Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6

Olympus_14-42mm

Average Rating (# of reviews: 1)

Body / Lens Quality:
Usability:
Features:
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Review List

Body / Lens Quality: 7
Usability: 6
Features: 4
Image Quality: 7
Price: 7
Average: 6.20

I bought a Panasonic G-1; it came with the mighty Lumix 14-45mm. Then, I bought an E-PL1, which came with the Olympus 14-42mm. I’ve used them interchangeably on both cameras. The Lumix is much better.

That said, why did these two manufacturers waste time and resources essentially developing their own separate versions of the same lens? Why didn’t they collaborate on lens design and cross-licensing during the launch of this new format? They could have come out of the gate with a set of more useful, faster lenses, both prime and zoom. Then as the format succeeded, they could decide to continue collaborating, or not. Seems short-sighted and redundant!

As for this lens, with its weird release system, it’s not as ‘user friendly’ as the Lumix, nor is it as well-designed. For this reason, I stopped using it; I only use the Lumix with both cameras now.

Visit JJ Semple - the author of this review

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