Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm EZ MSC is a great lens - RED35 Review

[@andreamadaro5161]

I use it, i love it on my E-M10 Mk1. This lens on "old" Olympus Pen (E-P1/E-P2/E-PL1/2) in Autofocus is very quickly. If you have an old Pen camera i recommend to use it!

[@jukeboxjohnnie]

I LOVE the EM1X, I bought two. Best handling camera Ive ever owned

[@Radiohutch1]

I love my 14-42 pancake. It stays on my EM10-Mk1. It is the lens that I use for festivals, car shows, etc. So portable...and pocketable. I interchange it with the Oly 17mm f1.8 and the 45mm 1.8 prime lenses. All sensational. Isn't Olympus glass great?

[@terrywbreedlove]

Is this little EZ lens sharp ? Is it as sharp as the 17mm 1.8 ?

[@ddiver7908]

Yes!!! an awesome special guest appearance!! Thank you Red and Charlie!

[@Red35Photography]

Thank you for watching!

[@charleenmeredith]

GD D thank you lovely!! ☺️☺️

[@petermcginty3636]

Thanks Jimmy, I bought this lens based on your review and I made the right choice! Love it! I have an OM-5 because I want to take a camera with me all the time. I use the 14-42mm as my lens for "when I am not planning on taking photos" days. Absolutely perfect for that photo op that I never expected. Thanks champ!

[@gilbertwalker6769]

Thanks Jimmy! I enjoyed your video very much. I have used and enjoyed the pancake zoom and I appreciate your showing us its video and photographic capabilities. While you are a professional who takes your photography seriously...you are not afraid to show us your less serious and fun side. Thanks! Photography should be fun...not suffering (at least not most of the time!).

[@davidblack2632]

I usually have my 14-42 EZ lens on my Pen F. Mostly for a body cap before deciding which prime to use. Great video. I need to use mine more.

[@YoSpiff]

I've had one of those for about a year. I travel a lot for work and keep this on an older Pen E-PM2 to have a decent but compact camera along even when I'm not expecting time or opportunity for photos.

[@DavidMBanes]

I've just a few months ago purchased an OM-D E-M10 with this lens and like it so much it's been my 'main' lens. I have bought three primes, the Panasonic 14mm, the Oly 25mm and 42mm lenses. You've probably already twigged that the primes cover the kit lens range not expand on it. This is because I've decided to stay within that 14-45mm range for my photos as I mainly use It for travel and my local car club car photos and street. I can pop a prime on when I know I'll be shooting mainly at one of those focal lengths.

[@JayA-bl9dp]

That was pretty awesome. Was about to comment on the new intro not having Charleen. Always enjoyed your guests, especially Charleen (need a Disney shoot :D ). Glad to see she’s still around. Regarding the lens, the true magic is to make your camera a point-and-shoot using the auto cap that you can get extra for it. Wow, it’s elevates the travel aspect of it so high with that. Anyone I know who has this lens, and I’ve gotten them that lens cap, they almost never remove it. You get the higher quality of a larger sensor in a compact package. It’s like taking photos was rejuvenated for them.

[@charleenmeredith]

Jay A thanks I much! So glad we could figure out a way for me to be involved in this one! Lots of love from SoCal 💓

[@leonfourie5717]

Is using this lens a lot.Also watching Rob Trek vlogs,one of my favourits and Rob had a nice comparison review between the oly 12-40 f2.8 pro and this lens and i beg to say that this kit lens is really superb for the price.

[@philliplivingstone5336]

Great review and wonderful to see Charli again - fabulous

[@charleenmeredith]

Phillip Livingstone thank you! ☺️

[@johncarder819]

My version is the "plastic fantastic" 40-150mm f 4-5.6R. Every so often Olympus puts it on sale for $99, and it is worth ever penny of that. It is a plastic lens mount, but I have taken some great pictures with it. I bought the optional lens hood (LH-61D), and have not regretted that, either.

[@johnnymossville]

Awwwwww, was wondering when we would see her again. Fantastic.

[@charleenmeredith]

John B aww thank you so much! ☺️

[@FrayAdjacentTX]

I've used that lens on my EM-5 MkII and the image quality is very impressive. I'm taking a short trip next weekend for a family thing, and will take my EM-5 MkIII with this lens on it as a compact camera solution. Normally I'd use the 12-40 f/2.8, but the 14-42 is a much more compact size. Very usable for short trips.

