Olympus body and Pansonic lens question

[Fund8329]

I have purchased an Olympus E-M5 camera and a Olympus 45mm F/1.8 lens.
My wife and I are going on vacation and I would like to add a inexpensive telephoto lens.
The two that i am considering are:
1. M. Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F/4.0-5.6 lens
2. Panasonic LUMIX G Vario 45-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ASPH for G series Cameras.
I know that they both have the same mount, and that the Panasonic has stabilization built into the lens, that will not be used or turned on.
I have read many reviews and articles for both these lens, and it sounds like the Panasonic has a better build. I think the IQ is pretty close.
My question is will the Panasonic lens focus and do every thing it is suppose to do on the Olympus body.
Or should I buy the Olympus for better compatibility.
Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Ron Evers]

The M. Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F/4.0-5.6 lens would be my choice as it is lighter & more compact. Besides, Pany lenses are not corrected for CA on Oly bodies. This lens offers very good value for money & even more so if you buy a factory demo from this source where we got ours:

Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Micro ED Digital Zoom Lens (Silver) - Factory Demo includes Full 1 Year Warranty


I find the 40-150 a great walk-about lens when my wife does not have it on her camera.

 

[The_Traveler]

They both work.
I have panasonic lenses on Olympus body and just use them with VR turned off.

An interesting plus for that approach is that if you ever switch to a panasonic body you will still have VR.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

Another option to consider is the Panasonic 45-200. This is a very compact and sharp lens, amazingly so for the price. I bought one of these several years ago just to have a bit of reach, as I normally shoot with wide angle lenses. However, I found myself using the lens much more than I thought I would. It is very sharp for this type of lens and it is extremely small and lightweight for a zoom in this range. I see in Ron's signature, that he owns one, too.

I use Olympus and Panasonic m4/3 cameras.

 

[Ron Evers]

Another option to consider is the Panasonic 45-200. This is a very compact and sharp lens, amazingly so for the price. I bought one of these several years ago just to have a bit of reach, as I normally shoot with wide angle lenses. However, I found myself using the lens much more than I thought I would. It is very sharp for this type of lens and it is extremely small and lightweight for a zoom in this range. I see in Ron's signature, that he owns one, too.

I use Olympus and Panasonic m4/3 cameras.

I would not consider the Pany 45-200 as an alternative long zoom for travel. Firstly, it is much larger & heavier than the Oly 40-150, suffers from zoom creep & is not the greatest for IQ past 150mm.

Here are the two side-by-side:

 

[usayit]

* Both Olympus and Panasonic lenses will work fine.

* Olympus 40-150mm R is noticeably smaller and lighter weight.

* Panasonic 45-200mm is slightly faster aperture @ 150mm

* Panasonic 45-200mm looses sharpness after 150mm BUT at least you have the option of going to 200mm if needed.

* If you take advantage of the sale/instant rebate, the Olympus is significantly cheaper; $150 vs $270 and $250


Sorry, I know nothing about the Panasonic 45-150 except that its a much newer designed lens than the 45-200mm. Many of the newer lenses have better zoom action (smoother) and are silent for video purposes.



If I were in your shoes and didn't have the 45-200mm, I would probably go with the olympus 40-150mm R because IQ is fine AND $150 is hard to beat.