the BEST-WORST micro four thirds lens ever made

Do you think this lens deserves the "Best-Worst" crown?

★ Sell with MPB using the links below!

timestamps:

00:00 what is the lens and photo examples
01:36 size and weight and build oh my
02:55 range covered and why I have two
04:08 photography tip with more photo examples
04:56 competitors?
05:51 MPB where to buy this used
06:58 sharpness?
07:59 flat front element (say that 3 times fast)
08:29 would I recommend this?

#microfourthirds #microfournerds

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(Some links in the description are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to buy using them, I get a small commission at no cost to you.)

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[Weechoo]

Our first copy died as well. Feels comforting to know that others have this problem too. I ordered one more from MPB, and I bought maximum warranty (I think 3 years) for a little extra pound. Just in case. I tried to replace the snapped ribbon, but I couldn't find a place on the internet where I could buy the exact same one.

[marksieving]

The ribbon problem is more common than you think. The first 9-18mm lens I bought from MPB came dead on arrival, though I was able to exchange it for a working version. A pretty high proportion of users have reported the problem.

[dylandubeau]

My best/worst lens is probably the Lumix 12-32. Pancake ✅Weirdly sharp. ✅ good range ✅ somehow has OIS ✅ but no manual focus ❌ have to extend/open it to use it ❌ and plastic lens mount (why?!) ❌. Great video as usual!

[asafbadiri]

Love your video's . keep on the good work and keep your smile 💯

[gordon]

Hmm I expected you to be vlogging from Osaka…maybe on an S9! I’m hoping Pan has sent you and you can prompt them to do a similar small mft. Great video as always! Loved that photo in the slot canyon!

[markwiemels]

Super photos! Thanks for putting this on my radar.

[stephenbrasure]

And going back and editing old files is definitely a wonderful process. For me, I know so much more about post processing than I did not that long ago, and with today's software, you can end up having an amazing shot that you didn't know you had. I'm soooo glad I switched to shooting in raw mode long ago!

[SkylerKing]

I had the 9-18mm for years. I never had any issues with it. It's not perfect, but it is so versatile and useful in so many circumstances while being so small and lightweight. I was happy with it.

[TigerPaw]

As always, this was a wonderful video, Emily! I love the little Oly 9-18. And the locking lever isn't an issue for me because I regularly use the manual 14-42 kit zoom, which has the same "feature." 9-18, 14-42, and 40-150: Oly kit zooms all, and all are really light weight, sharp, and yield beautiful images.

As for the OM rebranded version, I suspect the only thing that has gone up is not the quality, but just the price.

For those of us who do not need or cannot afford the top-of-the-line OM 1 models, OM has been rather a disappointment. There's the OM 5 that didn't inherit the newer, cleaner OM 1 menus. And as for the OM 10, oh that's right, there is no OM 10.

[commentYT]

Good video as always. Just wanted to mention that the lever is only needed to retract the lens, it can be opened just by turning the zoom ring. I tended to open/extend my copy when I would take the camera out of the bag and leave it open/extended all day or until I put it away again.

[chodgetx]

Learning to love this lens. Headed to Liverpool from Dallas in 3 weeks. Any recommendations for places to shoot, and the best Beatles tour?

[kophotograph]

I really love my 9-18mm. Bought it for a really good price. The other Ultra Wide lenses were way more expensive and I am very pleased with the results. And I really dont mind the plasticy build. In fact it feels robust. I really whish it would have Weather Sealing. Its a really big drawback for example for photographing waterfalls. I use it mostly for travelling. Its pretty much glued on my tiny Lumix gx80, as its really versatile in focal length and the tiny size.

For the price, the size and the very good results its a nice piece of gear in my bag.

[HugoVarvoglis]

Great video, with some drama at the beginning with the falling lens but you convinced me, I'm gonna buy it 😁

[jimcoon]

Love your content. I bought the 9-18 8 years ago to shoot interior real estate video on my GH3. I still use it today on my GH5 and G9II. It is extremely easy to manual focus.

[sbeckmesser]

I have both the 9-18 and the 8-25. The 9-18 is more fun, especially for stills taken with a smaller camera body (the Pens up to the OM-5 or Panasonic GX9). But the 8-25 is incredibly versatile, especially for serious video productions. Here, having a 50mm equiv reach comes in very handy. But is too heavy for handheld vlogging. In that case I'd use the 9-18 or the exquisite Pana/Leica 9mm prime.

[pauldaniels]

Now you’ve gone and done it!
Loving your reviews by the way👍👍
Was convinced to get this lens for my Pen f, you convinced me to get that to, along with a few other reviews so it’s not all your fault and I love this camera❤️. But I’ve just watched your review of the LUMIX 9mm f1.7. Looking at these two for some nice landscapes maybe
Aargh. Which one to chose now

[edwin_ac]

Hi, may I ask, when you say rectilinear at 9mm, are you referring to the jpeg, or the raw file? Thanks.

[gregfeeler]

You are right on with your recommendation of this lens. I've used the Olympus 7-14mm f2.8 PRO and love the speed, the ultra-wide angle views, and the excellent PRO image quality, but I was always nervous about the exposed front element and it was very inconvenient to not be able to use conventional filters. I recently bought the 8-25mm f4 PRO on sale and find it's a really versatile focal range with no front element worries, and has the ability to use the same 72mm filters which fit some of my other lenses. However, it's not an inexpensive lens. Using an ultra-wide lens, especially one with as good an IQ as this 9-19mm OM System/Olympus, can be so much fun and help you create such interesting images that narrower lenses can't do, . You can find some really good deals on the Mark I version and I think you owe it to yourself to give one a try, if you haven't.

[stephenbrasure]

I believe this is the second video you have done on this lens, and it just may motivate me to get out my copy of the lens and actually use it. I bought it several years ago and must confess that it has barely been used. I really must do something about that! So thanks for another motivating review.

[billgow]

love this little gem !! always in my bag...