Olympus 12-40 f2.8 or Olympus 14-150 II f4-5.6 & Primes

TorsteinH wrote:

h2odog wrote:

One thing to consider, if you are shooting with an EM5II, the 12-40, as good as it is, may feel a bit unbalanced and top heavy. I found this was the case when I had an EM-10.

You "need" to get a grip on your E-M10 with the 12-40

That was with the grip. Don't have either the lens or camera anymore.

Having done more research on these lenses I've just bought the 12-40 pro for Under £400 and think I'll have to add the 40-150 so the 14-150 will have to go

Hi,

It really depends on what you like to shoot and how "picky" you are with quality. You already have a fast and quite sharp prime for low light and a portrait lens. I would get the 14-150 for its versatility and for the fact that its quality is pretty good for non pros and regular prints. I am sure however that most people here will suggest you to take the 12-40...

Yannis1976 wrote:

Hi,

It really depends on what you like to shoot and how "picky" you are with quality. You already have a fast and quite sharp prime for low light and a portrait lens. I would get the 14-150 for its versatility and for the fact that its quality is pretty good for non pros and regular prints. I am sure however that most people here will suggest you to take the 12-40...

Well I did get the mc14 at a very good price to and for bird photography the extra quality will make a difference with 40-150, I'll add the Panny 100-400 when I can get one at reasonable price and that's all I'd ever need, I was used to quality glass with Nikon so no point changing now and the 12-40 and 40-150 pros are very reasonably priced

I think those is a good choices:

12-40 Pro is a very good lens .... great shots right out of the camera

The 40 -150 is a very cheap but undervalued lens  ...... I got a lot of really nice shots with it .  Do you mean the Pro  ..... It is huge.

The Oly 45mm as a great lens ...... you won't be disappointed.

My only suggestion may be to get the Oly 60mm Macro instead as it is even sharper and has macro.

sellera wrote:

aliasfox wrote:

If you haven't decided yet, wait for the Oly 12-100 f/4 that's rumored to come out in a couple of months. You get the wide end of the 12-40 and most of the tele of the 14-140, and because it's supposedly labeled a Pro lens, we should expect a very sharp image and weathersealing, too.

I had the same dilemma, even started a new thread about it, and finally I've made the decision to go with the following set:

1. 12-40 PRO 2.8, for my everyday usage.

2. 40-150 R, for those times I need a tele.

3. 45mm 1.8, for low light and street.

Hope it helps!

LS

Sirandar wrote:

I think those is a good choices:

Yet, I've changed my mind again

12-40 Pro is a very good lens .... great shots right out of the camera

This baby stays!

The 40 -150 is a very cheap but undervalued lens ...... I got a lot of really nice shots with it . Do you mean the Pro ..... It is huge.

Not the pro, the 99 zoom -- but it's gone. I'm gonna sacrifice the 40-75 range and get the 75-300 II!

The Oly 45mm as a great lens ...... you won't be disappointed.

YES! I was torn between the 45 and the 17 -- I love to shoot wide -- but as I put the 12-40 PRO in the game, I dumped the 17 for the 45!

My only suggestion may be to get the Oly 60mm Macro instead as it is even sharper and has macro.

That's a very good idea. I'll think about it, as I'm buying the gear by the end of October only.

TY!

LS.

I have the 75-300mm Oly ver II and it is a great lens for some types of photography.

This lens suffers from the same limitations some superzooms have  .... they are too slow to stop motion in all but the brightest light.  Small jittery subjects will have a very low keeper rate.

Unlike the review in DXO, my copy of this lens is sharp all the way to 300mm, but only if you use the full electronic shutter above 200mm.

The lens is well made and handles well and IMO has a nice bokeh.  Wide open the lens has a fairly narrow DOF which can be a blessing and a curse.  Increase the DOF by raising F and the lens rapidly loses sharpness.

Its was a keeper for me, but there may be new lenses coming out that may be a better choice if you need to stop motion.

sellera wrote:

Sirandar wrote:

I think those is a good choices:

Yet, I've changed my mind again

12-40 Pro is a very good lens .... great shots right out of the camera

This baby stays!

The 40 -150 is a very cheap but undervalued lens ...... I got a lot of really nice shots with it . Do you mean the Pro ..... It is huge.

Not the pro, the 99 zoom -- but it's gone. I'm gonna sacrifice the 40-75 range and get the 75-300 II!

The Oly 45mm as a great lens ...... you won't be disappointed.

YES! I was torn between the 45 and the 17 -- I love to shoot wide -- but as I put the 12-40 PRO in the game, I dumped the 17 for the 45!

My only suggestion may be to get the Oly 60mm Macro instead as it is even sharper and has macro.

That's a very good idea. I'll think about it, as I'm buying the gear by the end of October only.

TY!

LS.

Sirandar wrote:

I have the 75-300mm Oly ver II and it is a great lens for some types of photography.

yes! I already shoot a 70-300 VR II in my D5200. Huge body and lens!

This lens suffers from the same limitations some superzooms have .... they are too slow to stop motion in all but the brightest light. Small jittery subjects will have a very low keeper rate.

I'm well aware of those, too slow indeed!

Unlike the review in DXO, my copy of this lens is sharp all the way to 300mm, but only if you use the full electronic shutter above 200mm.

I'll keep that in mind -- e-shutter really helps avoiding shutter shock, right?

The lens is well made and handles well and IMO has a nice bokeh. Wide open the lens has a fairly narrow DOF which can be a blessing and a curse. Increase the DOF by raising F and the lens rapidly loses sharpness.

for me, if well controlled, really is a bless.

Its was a keeper for me, but there may be new lenses coming out that may be a better choice if you need to stop motion.

well, let's wait, then I'll travel in November only!

TY!

LS

Fuel to the fire - maybe I missed it posted elsewhere in this thread but he is Robin Wong's take on the 14-150ii from last year:

https://robinwong.blogspot.com/2015/07/shooting-with-olympus-mzuiko-14-150mm.html