Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II AF Zuiko Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

by Olympus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 1 x 1 inches ; 1.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001TKRLRU
• Item model number: 14-54mm II
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Olympus 14-54mm II f2.8/3.5 LensBox Contents: 14-54mm II F2.8/3.5 Zuiko Digital Lens, Lens Hood, Lens Cap Frt & Rear, Lens Case, Warranty Card, Instructions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice alternative to the 12-60, August 29, 2009

By 

Middle age tech freak (Auburn, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II AF Zuiko Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I have the 11-22mm Oly lens (which is a fabulous lens) but wanted a little longer coverage for day-to-day use. Rave reviews for the original version of this lens convinced me I needed it. The 12-60mm is another highly rated lens, but I have the wide end covered, so this was a great alternative. It's also several hundred dollars cheaper, so it was an easy choice for me.

My E-30 can take advantage of the 'High-speed imager AF' for use in LiveView, but some other Oly cameras cannot so you might as well get the original 14-54mm in that case if you can. That's really the only thing the "II" model brings to the table.

It's a beautiful lens, with superb image quality as its predecessor is well-known for. There are lots of reviews and tests out on the web, they all agree on what a great lens this is. The 12-60mm is certainly a top lens, so if you want things a little wider and longer, it may be the right choice for you if you only have room for one lens. This one would not let you down though!

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Prime Zoom for E-620, October 3, 2009

By 

-Ashi- (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II AF Zuiko Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

Updated Review (September 17, 2011).

I now have used both Zuiko 12-60mm f2.8-3.5 SWD, as well as Zuiko's flagship 14-35mm f2 SWD, now it's time for a comparative review. I am also more competent with Four Thirds system now, so hopefully it'll help prospective buyers even further (lens is a big investment). In depth reviews will be available for each lens in their respective Amazon page, so please look for them.

I believe this lens is the best bang for the money. It is most suitable for most people who is looking for a size/cost/performance balance. Its optical performance is very competitive. However, it is the circular diaphragm with seven-blades that makes this lens stand much higher above than other brands' offerings of similar price.

Size:
The reviewed lens is the shortest of the three Zuiko lenses I mentioned. While Zuiko 12-60mm SWD is only marginally larger, it extends much longer than 14-54mm II, so keep that in mind. Zuiko 14-35mm SWD is very big to begin with, and it doesn't extend outward much at all when zoomed out. All three lenses are shortest at their shortest focal length.

Weight.
Their weights are 440g vs 575g vs 900g (15.5oz vs 20.3oz vs 31.7oz), with 14-54mm II the lightest and 14-35mm SWD the heaviest (no surprise there). Couple them with E-620, E-30, and E-5 respectively for best balance. Though matching the lens with the body one step up/down won't pose a problem. I rented 14-35mm SWD to use with my E-620 and I can say it's not a good match in term of balance.

Optics:
Very excellent. Minimal distortion. Manageable CA (usually around corner when using toward the widest end. Very clean and uniform CA, so it's the fixable with software). Vignette might be a problem under certainly lighting, but not a deal breaker. If you have an E-620, this is the lens I recommend because of value. I would recommend 12-60mm SWD for its marginally sharper image under pixel peeping. That lens's edge-to-edge sharpness is higher, but this one is already better than competitors, so it's not a big issue unless you're really scrutinizing every detail. Center sharpness is pretty much the same. This lens has the advantage over Zuiko 12-60mm SWD in aperture schedule. This lens doesn't reach f3.5 end until it hits 54mm. The higher end Zuiko 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD however, is f2.9 at 14mm and reaches f3.5 as early as 27mm, so it is in fact, the slower of the two lenses. So you'd have to make the decision: do you prefer sharpness or speed? Absolute sharpness, go for 12-60mm SWD. If you prefer more flexible aperture range, this lens is your friend.

If you have money and don't mind the weight, go for 14-35mm f2 SWD as it is the best of two worlds. It has absolutely no noticeable vignette or other optical defects. That lens is Super High Grade for a reason.

Auto-focus:
If you use PDAF (through the lens type, the kind used by traditional SLR and when you use optical viewfinder), both 12-60mm and this lens are good performer. Surprisingly, 14-35mm SWD is the slowest on E-620 (I don't know how it performs on E-5 with updated firmware).

If you use CDAF (continuous focus, the type of focus when you use LCD LiveView to focus or for tracking focus), this lens is the fastest as it has High Speed Imager Auto Focus mode, which is the same as Olympus Pen's, so you can use this lens on Olympus Pen cameras with adapter with minimal penalty on AF speed. SWD type of AF is most beneficial when using PDAF or when using MF, as it is mechanically coupled (which means you can do manual focus even when you're on auto focus mode, which is very beneficial when you like to MF. I always AF first then fine tune with MF so SWD is very very good for me).

