14-54 or 50mm

[disclog]

If you only have a kit lens and wanted to get a better lens, which one will you get first?

1. Zuiko Digital 14-54mm F2.8-3.5
2. Zuiko Digital ED 50mm F2.0 Macro

[casey4355]

Originally Posted by disclog If you only have a kit lens and wanted to get a better lens, which one will you get first? Zuiko Digital 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital ED 50mm F2.0 Macro

depends wat is yor fav type of photography.
if u love macro, get macro, if not the other more versatile.
anyway i got the macro 1st.

[dorts]

The kit lens is good enough for me. But I'll go for the Macro if I have the $$$.

[casey4355]

Originally Posted by dorts The kit lens is good enough for me. But I'll go for the Macro if I have the $$$.

wat i noticed is, many ppl like to compare equipment.
sometimes i can feel their high n mighty attitude.
most important is we njoy ourselves, work within the limitations of our equipment,
which is oredi alot of possibilites.
i have a $200 pinhole camera, that in many occasions, take nicer pictures.

[OlyFlyer]

The kit lenses are good enough for most occasions. Personally, I bought the 50mm because I could afford it and felt I needed a faster lens. f2.0 is much better than f5.6 at the longest end or even the f3.5 at the widest end of the 14-45mm. Actually, if you need lens speed than the 14-54 is also bad, since that is f3.5 at 50mm.

Since you are not sure, I think best is to start using your kit lenses. If you feel later that you need a new lens you WILL know which one to get. Ever since I got my 50mm I hardly use the 14-45mm zoom. Image quality is definitely much better, the 50mm is actually better than the 14-54 also, but if you are not used to primes, zooming = moving, i.e. using your feet, so before rushing to spend a lot of money on something you have to do a self analysis to find out what and how you shoot. However, if you are into flowers, close ups or macro than there is no question.

Only you can decide which one to get, but I think the best is to get some experience. Time will tell. Don't buy anything just because there are ppl here who say this and that.

[Mikefellh]

It all depends on what YOU want to shoot...me, I got into OM extreme zooms (160-400mm with the 2x converter), a 500mm mirror reflex, and Lensbaby, and while I did get the OM 50mm and 28mm, I barely use them...my next lens is going to be ultra wide, either the 8mm, the Peleng 8mm, or the ~8-16mm when it comes out next year.

[microcosm]

Equipment relates directly to what kind of photography you are into. Period.

If you are a holiday shooter, and enjoys landscapes, 7-14, 11-22 are your best friend. If you just want a typical walkaround weather sealed lens, then the 14-54 is your best friend. If you like macros, and enjoys shooting razor sharp images, the 50mm ZD is the lens for you. If you like birding, sorry mate, time to break the bank.

I am a photojournalist, and my next purchase would be the 12-60, but fortunately, that comes with my new camera as a kit lens.

Join us at the next 4/3 gathering and we can talk about this. I am sure there will be the 14-54 and 50 lying around for testing. You can play with it and make up your mind.. alternatively, be friendly with your regular camera shop and they might let you have a go with the lenses... buy carefully... no point taking a lens home and letting it sit in the dry cab.

[Blu-By-U]

My path went like this. kit lens and I added the 11-22 for the landscape in my travels. Then the 14-45 failed me. So got the 14-54. The sigma 55-200 was really cheap but regretted the purchase.

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by casey4355 wat i noticed is, many ppl like to compare equipment. sometimes i can feel their high n mighty attitude. most important is we njoy ourselves, work within the limitations of our equipment, which is oredi alot of possibilites. i have a $200 pinhole camera, that in many occasions, take nicer pictures.

Precisely.

It is not about the gear, but the shooter. It is after all, about photography. I remember owning the E-300 with kit lens for a long time without additional lens and shooting until I needed more from my system, and that grew over time... and finding that style of photography that I like.

