Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150 mm F4-5.6 II Lens, Universal Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

Product Information

While the E-M5 III comes with an autofocus system that shares its spec with higher-end models, we were a bit disappointed with its performance. Olympus lenses usually give very solid color rendition, and the this lens is no exception. However, the results are best with the JPEGs that their cameras put out. The lens delivers a fair amount of contrast, though nowhere as much as Sigma or Zeiss do. In Adobe Lightroom, we liked what we got when we applied Alien Skin’s Kodak Ektachrome color profiles to the images.

The molded grips on the slim silver ring adjacent to the mount aid in mounting and dismounting the lens. A perennial problem with superzoom lenses is zoom creep, or a tendency for the lens to extend under its own weight when carried normally. Our review sample seems almost immune to this; the trade-off is that somewhat stiff zoom action. Compared to Micro Four Thirds kit zooms

Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc. to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth.

With incredible stabilization, a mic input, an articulating touchscreen and good quality files, the E-M5 III is a good candidate for video shooting. Travel photographers are the ones that will make the most of this lens’s autofocusing abilities. Ease of Use Sharpness rendition. Not sure how to explain it best or even properly but I really hated how the sharpness of the lens was rendered. The sharp areas (within DoF) was so harsh and muddied it make the picture look “dirty”. The lens was sharp in itself but not very pretty, especially at the wider angles where there’s little to no separation between the in focus and out of focus region (unless you shoot at minimum focus distance). the barrel is dominated by the wide zoom ring, which is somewhat stiff in operation but stays firmly where you put it. In front of this is the slim manual focus ring, which turns nice and smoothly, and behind is a slim silver-accented grip for holding the lens when taking it on or off the camera. Right at the front is a bayonet mount for the optional LH-61C lens hood, and that's your lot. All in all is an excellent kit lens, and if you can get a MFT camera kit with this lens, just go for it!At 14mm, sharpness in the centre of the frame is already outstanding at maximum aperture. Peak sharpness across the frame is achieved between f/5.6 and f/8 for this focal length where clarity is excellent towards the edges of the frame, while it remains outstanding in the centre. Manual focusing is possible in a focus-by-wire fashion. This should not put you off using it as it feels pretty natural in use. The focus ring is slim but adequate for the job. Flare The rear of the E-M5 III is largely unchanged, but some significant changes have been made to both the camera's top plate and the EVF.

At 25mm the maximum aperture drops to f/4.7. The lens manages 1,902 lines on the center-weighted test, with edges that are a bit soft at 1,371 lines. At f/5.6 it's a better performer; 2,171 lines across the frame with edges that show 1,799 lines. The best performance is achieved at f/8 (2,409 lines average, 2,201 lines at the edges). What I really love about this zoom is how well it respects the ethos of the Micro Four Thirds system. Despite the enormous focal range it covers, the body of the lens itself is no bigger than a small drinking glass when the zoom is sheathed and hardly adds any weight to the camera. When you fully extend the zoom, it doubles in length. It also comes with an additional petal-shaped lens hood. Zoom extended to full length There's some corner shading when using the Olympus 14-150mm ƒ/4-5.6 M.Zuiko, but it's not excessive; mostly when using the lens at ƒ/8 or below. There isn't any shading to be found between 25 and 45mm, otherwise the most you'll see is a case where the corners are two-thirds of a stop darker than the center, at 14mm and ƒ/4. The lens extends about 6cm on zooming, and not surprisingly the barrel has a slight degree of play at maximum extension. If there was an issue with any format it likely stems from attempting to bench mark the cameras against each other. Some times the differences between cameras are so marginal that the differences really don't matter in real world shooting situations, or at least in +90% of shooting situations. However this is often what is called best and its rare that actual output is compared to try and assess whether the numbers are the whole story.The Olympus 14-150mm f4-5.6 II lens is a really good option for most photographers. It isn’t going to give you the absolute best images, but the images that it delivers are still quite good. If you need a superzoom with weather sealing and a pretty good zoom range, you can’t beat this one. Slap it into your camera and go shooting. You won’t be disappointed; and if you are, you can just fix it in post.

When Olympus first showed us their 14-150mm f4-5.6 II, we weren’t incredibly impressed. Wide zoom range, weather sealing, minimal change of an aperture: okay, it’s got a lot going for it. But we’re always skeptical until we get the unit in our hands. Just for comparison, its is not much bigger than the Oly MFT 14-42 II lens or the Panasonic equivalent, and is just marginally larger than the Sony 18-55 on the NEX cameras, but is much more capable! Now take this into consideration. This lens is designed for a four thirds sized sensor. That means that due to the crop factor, f4 is like f8 in the full frame world. So don’t expect a whole lot of bokeh. The bokeh that is there though isn’t all too terrible, and getting lots of glorious bokeh with Four Thirds sensors is tough to do unless you’re Voigtlander. Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 shot wide open. You’re not going to get bokeh like this with the Olympus offering at the closest focal length We give the Olympus 14-150mm f4-5.6 II lens four out of five stars. Want one? B&H Photo has them right here for you. Recommended Cameras and Accessories

Am i missing something? Please let me know because i'm looking to buy this lens in the near future. And that pros of the Olympus are: less expensive, [maybe more reliable weather sealing (Olympus has it IPX rated)?], 10 extra mm of reach In your position, the 14-150 vs 14-140 would come down to weather sealing vs. a marginal optical advantage in the Panasonic.