relative quality of base Oly 4/3 kit zooms

[thomas_dannhauser]

I am considering purchasing a two zoom-lens Olympus E-500 dSLR kit

(with 14-45 and 40-150 zoom lenses). My research and reading

suggests these have significantly better build and optical quality

than similar kit lenses offered with Canon or Nikon dSLR's. My

current film camera is a Canon ElanII with 28-105 3.5/4.5 and 100-300

4.5/5.6 zooms. How would you compare the Olympus lenses to these

Canon offerings with respect to build, optics, handling? Thanks for

your answers!

[Greg M]

First, I have to say the two EF lenses you have would not qualify as "kit" lenses, so the comparison wouldn't be completely equal. Build quality is decent with your two EF lenses, but they are also fitted with the very nice ring USM mechanism and will run circles around the two kit Olympus lenses in the focus speed area. Optically the 40-150 will be nicer than the 100-300 EF lens, which tends not to be as sharp at 300mm as it is at 100mm.

 

Neither Olympus lens has a focus scale built in unlike your two EF lenses, but the overall quality of build of the two Olympus kit lenses is much better than Canon's similar kit type lenses, such as the 18-55 EFS or, in the regular Canon EF mount, the various 28-90 zooms or the 28-105 f4-5.6 Canon zooms you find kitted to various Canon film and/or digital bodies, and they are pretty much the equal or slightly better, build quality-wise, of your two consumer EF lenses. I played with an Evolt 300 at Best Buy recently that was fitted with the 14-45 and I was, after having used a Digital Rebel/18-55 kit lenses for a while, really impressed with how "tight" the build quality was and how smooth the zoom action was. Today I have an E-1 with the 14-54 and 50-200 f2.8-3.5 lenses and they are truly sweet, great feeling lenses to use.

 

Optically you'd be better off with the two Olympus zooms too compared to those Canon "kit" lenses. The 40-150 especially seems to be very nice. The 14-45 looks to make many happy, but if it were me I'd just buy the two lens kit since it's only $200 more to add the two lenses compared to the body only, then get the 14-54 f2.8-3.5 that I have and absolutely love. One thing Olympus does that used to drive me crazy about Canon, Olympus actually INCLUDES the hood with their lenses. Canon does only if you choose to get those expensive L series lenses. Otherwise, it's anywhere from an extra $25-$35 for the Canon brand lens hood.

[thomas_dannhauser]

Greg, thanks for your comments and suggestions. Sounds like optically I will be doing at least as well as my current lenses, but at the compromise of some focussing speed. The loss of the focus distance scale is not crucial to me. Do the Olympus lenses have the equivalent of Canon's FTM feature, or will I need to switch off autofocus before trying to manually focus? Given the smaller viewfinder of the E-500 and my aging eyesight, I'm not sure how much critical manual focus I'm going to be capable of anyway, but I do find I frequently use the FTM feature.

[GerrySiegel]

Given your already informed and relatively refined (no insult there) taste in equipment,from the framing of your question Thomas, your research might well expand to the earlier E-1 model with the well regarded 14-54, and possibly the 50-200mm. Skipping the more plebian E 500...is what I mean. Obviously you are not a slave to the EOS system,which is OK. Very OK.<p>

Olympus,as you know, is lately having a lens sale to move product, until the end of the year I remember, with rebates ont their better lenses. If I had a Canon Elan with your two EOS lenses,( I moved from Canon FD and two flashes etc etc to digital direct) and had the same system choice,... I was smitten 18 mos ago by the idea of owning a really refined body with high tech optics and seals at a price that still computed for me... I suggest the non kit Zuiko lenses would be a smart way to go . the E 500 will be around as a second body for some time. And KEH will in a year be maybe almost giving away kit lenses tha got redundified.. The E-1, but mainly, more germane to your Q, the mid range Zuiko digital lenses are more to be prized for the qualities you enumerate in your Q. A kit lens for one hundred dollars likely does not aspire to be more than what it is, a good value, and a good start against the EF-S lineup. A four hundred plus ED and aspheric weather sealed lens. Well,as Greg knows the pleasure of good optics and I am sure Thomas will have no remorse if buying same. As mom said, cry once, not for a year, the spectacle of what do they call it Buyer's Remorse. Thanks for entertaining another second opinion. And welcome to the Olympus party. There will be a pin and a baseball cap coming soon. I jest,but I bet there already are...Gerry.( Not up on all the latest bench tests, but I know what I like, have opinions in this forum on Olympus product after fair amount of non professional use in my corner of the world.) Alo-ha. GS

