Ultrawide and small options?

[dhhddre]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

 

[Isola Verde]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

My long-time favourite has been the Oly 9-18 zoom - by which many of my M43 camera choices have been influenced!

A similar size to the 7.5mm (but noticeably lighter at just 155g), it spans focal lengths for which I've bought individual lenses for one previous system or another - the equivalent of...

18mm

21mm

24mm

28mm

35mm

In places like Rome and Seville etc, it's an ideal walk-around lens, although at its best on an IBIS body since the aperture range begins at f/4-5.6.

Examples...

Olympus 9-18mm zoom

Versatile yet very light in weight, with decent speed and picture quality - by far my favourite city-zoom for M43

www.flickr.com

Peter

More pictures...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/albums

 

[ahaslett]

If you don’t mind rectilinear, the Laowa 6/2 might suit. If that’s too wide, there are a Panasonic 9/1.7 and Laowa 10/2. I have the 10/2. The Laowa 7.5/2 mk ii is another option but is not as optically good as the 6 and 10mm.

Andrew

 

[John Bean (UK)]

If you don’t mind rectilinear, the Laowa 6/2 might suit. If that’s too wide, there are a Panasonic 9/1.7 and Laowa 10/2. I have the 10/2. The Laowa 7.5/2 mk ii is another option but is not as optically good as the 6 and 10mm.

+1 on the 10/2.

I went through a similar path to the OP, liking the 9/8 but wanting something better optically. I also have a Samyang 7.5 bought for other purposes but no substitute for the lenscap 9mm being a true 180 degree fisheye. Way too wide.

The Loawa 10/2 is perfect for my use, about as wide as I go with a rectilinear while retaining a fairly natural look, and of course still have the 9mm lens for those occasions I need a little wider and/or deliberately want the natural distortion of the lens.

 

[Ianm]

I’m not sure if the OP is after a non-fishy zoom. But from the point of view of wide and small here’s another vote for the Olympus 9-18mm F4-5.6.

It’s a lens I always have with me when travelling as it takes so little space and weighs almost nothing for the range and utility it provides. I’m always surprised by the performance as expectations can be low for these older non-pro zooms.

In my opinion one of the most under-rated MFT lenses.

Ian

 

[C Sean]

There's the Panasonic Leica 9mm 1.7. It's a nice lens but while it's look small picture, it does make the GX80 tough to be inside pocketable.

I use a coat when traveling light and when the GX80 equipped with the PL9mm, I just have a hard time putting it in my bigger inside pocket. Maybe I should get a camera sling that goes under the coat.

 

[dhhddre]

If you don’t mind rectilinear, the Laowa 6/2 might suit. If that’s too wide, there are a Panasonic 9/1.7 and Laowa 10/2. I have the 10/2. The Laowa 7.5/2 mk ii is another option but is not as optically good as the 6 and 10mm.

+1 on the 10/2.

I went through a similar path to the OP, liking the 9/8 but wanting something better optically. I also have a Samyang 7.5 bought for other purposes but no substitute for the lenscap 9mm being a true 180 degree fisheye. Way too wide.

The Loawa 10/2 is perfect for my use, about as wide as I go with a rectilinear while retaining a fairly natural look, and of course still have the 9mm lens for those occasions I need a little wider and/or deliberately want the natural distortion of the lens.

 

[John Bean (UK)]

If you don’t mind rectilinear, the Laowa 6/2 might suit. If that’s too wide, there are a Panasonic 9/1.7 and Laowa 10/2. I have the 10/2. The Laowa 7.5/2 mk ii is another option but is not as optically good as the 6 and 10mm.

+1 on the 10/2.

I went through a similar path to the OP, liking the 9/8 but wanting something better optically. I also have a Samyang 7.5 bought for other purposes but no substitute for the lenscap 9mm being a true 180 degree fisheye. Way too wide.

The Loawa 10/2 is perfect for my use, about as wide as I go with a rectilinear while retaining a fairly natural look, and of course still have the 9mm lens for those occasions I need a little wider and/or deliberately want the natural distortion of the lens.

Thanks John, interesting feedback!

I'm wondering how wide exactly I really am after. The 9mm being a fisheye is wider than a 9mm rectilinear, but I don't like too wide rectilinears because of the edge distortion (I prefer fisheye then), I just don't know exactly where my threshold is.

Up till know I had 12-40 as my widest lens, which isn't that wide. But every mm counts on the wide side, so 10mm could be the spot for me...

