Customer Reviews

Olympus 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens for E1, E300 & E500 Cameras

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pros:
- Excellent zoom range
- Light weight
- Very inexpensive
- Sharp
- Minimal distortion

Cons:
- Slower/noisier focus than my 14-54
- Front element turns while focusing (inconvenient with a polarizer)
- Not weather sealed
- Modest maximum aperture

This lens is not a 50-200, but at $175 I didn't expect it to be. Eventually I would like a 50-200, but for now this is a great addition to my E-1 system. This is actaully a better dry-weather hiking lens than the 50-200 due to the weight difference. Overall, this is probably the best lens in terms of "bang for the buck" in the entire Olympus line-up. A close second is the 35 mm 1:1 Macro. Conclusion: I highly recommend this lens.

I have been waiting for some time to buy a longer telephoto for my
Olympus E1, than the 14-40 that came with it. I thought about getting
the wider / longer offering, but for budgetary reasons, decided on the
40 - 150 Zuiko. I have used it both alone, and with my 1.4 X Teleconverter
Its performance is fabulous! Plenty fast, very good image quality,
reasonable focus response. The lens is a good buy in my book.
Short delivery time and impressive performance.

Just a beautiful handling,very sharp lens that for the price is worth every penny. Excellent sharpness and contrast.

I prefer shooting people and indoors, so I couldn't warrant spending too much on a zoom lens. This one had solid reviews and seems to be clearance priced (as it is discontinued, so out with the old?)

So why did I choose this discontinued (older) model over the newer one?
Let's compare:

Old has F3.5-4.5, New has F4.0-5.6.
Old weighs 15.75 oz/450g, New 7.8oz/220g
Old runs about 30 bucks more (well based on marketlace)
They both have the same Minimum Focal Length: 40mm
Both have near same magnification .12x (old) and .14x (new)
Old Dimensions: 4.21" Length x 3" Diameter
New Dimensions: 2.83" Length x 2.58" Diameter

Bottom line is I wanted to be able to use this one indoors, so I paid more and will endure it weighing near twice as much.
One plus side is that my 14-42 kit lens is f5.6@42mm, where as this one is f3.5@40mm. So, this lens is better for taking indoor (lower light) portrait shots with a good blurred background.

The pictures have been amazingly sharp too.
Very satisfied with my purchase.

I was looking for another E-Volt compatible lens that would complement the lens that came with my camera, but had more magnification. It does the job beautifully and I have no complaints as Zuiko is the primary lens supplier for Olympus E-series cameras. I would recommend this product to anyone who has an E-series camera.

I purchased this 4/3 lens for use on a Leica Digilux. I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this lens. It is a very good performer, and for the price cannot be beat.

I bought this lens separately and very happy i did. The standard lens is a good lens and this blows the shorter lens away. It is my "carry lens" despite the size, which is suprising. It is a very fast lens for the price and focal length and blows away the "kit lenses" that come with the canon and nikon's. This lens with the 14-45 covers most of the bases. Any upgrade wont start with this lens but rather a faster short lens ($400). And then the new 18-300 ($800-900). You'll have little reason to replace this lens even as you put more money into your kit. In fact if i were going to spend the money id skip the 14-45 and get this lens, the 300 and the pro quality short lens. If i only had one lens with the e500 this would be it.

I have a E-510 and bought this lens, because I frequently shoot in the shade of trees and reeds and want the extra stop of light (f3.5-4.5 vs f4.0-5.6) this lens offers when zoomed all the way out (150mm) over the current Olympus kit 40-150mm and also because its being offered at closeout prices.

Comparing it to the current 410/510 kit 40-150mm, it is a bigger, heavier lens (not twice the size but maybe 1.5 times the size and probably the weight as well). It feels and looks like the construction was more expensive on it than the current kit lens (probably why they're not making these anymore). Adorama packed it very well. If you're looking for a economical 40-150mm or want that extra stop of light out at 150mm over your 410/510 kit 40-150mm, this is a great deal. I doubt they'll be available much longer - judging by the price. Recommended.

