With its zoom range of 11-22mm, this lens sounds wide until you put it on an Olympus body, where the 2x crop factor turns it into a 22-44mm lens.

This wide angle zoom from Olympus is an attempt to cover the main drawback of cropped sensor cameras, that of the loss of angle of view. Designed for the 4/3rds system that sports a 2x crop factor, we take a look to see if it goes far enough.

Good build quality (Splash resistant, Good optical quality and control; of nasties, Lens hood supplied

Not really wide enough; Electronic ‘manual' focus; Lens cap fiddly with hood fitted

Originally posted 2008-05-30 on Optyczne.pl In May 2008 Olympus announced the launch of a 9-18 mm focal length lens with the angle of view in the range from 100 to 62 degrees. This piece of news made the 4/3rds users very happy as, up to that point, they have had only a limited choice between an...

average picture quality at the frame edge for the maximum relative aperture; high chromatic aberration at the shortest focal length; noticeable coma; work against bright light leaves a bit to be desired

The Zuiko Digital 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 from Olympus may not have a constant maximum aperture, but it's fast - f/2.8 at 11mm, only dropping to f/3.5 at 22mm. As it's designed around the FourThirds system with a 2x focal length multiplication, the equivalent 35mm focal length is 22-44mm, so it's not...

This wide angle zoom from Olympus is an attempt to cover the main drawback of focal length extension sensor cameras, that of the loss of angle of view. Designed for the 4/3rds system that sports a 2x focal length factor, we take a look to see if it goes far enough.

Good build quality (Splash resistant, Good optical quality and control; of nasties, Lens hood supplied

Not really wide enough; Electronic manual focus; Lens cap fiddly with hood fitted

I'd first like to address the cons I've listed above. The chromatic aberration and distortion are to be expected given the zoom range. In that regard, I suppose these cons are applicable to all but the most advanced wide zooms. In truth, I have no problem eliminating them in post-processing.

Image quality; Focal length range; Size; Weather sealing

Chromatic aberration; Distortion; Cost

Yeah, the 43 system is defunct but the 11-22mm was and remains one of the stars of the system. This lens covers a small range but it does so with very little distortion. It is faster than the 7-14 and much less prone to lens flare. It is reasonably sized and takes a standard 72mm filter.

I like to shoot wide-angle lens, and I bought this lens even before I got my E-500! I chose this over the 14-54. Then, I just have to wait for the right time to get the E-500 with the 40-150 on the used market. My luck to get a 2-month old 40-150 with the E-500 purchase for RM2800 (USD760).

- excellent build; - fast at wide; - no vignetting; - fast focus; - rectilinear; - quiet motor

- not 2.8; - 72mm filter

Heavy lens compared to my two kit lenses. Big enough that it blocks the built-in flash on my e-510 causing a strange shadow in the pictures. Since I always shoot with an FL-36R or other off-camera flash it's not an issue.

Very crisp images, very little distortion; For landscapes / architectural shots it's amazing; Great low-light shots at f2.8

Not enough distortion? If you want a lens that creates artistic warping on wide; don't buy this

With its zoom range of 11-22mm, this lens sounds wide until you put it on an Olympus body, where the 2x crop factor turns it into a 22-44mm lens. This means the angle of view is less than with any other lens in its class.