The Olympus 14-42mm is the best zoom kit lens that is available on the market. It puts the kit lenses made by Nikon and Canon to shame. You can get this lens from either Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
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So, why did I say this is the best kit zoom lens? Because for the price, it offers excellent optical quality with close to none issue.
Everything is under excellent control on this lens and it is very sharp at any focal length.
The build quality is quite decent, but it is still better than the kit lenses made by Nikon or Canon.
Best of all, this lens is priced very low.
This lens will definitely give any photographers a joy, even a newbie!
If you are using an Olympus DSLR system, you will be keeping this lens for a long time.
Read the Olympus 14-42mm review below to see the full and in-depth review.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Olympus 14-42mm Specs
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Official Name:
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length Markings:
14, 18, 25, 35, 42mm
Features:
ED – Extra Low Dispersion – Technology to maximize the image sharpness by minimizing the wavelength dispersion.
Full Technical Specs (from Olympus’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 8 / 10 |
| Angle of View | 75 – 29 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.25m |
| Filter Thread | 58mm |
| Weight | 190g |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 65.5 x 61mm |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.19X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Olympus 14-42mm Sharpness
Center sharpness is excellent at any focal length and aperture.
Border sharpness also follow the center sharpness. It is excellent at any focal length and aperture as well.
To see the full sharpness test, look at the tables below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.7 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 14mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 25mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 42mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.7 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 14mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 25mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 42mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Being a kit lens and a wide angle lens, distortion is apparent at 14mm. At 25mm it is greatly reduced and at 42mm it is negligible.
See the distortion test result below.
Vignetting
Vignetting control is very good on this lens. It is only visible at 14mm at f/3.5, which is typical for a kit, wide angle zoom lens.
At other focal length and aperture, vignetting can be ignored.
See the full vignetting test result below.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is extremely well controlled on this lens. You can ignore it at any focal length and aperture.
See the full chromatic aberration test below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.7 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 14mm | Very Low | Very Low | Low | Low |
| 25mm | Negligible | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 42mm | n/a | Very Low | Negligible | Negligible |
Build Quality
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Materials
Lightweight quality plastic. Very decent build for a kit lens.
Zoom Ring
Zoom ring is very smooth and responsive. The lens will extend when zoomed towards the telephoto end. There is no wobbling and zoom creep on this lens.
Focusing
Autofocusing is fairly fast and accurate. Full time manual focusing is possible in single AF mode.
The front element does not rotate so using a polarizing filter will not be a problem.
Image Stabilization
In the Olympus DSLR world, the Image Stabilization is installed on the sensor inside the camera body, not on the lens. Check your DSLR camera to see if it has the Image Stabilization feature.
Compatibility
This lens is compatible with Four Thirds camera and Micro Four Thirds camera via a special adapter.
Sample Image
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Below are some sample images taken with this lens. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the images.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
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Alright, time to conclude this Olympus 14-42mm lens review.
I have to say that Olympus has made the best kit lens among all DSLR camera manufacturers. That includes Nikon and Canon.
The Olympus kit lens is simply better compared to the kit lenses that are offered by Canon or Nikon.
In terms of optical quality, it is very sharp on the center and borders at any focal length and apertures. This includes the widest aperture of f/3.5.
Vignetting and chromatic aberration are both very well controlled.
The primary weakness is the distortion at 14mm, which is very common for any lens in this range. It is not to an extreme degree and can be easily corrected in post processing.
The price is what makes this lens excellent.
For the bargain price, it will be hard to find such a good kit lens anywhere else.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a compact, sharp walkaround kit lens.
Drawbacks
- Visible distortion at 14mm
- Visible vignetting at 14mm f/3.5
Positives
- Great sharpness both on the center and borders
- Excellent chromatic aberration control
- Great vignetting control (except at 14mm f/3.5)
- Fast and accurate autofocus performance
- Excellent value for money
Good For
- Walk around, light kit lens
- Landscape photography
- Street photography
Not So Good For
- Shooting in low light due to the small maximum aperture
What Others Are Saying…
by “Eugene D.”
This lens is a newer version of the standard kit lens that comes with E-series Olympus digital SLRs. It is about 1/3 smaller in length and girth and weight than the 14-45 lens. It has the same…
Click here to see the full review
by “Eldred”
This is one of the best kit lenses made by any manufacturer. It is very sharp and optically superior to the Canon and Nikon equivalent kit lenses. It is also very small and works great with one of…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Olympus 14-42mm lens from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
See the following related lens reviews to see more Micro four thirds lenses options options.
OK! Thanks checking out this Olympus 14-42mm review and I will catch you around!
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