Summary:This is a great lens to go with Olympus E410/E510 and earlier models. I was eyeing it with interest since it was first offered and, in fact, this lens was the primary reason why I decided to opt for Olympus as oppose to other well-known brands like Nikon and Canon.
Universality is the key for me, although for the professionals this may sound amateurish. However, for anyone who feels like ordinary digital point-and-shoot camera doesn’t satisfy your wish for speed, quality and clarity of photos, this is a great entry into world of DSLR cameras. Prices can easily rack from hundreds into thousands for any DSLR – and I mean only camera body and 1-2 basic lenses. So when I had a choice between bundle of E410 with 14-45mm and 50-140mm and one with 18-180mm I didn’t hesitate. The convenience of having one lens covering practically the same range outstripped even the price hike of over $200 (yes, this one lens cost more that the other two – at least when you buy them as bundle). I didn’t regret about this decision when I tried the other set in nearby Circuit City – the zoom ratio is FAR better than any of these lens. 10x magnification is also a great advantage – being able to switch between macro shooting – like flowers insects and such – to taking a shot of flying bird is tremendous pleasure for me. Macro photography lover - keep in mind that lowest focusing distance is about 42cm/17in, so if you like to practically ‘touch’ the subject – it is probably not the lens for you. Zoom is also pretty decent for the price and combined with resolution of 10M you have plenty of cropping choice. The focusing is very good, especially in decent lighting conditions, in the dark room it might take a little while to focus properly. The choice of aperture is pretty good starting at 3.5. This is given that Olympus places this lens in it’s standard grade. So when you decide to upgrade – you have the High Grade and Super-High Grade to go to. Personally I am considering buying a Prime (non zoom) lens of 50mm – which is the equivalent of the normal human sight. This one at the time of writing this review cost about the same as the 18-180mm and belong to High Grade. You can find detailed characteristics of all available lens here.
www.olympusamerica.com...Now here are few wishes to Olympus. I will not discuss the focusing in dark conditions mentioned above, as it is really a minor thing and may be corrected with time and experience, especially since the firmware of the camera AND lens is upgradeable. However considering 435g weight of lens (it has the lock to keep it from unfolding) combined with 375g of body E410, you will understand that this will make you change your photographing style – moving to the pro’s level – just like you expected. In the review of E410 camera I mentioned that lack of proper grip hurts ergonomics of E410, so I strongly suggest that you go for higher model E510 which has traditional ergonomics especially if you buy this lens. Even in that case you will need use second hand to hold the lens as it is pretty heavy. But this is only fair given the durability and the quality of the lens. The same goes for the price – it is high, but the lens is worth every penny of it. Overall – great win and perfect introduction into DSLR.
