Very helpful information here. Currently evaluating this lens against either the the Laowa 7.5mm or 10mm. Your pros and cons of this lens are very useful. Thank you!
Nice share, infact I love your sharings and comments. I bought this particular lens for 150 USD, and it’s just so great, especilally for travelling. I use it a lot with my GM-5 and my Pen F.
Hi Gary, nice video and a great approach to give a fair and unbiased opinion on wide-angle lenses! About one year ago I was looking into wide angle lenses, and I had shortlisted the Olympus 7-14mm f2,8, the Olympus 9-18 , the panasonic 7-14mm and the panasonic leica 8-18mm and I decided for the pana leica 8-18 because of the widest zoom range and the ability to attach normal filters. In comparison to the Olympus 7-14mm f2,8, the addition 1 mm of zoom range on the wide end did not seem to matter, and the low-light performance on the tight end either. Admittedly, the Pana Leica lens is more expensive than the OLY and Pana lenses (and bigger and heavier), but you do not buy photographic gear every day, and you have to treat yourself occasionally. .... As of today, I am happy with the lens, and I believe it is the best possible compromise possible on the wide end of the zoom range.
Hi Erwin, good to know you enjoyed the 8-18mm. I really think it is a great lens, and could be very useful in a lot of different scenarios. Happy shooting :)
I have been testing this lens on the Olympus E-M5 Mk iii. I believe it is the best hand-held vlogging lens available as it balances small size, light weight, good image, sufficient wideness and very good autofocus when used with a PDAF body. If I were to consider a MF lens, the Laowa 10mm f2 or the Laowa 9mm f2.8 Zero-D are good options. I find 7.5mm introduces too much perspective distortion and 10mm is wide enough for 95% of use cases. The real competitors to the Oly 9-18mm lens are the Oly 8-25 f/4 and the Pan 8-18 f/2.8-4 lenses. Both have better sharpness wide open but not by much. Both however are mor than twice the size and weight which is a major negative when handheld vlogging. I think the Laowa options are ok when vlogging on a table. However if walking while vlogging, even with the short focal length and the related depth of focus benefits, constant distance needs to be maintained at wider apertures and this requires a lot of practice.
It is a fantastic lens, unfortunately mine just recently broke and I can't really use it anymore. It was the best travel wide angle lens and it's very difficult to replace it with another lens, nothing is quite like it!
It is a great lens, although I don't use it a lot these days, it is one of the most practical wide angle lens that I've ever used! Plus it has screw down filter attachment!
Thank you for the comment Brian. I once photographed Aurora Borealis using this lens, it worked but I definitely wished for an f/2.0 or f/2.8 lens when I took the picture. Happy shooting :)
For night photography m4/3 with a 1.4 or 1.8 or 2 aperture is fine. For instance for astro shooting the laowa or sigma are great, I use both of them. I owe the 9 18 and I use it when travelling, good sharpness wide angle great for outdoors daytime.
Very helpful information here. Currently evaluating this lens against either the the Laowa 7.5mm or 10mm. Your pros and cons of this lens are very useful. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind comment, glad I could help! Happy shooting :)
Holllaa bro , i get info this lens get problem about cable flexy , is that true ?
It is true, I got that problem just a few weeks ago, I made a video about that problem too just recently in my channel.
@@Gary_W hmmm , i just want to buy this lens … but i think i need other choice , what your advice ?
Nice share, infact I love your sharings and comments. I bought this particular lens for 150 USD, and it’s just so great, especilally for travelling. I use it a lot with my GM-5 and my Pen F.
HI Svein, thank you for the comment! That's a great bargain, the 9-18 will serve you well for travel. Happy shooting :)
Hi Gary, nice video and a great approach to give a fair and unbiased opinion on wide-angle lenses! About one year ago I was looking into wide angle lenses, and I had shortlisted the Olympus 7-14mm f2,8, the Olympus 9-18 , the panasonic 7-14mm and the panasonic leica 8-18mm and I decided for the pana leica 8-18 because of the widest zoom range and the ability to attach normal filters.
In comparison to the Olympus 7-14mm f2,8, the addition 1 mm of zoom range on the wide end did not seem to matter, and the low-light performance on the tight end either. Admittedly, the Pana Leica lens is more expensive than the OLY and Pana lenses (and bigger and heavier), but you do not buy photographic gear every day, and you have to treat yourself occasionally. ....
As of today, I am happy with the lens, and I believe it is the best possible compromise possible on the wide end of the zoom range.
Hi Erwin, good to know you enjoyed the 8-18mm. I really think it is a great lens, and could be very useful in a lot of different scenarios. Happy shooting :)
hi..thanks for the video..i just wondering, if the ibis on my lumix gx9 will still work if i pair it with olympus lens?
I have been testing this lens on the Olympus E-M5 Mk iii. I believe it is the best hand-held vlogging lens available as it balances small size, light weight, good image, sufficient wideness and very good autofocus when used with a PDAF body. If I were to consider a MF lens, the Laowa 10mm f2 or the Laowa 9mm f2.8 Zero-D are good options. I find 7.5mm introduces too much perspective distortion and 10mm is wide enough for 95% of use cases. The real competitors to the Oly 9-18mm lens are the Oly 8-25 f/4 and the Pan 8-18 f/2.8-4 lenses. Both have better sharpness wide open but not by much. Both however are mor than twice the size and weight which is a major negative when handheld vlogging. I think the Laowa options are ok when vlogging on a table. However if walking while vlogging, even with the short focal length and the related depth of focus benefits, constant distance needs to be maintained at wider apertures and this requires a lot of practice.
Thank you for sharing the thoughts about 9-18mm, it is a great lens, and I enjoyed using it as well!
Nice share.. will it be suitable for family event group photo? Indoor with tight space
Adityo Kusumo The aperture is really slow for indoor shooting. That means you will have to use high iso
It will work fine if your room is having a good lighting, daytime etc...
It was the first MFT lens that I bought for mountain photography. I still think that it is the best lens for hiking in high mountains like Himalayas.
It is a fantastic lens, unfortunately mine just recently broke and I can't really use it anymore. It was the best travel wide angle lens and it's very difficult to replace it with another lens, nothing is quite like it!
Bagus bhs inggrisnya bro. Thx reviewnya
Makasih kak, sama2 :)
Maybe my next one 🤪
It is a great lens, although I don't use it a lot these days, it is one of the most practical wide angle lens that I've ever used! Plus it has screw down filter attachment!
Nice video. Yeah, I would look elsewhere. F/4 is pretty slow. Micro Four Thirds gear has it's limitation with night photography
Thank you for the comment Brian. I once photographed Aurora Borealis using this lens, it worked but I definitely wished for an f/2.0 or f/2.8 lens when I took the picture. Happy shooting :)
For night photography m4/3 with a 1.4 or 1.8 or 2 aperture is fine. For instance for astro shooting the laowa or sigma are great, I use both of them. I owe the 9 18 and I use it when travelling, good sharpness wide angle great for outdoors daytime.
Harga IDR berapa kak??
Bekas mulai 6jt an kak kalau di t-k-pedia.
Good information, but please can you stop waving your hands.... It makes your videos hard to watch. But keep making them please!
Sorry about that and thanks for the suggestion :) Happy shooting!