Rumor: Oly 9-18 slated for Q1 release and will cost $600

[Amin Sabet]

via 43 Rumors:

The Olympus 9-18 will supposedly be released within the next few months and sell for $600 or 550 euros.

I was hoping this lens could be sold for under $500 like the regular 4/3 lens, but it could well be worth the rumored price tag if the quality is there.

 

[blork]

Nice zoom range, but judging by the image it's only as fast as f4. (But what does one expect for $600?)

 

[Melbourne Park]

Nice zoom range, but judging by the image it's only as fast as f4. (But what does one expect for $600?)

You must have better eyesight than me!

Looking at Olympus's retail prices at B&H Photo, their web site says the Olympus "Zoom Super Wide Angle 9-18mm f/4-5.6 ED Zuiko Zoom Lens for Olympus Digital SLR
For Four Thirds SystemDSA (Dual Super Aspherical)
B&H # OL91840Mfr # 261058
In Stock

Is priced at $519.95.

Micro 43 lenses should be cheaper, since they use less materials. Considering their current 9-18 lens is f4 (wide open) and it costs about $520, maybe there's a chance a $600 dollar lens would be faster than f4 wide open? I should say, I do not know what the current 4/3 9-18 lens recommended retail price is...

 

[Linh]

I'd still rather see someone make a prime on the wider end of that range (why didn't you make your 14 a 12 panasonic, WHY!). However, with that said, it certainly is temping to fill out the wide end gap of my current 1 lens lineup, heh.

It sure will be a hell of a lot cheaper than the 7-14 from Panasonic. 9mm is plenty wide for me. Hopefully it will perform well on Panasonic bodies

 

[cosinaphile]

the 9-18 micro 4\3 is stated as f4-5.6 just like its couinterpart for 4\3 but its about the same size as the oly kit zoom according to the pictures ive seen on the internet

micro 4\3 lenses are grossly overpriced , it will hurt penetration of this format in the photographic world , where is a normal fast prime 24 f1.8 for under 200 dollars , this is simply contempt and greed aimed at the consumers who have made this format such a promising and early sucess story, look at the pentax 24 mm 2.8 lens from the 1980`s built for the 110 slr ..........making a basic lens a stop faster for micro 43 should be a duty of the manufactuerers olympus and panasonic. its clear they hav`nt the decency or fairmindedness to build it ,imho

 

[Lex]

the 9-18 looks like a very small and light lens.
if it´s overall iq is as good as the 14-42 i will prefer it over the panasonic 7-14. i would love to have the extra wa of the panasonic lens but i don´t want to spend that much money.
i will wait and see.
maybe waiting is a smart decision. when nikon and canon really will be entering the arena the prices will hopefully drop.

 

[voyager]

I hope that considering it only has an equivalent range of 18-36 that it will be fairly good quality considering the price.

 

[chalkdust]

I hope this lens sells well, but it is not for me. I actually do not like zoom lenses. At an f4 aperture, I would certainly buy a Voigtlander 15mm f4. But I am not good at lenses wider than 30mm (in the 35mm equivalent manner of speaking). I like my 35mm Nokton very much (in full frame, film mode, I am speaking here), but I do not do well with 21mm in full frame mode. It is just my own weakness, I know. Anyway, I do not know what I would do with a 9mm (18mm equivalent) lens. And really, I have gotten to the point of really preferring prime lenses. I tend to always bang a zoom to one its two extremes. Like I said, it is my own weakness. I hope this and most other micro 4/3 products do very well. (I like this format.)

 

[Djarum]

I'd personally be more interested in a 12 or 14mm 2.8 or faster prime.

I think if it started at f3.5, I'd be more interested.

I am sooo looking forward to their 14-150 zoom.

 

[viztyger]

Olympus 9-18 as a One Lens Kit

Djarum, Panasonic already has a 14mm f/2.8 pancake lens in development. It's even considerably smaller than the Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens.

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/img/dcw/docs/314/443/html/008.jpg.html

As to Olympus' 9-18mm zoom, it's one of the few lenses that doesn't duplicate a Panasonic offering. It's more compact than the Lumix 7-14, but that's probably due to it starting at a less ambitious 9mm, it not having a fixed f/4 aperture throughout its entire zoom range and differences in electronics and/or focus mechanisms.

What makes the Olympus 9-18 fundamentally different is that it includes a relatively "normal" 36mm in its zoom range. That means you could use it as a one lens, general purpose solution when you want your kit to be as compact as possible.

