Wondering about wide wide angle ED Zuiko lenses

[GerrySiegel]

My current two E lenses are the 14-54 ED f 2.8 to f 3.5. and the 50mm f 3. They serve my needs most of the time. I

know that street shooters and others yearn for wider than the "equivalent angular equivalent" of even 28mm-maybe

much wider.

 

I was just wondering,has lens or design or firmware a la Olympus sensor field changed so that distortion of

verticals and horizons is no big thing for the most part?

 

We obviously need to pay a premium to get the sophisticated Olympus wides for 4/3. I expect breakthroughs were

made. One of the attractions of the 4/3 was as you guess my enjoyment of getting closer vs wider.

 

I have an equivalent to 24mm screw on in wide adapter for my NIkon CoolpixP5000- not bad for Halloween

parties- which is a whole different beast. Small sensor. and all.

I guess I ask the unanswerable, i.e. how wide is wide enough for you personally? And what will it set one back?

Thanks. gs

[peter_gilbert3]

Well your current choices are 11-22mm; 12-60mm; 7-14mm or the 8mm fisheye. A new 9-18mm is being released soon.

 

I have the 11-22, and for me this is the best choice as it has less distortion at the wide end compared to the 12-60mm. I

seldom find the need to go any wider than 11mm (22 mm in 35 equivalent). The 7-14 is undoubtedly a better corrected

lens, but needs a lot of experience to use effectively at the wide end, and you need to be careful of lens flare.

 

Peter

[Greg M]

I bought the 7-14 back in 2006 for a trip to Paris and, after owning it for 13 months, sold it because I was not in a position financially to keep $1,500 sunk into one lens. It was a sad day when I sold that lens.

 

Today, I am in a position...or, that is, will be very soon, to pick one up on a permanent basis. It is a totally unique hunk of glass....heavy as heck, but worth taking wherever you go and I've missed having it as an option the last 14 months...

 

http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/1207184_EUGzq#122785446_6VZL9

[rick_dreher1]

When you speak of distortion of verticals and horizons, do you mean barrel distortion or converging vertical lines?

 

Oly seems to have done a very good job managing barrel distortion with their wide angles, and what little there is can be corrected in post processing. Vertical convergence, of course, is natural to wide angle, not actually a flaw. Photoshop and I'm sure other software can correct it as well.

 

Given your current lens list, I'd think the 11-22 would be a great addition to your collection. The 7-14 is also very attractive, although much more expensive and a true specialty lens. Impossible to know how good the forthcoming 9-18 will be; my guess is it will be a very good lens for the price.

 

I love my 11-22, but admit I use the 12-60 a lot more because it's my standard lens.