Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II Zuiko Digital

In its previous 14-54mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 lens offering, Olympus produced a versatile lens with respectable test results. The ”mark 2” version of this lens has some notable changes, but on the whole bears an uncanny resemblance to the original. In particular, the lens now allows for the use of contrast-detection autofocusing in Live View; in the previous version of the lens, you were limited to manual focus. There’s a claim of improved autofocus speed, and the lens now sports rounded diaphragm blades for more circular-shaped out-of-focus elements. Other than a new blue and chrome ring near the front, it’s the same lens.

Since Olympus digital SLR cameras employ the four-thirds imaging sensor, any lens attached to the body will have an effective focal length (in 35mm terms) of double the listed length. Thus, for this particular lens, it will exhibit an effective focal length of 28-108mm.

This lens isn’t a “constant” lens, in that as you increase the focal length, the maximum aperture size decreases, though the minimum remains the same. The following table reflects the changes:

These figures just correspond to the focal lengths marked on the lens; in actual usage, the widest aperture adjusts quite precisely in conjunction with the focal length setting. As you zoom in and out at the widest aperture, you can see the aperture changing in one-tenth increments.

The lens takes 67mm filters, and comes with a petal-shaped lens hood. It’s available now for around $600.

Sharpness

The 14-54mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 II, like its predecessor, is a very sharp lens, even when used at its largest apertures. Stopping down to just ƒ/4 produces excellently sharp images.

The lens, also like its predecessor, seems to be optimized more to the wide-angle spectrum for wide-open aperture performance. At 14mm and ƒ/2.8 the lens has a very sharp profile, slightly sharper than the mark 1 version of the lens, but with some corner softness in the extreme edges. As you move through the zoom range overall sharpness decreases – very slightly – but not exceeding 2 to 2.5 blur units.

Again, stop down to ƒ/4 and the lens is about as sharp as it can get, with a marginal improvement at ƒ/5.6. It stays sharp until diffraction limiting begins to set in around ƒ/11, but even at this point the lens doesn’t exceed 1.5 blur units across the focal range. At ƒ/16 the lens is hovering around 2 blur units, and at ƒ/22 it hovers near 3 blur units.

Overall, excellent performance from this lens in terms of sharpness.

Chromatic Aberration

The chromatic aberration profile for this lens is almost identical to its predecessor, so I’m going to re-iterate those comments here:

”If this lens has any faults, they might be apparent in its performance with regard to chromatic aberration. In the lab we do record CA when this lens is set to its widest angle, but even here the effect is not incredibly significant (you’ll see it if you zoom in, but on average print sizes, there aren’t enough pixels printed to show it). Chromatic aberration virtually disappears as you approach 35mm in focal length, and returns as you hit the telephoto end at 54mm. One note to the chromatic aberration in this lens is that it is fairly static across apertures – changing to a faster aperture is not going to produce more CA (but changing to a smaller aperture isn’t going to reduce it, either).”

Shading (”Vignetting”)

Light falloff is almost the same as well in the mark 2 version of the 14-54mm ƒ/2.8-3.5, but if we are picking hairs, I would say the lens produces just slightly more corner shading when used at its widest apertures. It’s still fairly controlled – by ƒ/4, every focal length is just a quarter-stop darker in the corners than in the center. But at the widest apertures (ƒ/2.8-ƒ/3.5) this light falloff can range from 2/3EV (at 14mm) to 1/2 EV (17-54mm).

Distortion

Distortion has been subtly improved in the mark 2 version of this lens: any wide-angle distortion is eliminated by the time you reach 17mm, where the mark 1 version of the lens showed some barrel distortion to around 23mm. It’s still not perfect – zoom lenses have a natural disadvantage in trying to counter distortion – but it’s very good, almost non-existent after 18mm.

Autofocus Operation

The 14-54mm autofocuses quickly, indeed somewhat quicker than the predecessor 14-54mm. It still makes a subtle whirring noise during focusing, but it’s a small price to pay for excellent autofocussing performance. Point-to-point focusing is very quick and the noise is not so obvious in these cases; it’s only when the lens racks through the entire focus range that the serious motor noise comes into play.

Macro

Olympus boasts a minimum close-focusing distance of 22mm (just over 8 1/2 inches), the same as the predecessor version of this lens, as is the magnification ratio: 0.26x (1:3.8). It’s worth noting that the close-focus range is taken from the image sensor, not the end of the lens, as this produces a practical close-focus range (from the far end of the lens) of just under 2 inches.

Build Quality and Handling

The 14-54mm II is solidly built. It still seems to be finished with a fair number of plastic parts, but at 440 grams (just over 15 ounces, and five grams heavier than the mark I), there’s a lot of glass and metal under the shell. The lens mount is metal, compared to the plastic of less expensive Olympus glass. The fit and finish of this lens is superb; there zoom and focus dials rotate with a velvety smoothness, and the textures have an excellent traction. Mounted on the E-510, the camera balances extremely well. Setting it apart from less expensive Olympus lenses is a distance scale. There are no other switches or controls on the lens.

The zoom ring is one inch wide, composed of a hard rubber and made up of a texture of square extrusions. A turn of around 75 degrees on the zoom ring covers the entire focal range, and extends the overall length of the lens by almost an inch at 54mm. The lens has just the right amount of stiffness to prevent zoom creep, but is still fairly fluid to use.

The manual focusing ring is slightly smaller, just over a half-inch in width, and it’s composed of deep ribs, making it easy to distinguish from the zoom ring. The focus ring has a lot of ”turning room” for manual focusing control, almost 270 degrees from closest focus to infinity. There are no hard stops in this focus range – you can just keep turning the dial – but the distance scale will stop at infinity and go no further.

