Why choose the Olympus 40-150mm over the 14-150mm besides size and price?
Asked 7/4/2011
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I'm comparing the Olympus 40-150mm and 14-150mm zooms. Both are listed as f/4-5.6, and on paper they seem similar in image quality. Aside from the obvious differences in weight, convenience, and price, are there photographic reasons to choose the 40-150mm over the 14-150mm?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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The 40-150mm is optically better and lets you open to F/4 at 40mm, while the 14-150mm is already F/5.6 by that focal-length, so you get more light in until you get close to the end of the zoom range.
For sharpness, it depends which side of the 40-150mm range you prefer. At 40mm, the 14-150mm is noticeably sharper than the 40-150mm. At 150mm, the 40-150mm is noticeably sharper. See sharpness samples at all F-stops here and here
Vignetting is terrible on the 14-150mm at both ends of the zoom, while moderate on the 40-150mm and only near the widest aperture. The 40-150mm lens also shows less distortion.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. Beyond size and price, the 40-150mm has some image-quality and speed advantages.
- At 40mm, the 40-150mm can still open to f/4, while the 14-150mm is already at f/5.6 there, so the 40-150mm lets in more light through much of the shared range.
- Optically, the 40-150mm is generally better controlled for vignetting and distortion. The 14-150mm shows stronger vignetting at both ends of its range.
- Sharpness depends on focal length: around 40mm the 14-150mm may be sharper, but at 150mm the 40-150mm is noticeably sharper.
So if you already have another lens covering the wide-to-normal range and want the best performance in the telephoto range, the 40-150mm is the better choice. The 14-150mm is mainly about convenience as an all-in-one zoom. If you need one lens to cover everything from wide angle to telephoto, that convenience may outweigh its optical compromises.
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