Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Zuiko ED Digital SLR Lens for E1, E300 & E500 Cameras

Other products by Olympus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 5.2 x 5.1 inches ; 15.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0000ET9DG
• Item model number: 261001-14-54
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #18 in

  Camera & Photo > Lenses > SLR Camera Lenses > Digital SLR Lenses

• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 10, 2003

Product Description

Product Description

The Zuiko Digital 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 is a standard zoom lens with a zoom range equivalent to 28 to 108mm on a 35mm film camera. Delivers superb image quality in a compact size by using a 3-aspherical glass lens construction with F2.8-3.5 brightness. A zoom ring on the lens offers traditional dial zooming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent mid-range zoom lens, January 16, 2007

By	John L. Hemingway (Macomb, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Photographers from novice to entry-level pro will appreciate the quality of 14-54mm. It fills the need for a fast, sharp, and adaptable digital lens at a reasonable price. Though its focal length (28-108mm optical equivalent) isn't suited for shooting in confined spaces (look at the 11-22mm Zuiko for that) or for pulling in distant wildlife or sports action (maybe the 50-200mm Zuiko would be better), the 14-54mm is close to ideal for the image making most of us do most of the time. It's almost always on my E-500 and if I can take only one lens with me, this is the one.

The 14-54mm's color rendition is outstanding and it's generally very sharp from center to edge. Not surprisingly, it performs best in the middle apertures (say, f/5.6 to f/11) with no noticeable fall off at either end of its focal range. There is some very, very slight softness when zoomed fully out or in, in which case it's probably best not to shoot wide open or closed down (boost the ISO a touch instead) -- a general rule of thumb, anyway. Nothing here would stop me from buying the lens again in an instant.

The f/2.8-3.5 aperture range allows reasonable control over depth of field, e.g., to soften backgrounds when shooting portraits. The lens is fairly light and compact, with a good feel on the camera, at least on my E-500. (And contrary to another reviewer's comment, as long as you put the lens hood on properly, it won't block the lens at any focal length.) Note that if you stack filters (e.g., a UV and a polarizer) you're likely to get some very modest vignetting, which may also occur at full wide if you use a single filter with a thicker frame. This happens with almost all wider angle lenses (and can easily be addressed using standard image editing software).

Good lenses do make a difference. The 14-54mm is a good lens, and not just because of the price. As a modestly serious amateur photographer, I've had it for several months now, have shot a couple of thousand images -- some as tests and some for keeps -- and have no complaints about the 14-54mm at all.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best standard zoom around, February 1, 2005

By	Danijel Turina (Croatia) - See all my reviews

I've been using it on my E1 for a while, and it proved to be an excellent lens. Sure, my Minolta MD 35-70mm f/3.5 (Leica Vario-Elmar) beats it in bokeh and image beauty, and any 50m Planar will beat it in absolute sharpness, but this one has almost the bokeh of a Minolta, and almost the sharpness of a prime; it's reasonably fast for a zoom and has the best range of focal lengths one can reasonably hope for (28-108mm equivalent). It's good for everything, although not absolutely perfect for any particular thing. That makes it the standard zoom of choice.

Flaws: cyan fringing (chromatic aberations) on the wide end, particularly on the edges and wide open. Vignetting on the long end. Target-shaped bokeh, especially visible when shooting macro. That's about it. Oh yes, very resistent to flare, the coating is excellent.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice piece of glass! Glad I bought it!, April 19, 2006

By	Big Mo (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I bought this lens for my Olympus E500 and sold the kit lens on Ebay. So far I have not regrets. Like many of you who are reading these reviews, I wondered how much difference this lens would make over the 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. I can tell you from my experience that the extra stop helps alot for those photos taken inside with less then optimal light (such as the lighting in your average household). I also noticed an improvement in photos I have taken on a dark overcast winter day in downtown Boston. Not that these photos are not possible with the kit lens, the 14-54mm lens just seems to requires less effort. Bright, sunny situations have not made that much of a difference but just about anything looks good on a bright sunny day. Also, you can focus within inches of a subject which is great for the occasional macro photo. The focal distance indicator on the lens barrel has come in handy a couple of times. Especially in darker situations where the autofocus might have trouble and no flash is allowed.