Like the 15mm unit, the 9mm lens has no electronic contacts for communication with the camera body and, consequently no automatic controls. A combined lens barrier/MF lever lets users switch quickly from pan focus shooting to close-up shooting. It has two settings: 0.2 metres and infinity. The lens aperture is fixed at f/8.

The optical design is interesting ““ and quite complex for a lens of this type. There are five glass elements (two of them aspherical), arranged in three groups to cover a 140 degree field of view. The combined lens barrier/MF lever lets users switch directly from pan focus shooting to close-up 20 cm shooting.

There’s only one iris diaphragm blade ““ and that’s the lens barrier, which slides across to cover the front element and is tucked away when the lever is moved to one of the focus points. No threading is provided for attaching filters.

The entire lens is very thin at just 12.7 mm and weighs only 30 grams. It is offered in black and white to complement the OM-D and PEN camera body colours.

Like the previous body cap lens, the Fisheye Body Cap lens fulfils two purposes: it replaces the standard body cap with a simple lens you can take photos with. At AU$139 it’s an expensive body cap and, as a lens, it performance is nothing to write home about.

But, when it’s mounted on an OM-D or PEN camera it could make the assembly slim enough to slip into a regular pocket. And, if you need to take a quick shot, at least you’ll be able to take the picture quickly. It may not be the picture you wanted – but the shot will be recorded.

According to Olympus, this lens was designed as a ‘fun’ lens that can ‘accentuate the effects of Art Filters’. If you’re into Lomography and/or using the Toy Camera filter, this lens could appeal from a photographic viewpoint. But it’s a bit pricey wherever you buy it and likely to disappoint photographers who want the high image quality Olympus CSCs produce.