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Question for 8-18mm users

I currently own the Olympus 9-18mm although it has never really clicked with me. I’m not very fond on how much distortion it renders.
I enjoy using the 15mm most of the time, and the 12-60mm for casual photography, but a super wide angle has always called my attention but the distortion of the 9-18mm on its widest is really off putting and I end up correcting the image in post, losing a good deal of coverage.

My questions for actual 8-18mm users is how much do you like it? How about the distortion, performance, low light capabilities, portability and weight, etc.

Thanks for the help.
 
I use the Canon fisheye, the lens as far as I’m concerned is a fun lens. Once a month I use it on the 5Ds, around the house, doorways, in the garden and some real funky artwork. Overall always worth having.
 
Ultrawide angle is not for everyone.

I have the 7-14 f/4, wider than 8-18 on the short end. It is not for usual shooting: portrait, usual street snaps, close up flower shooting to usual landscape. But it is my most favorite lens because of the unusual perspective. It gives me a grand, huge feeling, IMHO excellent for cathedral, palaces, mosque, temple etc indoor shooting. Certain landscape too if I wish to produce a wow feeling on the open natural beauty. When I mounted this lens on my camera, I can always find something interesting (angle of shooting, composition etc) through the evf that I might not expect. A big push on creativity.

Also if we do composition careful enough, the distortion of ultrawide could be manageable. I don't do it because it will spoil the original purpose to make use of the abnormal view.


My 2 cents.
 
If I shall buy a new ultrawide to replace the 7-14 f/4 (it dropped into a river in 2013, although still working fine today, not sure would it suddenly die), 8-18 would be my choice. :giggle:
Wow, that's quite a clear demonstration of durability. If it was able to endure being submerged in water 10 years ago and is still functioning well today, I have no doubts about investing in it. In fact, that's exactly what I did. I just purchased a used one from eBay for half the price of the 8-18mm lens, also used. It's expected to arrive next week, and I'm looking forward to sharing my initial impressions.
 
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I have the Pana 7-14mm/f4 lens. It really is a stellar lens. High quality optics, small and light. The only complaints I've heard are the fact that the fixed petal hood means you can't mount a filter (I don't use filters so no problem for me) and issues with Olympus cameras (purple blobs).
 
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