Can someone help me compare these two lenses?

[AndrewPaulJones]

Ok heres my deal I am about 90% sure I will be getting the Olympus e420 with the 25mm (first link) because of its size. If I decide against that lens then I will switch over to the Nikon D60.

My question is how much total zoom would I be able to achieve out of this first lens and the Olympus. I do attend a number of sporting events and would certainly come in handy to have great zoom. However my interest in size does outweigh my demand for great zoom.


http://asia.olympus-global.com/imsg/dslr/lenses/25_28/
http://asia.olympus-global.com/imsg/dslr/lenses/14-42_35-56/

 

[frXnz kafka]

The 25mm is on the Olympus will be equivalent to 50mm on a full-frame camera. 50mm is considered "normal" as in it has a similar field of view to the human eye. You're not going to get much zoom out of it.

The 14-42mm is equivalent to 28-84mm, which is a pretty standard range for SLR kit lenses. Again, 84mm isn't going to get you much zoom.

Other than that, I don't know anything about either of these lenses. My guess would be that the 25mm is a nice 50mm equivalent, albeit a bit slower than your standard 50mm, and more expensive than Canon and Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 lenses (although obviously much slimmer). The 14-42mm I would guess is a fairly standard kit lens. Nothing special in terms of image or build quality, but will get you started.

 

[manaheim]

I'm curious why you would choose a body (and ultimately marry yourself to a particular line of cameras and lenses) based entirely upon a single lens choice?

 

[AndrewPaulJones]

the olympus looks like it has a 10x magnification as a part of the camera despite the lens, is that true?

 

[frXnz kafka]

the olympus looks like it has a 10x magnification as a part of the camera despite the lens, is that true?

10x? Not sure what you mean by that. Because of the size of the sensor it does have a 2x crop-factor. This basically means that it is half the size of a 35mm film negative, and to get the equivalent focal length of any lens you put on it you have to multiply by 2. So, for example, your 25mm is equivalent to 50mm.

 

[AndrewPaulJones]

I'm curious why you would choose a body (and ultimately marry yourself to a particular line of cameras and lenses) based entirely upon a single lens choice?

well ok your right. My biggest priorities are going to be size and price. This will be my first DSLR I have ever had. The olympus is very low price respectively, it is the smallest camera on the market and with that 25mm lens it dwarfs any other camera. So my options are are... either go all out and get this small perfectly sized camera with the 25mm lens (which lets face it, for my level and expertise any DSLR of this quality is going to be way more than I will need for right now) or to go get a camera that is a little bit more with a bigger lens and maybe a little more high quality. I honestly probably wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a picture taken on the 600 dollar olympus compared next to a 1200 nikon.

that is my reasoning, i think it came out pretty clear

 

[keith204]

well ok your right. My biggest priorities are going to be size and price. This will be my first DSLR I have ever had. The olympus is very low price respectively, it is the smallest camera on the market and with that 25mm lens it dwarfs any other camera. So my options are are... either go all out and get this small perfectly sized camera with the 25mm lens (which lets face it, for my level and expertise any DSLR of this quality is going to be way more than I will need for right now) or to go get a camera that is a little bit more with a bigger lens and maybe a little more high quality. I honestly probably wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a picture taken on the 600 dollar olympus compared next to a 1200 nikon.

that is my reasoning, i think it came out pretty clear

Before you decide on a camera body, look into lenses real well first You can get a Canon Rebel XTi with a 50mm f/1.8 lens for likely about the same price. Now, I've heard good things about the Olympus DSLRs, but most people who get them end up having trouble with lens selection and purchasing down the road. If you're into sports, you should especially look into lenses first...do some comparing between canon/nikon/zukio lenses...see the options and the price differences.

 

[AndrewPaulJones]

right i think size is the first priority, im probably going to shy away from a traditional large lens. I dont do any type of professional pictures.

 

[keith204]

right i think size is the first priority, im probably going to shy away from a traditional large lens. I dont do any type of professional pictures.

Look into something like the Canon S5-IS Point & Shoot. Honestly, it will likely do much better for you. It's a small camera, with quite a zoom range, Image Stabilization, and will give you the ability to be creative and have fun.

