The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro and the Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro is the longer of the two lenses at 117mm. The Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III with a length of 80mm, is 37mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro also has a larger diameter of 78mm compared to the Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III's 64mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III weighs 285g, 49% (276g) lighter than the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro's weight of 561g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the SuperZoom Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Superzoom Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III has a 52mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro:
And these are the 52mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro and the Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III has the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Micro Four Thirds lenses are OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3.
Focal Range
Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro has a focal range of 12-100mm and
8.3X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24-200mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 III has a focal range of 14-150mm and 10.7X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28-300mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