More importantly, find out what kind of photography you like, and then invest into the gear to help you take even better pictures (when your skills require better gear). You can own a Leica system and yet take crap pictures... and take amazing photos with a PnS camera..

(Jokingly) Coming from you with the Platinum line lenses... this is quite funny though...

[disclog]

How about for portrait photography? which lens do better?

[Blu-By-U]

Originally Posted by disclog How about for portrait photography? which lens do better?

I do not do that yet but I would say off hand the 50mm would be a better portrait/ studio lens. It's sharper than the 14-54 and a better f stop.

[casey4355]

Originally Posted by disclog How about for portrait photography? which lens do better?

Taken with 50mm Macro, F2.0.
The most unimpressive lens out there among the shooters.

[Blu-By-U]

Originally Posted by casey4355 Taken with 50mm Macro, F2.0. The most unimpressive lens out there among the shooters.

You sure?? I though many sing praises for this expensive piece of glass??

[casey4355]

Originally Posted by Blu-By-U You sure?? I though many sing praises for this expensive piece of glass??

wat i mean is unimpressive looking, the guys bside mi are using really big canons (not the brand).

[Blu-By-U]

LOL it's not the size that matters then

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by casey4355 Taken with 50mm Macro, F2.0. The most unimpressive lens out there among the shooters.

If they only knew what the 50mm Macro is...

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by disclog How about for portrait photography? which lens do better?

I use the 14-54 a lot for editorial work in the past. Shooting at f5.6 and f8 to get the best sharpness from the lens. This is an impressive lens as compared to other makes. But then again, when you compare this lens to a prime, it definitely pales...

[borisi]

Curious to know how the 14-45 failed you? And how 14-54 saved your day.

Tks.

Originally Posted by Blu-By-U My path went like this. kit lens and I added the 11-22 for the landscape in my travels. Then the 14-45 failed me. So got the 14-54. The sigma 55-200 was really cheap but regretted the purchase.

[OlyFlyer]

Originally Posted by borisi Curious to know how the 14-45 failed you? And how 14-54 saved your day. Tks.

I don't know about Blu and I don't have the 14-54mm, but the 14-45. That one failed me due to the low, or rather uneven build quality. I had a few problems from the start and Oly changed mine after about 6 months. Make a search and you will find the long discussion about vignetting and quality problems I had. The new one felt better from the start but not as good today. I don't use it very often, so I don't care.

It is not that it is not a good lens, I think it is very good for the price, but the zoom ring is just too easy to rotate for my taste. The optical quality is good IMO, even if the 14-54 is supposed to be much better. You have to remember that you get what you pay for, the 14-54 is much more expensive. Anyway, if I would accidentally drop it causing demage beyond repair, I would get the 14-54mm (or the new 12-60).

[Blu-By-U]

That 14-45's story...

When I first got it, I complained the 40-150 was tight and the 14-45 was just right. ( It's somewhere here in this forum). Armed with the 2 kit lens and a 11-22 I was off to my Jiuzhaigau trip. At the end of the trip, the 40-150 is just nice but the 14-45 was way too loose. The zoom ring moved while it was focusing. Something called zoom creep (just learn that term). SO I brought it back to Olympus. Heard that the grease got into the Zoom thread. the repair was not that good. The zoom creep was still there but only at almost max zoom.

Another trip to Kota Kinabalu. While I was there I made sure I would not use the max zoom for framing and be aware of the zoom creep. But many of my night shots on tripod was spoil. The panoramas won't stitch. All I can say is that I should be thankful I had my laptop with me and I was doing some of the stitching and I noticed the error. So redo those panoramas

Back home, I saw a 2nd hand 14-54 on sale. So I got it. then I sent the 14-45 and the camera in for repair 2 weeks before the CNY break. I though I could get that lens back but only camera came back. The lens had to stay as the parts did not arrive. It actually came another 3 weeks later..but then I had the 14-54 to use and from then on it was the 14-54 that went with me and the 14-45 is now sitting in my dry box.