastic of the kit lenses.
Olympus controls the size and cost by staying within the not-particularly-fast f/4.0-5.6, but overall this is a very reasonable compromise.
For image quality, it sets a high standard. It is superior to the quite satisfactory kit lenses.
The prospective buyer now has several compelling options in the wide zoom range. Which one is selected depends very much on your “lens plan” as you develop your system.
The 11-22mm is just a little more expensive, and has a little extra speed, and is in the “High Grade” series so has even better image quality. For me, compared to the 9-18, the loss of some angle was more important than the gain in speed and image quality. The 7-14mm is much more expensive, and is part of the “Super High Grade” series. As such, it does not really compete with this 9-18 (at least not within my budget). Unfortunately, Olympus does not offer a prime ultra-wide, other than the 8mm fisheye which is really a fixed-length special-effect lens rather than a prime.
I would be even happier if this lens was offered as a High Grade lens for a couple hundred extra dollars, but as it stands, it is a very much appreciated addition to my system.
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Posted in Olympus Lenses | 
Tags: 18mm, 22mm, Black Paint, Budget, Camera Body, Compromise, Couple Hundred, Element, Extra Dollars, Filter Size, Fisheye, Grade Lens, Image Quality, Japan, Lens Review, Olympus, Paint Body, Prospective Buyer, Textured Paint, Zoom