This lens (Zuiko 40-150mm f3.5-4.5) is no longer in production by Olympus, but still widely available. I considered this lens and the new model (examining each closely in person, and shooting test shots with an E-520, on several occasions in local photo stores) which replaces it, and chose this lens hands down.

Pro:

*Equal or better image quality to the new model: chromatic aberration, barrel distortion. Sharpness and contrast, based on comparison shots I have seen elsewhere, and other pro reviews, favor this old model, just slightly.
*Faster than new model by almost 1/2 (wide) to 3/4 (long) a stop. At the long end its enough (1.1 more aperture) to make a big difference shooting birds or candid portraits.
*True zoom lens, i.e. focus remains the same after zooming for a given object at a given distance. This is handy when performing manual focus, since Olympus dSLRs (and most others) lack an old-fashioned micro-prism or other obvious focusing screen.
*Metal mount
*Made in Japan, not China
*Smooth zoom and focus, especially for persons with larger hands.
*Appearance: this model looks like a 'real' lens; the new model looks a bit like a toy, I think.

Con:

*More expensive (though not always), since new ones are getting hard to find.
*Much larger (107mm v. 65mm) and heavier (450g v. 220g) than new model. It is still a relatively light lens at just under a pound, and a very reasonable size which wouldn't even be noticeable if the new model weren't so remarkably small.
*Very noisy autofocus. So loud, that at first I thought it was broken, until I read up on the lens.

Much has been made of the small size and light weight of the new model. It is dramatically smaller and lighter than this lens, certainly (but then it is also much less robust). Also, the new model is an "ED" lens, and therefore more highly corrected for chromatic aberration. Having said all that, the old model is faster (particularly at the long end, where in a mid-long lens it really counts): 3.5--4.5 v. 4.0--5.6. The old model is not ED, but then it does not NEED to be. By designing a lens formula as small and light as the new 40-150, Olympus necessitated the use of an ED correcting element. This larger lens needs no such correction to achieve at least equal performance; I have noticed NO barrel/pincushion/RL distortion, & very little CA with this lens, and then only in "textbook" cases of shots examined at high magnification. The build quality of this older lens is also clearly much higher, with a metal mount and altogether better materials used for the barrel and rings; very solid and well put together. This lens is made in Japan, unlike all other standard grade Zuiko, and some of the mid-grade, which are made in China.

Altogether I'd highly recommend this lens over the new model, unless the large size/weight difference is really critical to you. I have not found the difference of 1.5" and 7 oz. to ever be such a deal-breaker in packing a camera bag, or shouldering gear. A totally practical lens, and I am entirely happy and satisfied with it. The 250 of so images I have shot so far are very good to excellent: sharp, contrasty, significantly faster, and without consistent or serious defects (granted my composition), and I think if you had the chance to examine and shoot both old and new models, you would also choose the old model, while its still available (and knowing what I do now, I'd buy a clean used copy of the old model over the new one, hands-down).

Well it is my time to say how good or bad. Well first auto focus is fast, 3.5 is bright enough, 4.5 is faster than the kit lens. Image quality is great all through the focal length, super sharp at 60 to 90 mm with tripod. I got this for my E510 at Cameta Camera for only $129.
I was worried to get this from Cameta Camera because of the price but after a few weeks of wondering I just bought it from them. It came well packed with front & rear caps + lens hood in good bubble wrap, thanks Cameta Camera I will buy from you again. Soon I will get the 70 to 300mm.
Factory demo EXCELLENT CONDITION. Works like new I have photo to prove it.

PROS
Fast auto focus
Very sharp images
Large hood for blocking excess light
Reasonable weight
(Metal mount) better than hard plastic
Smooth & firm zoom.

CONS
Not so good in low light conditions & night
Front barrel rotates for focus not good for circular polarized
Minimum focus distance too long 1.5m.

Over all a wise choice and must have lens, with Olympus Cameras IS system I wouldn't worry too much about a tripod for daytime use.