Advice on possible zoom lens purchase

I am looking for a lens for wife's birthday. I don't use zoom lenses with my E-P5 and am not that familiar with the options. She has a E-M10 and started with the kit zoom (14-42 R) which is no longer acceptable to her critical eye. She has been using the 40-150/4.0-5.6 which she likes, but it leaves her without a normal range lens.

I suppose the best solution would be the 12-40 PRO but it's a little too costly. I am in Norway right now so I have to deal with prices here. Anything mail ordered from abroad will be taxed at 25% in addition to other fees.

What about a 14-150 II? Is that an improvement on the 14-42 and as good as the 40-150 in their respective ranges?

If you can think of another solution please let me know.

The 12-40 is without doubt a superb lens; I would suggest looking in the used market for that zoom.

First figure out what exactly it is that she likes about the 40-150 and doesn't like about the 14-42

If she likes the zoom range of the 14-42 but wants more sharpness, and not the tele zoom range of 40-150, 12-40 is the ticket. 12-40 will also offer better lower light performance than either and shallow DoF capabilities than the 14-42 (at a cost of course)

If her preference revolve mainly around zoom range, with no qualms about sharpness, go for the 14-150 II. 14-150 has fine sharpness IMO unless you are printing large or heavily cropping.

If she wants zoom range and significantly more sharpness than the 14-42, go for the Panny 14-140 II, its one of the sharpest superzooms ever made, but bigger/more expensive than the 14-150 II.

If you want the absolute best lens with an extended zoom range look at the Oly 12-100 f/4, at about $1300 new

I just love my Pany 14-140 II (f3.5-f5.6) too much to not recommend it.

If you have patience you can find them on sale or on used market cheaper... But it is HARD to find since everyone that has that lens never sells it

traveler_101 wrote:

I am looking for a lens for wife's birthday. I don't use zoom lenses with my E-P5 and am not that familiar with the options. She has a E-M10 and started with the kit zoom (14-42 R) which is no longer acceptable to her critical eye. She has been using the 40-150/4.0-5.6 which she likes, but it leaves her without a normal range lens.

I suppose the best solution would be the 12-40 PRO but it's a little too costly. I am in Norway right now so I have to deal with prices here. Anything mail ordered from abroad will be taxed at 25% in addition to other fees.

What about a 14-150 II? Is that an improvement on the 14-42 and as good as the 40-150 in their respective ranges?

If you can think of another solution please let me know.

Another intermediate option in price and performance between the Olympus 14-42 and the 12-40/2.8 is the Panasonic 12-60. Corner sharpness is not much better than the Olympus, but central sharpness is improved (particularly at the wide end), and it gives a much more useful range, being both wider and longer.

Since it's been bundled with the G85 and GX8, there are a lot of new "kit take-offs" available for sale. They are brand new lenses, but easily sell for $250 USD, or half the MSRP.

Just another option.

If you don't want to break the bank the 12-50mm paired with the 40-150mm you already have is a good lightweight combo. Obviously the 12-40mm would be better but it's more weight and more money.

My EM10 came with the 14-42 II (and 40-150 II R).  I still have the 14-42 but never use it.

My GX85 came with the 12-32 (and 45-150).  I've been using the 12-32 quite a bit on my GM1.  I highly recommend the 12-32 - for its wider end and its IQ.

Two other options - if your wife doesn't mind swapping lenses for the long end - are the two Panasonic 12-60 lenses. I had the EM10 and felt that the Olympus 12-40, while a wonderful lens, was a bit too large and heavy on that body.

I originally had the cheaper Panasonic 12-60/3.5-5.6 and was pretty satisfied with the results - definitely better than any of the Olympus 14-42 lenses I have had (and still have the 14-42EZ lens). When they released the "pro" version of the 12-60/2.8-4, I jumped on it. Smaller and lighter than the Olympus 12-40/2.8 (so it felt better on the Pen-F that I now have) and the image quality (to my eyes) was great. Perhaps not quite the 12-40, but it is cheaper and as I said, smaller and noticeably lighter. And the zoom range is great also.

averagejoe576 wrote:

First figure out what exactly it is that she likes about the 40-150 and doesn't like about the 14-42

If she likes the zoom range of the 14-42 but wants more sharpness, and not the tele zoom range of 40-150, 12-40 is the ticket. . . .

If her preference revolve mainly around zoom range, with no qualms about sharpness, go for the 14-150 II.

If she wants zoom range and significantly more sharpness than the 14-42, go for the Panny 14-140 II

If you want the absolute best lens with an extended zoom range look at the Oly 12-100 f/4, at about $1300 new

Thanks for your analysis.

It's mostly about image quality. She finds the 14-42 lacking and prefers the 40-150. She would be happy to continue to use the 40-150 and receive a replacement for the 14-42. On the other hand, I'm sure she wouldn't mind an all-in-one 10x zoom. She is no fan of changing lenses.

This points to the Panasonic 14-140 II. (The Olympus 12-100 is out of the running - too big, too heavy and too expensive).

bsas wrote:

I just love my Pany 14-140 II (f3.5-f5.6) too much to not recommend it.

