Oly lack of prof grade medium range zoom?

I used to shoot the 14-54 v1 on an Oly e1.. its a nice lens but not anywhere close to a proper professional mid-range zoom. Its probably 2-3 steps from that. For m43, it would have to be f2 constant at minimum.

TrapperJohn said:

CDAF's quickly, sharp wide open (F2.8), sharp throughout it's entire range, a hallmark of the better fast ZD zooms. There is also the second generation PL 14-50, but it's slower and a lot harder to find - only came on the L10.

The 14-54II is larger and heavier than either of the M43 14-42's, true, but not that much larger or heavier. If you value sharp photos, it's worth looking at.

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Jogger said:

Whats the point of this combo.. are you really saving any weight compared to a proper SLR like the E620 or even E30.

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I do not use it with either of those bodies. When I use the DSLR it's on the E5, which is just slightly heavier than an E-PL1....

I also pair this combination with the 75-300 Micro Zuiko.Again, just barely lighter than the 50-200 SWD tele zoom I carry with the E5.

Yes, the weight is just barely different enough I do benefit .

Next question?

I recently bought the 14-54 mkII and am very pleased. I used the older 14-54 for years on Olympus 4/3 and had been waiting more than 2 years for an equivalent in m4/3. The Panasonic 14-45 that came with my G1 is a nice lens and can do perfectly fine pictures, but it is not the equal of the 14-54. I'm not sure many viewers would notice the difference in most prints, but working with the files on the screen I see better detail from the 14-54.

It is bulky -- even without the adapter it's a bit larger than my 14-140. Focus speed with the GH1 is decent, though slower than native m4/3.

I have not had the 4-54 long enough to judge, but I suspect I will use it where technical quality and fine detail are important (still life, landscape, architecture) but revert to the Panasonic lenses when I want the size and weight of the 14-45 or the range and flexibility of the 14-140.

Gato

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Jogger said:

I used to shoot the 14-54 v1 on an Oly e1.. its a nice lens but not anywhere close to a proper professional mid-range zoom. Its probably 2-3 steps from that. For m43, it would have to be f2 constant at minimum.

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That's one of the most pleasurable combinations I've used, something about shooting the E-1 with the 14-54 always made me smile.

E-1 + ZD 14-54
1/80s f/5.6 at 40.0mm iso100



The 14-54mkII is pretty good on the Pen too, but for me, m4/3rds is about compact quality - so I'll be sticking with the 20mm f1.7 and upcoming 12mm f2 / 45mm f1.8 prime lenses.

E-PL1 + ZD 14-54mkII f2.8-3.5
1/320s f/3.5 at 54.0mm iso200



E-P1 + ZD 14-54mkII f2.8-3.5
1/400s f/6.3 at 14.0mm iso200



E-P1 + ZD 14-54mkII f2.8-3.5
1/125s f/4.0 at 14.0mm iso200



Cheers

Brian
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dave steinberg said:

I had my Panasonic GF1 stolen on the beach in Molokai....Bummer....

I loved the 20mm and 7-14mm lenses. Incredibly sharp lenses. Equal to my best Nikkor lenses.

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That is a bummer!

dave steinberg said:

I would love one of the new Oly Pen cameras announced a few days ago. What keeps me from buying one is the lack of a sharp medium zoom for general walk around use. Both the 14-42 (45) range Pan and Olympus kit zooms seem to give bland results. Has anybody had any luck with a pro grade, very sharp, med zoom lens for micro 4/3?

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For walk around purposes I like my Panasonic 14-45mm. No the IQ isn't quite up there with the 20mm f/1.7 or my Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8, but it's certainly not bad either. I would say it comes pretty close to my 17-55 (it just doesn't have as wide an aperture of course), and I would say the 14-45mm beats the Nikon consumer grade standard zooms I've owned (18-70mm f/3.5-4 and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR). My 17-55 is a bit contrastier, but I can punch up the micro-contrast on the photos taken with the 14-45 and find them to be excellent and not bland at all.

So are you hoping for something like a 14-35 f/2.8 zoom or something like that, or looking at higher end regular 4/3 lenses? It would be tempting, but one of the things that appeals to me about the 14-45mm is that it is light and compact, and pairs well with the 20mm f/1.7 and my adapted Nikon 50mm f/1.8 when I need a wider aperture.

Sean