Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 EZ Lens – Silver : Great as a carry around outdoors in good light

November 28, 2019

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 EZ Lens – Silver : Great as a carry around outdoors in good light

I think this is a great little lens – and a great improvement over its predecessor – both in terms of size/weight and image quality. Great as a carry around lens on any olympus m43 camera.

When me and the missus purchased the olympus e-pl7, we were offered the standard lens kit which was a tad bulky. Instead we paid the extra and got this lens instead. It is extremey light (as with most csc lens) and very easy to fit a uv filter onto the lens. It’s pancake form is perfect so the camera can fit into some pockets. First shots show that daylight images are very good – i would even go far and say it outperformed by canon dslr’s 18-55 lens but not by much. At the top end, there is a fair bit of softening of the image. The 14-42 coverage is useful although it will never beat a prime lens. Overall, it’s a good lens for a starter but the beauty of 4/3s is that i can use panasonic lenses as well. I would recommend that you go and try this lens first before parting with any money.

Although the olympus prime lenses are compact, there are times when i want to carry the camera in the side pocket of a jacket, and this lens allows that. Although the slower aperture may be seen as a disadvantage, the is system on the pen f compensates. I am very pleased with the images taken so far, and am surprised that such quality can be achieved with such a small lens.

Works very well, as a slimline replacement to the standard lens. I occasionally have a problem with the auto focus not working properly which i haven’t figured out yet.

I now have several of these lenses, complete with the auto lens caps, as the standard lens on several bodies. The cameras are set to program, single centre point focus and basically straightforward point and shoot. This allows almost instant shooting availability. If there is time i can be more selective in lens used etc. , but this way missed shots are rare, especially in street shooting. Not all the lenses were bought new for obvious reasons. Great with a pen-f, but also works well on any camera with a flip up screen, shooting at waist level, no need to spend time raising it to eye level. Pictured lens on a trusty e-pl7 with screen set for waist level shooting, totally non-threatening compared to an e-m1 with pro lens. Also easier to get pics of grandchildren/pets at their eye level. Sorry it is a silver one, but i do have black¬.

Excellent lens – compact and ideal for travel.

Great little lens for micro 4/3.

Superb addition to my olympus pen f. Makes the camera pocketable so no need to rely on my point and shoot anymore. Quick to focus, very light, silent operation and as sharp as i need it to be.

I bought this lens in place of the zuiko 12-40 pro that preceded it on my olympus om-d e-m5 ii. This pancake zoom is battery powered: you zoom in or out by turning the lens ring one way or another, and the battery does the rest. I found this less easy to operate accurately than a traditional manual zoom. I didn’t do many test shots, knowing i didn’t want to keep the lens, but those i did shoot struck me as being of very ordinary quality indeed. If lightness and compactness are what you want most, this lens may suit you. If you are hoping for superior definition in your images, you may be disappointed with this lens.

Excellent quality,as you would expect from olympus.

Superb quality of images from this lens.

I bought this lens for my dji x5r camera. This attaches to the dji inspire 1 drone. This lens is a perfect balance of size, weight for the optical zoom it provides. When using it with the x5r you will need the applicable balance ring from dji that screws on to the front of the lens. Have taken some great shots with it at full zoom. Paired with the x5r this lens is suitable for daylight aerial photography. You can use it for film but its not great compared to lens with a lower f-stop. Dji do make a point of mentioning this in their guides. Very happy with this purchase and also with the price which is a lot better than some of the drone supplier websites out there.

Wanted this for my om-d e mkii, as a means of being able to pop the camera + lens in to my pocket. Recommend you also get the self closing lens cap to make it truly convenient. 6 can be limiting in low light, just increase iso to compensate, or switch lenses. 8 pro, which is great for low light.

Zuiko 14-42 kit lens, but this is most certainly a big step up in image quality. The lens feels a bit cheap but in use is sturdy. Limited aperture means it struggles in low light. There are a few usability niggles but it is such a step up in image quality and step down in physical size that it is recommended for enthusiastic photographers who understand how to set a camera in different circumstances to get over the lens’ limitations. Highly recommended for street photographers using omd cameras. Prosimage quality: over the kit lens it has greater detail and less lens distortions and colour is far more natural; but also vibrant. Size: being a pancake lens it means that an omd camera fits in a big pocket. Well made: although it feels a bit cheap it is in fact a sturdy everyday lens. Focus ring is fairly smooth and easy to get fine control.

Beautifully made , delightfully compact and with a fantastic auto lenscap there is much to like until you analyse the results. I’ve tried two samples now and although the performance will please the happy snapper brigade it won’t cut the mustard with serious amateurs. Limit print size to a4 and it’s fine but i’m looking to print at 20×30 inches and this is not the lens to use. Try to find some full size samples on the web to see for yourself. Stopped down to f8 things approach normal but open up and both centre and edge sharpness fall below my expectations. If ,like me, you already have a razor sharp standard zoom the this tiny piece of glass becomes a useful addition making the camera pocketable and to be positive it has nice colour and bokeh. Overall i’ve been saddened by the image quality but not surprised that many speak highly of it. It looks and feels good and turns a m4/3 camera into a compact camera albeit with a lesser iq than say a sony rx100 or canon g1x ( i own both so i know ).

Expensive but light weight handy sharp lens.

I am a recent convert to a csc camera coming from a semi-pro dslr. This is a great little lens for travel which was my primary purpose for it. I have an om-d e-m1 with a 12-40 f2. 8 pro lens on most of the time which is just a bit big for snapping on days out. As a comparison to the 12-40 f2. 8 this lens is relatively soft focus-wise and lacks some contrast, especially indoors. Outside, in good light the difference is narrower and image quality is well in excess of any compact i have ever used. That is not surprising though as the two lenses are very different animals but i mention it for those considering these two lens options – if critical sharpness and high contrast are what you want so you can produce pro quality photos worthy of a magazine then this is not the lens for you. If your significant other complains that your camera is too big to lug about or you are looking for something to travel light with and you share your photos with friends (who are not pro photographers) and print an odd one off for the wall then it is a great choice. On an e-m1 the lens sticks out just a couple of millimetres further than the grip on the camera making it only a little bigger than a compact but with the ability to take photos you could happily use in high quality photobooks or to hang on your walls.

Great as a carry around outdoors in good light. You can’t realistically expect anything more from such a lightweight lens.