I wanted a lens that would be effective at the broad end. Mainly interiors and landscapes. Speed is not a particularly important factor for such a deployment. As with all Olympus lenses I've had since my 1980 OM-1, the construction is very good and solid. The 4/3 lenses look large compared to those on my small OM-4T 35mm film camera. But I digress. It has a well-made positive interface with the camera, the hood is easy to remove and remove in both deployed and stowed positions. The picture quality is excellent. Of course. There is some distortion at the broad end, but the Olympus Master2 software is very effective at correcting the distortion. The long end is good enough to be used as a medium width prime. If I were to change something I would make a 7mm wide end. But that's too much for this price range, isn't it? It's light enough to be comfortable on my E-500 and E30 bodies. I think this is a great lens in this range and worth putting in your camera bag. It definitely deserves 5 stars. Update May 2013: Ever since I switched to the E-30 in 2010, I've still been very happy with this wide-angle zoom lens. The E-30's large and bright viewfinder makes shooting with this and most other lenses noticeably more comfortable. The E-30's built-in bubble level helps a lot on the broad end, where adjustment often makes a big difference, especially when working with panoramas. i still like it Great wide angle lens at a good price.