Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Lens, Standard Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

Product Information

Peak Design's newest Camera Cubes allow you to turn any pack or bag into a camera-carrying accessory. If small size is important this lens will do the job although a good quality compact will do much better. There is no "creep" factor, so it won't slide to the telephoto end of the zoom spectrum while held pointing down. Watch for shutter shake as I found with my E-M10 ; after using the electronic shutter resolution improved.

Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 ED review

Boy was I disappointed; I expected performance similar to other Olympus kit lenses but this one comes nowhere near.

This is the last in our opening series of reviews featuring kit lenses from the 'big five' manufacturers, but is this lens the least in anything other than size? removes this softness significantly, while at 35mm you need to stop down to ƒ/8 to get the sharpest results at that focal length. The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows. Our sample camera was supplied with Olympus’s 14-42mm EZ ‘pancake’ zoom and this has already caused some controversy in the Digital Camera World offices.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III EZ Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III EZ

If I compare your resolution charts for the two lenses I see very little difference but in practice one is fit for A4 prints and one for A3.As kit lenses go, the 14-42mm is quite nice, and its compact design is quite welcome when handling the E-P1. Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. Lots of APS-C mirrorless bodies are small, but the lenses aren’t, so the Olympus does indeed have a clear advantage for travellers. Lack of reach on the long end or width on the short, speed and auto-focus speed are usually what drives people to consider other alternatives.

Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ED M.Zuiko Digital Review Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ED M.Zuiko Digital Review

But there are plenty of reasons why this is the best pancake lens on the market –and why it has been included as a kit lens for years with the best Olympus cameras (OM System). I think what happens often is that people immediately deem a lens to be inferior simply because it's viewed as a "kit" lens without actually using it. Previous designs require the user to turn the zoom ring to extend the body of the lens so it's ready to use, accompanied by a helpful text on the camera body.

This lens was the original kit lens for the Evolt E-330, which has arguably been replaced by the 14-42mm Zuiko. Overall, quite good performance used wide open, better stopped down slightly, and soft in the wide and tele ranges at ƒ/22. Olympus' second iteration of the kit lens was a marginal improvement: it felt more solid, and offered much better sharpness than previously. As you can see in the photo above, though, the lens is 6mm longer than its predecessor, owing partly to the accessory bayonet mount on the front (See Accessory Lenses below). and an Oly 9-18 ultrawide, I haven't used the WCON-P01 much, but I really liked using it before I upgraded my equipment.

Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ ED M.Zuiko Digital Review Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ ED M.Zuiko Digital Review

This is the kind of lens that's only possible on Micro Four Thirds, making it an absolute travel and everyday essential for Olympus / OM System and Panasonic shooters. The collapsing lens is a little strange, but it does make the camea smaller and easier to put in the bag.

I say "fixed ultra-wide" because I tested it some - if you zoom in at all with the WCON-01 attached, the results get TERRIBLE very fast. The new Wacom One 12 pen display, now in its second generation, offers photographers an affordable option to the mouse or trackpad, making processing images easy and efficient by editing directly on the screen. It also incorporates a circular aperture diaphragm, which Olympus claim should provide 'beautiful rendition' of defocused areas of the image, and indeed consider to be one of the big advantages of this lens.