Olympus 9mm f/8 BCL Review

© Olympus Europe

Background

Sometimes things are just so inexpensive and different that you need to experiment.  This was the case with the Olympus 9mm f/8 Body Cap Lens (BCL).

Retailing at just $99, you may not think much of this "lens", which Olympus officially has listed in their catalog as an accessory.   Along with the 9mm, Olympus also makes a 15mm BCL.  Others that have reviewed them both state that the 9mm is the better of the 2.

Let's find out how it performs.

1/160, f/8, ISO 200
Olympus PEN-F

Handling/Size/Weight

This is tiny.  Barely sticking out from the camera body at all.  It is made of plastic so it weights next to nothing as well.

This is a constant/fixed f/8 aperture lens so there is no aperture adjustment or aperture ring to contend with.

There is honestly not a lot to say about this lens.

1/500, f/8, ISO 200
Olympus EM1 Mark II

Weather Sealed

Not on this guy!  This is an all plastic body cap lens.

1/100, f/8, ISO 250
Olympus EM-5 Mark I

Image Quality

Let's level set.  This is not going to be the sharpest lens in the tool kit.   However, this lens is actually better than you'd expect it to be.

You are already starting out at f/8 so you have a ton of depth from front to back of your image.   Sharpness is actually pretty good considering.

This is a fisheye lens too, so expect that kind of rendering and distortion in the final image.

1/60, f/8, ISO 2500
Olympus EM-5 Mark I

1/100, f/8, ISO 1250
Olympus EM1 Mark II

1/100, f/8, ISO 2000
Olympus EM1 Mark II

1/640, f/8, ISO 200
Olympus PEN-F

Focusing

Focusing is done via a 4 position lever at the bottom/front of the lens.  Position 1 is closed and protects the lens element.   The next 3 progressive positions are for close focus, middle focus(where it is probably used the most) and infinity focus.

I found that the lever was easily bumped from position, so if using this lens, be careful to ensure that the lever stays in your intended position.

VR/IBIS - Lens or Body Stabilization

This is an m43 lens, so it can take advantage of the IBIS (in body image stabilization).

Bottom Line

This is not going to be your go to, everyday lens.  What it can be is a fun experiment or a special occasion lens that gives you  something different.  Being f/8 it really works best when there is ample light, but with m43 IBIS or putting it on a tripod for low light - you can still get some good images in those situations.

While $100 might not be worth it to you new, you can find these used for half that or less.