It's my understanding that the 7-14 is, or is about to be discontinued. I read that somewhere a couple of weeks ago and the very next day I noticed the price jump.

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Please visit my Flickr Photostream

My tool kit:
E-PL5, E-PL1
7-14 / 14 / PL25 / 14-45 / 45 1.8 / 45-175

I think B&H was showing it as discontinued, but they've done that for other lenses that suddenly showed up in stock again. There don't seem to be any credible rumors of a replacement. My suspicion is that this is simply Panasonic's typical inability to keep the US supply chain filled.

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I'm not lazy. I'm energy efficient.

Can you explain how to fix the CA in Lightroom when necessary? Thanks!

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Bert
adirondack fotoscapes

I have the 9-18mm and love it. But would enjoy the 7-14 more. Is it worth the cost difference?

Part of the answer may lie at slrgear.com. I compared both there. There are distances where the 9-18 is sharper and more consistent across the frame but in general the 7-14 is a better lens. I (as in ME)would buy it for the focal length but not for the difference in IQ.

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Dan Cassat
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Olympus E-M5,12-50mm, E-PL2, 14-42mm
Panasonic 14mm, 20mm, Olympus 9-18mm, 45mm, 40-150mm, Minolta 50mm MD 1.7
http://500px.com/dcassat

Go to the develop tab first. Scroll down on the right hand column to where you see "Lens Corrections". Go to the color section of this tab, and select "remove chromatic aberration". I usually just correct for purple fringing (with legacy glass especially). Very easy to do.

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Add me on Flickr, I'll do the same

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danska8/

I currently have both lenses The 9-18 is absolutely a great lens, small and compact, good build quality and excellent IQ the fact that it is a f4-5.6 lens isn't really any issue you won't notice anything in DOF between f4 and f5.6.
If I'm honest I bought the 7-14 to compliment my Lumix lens set and for lesser reason because I wanted the extra 2mm wide angle. I got it for a very good price and I'm trying to sell the 9-18 as I don't need both.
I've only had the 7-14 for 2 days so not had a chance to test it properly.

Basically I'd say if you want the ultimate UWA lens and are prepared to pay for it get the 7-14, if you want a excellent UWA for a reasonable price that really gives very little if anything away to the 7-14 (except 2mm) get the 9-18.

Paul

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G5, GH-3, 7-14, 12-35, 35-100, 25.
RX100

I think the FoV comparison mentioned earlier is this one?
Micro 4/3rds Photography: Defished fisheye compared with ultra-wide

The difference is shown by the 5th image and it is IMHO a huge difference, YMMV however. I don't own either lens but I am leaning towards the 7-14 for this reason and the fact that I have 35mm covered by my X100.

Olympus Zuiko lens field of view comparison

Just picked mine up from the Post Office.
Not yet had it on the camera but seems much smaller than I expected actually! Looking forward to getting out and giving it a try!

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Olympus OMD EM-5, 7-14, 25, 45, 100-300, Canon FD 50mm f1.8, Konica Hexanon 135mm f3.5, Gorillapod SLR Zoom, My Flickr
http://chrismitchell.zenfolio.com/

am seeking opinions on whether it's worth the extra $$$ over the Oly 9-18.

Yes. I had the 9-18, didn't get on with it. Got the 7-14 and it's in a different league. The 2mm extra width really gives you some "oomph" that the 9-18 won't get to. Never noticed the CA.

The price on this lens seems to flucuate more than any other. I tracked it on Amazon for a few months until the price dropped.