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Lens review

Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5

4 December 2009
Arkadiusz Olech

11. Summary

Pros:
  • solid barrel,
  • very good or outstanding frame centre image quality,
  • low chromatic aberration at the maximum aperture,
  • relatively low distortion,
  • slight vignetting,
  • well corrected astigmatism in the middle of the focal lengths range,
  • very quick and accurate autofocus.

Cons:

  • 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.

Even one year ago, this lens’s test description would look a bit differently. To be as objective as you can we must say clearly that the ZD 11-22 mm is a very good and sharp device, complementing well such lenses as a ZD 14-54 mm or the standard kit 14-42 mm. Apart from that, it is one of few zooms on the market that can give a wide angle of view and f/2.8 aperture in the same time on sensors smaller than full frame. These evident advantages should be remembered if you want to assess the tested lens honestly.


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The most formidable rival of the ZD 11-22 mm happened to be the Olympus company itself, which has launched two other lenses – a ZD 12-60 mm and a ZD 9-18 mm. The sense of buying a set consisting of a ZD 11-22 mm and a ZD 14-54 mm lenses is up in the air - it will be cheaper and better if you get only a ZD 12-60 mm lens and enjoy the SWD motor to boot. For a change, if you already own a 14-54 or a 14-42 mm, instead of buying a ZD 11-22 mm lens it would be better to wait patiently a bit longer and check how a ZD 9-18 mm will fare.


Sample shots:

Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 20 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 4.2 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 22 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 7.0 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 22 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.3 MB
Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 18 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/800 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.1 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 11 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/640 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.4 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 22 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.7 MB
Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 18 mm, f/3.2, exp. 1/200 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.1 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 22 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/160 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 5.9 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/60 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.0 MB
Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22 mm f/2.8-3.5 - Summary
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 14 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/400 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 7.1 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 22 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 6.2 MB
Camera: Olympus E-3
Parameters: 11 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/4000 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3648x2736 pix, 7.1 MB



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