Personally, for me the Lumix 7-14 is the better solution. I want a wide lens to start at 7mm (14mm equivalent) for my architectural photography. Those two extra mm make a big difference at the wide end. Then when I need a "normal" lens, I'll switch to the 20mm f/1.7 which is more than 3 1/3 stops brighter than the Olympus 9-18 at 18mm. That's the difference between ISO 100 and 1000! Obviously a vastly greater range of options for improved image quality, faster shutter speeds and out of focus backgrounds.

Still, I can see the attraction of the Olympus 9-18. As long as lighting levels aren't too low you get a compact one lens solution that's less than half as expensive as the two Lumix lenses. Let's hope it's sufficiently sharp and is able to focus quickly.

 

[voyager]

I wonder how bad the distortions will be on it.

 

[Amin Sabet]

Björn, I too find the combination of the 20/1.7 and 7-14 to be extremely satisfying. I don't really need much else.

 

[blork]

cosinaphile asked "where is a normal fast prime 24 f1.8 for under 200 dollars?"

I admit I've been out of the SLR game for some time, but can you actually get a *QUALITY* lens of any type for under $200? Especially a relatively fast one, like f1.8?

 

[Linh]

cosinaphile asked "where is a normal fast prime 24 f1.8 for under 200 dollars?"

I admit I've been out of the SLR game for some time, but can you actually get a *QUALITY* lens of any type for under $200? Especially a relatively fast one, like f1.8?

with or without AF? heh.

I'm going to go w/ AF, but the Nikon 35/1.8 is $200. It's not built like a tank or anything, but the images from it are quite spectacular. It might not be wide enough for some given it's for an APS-C sensor, but ~50mm eqv is my sweetspot.

 

[oris642]

Just ordered mine from Dirk at japan exposures | a personal introduction to Japanese photography. I couldn't wait anymore as I leave for China Friday.

Dirk says he will have the lens tomorrow : )

 

[DavidB]

Nice to see this has a filter thread (one advantage over the 7-14 for my particular application).

Blork, for a cheap quality lens the Nikon 50mm/1.8 is a good example. But yes, once you get away from "normal" lengths the price usually goes up.
Interesting but sad to see that B&H's price for the Zuiko 9-18 (US$475) is less than the M.Zuiko 9-18 (US$700).

 

[cosinaphile]

those 2 prices are illustrative of the unfairness of micro 4\3 lens prices, the original lens had huge optical surfaces to grind and and place, a robust barrel etc

the new lens is a lightly built affair with much less optical surfaces to grind and is basically a WA variation on the kit zoom form factor

the price is an insult .... olympus seems a desperate company , or simply greedy ..

either condition fills me with dread

 

[Djarum]

In the defense of the mFT lens market, most of what is in the initial cost is R&D of the new lens. Secondly, the volume of sales comes into play. The more that are sold, the cheaper the lens usually is.

I'm into astronomy quite a bit, and I never realized how expensive good glass is until I started up that hobby. Low volumes, good glass = $$$$$. A 5 or 6 element telescope eyepiece can cost up to 500 dollars and sometimes more, and the lenses inside can be half the size of a mFT lens.

Do I wish these new lenses were cheaper? Sure. But right now, mFT is a boutique market.

 

[cosinaphile]

perhaps it it but as any consumer who spends a 1or2 thousand is taking a chance on an unknown future with an infant lens mount , but say what the heck, i believe in this new mount and im going for it ............

so should the manufacturers , bite the bullet and make a decision to offer a compliment of lenses , a fast-ish normal,a Wa and teles with sane prices indicative to public that they believe in the mount going foward and will not crucify early adopters of lenses in the basic range

that means a a 24 1.7 to 2 for less than 180 a slow basic WA for less than 500 and a zoom tele for less than 300

so far the only promise not broken is the panny ois 45-200 for under 300
bravo

a normal medium fast prime, and a fair WA [ not a flimsy slow pedestrian zoom for 700 dollars !!!!!!] this is indicative of a company who has not committed , at least in their pricing structure , to the success of micro 4\3, but rather seeks to recoup development costs first , all else be damned, rather than make a commitment to the sucess of micro 4\3

 

[Djarum]

Its a catch 22. If they don't make money, they can't commit to the lens system. If no one buys the lenses either because they don't have enough offerings or they are too expensive, then they can't commit to the system.

Looking at this lens right here, Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It goes for 699 at BH. The lens has been out since 2004. Considering that is the same price OLY is trying to sell its lens for out the gate, I think it is a bargain. I imagine it will go to 599 in a year, and possibly 499 in 2 years.

Dpreview really had a good review for the lens, focused fast and was as sharp as the panasonic offering.