Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R Review

The Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R ($299.99 direct) is the standard starter lens that is bundled with Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras like the PEN Lite E-PL5( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window). You can generally buy it bundled with that camera or the PEN Mini E-PM2($1,599.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) for a very modest ($30 to $50) premium, and at that price it’s a steal. But if you’re looking for a zoom lens and already have a Micro Four Thirds camera, consider upgrading to the weather-sealed M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f3.5-5.6 EZ, or the ultra-compact M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ.

The lens($299.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) features a plastic lens barrel and mount, and a collapsible design. There’s a locking switch that you must pull back in order to collapse the barrel for storage. When collapsed it measures 1.9 by 2.2 inches (HD), weighs 3.9 ounces, and supports 37mm front filters. There’s no hood included, but there is a removable ring that covers a bayonet mount to accommodate the add-on hood that Olympus offers for about $25. The minimum focus distance is 9.8 inches, which gives the lens a maximum 1:5 magnification ratio—if you want a zoom with macro focusing capabilities, you should consider the Olympus 12-50mm. There’s no optical stabilization built into this lens, or any other Olympus Micro Four Thirds lens—the company builds that feature into its camera bodies.

I used Imatest(Opens in a new window) to check the optical performance of the lens when paired with the OM-D E-M10( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window). Despite its rather so-so build quality and a narrow f/3.5-5.6 variable aperture, the 14-42mm delivers images that are quite sharp. At 14mm f/3.5 it scores 2,366 lines per picture height on a standard sharpness test, better than the 1,800 lines we use to mark a photo as sharp. Edges aren’t quite as impressive as the center, but they are still quite good at 1,894 lines. There’s a little bit of barrel distortion, about 1.1 percent, which is just barely noticeable in field conditions. It gives straight lines a very slight curved appearance, but can be easily corrected via software editing tools like Lightroom.

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At 25mm the maximum aperture is f/4.5, and the lens still records 2,316 lines there. Edges are just ever so slightly soft at 1,766 lines; stopping down to f/5.6 improves edge performance to 1,951 lines and the overall score to 2,350 lines. At 42mm f/5.6 the lens is at its softest—1,833 lines—and edge performance dips to 1,469 lines. Stopping down to f/8 brings the edge performance up to 1,779 lines, with a center-weighted score of 1,893 lines. Distortion isn’t an issue at 25mm or 42mm.

If you’re looking to buy a new Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera and are weighing the choice between a body-only purchase or a bundled kit with the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R, the modest price increase for the kit is worthwhile. But at $300 it’s a tougher sell; for another $50 you can get the much smaller M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ($299.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), and if you can stretch your budget to $500 the 12-50mm covers a wider focal range and adds weather-sealing and a macro focusing mode. And, if you’re a pro shooter, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO($999.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is in a class by itself, but so is its price tag.