Jock Elliott
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Troy, NY
The Travel Lens Pack, which contains the Olympus 14-150mm zoom and the 17mm f/1.8 prime, has had the effect of transforming my opinion of the OMD EM5.
Don’t get me wrong: the OMD EM5 is a fine camera. I picked one up as a factory refurb with the 12-50 internally zooming weatherproof lens with the twin thoughts that I would use it in inclement weather and that it would never suck up an image-ruining dust particle as my FZ200 had. (The camera that I carry most often is the Sony HX400V because of its enormous zoom range and the punchy images that it delivers.) But until recently, I hadn’t used the OMD EM5 all that much.
When my FZ200 picked up a dust particle and so did my LX100 (with these fixed lens cameras, getting rid of the dust particle requires an expensive trip to the camera repair shop), I got rid of them. But now I had no low light camera (the HX400V does many things well, but low light is not one of them), so I began casting about for one.
It seemed reasonable to look for a fast wide angle prime for the OMD EM5, and a 14mm f/2 caught my eye, but at almost the same time, I noticed that I could purchase the Olympus Travel Lens combo for exactly the same price. I decided to give it a try.
The 14-150 zoom has been a revelation, covering 28mm e to 300mm e with a twist of the zoom ring and up to 600mm e if you are willing to kick in the digital zoom. The autofocus seems to be very fast at all focal lengths. I had some problems getting it to focus on small objects at a distance until I updated to the firmware that provides small focusing areas. In head to head comparisons with the kit lenses for the Canon SL1, I found the Canon lenses to be a hair sharper at 100% (although they require changing lenses in the middle of the zoom range), but the 14-150 is plenty sharp enough for all practical purposes. What’s more, the 14-150 is also weather resistant, which is a plus, although in a bona fide monsoon, I would probably revert to the 12-50. I’ll be covering an event tomorrow and the 14-150 will go with me.
The 17mm f/1.8, though, has shocked me with how much fun it is. But first there was a glitch. When I first mounted it on the OMD EM5, I couldn’t get it to autofocus. The focus square wouldn’t appear, although the focus ring worked just fine. In desperation (remember: Real Men don’t read manuals), I read the manual. The focus ring, it turns out, slides back and forth on the lens barrel. In one position, it is manual focus only, and – street shooters will love this – a depth of field scaled is exposed so you can zone focus. In the second position, autofocus is enabled and you can still manually focus with the focus ring.
The autofocus seems to be instantaneously quick in virtually all conditions . . . press the shutter button, and the AF is locked on so quick it’s like telepathy. It falters only in very, very dark conditions (an unlit room with moonlight bleeding in through a window), at which point the shooter can provide some help with the focus ring. Bottom line: with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, if you can see it, you can take a picture of it.
Frankly, I am so pleased with the OMD/Travel Lens combo that if someone were to ask me for an m4/3 recommendation, I would say: “Get an Olympus body and the Travel Lens Kit, and, well, enjoy!”
Cheers, Jock
Don’t get me wrong: the OMD EM5 is a fine camera. I picked one up as a factory refurb with the 12-50 internally zooming weatherproof lens with the twin thoughts that I would use it in inclement weather and that it would never suck up an image-ruining dust particle as my FZ200 had. (The camera that I carry most often is the Sony HX400V because of its enormous zoom range and the punchy images that it delivers.) But until recently, I hadn’t used the OMD EM5 all that much.
When my FZ200 picked up a dust particle and so did my LX100 (with these fixed lens cameras, getting rid of the dust particle requires an expensive trip to the camera repair shop), I got rid of them. But now I had no low light camera (the HX400V does many things well, but low light is not one of them), so I began casting about for one.
It seemed reasonable to look for a fast wide angle prime for the OMD EM5, and a 14mm f/2 caught my eye, but at almost the same time, I noticed that I could purchase the Olympus Travel Lens combo for exactly the same price. I decided to give it a try.
The 14-150 zoom has been a revelation, covering 28mm e to 300mm e with a twist of the zoom ring and up to 600mm e if you are willing to kick in the digital zoom. The autofocus seems to be very fast at all focal lengths. I had some problems getting it to focus on small objects at a distance until I updated to the firmware that provides small focusing areas. In head to head comparisons with the kit lenses for the Canon SL1, I found the Canon lenses to be a hair sharper at 100% (although they require changing lenses in the middle of the zoom range), but the 14-150 is plenty sharp enough for all practical purposes. What’s more, the 14-150 is also weather resistant, which is a plus, although in a bona fide monsoon, I would probably revert to the 12-50. I’ll be covering an event tomorrow and the 14-150 will go with me.
The 17mm f/1.8, though, has shocked me with how much fun it is. But first there was a glitch. When I first mounted it on the OMD EM5, I couldn’t get it to autofocus. The focus square wouldn’t appear, although the focus ring worked just fine. In desperation (remember: Real Men don’t read manuals), I read the manual. The focus ring, it turns out, slides back and forth on the lens barrel. In one position, it is manual focus only, and – street shooters will love this – a depth of field scaled is exposed so you can zone focus. In the second position, autofocus is enabled and you can still manually focus with the focus ring.
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The autofocus seems to be instantaneously quick in virtually all conditions . . . press the shutter button, and the AF is locked on so quick it’s like telepathy. It falters only in very, very dark conditions (an unlit room with moonlight bleeding in through a window), at which point the shooter can provide some help with the focus ring. Bottom line: with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, if you can see it, you can take a picture of it.
Frankly, I am so pleased with the OMD/Travel Lens combo that if someone were to ask me for an m4/3 recommendation, I would say: “Get an Olympus body and the Travel Lens Kit, and, well, enjoy!”
Cheers, Jock