I used 20/21mm a lot when I had 35mm film cameras and wider lenses were less common back then. In the digital era with computer-designed lenses everything changed and ultrawides became commonplace. My threshold of 20mm (in 35mm terms) remains unchanged - even the quite nice Samyang 18mm I tried on full-frame (and the 12mm on APS-C) were just too wide. Like you I prefer other than rectilinear projections for wider lenses.

As a sidenote I when I want a superwide but "natural" look often use the Samyang 7.5 de-fished not to rectilinear but to some other projection, usually cylindrical (Panini), as in these examples:



























--
John Bean [GMT]
"Note: If pictures and physical have access, please in kind prevail, thank you for understand." - quotation from an ebay listing.

 

[Isola Verde]

As I understand it, your OM-1 is one of very few cameras that can perform a remarkable feat with the Oly 8mm f/1.8 PRO lens... that of "defishing" by selectable amounts "ON THE FLY" - to give rectilinear pictures (and EVF views) at a choice of focal lengths.

We've had other threads here, but nicely explained in...

8mm fisheye correction

Peter Baumgarten is a professional photographer and educator. He is also an Olympus Visionary and NiSi Official Photographer.

www.creativeislandphoto.com

+++

In their write-up for the E-M1 III, Olympus wrote.... "This feature makes it possible to remove the fisheye effect of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO and use as a wide-angle lens. You can select the angle of view from [the equivalent of] 11mm, 14mm, and 18mm. The correction effect of this compensation can be seen in Live View on the camera monitor or viewfinder."
+++

It is however quite pricey, quite heavy and provides output that seems to be only created in JPG...

Peter

 

[ahaslett]

If you don’t mind rectilinear, the Laowa 6/2 might suit. If that’s too wide, there are a Panasonic 9/1.7 and Laowa 10/2. I have the 10/2. The Laowa 7.5/2 mk ii is another option but is not as optically good as the 6 and 10mm.

+1 on the 10/2.

I went through a similar path to the OP, liking the 9/8 but wanting something better optically. I also have a Samyang 7.5 bought for other purposes but no substitute for the lenscap 9mm being a true 180 degree fisheye. Way too wide.

The Loawa 10/2 is perfect for my use, about as wide as I go with a rectilinear while retaining a fairly natural look, and of course still have the 9mm lens for those occasions I need a little wider and/or deliberately want the natural distortion of the lens.

Thanks John, interesting feedback!

I'm wondering how wide exactly I really am after. The 9mm being a fisheye is wider than a 9mm rectilinear, but I don't like too wide rectilinears because of the edge distortion (I prefer fisheye then), I just don't know exactly where my threshold is.

Up till know I had 12-40 as my widest lens, which isn't that wide. But every mm counts on the wide side, so 10mm could be the spot for me...

View attachment 2e1ab64d70a94d1b83652aa103f3abe0.jpg





There are times when standing further back and using a longer FL produces a better perspective, but you can use a moderate UWA like 10mm in a number of ways to emphasize a subject in the foreground or mid-ground.

Andrew

--
Infinite are the arguments of mages. Truth is a jewel with many facets. Ursula K LeGuin
Please feel free to edit any images that I post

 

[Allan Brown]

I too vote for the Olympus 9-18.

It is small, lightweight and gives very good results.

Here are two taken in Havana in 2019

Allan




Olympus 9-18 at 9mm




Olympus 9-18 at 13mm

 

[offtraildog]

For UWA I use the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm F1.7 ASPH lens with my OM-1 for travel and hiking

Small and light.

Wide open, works great for dark interiors and otherwise, very happy with landscape, travel, etc.

 

[Sam Bennett]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

My long-time favourite has been the Oly 9-18 zoom - by which many of my M43 camera choices have been influenced!

A similar size to the 7.5mm (but noticeably lighter at just 155g), it spans focal lengths for which I've bought individual lenses for one previous system or another - the equivalent of...

It is amazingly light, but it's also pretty cheaply built. It's unfortunately one of the only lenses I've broken - I dropped mine while changing lenses and it stopped focusing. Never bothered sending it in to get fixed since I replaced it with something else. You get what you pay for!

 

[Trolleyman]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

My long-time favourite has been the Oly 9-18 zoom - by which many of my M43 camera choices have been influenced!

A similar size to the 7.5mm (but noticeably lighter at just 155g), it spans focal lengths for which I've bought individual lenses for one previous system or another - the equivalent of...

It is amazingly light, but it's also pretty cheaply built. It's unfortunately one of the only lenses I've broken - I dropped mine while changing lenses and it stopped focusing. Never bothered sending it in to get fixed since I replaced it with something else. You get what you pay for!

