halfmac's reviews
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Olympus 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital
9 out of 10 points and recommendedSmall, lightweight, good range, sharp, well made, metal mount and fits in my bagFront of lens turns.I bought this lens as part of the e-300 2 lens kit. I was pleasantly surprised by the quaiity of the lens. I had only seen the 14-45 on demo cameras. I use this lens alot. The 40mm end is almost wide enough for normal photography and is 2 stops faster than the 14-45 at 45mm.
reviewed November 8th, 2005
This lens travels well because of it's size. F4.5 is fast enough for most situations.
Very good centersharpness, excellent edge sharpness and very low chromatic abberations.
Much better than my Canon 70-210 that I had on my Digital Rebel.
Came with lens hood! -
Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital
9 out of 10 points and recommendedGood sharpness, small size, non-rotating front for shade, metal mount.Slow f-stop on the 45mm end (what do you expect from a kit lens)This is the best kit lens on the market. The only one with a metal mount. Only one the front does not turn.
reviewed November 8th, 2005
Very good center and edge sharpness. Seems very well made for a kit lens.
Both of the kit lens compare very well to Olympus OM prime lenses and these are zooms.
Came with lens hood! -
Panasonic 100-300mm f/4-5.6 ASPH MEGA OIS LUMIX G VARIO
8 out of 10 points and recommendedGreat reach for Size, OIS works greatLens creep and wobbleThis lens is amazing when you consider the long end is a 35mm equivalent 0f 600mm . It now work on my GH2. It has a great size and weight for it's reach. The manual focus ring works great. It is large and smooth. Comes with the lens shade that reverses for storage.
reviewed December 13th, 2011 (purchased for $539)
Did I say great reach. I should. Great performer for it's focal length. A reasonable price when compared to the alternatives. The OIS works great.
I plan on using this lens for video recording. -
Panasonic 14-140mm f/4-5.8 ASPH MEGA OIS LUMIX G VARIO HD
9 out of 10 points and recommendedSmall for reach, Great for video outdoors, Good walk around lensSlow aperture, heavy compared to other m4/3 lensesLens is Sharp and takes very good stills but needs a lot of light because of the starting aperture at F4.0
reviewed December 13th, 2011 (purchased for $450)
Much Better than the kit lens for video because it is silent while focusing. Lens IS helps a lot too especially for the E-PL1 which only has in body IS which doesn't help with video.
Disadvantages are it's a heavy lens and not especially suited for small cameras like GF1 or EP series because of the bulkiness. It balances much better on the GH1. -
Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 ASPH LEICA DG SUMMILUX
10 out of 10 points and recommendedSharp, Fast, Small, Reasonably PricedShade does not reverse, Noisy ApertureThis lens is great. I am have so much fun with this lens. It now lives on my GH2. Makes a great size and weight. Love the manual focus ring. It is large and smooth. Odd that the lens shade does not reverse for storage.
reviewed December 12th, 2011 (purchased for $529)
Did I say sharp. I should. Stellar performer, @ the fraction of a Leica M lens. A Summilux for $500?
I plan on using this lens for video recording. -
Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 ASPH LUMIX G
9 out of 10 points and recommendedTiny, wide, Large AperturenoneThis lens is great. I am having so much fun with this lens. I now use it on my GH2. Makes a great size and weight for a walk around. Camera and lens fits in a jacket pocket. Tiny focus ring but serviceable.
reviewed December 12th, 2011 (purchased for $230)
Did I say Tiny. I should. Stellar performer for it's size.
I plan on using this lens for video recording. -
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 ED M.Zuiko Digital
8 out of 10 points and recommendedSharp, Small, Light, ExcellentNo Lens shadeI got this over the Christmas holiday on my way to CA. Was able to see it and hold it at a real camera store (Shutterbug in Portland, OR). Fell in love with it right away. What can you say: Sharp, Small, Light, Fast and Excellent. Very pleasing out of focus. Quiet for video. Great lens. Compares very well with my Nocton 40mm f1.4 M lens.
reviewed January 17th, 2012 (purchased for $399) -
Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ASPH LUMIX G VARIO
10 out of 10 points and recommendedSharp, Small, Constant Aperture, Internal Focus and Zoom.PriceThe Best 4/3rds Lens. This is the lens that made m4/3rds a necessity.
reviewed January 17th, 2012 (purchased for $770)
On a video or CSC camera it does not breath when focusing. Constant aperture is a bonus.
Very well made and small for what it does.
And did I say sharp. I should.
This is a lens that would be great on any camera system if it would fit. -
Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ M.Zuiko Digital ED
8 out of 10 points and recommendedSmall, light, weather sealed, wide, macro, internal zoom & focusslow tele apertureThe M.Zuiko Digital 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ kit lens was a bit of a surprise. I did not think that I needed this lens but I do like it.
reviewed August 9th, 2012
It is very small and light. It is also weather sealed like the camera and focuses very quickly. I like that the wide end is at 12mm. At f3.5 it is not that slow in aperture.
The implementing of the power zoom is well done.
The images are good. Stays on my camera a lot. Here in WA we get a lot of rain so this is a nice lens to have.
I also use the macro function quite often.
The lens did not come with a lens shade so I ordered one from a third party one. Come on Olympus, where is the shade? Thank you, Panasonic.
See my EM-5 review at: http://frugalfilmmakers.com/2012/07/10/i-could-not-resist-the-olympus-e-m5/