Image courtesy: ePhotozine
ePhotozine is busy testing new Olympus lenses:
1) Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 ED Premium Lens Review (Click here).
This lens is certainly capable of producing excellent quality images, with sharpness being excellent in the centre of the frame from maximum aperture. It’s well built, lightweight and reasonably compact. The price of this lens may limit its appeal a little, even though it’s not really an expensive lens.
25mm f/1.8 Black at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
25mm f/1.8 Silver at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
2) Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens Review (Click here):
This lens delivers outstanding sharpness through much of the zoom range at maximum aperture and sports a robust, dust and splash proof build, all while remaining compact and lightweight. The excellent performance of this lens will certainly win it many fans, that’s for sure.
12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, AmazonDE (viaDL), Amazon ES (via DL).
24 Responses
(Spoken in a zombie like voice). Review…review….Consume….consume…. More …better….best…..consume….better than that….better than yours….consume….buy this… Buy that…etc…etc..
Consume or die you zombie!
This site is like Zombie magnet
This lens isn’t selling, it’s too expensive for what it is.. It’s an average lens and you’re better off getting the better Panny/Leica 25mm.
Even on Amazon, the P/L 25mm is SECOND on the CSC lens charts, only behind the Panasonic 20mm! http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/photo/7161083011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_p_1_4_last
This is a clear example of M43 being a too expensive for-what-it-is-system. I mean, you can get the Canon nifty fifty for around a $100.00! This lens is made of the same cheap plastic as the 45mm, it dents and scratches TOO easily. It shouldn’t cost more than the Sigma lenses for M43.
My opinion, spend more and get the better 25mm for M43.
Agree the 25 is worth it. Buttery bokeh at 1.4.
I agree with you on you last line(although the pana 25 is big), but the rest is just you typical anti-Olympus bullshit.
The Canon 50mm is a steal, but not very sharp wide open(yes, it’s becomes very sharp at F4 and higher, but then it won’t have anything going on the M43 in terms of DoF what some people like so much it’s ridiculous) and there will be no Canon 50mm/camera combination that has autofocus as fast as the Oly 25mm nor will it be as light and compact, nor will it ever be stabilized.
There’s always Lumix whiner, in shape of troll or just an douchebag. 🙂
Yup, those Canon fifties have also an old design. Quite useless to take them into comparision.
Typical Oly BS?
You just showed your allegiance. I called out Micro Four Thirds, not just Olympus. It’s too expensive as a whole.
I want more bang for my buck for my money, which is why M43 will be my secondary camera option, when it used to be my Primary camera, even over my 6D!
and seriously, if it was about my expenses, I would have kept my 6D and invest in lenses that are bigger, but have I.S., and are similar in price to the more expensive M43 counterparts. But i don’t like OVF’s. If Canon were to make the 7DmkII with a hybrid VF, it would cause a stir and become a hit.
If you want pure bang for buck, then maybe it’s wise to look elsewhere.
For me the m43 system is the right compromise between good image quality, super fast auto focus, good ergonomics, great lenses, and compact camera/lens combinations.
No it(m43) doesn’t have the best DoF control, does not have the ultimate picture quality, and yes it does have some more noise at higher iso’s, all compared to FF camera’s. But those camera’s are huge and old fashioned(canon/nikon) or are seriously lacking lots of stuff(Sony A7 – “system”).
I am looking elsewhere, which is why I’m looking to Fuji as my primary camera. I feel Fuji has the Best compromise between image quality, super fast auto focus, good ergonomics, great lenses, and compact camera/lens combinations.
Panasonic seems to finally “get it” with making smaller lenses, while Olympus wants to return to 43. Then there’s Leica’s APS-C around the corner, with a very good chance that Panasonic will have a Lumix APS-C camera next.
First you are saying you want bang for buck with cheap 50mm equivalent lenses, and then you’ll say you’re going to Fuji. The XF35 is a fine lens, but it’s even more expensive then the Oly and Pana lenses.
Go troll somewhere else…
Nothing wrong with Fuji though, on the contrary: one of the more innovating camera company’s.
Too expensive. In UK now buy a GH3 and get free Summilux 25mm
Argh, 2 broken links on this farm link site (getolympus)… Watch out admin, you’re loosing cash…
Expensive Oly… Pana is cheap… and it’s better… for that money… and bokeh at f1.4 is awesome… 25mm’s best… suits well for my style… it’s Leica… I agree with MrALLCAPS… damn MFT…
This is strange, because in Romania the Olympus 25 f/1.8 is roughly 100 euros cheaper than the Panasonic 25 f/1.4.
Interesting..in the US the Panny is roughly $230 more than the Olympus at B&H.
Oly $399
Panny $628
Both include hoods.
How long usually before a lens drops in price? I need the 25 soon, but I would hate to buy it and learn of a sale right after grrrrrr..The Pana seems to have problems on Oly cams @MrALLCAPS
What kind of problems?
Rattle, chromatic aberration, etc..read it somewhere while i was researching and decided to go with the Olympus instead. (I have an OMD EM5)
Ah. thanks. Didn’t know that. For me the Oly would win due to size and price.
It simply rattles like a snake when in bright light, but it’s not a problem if you do not take videos. Actually I prefer the rendering of the PanaLeica.
Why do Pana lenses often rattle on Oly bodies? Strangely, I haven’t heard the opposite direction.
It appears to me that more than reviews they are just copy and paste essays with very small variations.
Reading the two reviews, for very different lenses, was just a dejà vu going from one review to the other.
The other thing that appalled me is that they say the 12 40mm has a plastic barrel…way too much copy&paste or just shocking superficiality from the reviewer…
Oh well, in any case it’s always way better to read real world reviews (many of them) to develop a (vague) idea about the lens one wants to buy. These reviews don’t say very much…
BTW, I do have both lenses: how in the world do you nudge the mf clutch when changing lenses with the 12 40mm? It has a ribbed grip just around the lens mount to turn it, just like any other Oly lens I tried, and plenty of barrel surface to grab while handling it…is the reviewer grabbing the lens like a tennis racket grip? :-/