Is there a better zoom lens than Zuiko 12 to 60?


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rontth

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Hi guys,


Need some help and info, I'm in the process of getting DSLR for myself.
I contemplating on getting the Nikon D90 or Canon 50D, what holding me back is the choice of standard zoom lens. I forsee I will be using the zoom range of something like 24 to 105mm or anything in between.

I did some research on such zoom lens but most of the time the review is not so good except for the Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm (don't intend on getting the Olympusbody). The Nikon 18 to 55VR isn't too bad, except when attaching a polariser, you need to re-adjust everytime you zoom in and out (if I'm not wrong).


The other option is to go for Canon 24 to 105mm L lens and buying the Canon 5DmkII which is really out of my budget.

Hope someone can give me some advised.
 

Yes did take Sony A700 and CZ 16-80 into consideration,but I still prefer the Nikon or Canon body. Now thinking if there no good standard zoom lens for Nikon or Canon I might stick with the Tokina 11-16 F2.8 as wide angle is more important to me than the telephoto.
 

Why not try the E-3? It is pretty cheap now... The 12-60mm will pair really well with it.

ZD lenses are one of the sharpest you can find around here.. The 12-60mm is a very versatile lens, very sharp and not to mention, weatherproof. Personally, the best bang for your buck. Just slightly less bright with f/4 on the tele end.
 

dorts,

Read that Olympus sensor is smaller than normal DSLR so high ISO picture taking not so good due to noise and E3 got banding (not sure what that).

How's the E3 built in VR compare to E30 and noise handling between the two.
 

dorts,

Read that Olympus sensor is smaller than normal DSLR so high ISO picture taking not so good due to noise and E3 got banding (not sure what that).

How's the E3 built in VR compare to E30 and noise handling between the two.

You will get more noise yes.

The IS of both cameras are more or less the same, but I believe the noise control, in E-30 is better. :)
 

Noise is over-rated. Noise Ninja can solve the problem most of the time.

Sony Carl Zeiss 16-80 is comparable to the Zuiko 12-60. I think the Zuiko is still abit better, but not that much.
 

As a user of both lenses ,previously and currently
the 16-80 and the 12-60
the olympus is worth every single cent u pay for it
value wise it the cheapest n the sharpest zoom below 2k and yet the performance exceeded even the like of the canon 24-70 L and the nikon 24-70 f2.8
as other mentioned..it only weakness is it f4 at tele end
 

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E3+12-60 still claim the world fastest AF?

TS, May I know why u only want Nikon or Canon? because all your friend are using these 2 brand?
 

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I forsee I will be using the zoom range of something like 24 to 105mm or anything in between.

Don't forget to factor in the sensor crop. 24mm is not very wide at all on an APS-C (1.5x/1.6x) body.
 

Hi guys,


Need some help and info, I'm in the process of getting DSLR for myself.
I contemplating on getting the Nikon D90 or Canon 50D, what holding me back is the choice of standard zoom lens. I forsee I will be using the zoom range of something like 24 to 105mm or anything in between.

I did some research on such zoom lens but most of the time the review is not so good except for the Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm (don't intend on getting the Olympusbody). The Nikon 18 to 55VR isn't too bad, except when attaching a polariser, you need to re-adjust everytime you zoom in and out (if I'm not wrong).


The other option is to go for Canon 24 to 105mm L lens and buying the Canon 5DmkII which is really out of my budget.

Hope someone can give me some advised.

Don't forget to factor in the sensor crop. 24mm is not very wide at all on an APS-C (1.5x/1.6x) body.

I think he mean 35mm equiv.
 

I agree with some others.
Is there anything wrong with Olympus bodies?
Olympus bodies still hold the reputation of the world's fastest auto-focus (if I'm not wrong).

The kit lenses are good enough for a photographer. Wide-angle + tele-zoom lenses at a budget price.

The 14-42mm kits lens cover wide-angle to a little of zoom and the 40-150mm for tele-zoom photography (both lenses have 2X focal length for crop-factor bodies).
I'm using these lenses quite often, it's quite a good lens.
Images are sharp and nice. :thumbsup:

If you let me choose Canon or Nikon or Olympus, I'll definitely stick with Olympus! ;)
 

Well there is a couple of reasons why I want a Nikon or Canon.

1) I never own a Canon or a Nikon system before except for a Nikon PNS. I started off with a Minolta X700 (Rokkor lens I believe) and later Olympus OM4 (simply love the multi spot metering at that time). I still wondering why I didn't follow the trend at that time and bought the Nikon FM, FE...etc. maybe I wanted to be different.

2) The review for Nikon and Canon is consistently good while Pentax, Sony and Olympus got mixed reviewed. Now with internet it easier to get this information, in past we get info through friends, heresay and magazine.

