Olympus e-420
- Thread starter JRH
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The Zuiko 70-300 is a good sharp lens for some reach if thats what your after, theres a 40-150, which is also decent, but is still classed as a kit lens but is a decent walkabout lens.
Sigma's are available in 4/3's mount too, from wide to very ong, so it all depends really on what focal length and photography you want to do
Sigma's are available in 4/3's mount too, from wide to very ong, so it all depends really on what focal length and photography you want to do
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The 70-300 gets some moans from UK based people that it struggles to focus in low light - it hunts (slowly as it is not that fast at focusing anyway). Others claim to have no such problems, as is typical in gear arguments 
There is a UK based hire company for four-thirds kit (details here). You could hire one for a few days for relatively little outlay and see for yourself if it suits your requirements.
The 70-300 is selling for around $200 in the states at the moment yet it's still £300'ish here :annoyed:
If I had been able to find a second hand one for under £200 recently I could have let you know how it performs myself but £300 when I already have the 12-60SWD and 50-200SWD is not going to get past the wife (especially as currently unemployed).
Another possible choice is the 18-180. That gives you wider and longer than your current lens. That option would probably be a replacement for your 14-42 rather than an addition.
If it is an improvement in lens quality you are looking for rather than adding options then you have a choice between the 14-54 and 12-60. The difference in quality to the kit lens is quite marked but so is the cost. The difference in quality between the 14-54 and 12-60 is not as big as the difference in price in my opinion although the spec sheets and some "experts" disagree with me
While I have the 12-60 I would not be upset to have the 14-54. My 12-60 doesn't get used at 12mm much anyway due to the completely wacky distortion being a pain to process out afterwards.
There is a UK based hire company for four-thirds kit (details here). You could hire one for a few days for relatively little outlay and see for yourself if it suits your requirements.
The 70-300 is selling for around $200 in the states at the moment yet it's still £300'ish here :annoyed:
If I had been able to find a second hand one for under £200 recently I could have let you know how it performs myself but £300 when I already have the 12-60SWD and 50-200SWD is not going to get past the wife (especially as currently unemployed).
Another possible choice is the 18-180. That gives you wider and longer than your current lens. That option would probably be a replacement for your 14-42 rather than an addition.
If it is an improvement in lens quality you are looking for rather than adding options then you have a choice between the 14-54 and 12-60. The difference in quality to the kit lens is quite marked but so is the cost. The difference in quality between the 14-54 and 12-60 is not as big as the difference in price in my opinion although the spec sheets and some "experts" disagree with me
While I have the 12-60 I would not be upset to have the 14-54. My 12-60 doesn't get used at 12mm much anyway due to the completely wacky distortion being a pain to process out afterwards.
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At the Wide End the Sigma 10-20 is a good choice but due to the 2x crop factor on the Olympus bodies its not as wide as on other DSLR's that said it was a cracking lens on my Sony Bodies although I never managed to get one when I had an E-620 before.
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Right guys, i bought this camera at christmas and still have the standard lens which came with it which is a zuiko 14-42mm, now i was wondering what lens i should invest into and what you would recommend?
Cheers, Josh
Josh,
I would say it depends on what sort of subject matter you want to shoot.
If you find you are always yearning for a wider angle solution then the excellent 9-18 could be worth a look. Other wise if telephoto is where you want to move then the 40-150, 70-300 or even the 18-180 are all valid suggestions.
My money would be on the 70-300 just from the reach perspective and that I believe it has a half decent close up capability.