Olympus 9-18 vs Panasonic 7-14 in Panasonic camera - advice please

[daveproctor]

For various reasons I have sold my full frame DSLR outfit and moved back to an MFT kit based around a GF1 and a G2.

I am fairly sorted with lenses now but need to get myself a wide angle zoom. The choices are pretty restricted being the Olympus 9-18 or the Panasonic 7-14. I have used the Panasonic in the past and know it is a stellar lens in terms of IQ but I am struggling with the huge price difference here (£899 vs £499)
I've done the usual trawl of reviews and generals consensus seems to be that the Panasonic is sharper at the wide end but towards the longer end some say the Olympus betters it.

I like the fact the Olympus is perhaps better as a walkaround lens and I also like the smaller size but I would really value some input from people who have used the Olympus lens on a Panasonic body, does the camera implement distortion and CA control as it would with the Panasonic lens.

Also any feedback from any guys who have used both lenses and their views would be very helpful

 

[daveproctor]

Noticed this thread looks like lots of others on this forum - specifically what I am interested is whether CA and distortion control will be used if the Olympus lens is used on a Panasonic body

 

[astonandy]

To be honest I didn't do any comparisons between the image quality of the lenses and bought the 9-18mm on size and handling. The 7-14mm may be great but it just wasn' a "walk-around" lens in my eyes - my Pen with 17mm and 9-18mm is just about perfect as a travel kit and I've has great results from the 9-18mm so I definitely recommend it. Not necessarily better than the 7-14mm but better for my needs.

 

[chuckgoolsbee]

Oddly, I "walk around" with my 7-14mm pretty much all the time. I LOVE this lens.

 

[oldracer]

... from people who have used the Olympus lens on a Panasonic body, does the camera implement distortion and CA control as it would with the Panasonic lens?

I don't know the technical answer to that, but one practical answer is this, shot with the 9-18 on a G1:

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Shot wide open and at 9mm FL, I don't see any barrel distortion and if there is any chromatic aberration it is certainly not objectionable. The subject material makes CA maybe a little harder to detect as there is a lot of color detail in the tiles anyway.

I chose the Olympus over the Panny because if its smaller size, lighter weight, and lower cost. It's a tourist lens for me, and 18mm equivalent is wide enough for good interior shots such as this one at Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. I don't need 14. My other tourist lens is the Panny 14-140 and I will add the Panny 100-300 prior to an African photo safari in the fall of 2011. I will probably add a second camera body as well.

Incidentally, I started with the 14-45 and 45-150 kit lenses. 14 (aka 28 equivalent) is really not wide enough for interiors and the break between the lenses at 90mm equivalent made for more outdoor lens changing than I liked. With the 9-18 and 14-140 I basically have "indoor" and "outdoor" tourist lenses, though the 9-18 is very nice outside on narrow streets and in crowded markets.

BTW you can read again and again how small the 9-18 is and you will still be surprised when you actually get your hands on one!

 

[Jerry_R]

Hello for the 3rd time on 3rd forum

As I already explained, I have 7-14mm and use it mostly on 7mm for playting with perspective distortion, not to put more into frame.

I also walked with it recently through NY streets as 'walk around' and had no problems at all.

You in fact try to compare ultra ultra wide lens to ultra wide. 2mm on wide end is a lot!
How to Use Ultra-Wide Lenses

 

[daveproctor]

Thanks for the input here guys

I have today been down to the camera store and bought myself the Olympus 9-18, the main reasons being it suits me better as a general walkaround lens (although I might at some point miss the 7mm) and I love how compact it is.

The size means it really suits my GF1 and means I can carry the GF1 with the 9-18 plus my 20mm pancake and newly acquired 14mm pancake.

The additional benefit was that for the price of the 7-14 I got the 9-18, plus the 143mm pancake plus a flash

Again, thanks very much for all the input

Dave