Sans Mirror — mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras  

• m4/3 lens format 
• 11 elements in 8 groups; 1 aspherical, 1 ED, 1 Super HR, 1 DSA element
• 84 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/2 to f/22, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 9" (0.2m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus with DOF scale, internal focus, MSC; 1:12.5 maximum magnification
• 46mm filter size, optional LH-48 SLV hood (US$90)
• 2.2" x 1.7" (56 x 53mm) long and diameter
• ? ounces (130g)
• available in silver
• US$800 suggested retail price

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 6 elements in 4 groups; 1 aspherical element
• 65 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/2.8 to f/22, 5-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 9" (0.2m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus ring, internal focus; 1:4.5 maximum magnification
• 37mm filter size, no hood included
• 2.2" x 0.9" (57 x 22mm) long and diameter
• ? ounces (71g)
• available in silver
• US$300 suggested retail price

Thom's Mini Review: Essentially a 35mm equivalent, this lens has a mediocre maximum aperture, and that's one of the things that makes me argue against it. The kit lens is only about a half stop slower than this lens at the equivalent focal length. What the m4/3 bodies need more of is faster lenses, to compensate for the small sensor in low light. Optically, this is a decent lens, though not a great one, but it really doesn't raise the bar much in any area over the kit lens: aperture, optics, focusing. All you get is a smaller, less flexible lens over the kit lens, and it doesn't really seem like that's worth the money, especially considering the not-really-wide, not-really-normal focal length. Good build quality. Does not come with hood. Not Recommended (get the Panasonic 20mm instead)

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 9 elements in 8 groups; 2 E-HR elements
• 27 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/1.8 to f/22, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 20" (0.5m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus, internal focus, MSC; 1:9 maximum magnification
• 37mm filter size, optional LH-40B lens hood (US$39)
• 2.2" x 1.8" (56 x 46mm) long and diameter
• ? ounces (116g)
• available in silver
• US$400 suggested retail price

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 12 elements in 8 groups; 2 DSA, 1 aspherical, 1 ED, and 1 HR elements
• 62 to 100 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/4 to f/22 at 9mm, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 10" (0.25m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus, internal focus; 1:10 maximum magnification
• 52mm filter size, no hood included
• 2.2" x 1.9" (56.5 x 49.5mm) long and diameter
• ? ounces (155g)
• available in black
• US$700 suggested retail price

Thom's Mini Review: Very usable wide angle zoom. I had high expectations for the Panasonic 45mm macro (above) and low expectations for the Olympus 9-18mm wide angle zoom. It's interesting how my opinion flopped in actual use. As it turns out, the 9-18mm spends a lot of time on my m4/3 bodies. The slow, variable aperture definitely makes this a bright light lens, but for us landscape and scenic photographers, that's not really a problem. Like the Olympus kit lens, this lens collapses when not in use, and it makes for a very compact carrying size, almost as small as the kit lens collapsed. Extended, the lens becomes a bit longer than you might expect from its collapsed size and modest focal range, but it still wouldn't qualify as a "big" lens to me. Optically, the lens is inferior to the Panasonic 7-14mm in the overlapping range at the widest apertures, though close to it once diffraction sets in at smaller apertures. At 14-18mm the 9-18mm is very close to the optical quality of the 14-42mm kit lens, which is a decent though not great performer. Most people will find the Olympus just fine. I personally like the extra width of the Panny, but I can also say that I shoot sometimes with the Oly since acquiring it, as the convenience of its collapsibility is nice. Focus is reasonably fast and precise. Panasonic body users should note that this lens does not have optical stabilization. Fair build quality. Does not come with hood (I found a screw-in metal hood that works perfectly at B&H, but there's no cap for the lens/hood combo, so you have to unscrew the hood to put the cap back on). Recommended

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 10 elements in 9 groups; 1 DSA, 2 aspherical, 1 HR, 1 ED elements
• Power zoom button
• 25 to 84 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/3.5 to f/22 at 12mm, ?-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 12" (0.35m) minimum focus, 8" (0.25m) macro focus, autofocus, manual focus, internal focus; 1:3.6 maximum magnification
• 52mm filter size, no hood included
• ?" x ?" (48 x 36mm) long and diameter
• ? ounces (211g)
• available in black and silver, weather sealed body
• US500 suggested retail price
• Announced Dec 14, 2011

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 8 elements in 7 groups; 3 aspherical elements
• 29 to 75 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/3.5 to f/22 at 14mm, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 10" (0.25m) minimum focus at 14mm (12" at 42mm), autofocus, manual focus, internal focus, MSC; 1:5 maximum magnification
• 37mm filter size, no hood included; supports add-on auxilliary lenses (fisheye, macro)
• 2.2" x 1.9" (56.5 x 50mm) long and diameter, retracted
• 3.9 ounces (112g)
• available in black
• US$300 suggested retail price

Note: This is the third variation of this lens. The second version added the ability to attach auxilliary lenses, this third version adds a faster focus motor and slightly different coating.

Thom's Mini Review: Surprisingly good for a low-cost kit lens. Collapses down to fairly small size for the focal range. Optically very good, and a good match for most users. Focus is reasonably fast and precise. Panasonic body users should note that this lens does not have optical stabilization. Fair build quality. Does not come with hood (I found a screw-in metal hood that works perfectly at B&H, but there's no cap for the lens/hood combo, so you have to unscrew the hood to put the cap back on). Note: this lens has been produced in three different models already. The II version differs from the original in supporting add-on wide-angle, macro, and telephoto adapters via a new bayonet system at the front ring. The II R model differs in that it has a slightly different lens coating and a faster motor to support the newer focus system. Recommended

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 15 elements in 11 groups; 1 aspherical, 1 DSA, 1 ED, and 3 HR elements
• 8.2 to 75 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/4 to f/22 at 14mm, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 20" (0.5m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus, internal focus; 1:4 maximum magnification
• 58mm filter size, no hood included
• 3.3" x 2.5" (83 x 63.5mm) long and diameter, retracted
• ? ounces (280g)
• available in black
• US$600 suggested retail price

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• m4/3 lens format 
• 13 elements in 10 groups; 1 ED element
• 8.2 to 30 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/4 to f/22 at 40mm, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 3' (0.9m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus, internal focus, MSC; 1:6.25 maximum magnification
• 58mm filter size, no hood included
• 3.25" x 2.5" (83 x 63.5mm) long and diameter, retracted
• ? ounces (190g)
• available in black
• US$300 suggested retail price

Note: two versions of this lens, original and revised (R). The difference is primarily the coating, which is a better match for the newer AF system.

• m4/3 lens format 
• 18 elements in 13 groups; 1 Super ED, 2 ED, and 3 HR elements
• 4.1 to 16 degree angle of view
• apertures from f/4.8 to f/22 at 75mm, 7-blade rounded diaphragm
• no image stabilization
• 3' (0.9m) minimum focus, autofocus, manual focus, internal focus, MSC; 1:5.5 maximum magnification
• 58mm filter size, no hood included
• 4.7" x 2.75" (116 x 70mm) long and diameter, retracted
• ? ounces (430g)
• available in black
• US$900 suggested retail price

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