Small wide angle lens: M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6

This Olympus Micro Four Thirds lens offers a very wide view in an amazingly tiny package.

IN THE PALM: The M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 is an incredibly tiny zoom lens that easily fits in the palm of the hand.

THE Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm is made specifically for Micro Four Thirds cameras and it's really small.

At just a 155g, the lens is so small that it can be hidden inside the palm of even the smallest adult hands - now that's small!

This makes it one of the smallest wide-angle lenses in its class, and together with an E-PL1, makes it quite an attractive option for landscape or street photographers who don't want to carry a big, obvious DSLR around.

In Four Thirds terms, the 9-18mm focal length is about equivalent to an 18-36mm zoom lens in the 35mm format.

We had an opportunity to put the lens through the paces and here's what we think of it.

Olympus actually has a Four Thirds lens with a 9-18mm focal length, but this Micro Four Thirds version is about half the height, weight and girth, yet retains the f/4.0-5.6 maximum aperture of the Four Thirds version.

However, in its fully collapsed position, the lens can't be used (similar to Olympus' 14-42mm Micro Four Thirds kit lens) and you have to rotate the zoom ring and extend the lens to nearly double its closed length when you want to shoot photos.

Being more of a mass consumer lens, it's largely plastic, but build quality is good nevertheless.