That's OK Ross. I have got over it now.
I love the range of the 9-18mm and it being the only affordable wide option on the MFT cameras it bacame a no-brainer. I had toyed with the idea of the 11-22 zoom as I work in low light a lot and the combined price of the 11-22 and adapter was looking to be around the same from overseas but jumped on the native lens when one came up cheap from Japan. I don't regret the choice. If anyone is getting into MFT and they are interested in landscapes (seascapes for me), it is great choice.
The 9-18 is also adequate as a city walkabout lens and I take it to work with me most days. I would think the 7-14 Panasonic would be too wide for that purpose.
Performance wise, the FT version of the 9-18mm is said to be similar and it is much better value. It would be a good match to the E30 body, still give a reasonbly compact and handy to use combination.
I find the auto shadow adjustment works well. It it harder to get the same level of detail out of a RAW image without it, although the new Olympus Viewer 2 seems to have that covered.
I have been playing with HDR images and blending but for general scenes, not only is the automatic shadow adjustment fine, it take a lot of effort out of the process. I am just an absolute beginner with blending and have not been satisfied with my results to date. Part of that is due to the software I am using and an upgrade is due sooner rather than later.
The 14-150 is a definite. The range suits me fine. On a recent trip to NZ, I found myself forever changing between the 14-42 Olympus and 45-200 Panasonic lenses. The latter proved too long to use most of the time and would only stay on the camera for a couple of shots. Its fine if you are doing something that needs longer focal lengths. The lens I used the most in NZ was the Panasonic 20mm.
If I had been able to use filters on the 14-42, that would have been on the camera a lot longer but as that lens is front-focussing and has a weak AF motor, it cannot cope with a Cokin filter holder.
The only problem is that I have run out of camera play money so the 14-150 will either need to wait for the end of the year or the next big OS trip. I don't need it that much for what I do in Oz as I can take my time. I am also interested to see what Olympus do with the next generation of PEN cameras. I am hoping for something with more external controls and a fold out or rotating LCD on the back.
Cheers
PeterB666