New Olympus 9-18mm and 14-150mm Micro Four Thirds Lenses

 
Along with the new E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds camera announced on February second, Olympus also announced two new Micro Four Thirds lenses. The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 (18-36mm equivalent) and M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 (28-300mm equivalent) are designed specifically for the Micro Four Thirds cameras. They’re compact, light and best of all – they have significantly improved auto focus compared to the previous two Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses. And I’m not just saying that because I read it in the press release. I got a little early hands-on with the new 9-18mm lens and the auto focus performance was noticeably quicker and more accurate than the 14-42mm Micro Four Thirds kit lens.


              Scroll down for larger photos.

If you look around the Web you’ll find a lot of talk about the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras having better auto focus than the Olympus Pen cameras. I haven’t been able to do a serious comparison but I have noted the somewhat pokey focusing of the E-P1 and E-P2 and chalked it up to the contrast detect auto focus system. The two new Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses should change that. I got to check out an early version of the new Olympus 9-18mm Micro Four Thirds lens and the focusing was much quicker than I’ve come to expect from the Olympus Pen camera cameras. I tried it on an E-P2 along with the kit lens and the 9-18mm Four Thirds zoom with the Four Thirds adapter. Using the new lens made the E-P2 perform like a whole new camera in terms of AF behavior. It’s still not DSLR-quick but it’s definitely a big improvement. Even more important, the new lenses demonstrate that the auto focus speed isn’t a camera problem – get a better lens and you’ll have better AF performance. It will be interesting to compare the focus speed with the new lenses to the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera focusing. Whether or not the new Olympus lenses will make the Pen cameras as quick as the Panasonics, they offer a welcome improvement for the Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Besides improved auto focus performance, the two new lenses add much-needed focal range diversity to the Olympus Micro Four Thirds lens lineup. The Olympus MMF-1 adapter makes it possible to use the 21 Four Thirds lenses. But that defeats the whole “small and light” raison d’etre of the Micro Four Thirds system. The new M. Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm lens is much smaller and lighter than the Four Thirds version (see super secret spy photo, below) and the 18-36mm (equivalent) focal range adds a much-needed wider angle-of-view. The new 14-150mm is a great addition too, offering more than a 10x zoom range. I think that Olympus should offer this as a kit lens option, along with the 14-42mm lens. I didn’t get to see or try the 14-150mm lens like I did the 9-18mm, but hopefully it will have the same improved auto focus performance.

The next thing I’d like to see from Olympus is some professional-level Micro Four Thirds glass. So far, all of the Olympus Micro Four Thirds zoom lenses, including the two new ones, have had consumer specs. The 17mm f/2.8 pancake prime lens is the exception. To be fair, Olympus arguably makes the best consumer-level lenses on the market. But there are serious photographers and professionals buying the E-P1 and E-P2 and they want pro glass. Personally, I’m waiting for a Micro Four Thirds version of the wonderful Olympus 12-60mm Four Thirds zoom lens. That would be my ideal all-purpose lens for the Olympus Pen cameras.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 zoom lens will be in stores in early May with an MSRP of $699.99. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 zoom will be available in June with an MSRP of $599.99.

Olympus 9-18mm and 14-150mm Micro Four Thirds Lens Press Release >>

Related Content:
Olympus Zoom Lens Reviews
All Olympus User Reviews
Olympus Cameras & Four Thirds Forum
Digital SLRs Forum
More Olympus Camera News And Articles
More Micro Four Thirds Camera News And Articles
Olympus Digital Cameras Web Site