If you have patience you can find them on sale or on used market cheaper... But it is HARD to find since everyone that has that lens never sells it

Ok, but does it work well with an Olympus camera? What do you do with the lens stabilisation?

addlightness wrote:

My EM10 came with the 14-42 II (and 40-150 II R). I still have the 14-42 but never use it.

My GX85 came with the 12-32 (and 45-150). I've been using the 12-32 quite a bit on my GM1. I highly recommend the 12-32 - for its wider end and its IQ.

I wonder how many people have unused 14-42 lenses sitting around, LOL.

I thought about the 12-32. Is it clearly better IQ than the12-42? Does it have compatibility problems with Olympus cameras?

traveler_101 wrote:

averagejoe576 wrote:

First figure out what exactly it is that she likes about the 40-150 and doesn't like about the 14-42

If she likes the zoom range of the 14-42 but wants more sharpness, and not the tele zoom range of 40-150, 12-40 is the ticket. . . .

If her preference revolve mainly around zoom range, with no qualms about sharpness, go for the 14-150 II.

If she wants zoom range and significantly more sharpness than the 14-42, go for the Panny 14-140 II

If you want the absolute best lens with an extended zoom range look at the Oly 12-100 f/4, at about $1300 new

Thanks for your analysis.

It's mostly about image quality. She finds the 14-42 lacking and prefers the 40-150. She would be happy to continue to use the 40-150 and receive a replacement for the 14-42. On the other hand, I'm sure she wouldn't mind an all-in-one 10x zoom. She is no fan of changing lenses.

This points to the Panasonic 14-140 II. (The Olympus 12-100 is out of the running - too big, too heavy and too expensive).

bsas wrote:

I just love my Pany 14-140 II (f3.5-f5.6) too much to not recommend it.

If you have patience you can find them on sale or on used market cheaper... But it is HARD to find since everyone that has that lens never sells it

Ok, but does it work well with an Olympus camera? What do you do with the lens stabilisation?

The lens has a switch on the side of the barrel to turn OIS on and off. Mine sits on a Panasonic so I can't tell you if there are any problems with an Olympus camera, but I can't think there will be any. It's really a great lens. I'm not parting with mine.

Maggie

traveler_101 wrote:

It's mostly about image quality. She finds the 14-42 lacking and prefers the 40-150. She would be happy to continue to use the 40-150 and receive a replacement for the 14-42. On the other hand, I'm sure she wouldn't mind an all-in-one 10x zoom. She is no fan of changing lenses.

This points to the Panasonic 14-140 II. (The Olympus 12-100 is out of the running - too big, too heavy and too expensive).

Have lens changing as well, and sooo much prefer a superzoom over a normal+tele. The 14-140 II is superb, for a superzoom that is, but prob will loose out to short range zooms for sharpness. Take a look at some sharpness tests on sites like imaging-resource to get an idea of what to expect sharpness-wise, 14-140 review

bsas wrote:

I just love my Pany 14-140 II (f3.5-f5.6) too much to not recommend it.

If you have patience you can find them on sale or on used market cheaper... But it is HARD to find since everyone that has that lens never sells it

Ok, but does it work well with an Olympus camera? What do you do with the lens stabilisation?

I think you can choose IBIS or Lens IS. I assume e-p5's 5-axis IBIS better than the Lens IS, so you will be better off IS wise than if you have the lens on a Panny body. I've not heard of any other issue's using it on an Oly body.

traveler_101 wrote:

addlightness wrote:

My EM10 came with the 14-42 II (and 40-150 II R). I still have the 14-42 but never use it.

My GX85 came with the 12-32 (and 45-150). I've been using the 12-32 quite a bit on my GM1. I highly recommend the 12-32 - for its wider end and its IQ.

I wonder how many people have unused 14-42 lenses sitting around, LOL.

I suspect if you look into the socks drawer of every EM10 owner, you'll find one in pristine condition

I thought about the 12-32. Is it clearly better IQ than the12-42? Does it have compatibility problems with Olympus cameras?

My copy was surprisingly good and I have been using it more than expected.  However, I use it exclusively on my GM1 as it's a perfect match in terms of size.  I haven't tried it on my PEN-F yet so can't comment on compat issues if any.  [I sold my EM10; replaced by GX85]

FWIW, there are only two travel zoom lenses that I happen to like and enjoy shooting with: 9-18mm and 45-150mm.  For everything else, I prefer my native primes - 15,25,45,75mm.  I kept the 12-32 because I don't have a 12mm prime (eventhough the 9-18 covers 12mm but for general use, the 9-18 is too restrictive) and that's how I came to appreciate it.

Notes, in terms of lens vs. body stablization all of the recent Olympus cameras have an option that you can control whether the Olympus body uses its sensor shift stabilization or uses the lens stabilization if the lens has it. Typically people feel that lens stabilization is better for telephoto lenses. If you turn to page 90 of the E-m10 mark I manual, it describes the option.

