The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom and the Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom is the longer of the two lenses at 91mm. The Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 with a length of 50mm, is 41mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom also has a larger diameter of 61mm compared to the Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6's 57mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 weighs 155g, 68% (341g) lighter than the Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom's weight of 496g.
Filter Threads
The Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom has a filter size of 37mm whereas the Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 has a 52mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 37mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom:
And these are the 52mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6:
Lens Mounts
The Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom has the Sony E lens mount whereas the Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Sony FX5, Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V for the Sony E Mount and OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount.
Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 is also available in Four Thirds mount.
Focal Range
Venus 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom has a focal range of 10-18mm and
1.8X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
15 - 27mm.
On the other hand, the Olympus ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 has a focal range of 9-18mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 18-36mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