3)Worry whether Olympus system is future proof. Remember in the 90's Olympus stop production of SLR, will they follow this same business model when their DSLR sales is bad.

4)3rd party support for Nikon and Canon is better.

5)Read Nikon flash system is among the best.
 

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My views in red.

Well there is a couple of reasons why I want a Nikon or Canon.

1) I never own a Canon or a Nikon system before except for a Nikon PNS. I started off with a Minolta X700 (Rokkor lens I believe) and later Olympus OM4 (simply love the multi spot metering at that time). I still wondering why I didn't follow the trend at that time and bought the Nikon FM, FE...etc. maybe I wanted to be different.

2) The review for Nikon and Canon is consistently good while Pentax, Sony and Olympus got mixed reviewed. Now with internet it easier to get this information, in past we get info through friends, heresay and magazine.

Reviews are from review sites? Most of them are quite biased. If Pentax, Sony & Olympus are really that lousy I believe they would not have survived in the industry.

3)Worry whether Olympus system is future proof. Remember in the 90's Olympus stop production of SLR, will they follow this same business model when their DSLR sales is bad.

Nobody can guarantee anything. At one time Fuji has been rumoured to stop production of DSLRs but recently there are rumours that they are coming up with a new model. So who knows.

4)3rd party support for Nikon and Canon is better.

In what way? Lenses? I do see quite a lot of Sony and Pentax mount lenses available in the shops. Not sure about Olympus though. But the quality of Zuiko lenses that Olympus has makes me drool and I don't think any 3rd party lens can beat that. For accessories wise, I have no problem finding one for my Sony cam. In fact there are some accessories out there in the market which I do not use also. I believe the same goes for the other brands as well.

5)Read Nikon flash system is among the best.

Yes, I agree that currently Nikon has the best flash system. But how far off are the rest, are you aware?
 

Galdor,


But the quality of Zuiko lenses that Olympus has makes me drool and I don't think any 3rd party lens can beat that.


Totally agreed with you on this point, that why I'm holding back from getting a Nikon or Canon for now.
 

Well there is a couple of reasons why I want a Nikon or Canon.

1) I never own a Canon or a Nikon system before except for a Nikon PNS. I started off with a Minolta X700 (Rokkor lens I believe) and later Olympus OM4 (simply love the multi spot metering at that time). I still wondering why I didn't follow the trend at that time and bought the Nikon FM, FE...etc. maybe I wanted to be different.

2) The review for Nikon and Canon is consistently good while Pentax, Sony and Olympus got mixed reviewed. Now with internet it easier to get this information, in past we get info through friends, heresay and magazine.

Reviews online are really good for technical comparisons between cameras. DSLRs that available in the market now can all produce outstanding image quality. just look at the galleries here in each brand's sub-forum.

conclusions by review sites are subjective, its the opinion of the reviewer. between film choices, you would have your own preference in color rendition, contrast, etc, opinions differ, so don't let a reviewer decide for you.


3)Worry whether Olympus system is future proof. Remember in the 90's Olympus stop production of SLR, will they follow this same business model when their DSLR sales is bad.

Olympus didn't get into the Auto Focus business till it was too late to catch up. technology changes can lead to changes in market demand, while market leaders change according to the market demand.

tools will be tools, even if the market demand changes, your tools will still work. nothing is futureproof.


4)3rd party support for Nikon and Canon is better.

matters only if you need it. if you are in the market for a lens that is better than the ZD12-60, 3rd party lenses won't likely appear in the shortlist.

5)Read Nikon flash system is among the best.

agree. but as galdor mentioned, what are you comparing to? what kind of flash setup do you intend to use? if you intend to use a single hotshoe mounted flash, every system will perform well.
 

Galdor,





Totally agreed with you on this point, that why I'm holding back from getting a Nikon or Canon for now.


Frankly speaking, personally if I have the $, I would get the Sony A700 with CZ16-80mm or the E3 with 12-60mm. Both the CZ & Zuiko lenses are of top quality.
 

The C vs N vs O stuff is, at best, a distraction, and at worst, can lead to flame wars. Ignore the brand defenders and detractors.

Your priorities in choosing a camera system should be examined. One does not usually make a choice of which system to go for by the quality of the kit lens. That would be the same as choosing a pc over a mac because it happens to have more preinstalled software.

Anyone who uses computers knows there is a huge difference between pc's and macs, not just in their installed software, but in terms of their ease of use, quality of screen, service and support, even the design philosophies are completely different.

So Olympus system is very different from Nikon, which is also very different from Canon. Each have strengths and weaknesses, each has its compromises.

But the impt thing is, no one goes around choosing c or n or o by the quality of their kit lenses. Not by a long shot.
 

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