Other perks:
This uses 67mm filter thread. That means, you can share filter with the excellent Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD for a complete 14-200mm system without the "filter tax." Yes, quality filters are expensive. Cheap filters deteriorate your lens's quality. Keep in mind the three lenses I am talking about here are all High Grade (HG) and up lenses. At least get yourself Hoya HMC UV(C) Filter - UV - 67 mm or my favorite Sigma EX DG 67mm Multi-Coated UV Filter to protect the front element from scratches (which happens when you clean your lens) or salt water/sand damage when you go to a beach. Yes, this lens is weather proof, so only front element is most susceptible to the damage I mentioned. I've never had any of my Zuiko HG 4/3 lenses experiencing fogging or dust particles inside or any problem like that for the past two years. Weather seal does work! Do clean your lens after you went to a beach though. Salt is your biggest enemy and it comes in invisible water vapor form.

Built-quality:
The moment you hold a HG and up Olympus Zuiko lens, you know it's different from other crops of cameras...(pun intended :o)). In this modern society, it feels like everything is made of plastic. All three lenses mentioned is made with metal barrel. The outer layer coated with glass fibre reinforced plastic, the same high quality, durable material used in your Olympus 4/3 DSLRs for a seamless integration. I don't know about you, I hate it when color of the lens and body don't match. That's not a problem with Olympus regular 4/3 DSLRs (don't know why Pen cameras tend to have that two-tone problem...). Any of your Zuiko HG and up lenses look good on any of Olympus DSLRs because they look like one piece, not Frankenstein of camera. Olympus DSLRs may look boring at first, but after a while you know you got a winner, because my E-620 still looks like new even after all these years. Choice of materials is often overlooked by competitors for the sake of cost saving, but Olympus certainly isn't cheap with their DSLR offerings. It's a shame they're favoring m4/3 over 4/3 now, because everyone who have used a 4/3 for some time know the understated beauty in the design, externally and internally (i.e., functionality).

I hope Olympus continue to make high quality product like this.

Old review:

I bought an Olympus E-620 as my first move from P&S world to DSLR (hooray!). After I read a serious amount of reviews, I decided to go with Zuiko 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 II because I believe it's the best first/primary lens for the money.

For comparison purpose, my other lens considerations include: 1) Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 ED SWD (I can't afford it, but it's the highest rated lens of its type; has some complex distortion at its widest end); 2) Olympus Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 ED SWD (also highly rated, but I need a prime zoom first before I invest more); 3) Panasonic/Leica 14-50mm OIS (can't afford...). The P&S camera I stepped up from is Panasonic DMC-LX3, which has a fixed Leica Summicron F2.0-2.8, focal length is 24-60mm (35mm equivalent). I did not purchase the kit lens (which is Olympus ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6), so I can't do a proper comparison. That lens is lighter and shorter, and this one is marginally sharper, from what I read. That lens is made in China and this one is made in Japan and with metal body construction (that one does not have metal body nor metal mount).

As mentioned before, this lens is used with my newly purchased E-620; I had no prior experience with DSLR other than playing with my brother's Minolta Maxxum 7D briefly. This is my first DSLR lens, so no other first-hand experience with other lenses. For image quality (IQ) comparison purpose, the Leica Summicron on my Panny LX3 will be used as the benchmark.

1. Construction: This item is just like E-620 body, which is built like a tank! At 440g/15.5oz, the lens feels very solid and high quality in hand. The lens, lens hood, and rear lens cap are built in Japan. The lens cap is built in China, as well as the soft lens carrying pouch. The high quality plastic lens hood is attached to the lens via bayonet mount and fit snugly. It can be stored by reversing the hood toward the body, and will partly block the focus ring when the lens is at its shortest length (but you can still turn it with a little effort). It'll gently click to let you know it's properly locked into position. Both rubber rings (zoom and focus) are butter smooth when turned. The lens is from Olympus's Pro line and the quality matches that of the name.

2. Balance: This is the kit lens for Olympus's mid-end E30, but it balances with the much smaller E-620 very well. The combination feels very solid. The size of the barrel matches that of the mount on E-620 as if they were made for each other. I ran on a hiking trail with the camera secured in hand without feeling the lens might dive south. That's a good balance. The lens barrel is about 4" long when retracted (at 14mm focal length) and about 4 3/4" long when fully extended (at 54mm). See picture I submitted for detail.

3. Image Quality: Compare with the result coming from LX3, which has a smaller censor (1/1.6" CCD vs E-620's 4/3 LiveMOS), the IQ is marginally better, but cleaner noise level with sufficient natural light. It also has a much better dynamic range (no surprise). The water reflection can look mirror like instead of mushy. In low light condition, LX3's larger aperture will turn into its favor, providing better end result than E-620/Zuiko... Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Lens!!!, October 17, 2009

By 

J. Kvanbeck - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II AF Zuiko Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

This is the best lens for the cost of things. It picks up so much more color and takes beautiful images even in low light situation such as theatre. I combined it with a B&W UV filter for indoors and a B&W Polarizer for outdoor shooting. That was my best decision to make, to put alittle more money down on filters but the outcome is amayzing.