Mounted 67mm filters will not rotate during focus or zoom operations, making polarizing filters a little easier to use. The lens ships with the LH-70D lens hood, a petal-shaped, bayonet-mounted hood that adds 1 1/2 inches to the overall length of the lens. The hood reverses to mount on the lens for storage and is ribbed on its interior to help prevent flare.

Alternatives

Update: yes, there are actually quite a number of options in this category…

Olympus 14-54mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 Zuiko DigitalThe ”mark 1” version of the lens shows itself almost identical in performance to the mark 2 version, being just slightly edged out by the mark 2 in sharpness and distortion. Whether that’s an improvement in design or just sample variation, I wouldn’t want to say. But with rounded diaphragm elements and improved body compatibility to enable live view autofocusing, it’s probably worth the slightly higher price.

Olympus 14-35mm ƒ/2 ED SWD Zuiko Digital ~$2,000
For a premium price, you probably won’t get much better quality than this 28-70mm 35mm-equivalent lens. It won’t zoom out quite as far, but with a constant ƒ/2 aperture, you won’t get a faster lens in this focal range.

Olympus 12-60mm ƒ/2.8-4 ED SWD Zuiko Digital ~$800
We haven’t yet tested this lens, but it seems to have received universally rave reviews thus far.

Olympus 14-45mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ~$139-200
This lens was the original kit lens for the Evolt E-330, which has arguably been replaced by the 14-42mm Zuiko. Corner softness is a problem with this lens, obvious at wide angles and apertures; chromatic aberration is also readily apparent until you zoom out further than 18mm. Vignetting and distortion are also worse, but not by much.

Olympus 14-42mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ~$249
The original kit lens for the E-410 and E-510, this is the lens from which most Olympus dSLR users would be considering an upgrade. It’s less expensive, but in this case you do get what you pay for as the 14-42mm isn’t quite the wonder-lens with regard to sharpness, distortion and vignetting. It has a slightly better profile with regard to chromatic aberration, and it is much lighter (190g), but this shows off the fact that it isn’t made with the same attention to fit and finish as you find with the 14-54mm.

Panasonic 14-50mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 ASPH Leica D VARIO-ELMARIT ~$900
With on-board stabilization and an aperture control ring on the lens, with 16 elements in 12 groups, this high-quality optic should be an excellent performer. Check this review from cameralabs.com for how the lens-based stabilization works on an Olympus E-510.

Sigma 18-50mm ƒ/3.3-5.6 EX DC ~$109 (ƒ/2.8: $419)
The only non-Olympus lens in this category, we haven’t yet tested it but it has received above-average user reviews. For the budget option, this could be a strong contender. Sigma also produces a constant ƒ/2.8 version of this lens, which fits the four-thirds lens system.

Conclusion

Clearly, there are a number of options in this range of both focal length and price point. You do get what you pay for – the quality gap between the 14-54mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 and the 14-42mm Olympus lenses is noticeable. In this case however the more relevant question could be for Olympus users looking to upgrade to the 14-54mm category: do you spend top dollar for the latest mark 2 version, or if a deal were to be had on a clearance or used mark 1 version, is it worth it? Both lenses responded well to our tests, and so it really comes down to the small things: rounded diaphragm elements to improve bokeh performance, enabling live view autofocus, and a new blue ring on the front.

That decision aside, the 14-54mm ƒ/2.8-3.5 is still one of Olympus’ best-performing lenses, especially considering the relatively reasonable price.

Sample Photos

The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.

Still Life shot

VFA target

As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and ƒ/8. For the ”VFA” target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.

(From Olympus lens literature) When it comes to sharp, high-contrast imaging, the new Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II (28-108mm)* takes the success of its popular predecessor, the ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5, to a new dimension.

Featuring High-Speed Imager AF to enable maximum creative freedom, a circular aperture mechanism for higher imaging performance and a minimum focusing distance of just 22cm, the Four Thirds based Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II (28-108mm)* will become available in mid-January 2009.

Harness the synergies of high image quality and creative flexibility with the latest addition to Olympus’ family of top-performing lenses: the ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II (28-108mm)*. As with the entire ZUIKO DIGITAL range, this new lens is precision-engineered to maximise the performance potential of D-SLR image sensors.

This bright and flexible new zoom lens guarantees superior quality and boasts a circular aperture diaphragm to smooth out the soft focus look that is a key advantage of large-aperture lens design.

Developed as a successor to the ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 – a favourite with advanced amateur and professional users – the new ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II boasts High-Speed Imager AF support to bring joy to creative photographers everywhere.

In combination with the brand new Olympus E-30 D-SLR, the new lens’ High-Speed Imager AF lets photographers preview the E-30’s new Art Filter effects in real-time with the convenience of a compact digital camera – thanks to Live View.

Compact size, high image quality, and the clarity of 1:2.8 brightness were achieved by the optimal arrangement of 3 aspherical lens elements and 4 cemented lens elements. The result is a new benchmark for sharpness and contrast, with minimal distortion for superior imaging performance over the entire zoom range.

The new lens uses a floating internal focus mechanism to focus, with excellent imaging performance from infinity right down to its minimum focusing distance. Exhibiting minimal aberration even at extremely close range, it has a minimum focusing distance of just 22cm for all focal lengths.

And no matter what the conditions, its exterior joints are sealed to provide splash and dustproof standards high enough to withstand the rigorous demands of professional use.

With its versatile zoom range, the ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II is an ideal choice for a wide range of shooting situations. For creative effect, photographers can enjoy the exaggerated perspectives that are the hallmark of wide angle shooting.

And when it comes to capturing stunning details, the new lens packs sufficient telephoto power to zoom right in for close-ups of the main subject.

The ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II (28-108mm)* will become available in mid-January 2009.

* Figure in brackets represents 35mm equivalent.