This lens, which came with my E-300 a while back, was notable at its release for being a superior kit lens than the competition offered. Olympus made its mark by including superior optics in its consumer level "kits", lenses that a serious photography could use without apology. The replacement for this lens, the 14-42mm, is a bit better optically, but the build quality is not as good. Like the E-300 that the lens came on, the 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 is built to last and has a metal mount. IF you get a good buy on it, it's a lens well worth owning.
If you need to purchase a "normal" lens for your Olympus camera, this is the one. Should you be an old timer who used to have a film SLR camera this is the equivalent of the lens that came with your oldie. Plus, it has a bit of zoom to it also. Not too much, but not too little. Enjoy your camera!
As a starter lens, this is a good choice, though not as fast as the 14-54mm lens, it is half the cost and performs adequately through its focal range. Focus is fast and responsive and its wide angle field is quite good for a lens in the price point. I would recommend it as a general purpose lens but users should consider another powerful telephoto as this one's realized 90mm (35mm standard) is inadequate for anything beyond medium wide angle to portrait imaging. I use this lens on an Olympus E-1. Other lenses I use are the 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 and the awesome 50-200mm f2.8-3.5.
I brought this lens to use with my E-500. Compares to the older OM metal lens, it is very disappointing. Pictures are not as sharp and clear and often time darker than what I like. I know it is not the camera as the picture quality is always better when I use the OM lens with my E-500. On the plus side, the lens is much lighter and all the auto functions makes it easier to use. It makes me lazier even as the pictures don't come out as good. In fact, my Casio PS takes better pictures than this lens. Thank goodness to picture enhancement software.
The original lens that came with the camera stopped communicating with the focusing controls and needed repairs or replacement. I investigated several options and this was the most economical decision. Taking wonderful photos once again.
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Lenses
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Lenses