One thing to watch out for when using certain Panasonic lenses on certain Olympus bodies is it increases the chances for purple blobs and fringing. For more information go here:

• http://alanwatsonforster.org/writing/mft-purple.html

Another thing to think about is whether your wife uses the built-in flash. If you put a longer lens on the camera, the lens may cause a shadow in your image, as it blocks part of the light. Your wife may want to keep the 14-42mm lens just for those cases. It may be the lens doesn't block the flash.

There were two models of the Panasonic 14-140mm lens. If you are buying used, you want the second one (f/3.5-5.6 Power O.I.S.) and not the first one (f/4-5.8 Mega O.I.S.).

I use the 14-150mm mark II quite a bit. It is my second most heavily used micro 4/3rds lens at present (the 12-40mm is first). However, I'm probably not as picky as some people are towards image quality.

There are 3 Olympus 14-42mm lenses. The original 14-42mm lens that came with the E-P1, E-P2, and E-PL2 cameras. The 14-42mm II-R that came with later cameras, and the 14-42mm EZ lens which has electronic zoom. I know in some countries the 14-42mm EZ is the kit lens, and in other countries (like the USA) the 14-42mm II-R is the kit lens. I only used the 14-42mm EZ for a little while (it was on the AIR01 that I returned to the store), so I don't have a feel for which is better. But if you have a brick and mortar store that sells Olympus lenses, it might be worthwhile to try out the other lens to see if your wife likes that instead.

Other people mentioned the Olympus 12-50mm. I used that for some time on my E-m5 mark I and liked it. However, there are a group of people that have strong feelings against the lens (a lot of it is a slow lens, but compared to the 14-42mm, it is at most 1/3 stop slower at the long end, and you get more wide angle/telephoto thrown in).

traveler_101 wrote:

addlightness wrote:

My EM10 came with the 14-42 II (and 40-150 II R). I still have the 14-42 but never use it.

My GX85 came with the 12-32 (and 45-150). I've been using the 12-32 quite a bit on my GM1. I highly recommend the 12-32 - for its wider end and its IQ.

I wonder how many people have unused 14-42 lenses sitting around, LOL.

I thought about the 12-32. Is it clearly better IQ than the12-42? Does it have compatibility problems with Olympus cameras?

12-32mm does not have a focus ring and I believe on Olympus cameras there is no way to manually focus it.

Otherwise, it's a great lens that is very sharp across the frame and throughout the zoom range. I'm new to MFT so don't have other MFT lenses to compare, but it's easily sharper than my Nikon 18-55mm VR.

The wider 12mm definitely is handy for certain shots, although you may find the 32mm limiting. But given how compact it is, it's a small sacrifice (on my Panasonic body, I guess I can use ETC if I need a little more reach in a pinch).

Hard to tell if it is suitable for your use without knowing what specifically your wife found was the issue with the 14-42.

traveler_101 wrote:

addlightness wrote:

My EM10 came with the 14-42 II (and 40-150 II R). I still have the 14-42 but never use it.

My GX85 came with the 12-32 (and 45-150). I've been using the 12-32 quite a bit on my GM1. I highly recommend the 12-32 - for its wider end and its IQ.

I wonder how many people have unused 14-42 lenses sitting around, LOL.

I thought about the 12-32. Is it clearly better IQ than the12-42? Does it have compatibility problems with Olympus cameras?

The Olympus 12-40 and Panasonic 12-32 are opposite ends of the spectrum. I have and use both. Both will work fine on Olympus bodies but the 12-32 has OIS, which is handy on bodies without IBIS.

Both have good IQ for the cost but the Olympus is faster, sharper and more expensive. I like the way they both render. The Panasonic is really small. It is not as well built as the Olympus.

Personally, I would buy the 12-40 first but it sort of depends on your priorities.

All taken with GM1 and 12-32.  It's sharp at the wide end too.

Andrew

I have the Panasonic 14-140 II and use it on my Em-1 and Em-10 cameras.  I have never had any blue blobs appear in any of my pictures.  It is a great lens.  If you leave the power OIS on, it will be used instead of the IBIS.  If you turn it off the IBIS will prevail.  No downsides there. I also have the 12-32 and like that one a lot also.  you can't go wrong with either, but the 14-140 II is more convenient if you don't like to change lenses.

Peace.

John

If 12-100 is out of range (which i can really understand), go for the 12-40, maybe a used one. It is a nearly flawless lens, feels great in the hand and 12mm is much wider than 14mm.

I had a lot of lenses and really liked my 12-40. Actually sold my 12-40 for a 12-100. But 12-40 was a very very nice lens, being faster as well as a tad sharper than the 12-100.

Regarding the superzoom options, if she likes the 40-150 which is really a good lens for its price and she dislikes the 14-42, she wont be happy with either option. Panny 14-140 ii is sharp at tele but soft at wide to medium range. Maybe a tad better than rhe 14-42 but not by much.

The 14-150 is the other way round. Decent but not outstanding 20-50mm. But at 70-150mm she would notice soft images compared to her old tele. Not very satisfying...

In short: 12-40 would significantly improve the wide end and together with 40-150 it will be a very very capable team. And a used copy would not cost much more than the mediocre 10x zooms would (the lens seems to be very reliable, not many complaints about sample variation or failures) ...

Christof