[thomas_dannhauser]

Informed...refined... gee, I hope the swelling in my head goes down enough for me to fit back through the door!

 

Gerry, thanks for your note. I have to agree with you -- buying quality (in anything) isn't something that one (usually) regrets or complains about in the future. My current photography is certainly not limited by my current equipment, nor would it be by an E-500 kit (I think), but I can't deny that I'm tempted with at least the 14-54. What I really need to do now is find some of this equipment locally so I can try handling them to see if they "fit".... should be able to do that with the E-500, but the E-1 and better zooms may be harder to locate near me.

 

Thanks again for your comments.

[daniel_kreithen1]

The Olympus (well, the E-1 anyway, best to check the owners manual for the E-500) will not do a full-time manual focus. It has a similar (but not identical) feature, though, which is that you can set it to single autofocus, and after it completes its focussing, then it will switch to manual automatically. This allows you to "touch up" the autofocus if you feel it has not focussed on what you had really intended. Functionally, it is similar to FTM focussing, but not identical. As I said, I know the E-1 does this, but it's best to check on the E-500. Perhaps the users manual is downloadable from the Olympus website.

[GerrySiegel]

Does not the lever on the left side body of the E-1 when set to the MF position have the functional equivalent of the- what did you call it- the FTM switch arrangement on the individual Canon EOS lenses? Just a learning question,never owned or worked with an EOS lens. I actually I am asking Daniel for a clarification of his comment if he pleases. Thanks.

[daniel_kreithen1]

I think what full-time focus means in Canon-land is that even if the camera (and lens) are set to autofocus, you can still grab the focus ring and focus manually (to touch up the focus, for example). This is only possible with some lenses, I think they need USM motors to do so (i.e., the cheap lenses cannot do this). Of course, the E-1 can be set to manual focus, but that's not what I think he was referring to. But you can set the E-1 body to S.AF + MF, which means that it will do a single autofocus action, then immediately enable manual focus. I think it's a menu setting.

[Greg M]

Yes, in FTM with an EOS lens equipped with the RING USM motor you leave the AF setting on. Once the lens focuses you can touch up the focus up by simply using the manual focus ring. Of course, you have to keep the shutter release pressed in half-way while doing it or AF kicks back in and re-focuses. You also have to have the camera set to single AF mode. In continuous mode it won't work since the camera never stops focussing. Not all USM lenses have the feature and, quite honestly, it wasn't something I think I ever used the entire time I was shooting with the Elan 7 film body or with either the 10D or Digital Rebel. "USM" lenses made with the cheaper micro USM motors don't offer full time manual focusing with one exception- the 50mm f1.4. They had to add some sort of mechanical linkage in order to enable that lens to do it.

 

To be honest, at least with the Canon consumer line (Digital Rebels and 10D, 20D etc) the screens are so dim/small and the throw on EOS lenses are so short I could never have focussed manually as accurately as the system does it. The focus scale on my 17-40L from closest focus to infinity was incredibly short- just being a hair off was enough to be way out of focus.

[thomas_dannhauser]

Dan, Greg --

 

Thanks for pointing out the AF-S feature on the E-1.... looks like the E-500 also has that. That may be a very good substitute for the Canon FTM feature; I'll be sure to try it when examining the camera.