Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 is a Variable aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Standard Zoom lens with FourThirds max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
Four Thirds cameras.
What type of photography is the Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens good for?
The choice of photography type for which you intend to use the Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 is a crucial decision factor. Below, we have assessed its suitability for various photography scenarios:
Reasons to Buy the Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens in a list form to assist you in determining whether it offers the features you need.
Autofocus |
Hood supplied |
Full-time Manual Focusing |
Minimum focus distance of 0.25m / 9.8 inch |
Light weight at only 190g / 6.7 oz |
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Lens Extends while zooming |
Slow Aperture at Tele end |
Variable Aperture |
Lens Mount
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 is compatible with cameras that have a Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Four Thirds lenses are Olympus E-5, Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-620.
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 is also available in Micro Four Thirds mount.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
The size and weight are crucial factors to consider when searching for your next lens. Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 has a maximum diameter of 66mm and total length of 61mm when not extended. It weighs 190g / 6.7 oz.
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 has a filter thread of 58mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6:
Focal Range
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 has a focal range of 14-42mm and 3.0X zoom ratio which has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 28-84mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
Optical Image Stabilization
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Alternatively, you can check the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 OIS. in Four Thirds mount that have similar focal range but features Optical Image Stabilization.
Lenses Similar to Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 With Optical Image Stabilization
Zoom Method
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.19x and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.25m.
Below are the 3 Standard Zoom type Four Thirds mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:
Aperture
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f3.5 and a minimum aperture of f22 at 14mm, and a max aperture of f5.6 and minimum aperture of f22 at 42mm .
Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
14mm
|
F3.5 |
F22 |
42mm
|
F5.6 |
F22 |
Optical Formula
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6's optical formula consists of 10 elements in 8 groups . Following special elements are used in this design:
- 1 ED element
- 2 aspherical elements
Lens Hood
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 comes with a removable petal shaped lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos. The model number of the hood is LH-61C.
Body Colour
Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 is available in Black color.
Popular Comparisons of Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Olympus ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Lens
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