Seeking advice on lenses upgrade.

[miguellara78]

Hi guys,

I have a e-510, great camera by the way, I got it with 2 kit lenses:

ED 40-150mm f 4.0-5.6 Zuiko Digital Lens
ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Lens

The lens are not bad at all, but I did a little job on the side and got some extra cash in, I have a $1400 budget for upgrading glass.
I have the following in mind:

Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital -- $430 Approx.
Olympus 50mm f2.0 Zuiko Digital Macro -- $430 Approx.
Olympus ED 70-300mm f4.0-5.6 Zuiko Digital -- $340 Approx.

Do you think that's a good combo?
Would that be covering a good range of versatility?
I have a small gap between the 14-54 and the 70-300, it that too much of a gap?

Thank you guys, I just want to make a good investment here, I will probably not upgrade in a long time after this so i woul like to get the most versatil combination, but with the highest Quality posible with in that budget.

What do you guys think, thank you in advance.

P.S. What would be a good sale price for my kits, I don't want to go to high but don't want to trash them either, something on the cheap side for fast sale. They are like 2 weeks old no damage at all and always with uv filter on.

 

[JimmyO]

First off, keep your kits.
Second, what kind of lens do you want?

I would limit your choices to a certain price range, but instead a certain lens type.

I personaly would get the prime lens.

 

[Mav]

Those lenses look pretty nice, particularly the 14-54 f/2.8-3.5. The only thing I see that you're missing is an ultra-wide. I'm not sure what sort of photography you do, but 14mm still isn't all that wide on the Olympus system, and I know they have some stuff that goes even wider than that.

 

[miguellara78]

Thanks for your time guys,

First off, keep your kits.

Jimmy, why would I want to keep the kits? I think I'm covering the range of the kit with the lenses on the list, (exept for the 17mm gap between the 14-54 and 70-300), and they are more bright too?
I'm just a newbie at this so I'm probably missing something.

Second, what kind of lens do you want?
I would limit your choices to a certain price range, but instead a certain lens type.

Well, basically I just want a good combo that allows me to be versatile, like taking bugs, flower macros, also portraits and all the way to landscapes and long distance shoots like racing. I know thats a lot and that's why I choose the lenses I proposed, because I think I could cover all of that with them and they are still in the price range and I don't think they have a really bad quality. But that's what me, the newbie think and may be you more experience guys can tell me if I'm wrong or give me some advice.

Those lenses look pretty nice, particularly the 14-54 f/2.8-3.5. The only thing I see that you're missing is an ultra-wide. I'm not sure what sort of photography you do, but 14mm still isn't all that wide on the Olympus system, and I know they have some stuff that goes even wider than that.

Yeah they have the 11-22mm but that one is more expensive ($660) and cover less range.I add it to the combo there it goes my budget .

So what do you guys think?
Thanks for your time

 

[frXnz kafka]

I think you would be better off buying 1 or 2 very nice lenses than 3 kind of mid-range lenses.

 

[Mav]

Well, basically I just want a good combo that allows me to be versatile, like taking bugs, flower macros, also portraits and all the way to landscapes and long distance shoots like racing. I know thats a lot and that's why I choose the lenses I proposed, because I think I could cover all of that with them and they are still in the price range and I don't think they have a really bad quality. But that's what me, the newbie think and may be you more experience guys can tell me if I'm wrong or give me some advice.

Rather than getting three "medium" quality lenses, you might instead go with two nicer ones. Like that more expensive wide angle, keep your kit mid-zoom, and then a long and nice telephoto. Lots of people recommend an ultra wide and a telephoto zoom and skipping the mid-range altogether. You could also skip the 50mm f/2 macro and just get a close-up filter for your 70-300mm like the Canon 500D which would save you a few hundred dollars right there. I have a Canon 500D filter for my Nikon 70-300VR and am very pleased with it. It's not critical to have every single focal length range covered. Also, is your 40-150mm not long enough? 300mm is going to be insanely long on Olympus, equivalent to a 600 in 35mm terms! Rather than going with the slow 70-300, maybe that 50-200 f/2.8-3.5? That could also double as a portrait lens and with a close-up filter could do your macro shots too. That's pricey, but will kick butt.

The added benefit of nice PRO quality glass is that you can more easily adapt them to other purposes and still have great quality. Like adding a teleconverter or close-up filters. Pro lenses give such high quality that when you put that stuff on there they'll still look great, unlike cheaper glass.

 

[*Mike*]

I'd suggest holding off on lenses until you know exactly what you want and why. A quick grab bag approach where you just try to cover a focal range is going to be wasteful in the long run...

In the meantime, the kit lenses are great for the typical hobbyist.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do...

 

[JimmyO]

Jimmy, why would I want to keep the kits? I think I'm covering the range of the kit with the lenses on the list, (exept for the 17mm gap between the 14-54 and 70-300), and they are more bright too?
I'm just a newbie at this so I'm probably missing something.

Since they probably wont go for much they wont make an effective way to save towards a new lens. And also, you never know when your gonna need a lens as a back up if something happens to your new one.

 

[Don Kondra]

Hi guys,

I have a e-510, great camera by the way, I got it with 2 kit lenses:

ED 40-150mm f 4.0-5.6 Zuiko Digital Lens
ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Lens

I have a $1400 budget for upgrading glass.
I have the following in mind:

Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital -- $430 Approx.
Olympus 50mm f2.0 Zuiko Digital Macro -- $430 Approx.
Olympus ED 70-300mm f4.0-5.6 Zuiko Digital -- $340 Approx.

P.S. What would be a good sale price for my kits.

Greetings,

I went through the lens upgrade process after using the 510 for about four months.

The 14-42 is a great lens but I decided to move up to the high grade 14-54 f2.8.

For ~ $450 the image quality is a little better and so is the low light capability. I shoot furniture I make and justified the expense by having better images to submit for magazine publication.

The 14-42 is selling for ~$110.

Then I bought both the old and new style 40-150 on ebay. I paid $107 plus shipping for a new f 4.5 and $107 plus shipping for a "gently" used f 3.5. Just a coincidence of the auction process...

Although the old style is twice as big it just felt "right" to me. Most reviews have the new style as being slightly sharper. I didn't find that to be true but my tests were hardly scientific So I kept the older style based on the lower f number and my gut feeling....

One important thing to consider is whether or not you use filters, the lens on the old style turns as it focuses, the new one does not.

So, finally, my advice to you is to wait until you have some more experience with the camera and can better say what type of work you want to do with it. Just covering all the bases may seem logical but you may end up a lens you don't need and/or use.

And when you buy, if image quality is important, buy the high grade or Super High Grade

Olympus Lens Lineup

Cheers, Don

 

[miguellara78]

Ok guys thank you for the input, I made up my mind.
I will get the 14-54 and the 50mm wich are in the High grade level (Super High grade is too heavy/too much for me right now), and will wait for the zoom range until I decide if I get the 50-200mm also in the high grade level but really bit tag.

I will sell my kits, the 14/42mm and the 40/150mm so if any one is intereste I'll sell them for a fast sale price.

Thank you guys for your help.