Which zoomlens is the choice for my needs

Hi There,

I'm new on this forum.

I own a Olympus OM-D EM10, and after shooting with the standard kit lenses that came with the camera (14-42mm and 40-150mm) I have recently bought a 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens to upgrade my shooting results.

The difference between my old standard zoon (14-42) and the pro lens is amazing!
But now for the question.

I'm puzzling which way to go with extra lenses.

Most of the time I'll be using the 12-40mm lens, but I also like to make landscape and inside city photo's during my trips. And quite some time I use my 40-150 lens to get things close of take photo's or details that are not near.

With my new 12-40mm f2.8 lens I have more wide-angle than before, so I should be able to shoot better landscapes and building photo's. And the first results confirm that.

Now I have 2 options and I'm wondering what's the best way to go for me.
I don't have the money to buy more pro lenses (now), but the next two I can buy to give me more zoom opportunities:

1. Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6
2. Olympus ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II

What would be the better choice to add more useful zoom to my camera configuration?

Of course when you look to the 75-300 it has obviously the biggest range, but maybe the being able to zoom to 9mm has a bigger advantage than to go al the way to 300mm in regard to the kind of pictures I make??
Can anyone explain me what 9mm (as in the above mentioned lens) can bring me, or why you would (or should I) choose one lens over the other in this case?

I have the 9-18 lens now, but I'm thinking to trade it for a 75-300mm lens.
I do't have much experience in shooting wide angle and as far as I can judge, the only extra range I have is to be able to go from 12 to 9mm, because the range from 18 to 12 is covered by my 12-40 pro lens. Is that a big difference in actual possibilities, or does that not add much, and is 75-300 the beter wat to go anyway, because my pro lens would have sufficient wide angle?

greetings Willem

Here is an article I wrote for our camera club a while back about why you should want a wider lens. It was written in the context of a 10-22 lens on Canon crop frame cameras, which would equate to 8 to 18mm on a M3/4 camera, but the principles are the same:

http://www.trilliumphotoclub.org/Tutorials/Wide%20Angle%20Lens.html

See also this article by Ken Rockwell:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-use-ultra-wide-lenses.htm

John Strung wrote:

Here is an article I wrote for our camera club a while back about why you should want a wider lens. It was written in the context of a 10-22 lens on Canon crop frame cameras, which would equate to 8 to 18mm on a M3/4 camera, but the principles are the same:

http://www.trilliumphotoclub.org/Tutorials/Wide%20Angle%20Lens.html

See also this article by Ken Rockwell:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-use-ultra-wide-lenses.htm

That was a great read and opened my eyes to the uses of wide angle lenses! And yes, I was one of the many who discounted them as purely for landscapes! I'm just starting up with my GX80 after moving from Canon and I've just picked up a 20mm 1.7 and the little 35-100 so money is a tad tight - what are the budget options for UWA's?

Unfortunately, there are only 3 wide zooms for m43 that I am aware of and the 9-18 is the cheapest:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Type_Wide+Zoom&ci=17912&N=4196380428+4099560916+3609361356+4099560890

You might check for used ones. Someone may be selling their 9-18 to upgrade to the 7-14 Pro lens.

John Strung wrote:

Unfortunately, there are only 3 wide zooms for m43 that I am aware of and the 9-18 is the cheapest:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Type_Wide+Zoom&ci=17912&N=4196380428+4099560916+3609361356+4099560890

You might check for used ones. Someone may be selling their 9-18 to upgrade to the 7-14 Pro lens.

Hi John, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I'm not too fussed about it being a zoom, are there any "budget" primes?

stewart hull wrote:

John Strung wrote:

Unfortunately, there are only 3 wide zooms for m43 that I am aware of and the 9-18 is the cheapest:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Type_Wide+Zoom&ci=17912&N=4196380428+4099560916+3609361356+4099560890

You might check for used ones. Someone may be selling their 9-18 to upgrade to the 7-14 Pro lens.

Hi John, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I'm not too fussed about it being a zoom, are there any "budget" primes?

You should consider Olympus 9mm body cap. Despite the name it's in fact perfectly usable ultra-wide-angle lens, and cheap. Also extremely small and convenient.

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/olympus_9mm_f_8_fisheye_body_cap_review/conclusion/

Another option is Samyang 7.5mm fish-eye, also quite inexpensive, rather small, sharp ... A must-have for the m4/3 system.

Fish eyes are really horses of a completely different colour. They are a lot of fun, but the degree of distortion makes them much less useful for general photography than a rectilinear wide angle.

John Strung wrote:

Fish eyes are really horses of a completely different colour. They are a lot of fun, but the degree of distortion makes them much less useful for general photography than a rectilinear wide angle.

If you take a little care, you can defish.  The IQ of the fisheye is excellent for such a cheap lens.

Andrew

Only you can decide. I think every photographer goes through the same questions as they build their kits. It has been about 12 years since I really got into photography, so I can't remember if I went ultrawide first or super-telephoto. Since you already have the 9-18mm, I suggest you give it some time to see how you like shooting with it. I personally love ultrawide lenses, and the difference between 12mm and 9mm is huge... but it's only important if you use it.

Having said that, I certainly use my 9-18mm less today than I did before I bought my 12-40mm ff/2.8. 12mm is wide enough for many situations, and I also have a Rokinon fisheye that I'm awfully fond of.

Over the years I have gone through phases when I used my telephoto lenses far more than my ultrawide, and through other phases when the opposite was true. Most people think ultrawide when they think landscape and architecture, but as you have discovered it's nice to have a telephoto to get detail shots of features on buildings. I also like using a telephoto for landscape, because I live in a mountainous area and a telephoto can provide some very dramatic shots. It's also handy when you want to photography wildlife, of course.