Actually for the price you don't get anything like you should.

 

[ahaslett]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

My long-time favourite has been the Oly 9-18 zoom - by which many of my M43 camera choices have been influenced!

A similar size to the 7.5mm (but noticeably lighter at just 155g), it spans focal lengths for which I've bought individual lenses for one previous system or another - the equivalent of...

It is amazingly light, but it's also pretty cheaply built. It's unfortunately one of the only lenses I've broken - I dropped mine while changing lenses and it stopped focusing. Never bothered sending it in to get fixed since I replaced it with something else. You get what you pay for!

Actually for the price you don't get anything like you should.

Wow £600 new vs £400 for the Laowa 10/2 and £450 for the PL 9/1.7!

Used 9-18mm prices are at a big discount to new, much larger than typical used savings. You always suspect lack of robustness and copy variation when that happens. I'd rather get a used Panasonic 7-14/4 for £265-300 from mpb.

Andrew

 

[Rmark]

That's a great choice for a fast ultra wide. In zooms you have to accept a larger size to a get a reasonably fast lens. I'm currently using the PL 8-18, and don't find it heavy. Much better lens than the 9-18

 

[windmillgolfer]

A flexible combo is the Olympus 8mm Fisheye on an Olympus body that can defish incamera. On my EM1.3 four views can be achieved: fisheye, 5.5/7 and 9mm. It is not a big lens but weighs more than the Samyang and is slightly longer but you get AF and f1.8.

Not sure which other bodies can defish, but believe the OM1 can. The defishing can also be done in PP on the .ORF file using Workspace, so you still have the ORF, the incamera defished views are saved as JPEGs. Starting with the link below, each of the 4 views can be seen.

https://flic.kr/p/2o9oKC4

--
Stuart
Member of LSAPS - Lytham St Annes Photographic Society
Latest uploads http://www.flickr.com/photos/dieselgolfer/
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UltraWide https://www.flickr.com/photos/dieselgolfer/albums/72157646076479907

 

[WiltshireMoonraker59]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

My long-time favourite has been the Oly 9-18 zoom - by which many of my M43 camera choices have been influenced!

A similar size to the 7.5mm (but noticeably lighter at just 155g), it spans focal lengths for which I've bought individual lenses for one previous system or another - the equivalent of...

18mm

21mm

24mm

28mm

35mm

In places like Rome and Seville etc, it's an ideal walk-around lens, although at its best on an IBIS body since the aperture range begins at f/4-5.6.

Examples...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/albums/72157694907511522

Peter

More pictures...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/albums

Fabulous photos and you just inspired me to look for a Olympus 9-18mm lens. I have just bought one on E-Bay for £199, can't wait to try it out

 

[Isola Verde]

For me it hasn't particularly been the price nor the size nor the weight of lenses such as the PL 8/18 that have put me off buying one - it's their price and their size and their weight that do it!

Fast, wide primes are fine but, after a run of four vacations with first the 10mm Laowa and then 9mm PL, this last time I returned to my now 5 year-old Oly 9/18 - and relished its flexible convenience...

So next time's mix will probably have to be 9 AND 9/18mms, plus Oly 12/45 and 15mm PL - just under a kilo, including E-P7... just over with E-M10IV.

Peter

 

[Isola Verde]

After trying the Olympus 9mm fisheye f/8 and liking the look of shots with it, I picked the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5mm, but... I find it too wide for my taste, and it just doesn't have the same "magic" with me. Cropping the 7.5mm shots resulted in lower quality than the 9mm...

What would be the options for an 9mm f/8 upgrade ? I like that it's fishy, but not too much.

Obviously nothing else will be as light and small as the lens cap, but I would also like to stay on the small side. Manual focus is fine.

My long-time favourite has been the Oly 9-18 zoom - by which many of my M43 camera choices have been influenced!

A similar size to the 7.5mm (but noticeably lighter at just 155g), it spans focal lengths for which I've bought individual lenses for one previous system or another - the equivalent of...

18mm

21mm

24mm

28mm

35mm

In places like Rome and Seville etc, it's an ideal walk-around lens, although at its best on an IBIS body since the aperture range begins at f/4-5.6.

Examples...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/albums/72157694907511522

Peter

More pictures...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/albums

Fabulous photos and you just inspired me to look for a Olympus 9-18mm lens. I have just bought one on E-Bay for £199, can't wait to try it out

Thanks - and congratulations!

While not perfect, it offers more of what matters to me than any alternative I've yet seen!

Peter