 

[manaheim]

well ok your right. My biggest priorities are going to be size and price. This will be my first DSLR I have ever had. The olympus is very low price respectively, it is the smallest camera on the market and with that 25mm lens it dwarfs any other camera. So my options are are... either go all out and get this small perfectly sized camera with the 25mm lens (which lets face it, for my level and expertise any DSLR of this quality is going to be way more than I will need for right now) or to go get a camera that is a little bit more with a bigger lens and maybe a little more high quality. I honestly probably wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a picture taken on the 600 dollar olympus compared next to a 1200 nikon.

that is my reasoning, i think it came out pretty clear

Interesting, ok... that makes sense, I guess. If you're concerned about size have you looked at the D40? The thing is ridiculously tiny.

BTW, in my personal opinion, once you are not buying a camera you can stick in your pocket, size becomes somewhat irrelevant... to a point. Obviously a D3 is massively huge compared to a D40... but a D60? A D80? Bigger, sure... but not that much really. Depends on your lifestyle/travel needs/size of your hands/etc, but in general... once it gets in that range, they're all kinda bulky.

This is TOTALLY just my take. Obviously whatever works for you, but I have said that to a couple people and had them go "Oh! Good point!" And bought a "bigger" camera and were very happy. One selected the smaller one anyway. <shrug> Figured it was worth tossing that out there.

Good luck!

 

[Easy_Target]

I honestly probably wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a picture taken on the 600 dollar olympus compared next to a 1200 nikon.

Then go get the $600 nikon or canon *cough* Nikon *cough*.

As for size, a DSLR is not something you can just jam into your pocket (unless you wear UFOs with huge cargo pockets like I do). Even if you detach the lens, the body itself is still something large. It would fit into back pockets on jeans, but would you really want to put it there? Since price is an issue, why not go with canon or nikon? Their market of used lenses is pretty big.

 

[passerby]

Ok heres my deal I am about 90% sure I will be getting the Olympus e420 with the 25mm (first link) because of its size. If I decide against that lens then I will switch over to the Nikon D60.

My question is how much total zoom would I be able to achieve out of this first lens and the Olympus. I do attend a number of sporting events and would certainly come in handy to have great zoom. However my interest in size does outweigh my demand for great zoom.


http://asia.olympus-global.com/imsg/dslr/lenses/25_28/
http://asia.olympus-global.com/imsg/dslr/lenses/14-42_35-56/

My 18-55 from nikon is equivalent with the olympus 14-42. I can say with certainty it is not a telephoto for sport unless you talking about pingpong. But the kind of base ball or soccer you will see the players size like peanuts in a print.

But beside that if you do really like that camera than buy it. Of course you need to check the number of lenses from olympus first, to see if the lenses you need later on are available from them and - how much.

Oh btw, that 25mm is the equivalent what human eyes see.

 

[Joves]

My question is how much total zoom would I be able to achieve out of this first lens and the Olympus. I do attend a number of sporting events and would certainly come in handy to have great zoom. However my interest in size does outweigh my demand for great zoom.

You will have zero zoom as was said. It is a prime lens so it is at a fixed focal length. On the good side it will teach you to move around to get the perfect shot and, not rely on zooms for composition. On the bad side you have no choice when trying to get closer to some things.I think almost all of us old timers started out with 50mm lenses on slrs. One thing with any dslr/slr is you will always need more glass it is a vicious cycle.

 

[reg]

You do realize the 25mm lens doesn't zoom, right?

I don't think that basing your whole decision on one lens (if I don't like it I'll switch to Nikon) is really sound, either.

 

[AndrewPaulJones]

You will have zero zoom as was said. It is a prime lens so it is at a fixed focal length. On the good side it will teach you to move around to get the perfect shot and, not rely on zooms for composition. On the bad side you have no choice when trying to get closer to some things.I think almost all of us old timers started out with 50mm lenses on slrs. One thing with any dslr/slr is you will always need more glass it is a vicious cycle.

thanks for your response, looks like I wont be getting exactly what I want I want. looks like i got some more brainstorming to do