Is the 40-150mm you currently own not long enough? Something to consider is that the range of the 40-150mm might be more useful in situations where 75mm is too long. You might find yourself swapping lenses more frequently if you go with the 75-300mm.

I'm the kind of person who says the more range the better... plan on all of the above so you have 9mm to 300mm covered!

Of course you still have to decide what comes next in the budget planning. Only you can make that call based on what you think your needs are.

Sean

Willem67 wrote:

I'm new on this forum.

Welcome to the forum!

1. Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6
2. Olympus ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II

What would be the better choice to add more useful zoom to my camera configuration?

For urban settings, I would strongly recommend the 9-18mm.  It's terrific in churches and other urban spaces.  The 75-300mm is fine for wildlife, but it's complete overkill in a city.

kaphinga wrote:

Willem67 wrote:

I'm new on this forum.

Welcome to the forum!

1. Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6
2. Olympus ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II

What would be the better choice to add more useful zoom to my camera configuration?

For urban settings, I would strongly recommend the 9-18mm. It's terrific in churches and other urban spaces. The 75-300mm is fine for wildlife, but it's complete overkill in a city.

I agree.

For outdoor sports (and true for some indoor) and/or wildlife, the longer zoom is very useful but too long for city-scapes.

Thanks Sean, Kaphinga and Alex for your information.

It's good to see i'm on the right track, according to at your advice.

the 9-18mm lens is more of use for my travel plans, than the 75-300 I think. But I don't have the expierience yet to confirm this for myself.

Has any of ever taken photo's at Monument Valley for example? I want to take sunset photo's there from The View campground ans the next morning I want to make a sunrise tour in the area with a guide.
I still have to buy a tripod, because I'm sure i'll be needing that, in situations like that, what would most likely be my best lens of choice? the 9-18 and 12-40mm pro of would I really need a telezoom there like the 40-150mm tha tI already have or even bigger?

Furthermore I want to make photo's at Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Bryce NP, and for the ultimate shoot I'm trying to get a permit to visit The Wave in the coyotte buttes. Chances are little, to get the permit, but I guess I will really need the 9-18 lens there???

I think i keep my configuration as it is for now, and start saving for a 75-300 or better a pro telezoom.

First enjoy my upcoming RV trip from Nashville to Las Vegas ans make some good memories and photo's.

As I understand it, you are asking whether less than 12 or more than 150 would be more use. On the trip you describe it would for me be a very obvious choice - less than 12, that is keep the 9-18. I can think of quite a few shots where the step down from 12 to 9 would be beneficial. One of the more obvious is Dead Horse Point - have a look on Flickr.

Have a great trip. Given you are in Monument Valley have you also thought about Mesa Verde?

hampshirejohn wrote:

One of the more obvious is Dead Horse Point - have a look on Flickr.

Have a great trip. Given you are in Monument Valley have you also thought about Mesa Verde?

Hi Hampshirejohn,

Thanks for your advice.

Deadhorsepoint was on my list indeed.  Thinking of that, A few years ago I was at horseshoebend in Page and I wasn't able to shoot that the way I wanted. (Only in panorama , but that didn't  look nice). That experience should have helped to answer my own question.

Mesa Verde is our stop the day before Monument Valley.  We are coming from Santa Fe before that. Is there a special  reason you mention Mesa Verde? Do you have a tip/advice ? I had to choose between canyon de chelly and Mesa Verde. They both look very nice. Do you think Mesa Verde  is the better choice of those two?

Hi John, this evening I  had the chance to read the articles. They really convinced me to stay with my wide angle 9-18mm lens. I'm going to practice a lot before I take off to my USA trip in may-june.

I have been to Mesa Verde but not the Canyon so cannot give a direct comparison. What I can say is that I found Mesa Verde fascinating ( I had not seen cliff dwellings before) and it does make an interesting variation in what is otherwise an area where landscape photography dominates.

hampshirejohn wrote:

I have been to Mesa Verde but not the Canyon so cannot give a direct comparison. What I can say is that I found Mesa Verde fascinating ( I had not seen cliff dwellings before) and it does make an interesting variation in what is otherwise an area where landscape photography dominates.

+1 for Mesa Verde, though it was a bit of a whistle-stop visit, really not long enough!

I went on to hike in (and up!) in Zion, Bryce (my favourite) and a fleeting jog down from the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. That was when taking photo's was just a quick snap for me (an old 35mm point and shoot) so I'd love to go back with my current gear.

One of the best ways to determine your needs is use a program--exposure plot--to analyze your shooting. It will analyze the exif data of your images to let you know how often and at what 35mm-equivalent focal lengths you tend to shoot.

So, to take your 12-40 lens as example, compare how often you shoot at the wider range to what you shoot at the longer end.

In my case, I would choose longer rather than wider. I "see" composition in terms of longer, even for cityscapes or landscapes. For example, check out my shots of the famous Chicago "bean" below. These were taken years ago with my Oly E-3. The widest shot was at 33mm (or 66mm in 35mm terms) and the longest at 147mm (or 294mm). These are the kinds of things I shoot when I do cityscapes, or architecture generally.

John Strung wrote:

Unfortunately, there are only 3 wide zooms for m43 that I am aware of and the 9-18 is the cheapest:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Type_Wide+Zoom&ci=17912&N=4196380428+4099560916+3609361356+4099560890

You might check for used ones. Someone may be selling their 9-18 to upgrade to the 7-14 Pro lens.

yes, you like the Pro lenses and see there's a huge difference. i didn't like the 9-18mm when i had it so i sold it.

i'd recommend a used 7-14mm f/2.8 Oly pro and save for a used Pana-Leica 100-400mm lens. it's a lot but these pro lenses could last decades and the image quality is night and day.