Is it because I do not like slow telephoto zoom lenses?

Thorfinn wrote:

The stars are not a "performace for money". The price tag is quite known. The performance for money division can be done by everybody.

So the scale is:

*** for something innovative, extraordinary, more than good craftmenship - let us say the e-p1, the Bessa III, or talking lenses: a summicron or a noctilux

**** is for something of a very decent craftsmenship - like a Zuiko 75 1.8; a Zeiss T*, a Voigtländer, The Olympus 40-150 is made out of plastics,

*** is for something worth to spend money on. I own the Oly 40-150 for 1 year now.. I did not spend money on it. I yust made som sample shots and sorted it in category III (Cat 1: bag, Cat 2: living home, Cat 3: storage room)

** is nice to own

* is "passed"

Less is fail - e.g. the Oly body cap lens.

Well, in this case, I believe you should compare pears to pears. Just the same as DPreview compares DSLRs with DSLRs, Mirrorless with Mirrorless, and P&S to P&S, and not between them, in the case of lenses, you should be comparing premium lenses with their alike's, so I'd compare the Oly 40-150 vs the Panny 45-150, which are in a similar price range, performance, and build quality. That way you can make an informed decision on which one to invest on. In the case of the 75, I'd compare it with the ones you just mentioned, a Vogtländer or a Zeiss, but not with a poor plastic zoom. Is just not fair.

Comparing a super fast and expensive prime to a very inexpensive zoom is no comparison at all.

So, to the point of the scale, In my specific case which I have both the 40-150 and 45-150, I'd rate the Panny to 3 stars in image quality, and the Oly to 5 stars. On build quality, the other way around, 3 or 3.5 the Oly, and 5 the Panny. But overall, I'd give 3.5 to the Panny and 4.5 to the Oly, because simply, to me, image quality is more important than build quality. Others might have different opinion and rating than me.

No I am not rich - I use m4/3 not Leica M. But there is a difference and it would not be fair tagging 4 for this lens and the same for the PRO version. What would be the meaning of spending all the money on a PRO lens?

Again, because you are not comparing similar lenses, just a pro with an entry level lens.

The 75 1.8 isn't that expensive here in Europe. As you are in british cars: Go for a Caterham. Simple and without compromises: No ABS, ESP, stereo, aircon, doors- just your right foot. Damn I have 2 girls, so i have to make compromises. No Caterham, nor Leica for Thorfinn

m4/3 is a very very good compromise. The engineers of the Pen were ingenious - look at my stars on the e-p1. But 4/3 is a compromise. Moving up the sensor/film scale, you get more possibilities with 24*36 or a Leica S or Hasselblad, a Phase One - film/sensor size matters!

Have you ever made flash pictures with a leaf shutter lens? After I did, I never liked to make a flash picture with curtain shutter again.

As a boy I was used to Practica and Zeiss Jena Lenses. One day I was allowed to use my friends Yashica with his fathers Zeiss T* Lenses (under daddys careful supervision). It was like looking in another world. 5 years later using the Hasselblad 500 was stepping in another world.

The Olympus 40-150 keeps you in the world of a kit lens. It just makes more zoom. one last time back to cars: The Oly 40-150 is no car, it is just a the other horse.

Hehe, no, I'm not into British cars, I just happen to like Aston Martins, just to watch them on the movies, and dream on being James Bond

I know what you mean, in my case I always had a Nikon film camera, and sadly no access to nothing with a * in it. Just a few years ago I purchased a used m42 mount 35mm f:2.4 Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon, and I was so excited, My God, my first Carl Zeiss, I though. Sadly, the front element is loose, and I can't seem to find a way to center it correctly, so images are not sharp across the frame. There are no reliable shops here in Panama, maybe next time I travel to the US, I will bring it with me and leave it on a shop for repair. I really like the quality of the lens.

You are right the 40-150 is like a kit zoom lens, and in fact it is, is mostly sold as a 2 lens kit with many cameras. Although, I think it performs admirably for what it costs, and that is why I believe it should get a very high rating, among their similar, and not compared to either the 75mm 1.8 or the Olympus 40-150mm 2.8 Pro.