[@AdamB.]

Good video. I love the 14-42mm EZ. I use it often as part of a minimalist video kit on short trips when I want something lightweight that breaks down to easily fit my pockets. It was nice to see Charli again.

[@charleenmeredith]

Adam B. Thanks Adam! It was lovely to get involved ☺️

[@Yoko.Kurama]

I was trying to decide between this lens, Panasonic 14mm 2.5, and 15mm 1.7. I'm thinking the extra reach will be more useful than low light performance

[@Red35Photography]

For travel, certainly :)

[@clintjohnson5914]

I have been deep diving your channel a bit for ideas and reviews and ran across this. I have been following the idea of having mini cameras for street and personal work but all my zooms are so big. So.. after watching videos with great examples,,, especially this one.. i nabbed one this week for $81 USD on Ebay..plus moderate shipping..so--Huge bargain..looks good on the EPL 10 and at 42mm it's noticeably better than the old kit lens !!

[@brettperkins3852]

Pick up one a few years ago as a travel lens great for street photography. It has started giving me some trouble retracting . When I power off it closes then pops back out. Any idea what I could do to fix it. Thanks

[@valdiskrebs566]

This is a great little lens on an EM10ii, especially with the auto-open LC-37C lens cap. I mostly shoot from f/4 to f/8, so this is the perfect lens for me. Like it better than the “R” model.

[@dandanu2526]

Lovely Charleen..great lens...i'll buy one tommorow...would be perfect for landscape stills...thank you!

[@chanakarnorsuwan5896]

I have learn a lot from your clip. It is one of the good quality clip for a new protographer.

[@alex-sd]

Great review on this lens. How does it compare with the other Oly 14-42 ii R lens?

[@cmartin_ok]

Still waiting for Jimmy to do that comparison, or have I missed it?

[@veektoryk]

Does the weight shift too much throughout the zoom for use on a gimbal like Ronin SC without rebalancing?

[@Red35Photography]

No, it’s negligible. The whole thing is light

[@veektoryk]

Cool, didn't think I'd get a response! Thank you!!

[@cmartin_ok]

It's a good lens and very useful especially with the LC37C automatic lens cover/cap..... but it is also an expensive lens (certainly in the UK) if you want to buy it separately, and it is sooo slow... If only it were from around f/2.8 or 3.5 to f/4

[@thilobraun3440]

Thank you for this great review of a "simple" Kit Lens. As you said, Kit Lenses are something everybody seems to frown upon. But this little lens actually has a price tag of 399 € on it, so it is not a cheapy at all. I bought two Pro lenses for my EM10 Mk3 (12-45 Pro) and my EM5 Mk 3 (12-40 Pro) and recently aquired a PEN e9 in Blue (loooove this colour) for the 14-42 EZ which is a great fit to this smalish camera and makes it a daily "pick me up".

[@ThePNWRiderWA]

I have been using my old 12-50 from The EM5. However I dropped it and the zoom stopped working so I will give this a go.

[@fgc1981]

I enjoyed shooting with this the first 6 months since buying my em10 mkii. In my experience it doesn't beat the premium primes for iq. Also, I never cared for the electronic zoom mechanism. Once I picked up my 25 1.8, I almost never went back to this kit lens.

[@TB-up4xi]

6:55 - Uhm.... you know the 80 Mpx file has not "tested the resolution of the lens" right? It is still only resolving 20 Mpx at a time. The sensor shifts a pixel or 2 N/S/E/W and takes 4 shots then interprets these 4 x 20 Mpx individual shots as 1 x 80 Mpx image that is why you can't shoot a moving object because when the processor adds the images together the light to the individual pixels has moved and it's trying to add different pixels together and the images become blurred. It is nothing like taking a single 80 Mpx photo on an 80 Mpx sensor which is the only way to test the lens' 80 Mpx resolution.

[@mistermastermind528]

I'm actually tempted to buy this lens for my Lumix GX85. I mean the kit lens for that camera is great but not having manual focus becomes a problem for the kinds of video I want to do.

[@AlternativeAgeing]

Brilliant, thank you have just received one in my kit! Did you shoot all your pieces to camera on the same lens?

[@Red35Photography]

Mostly :)

[@geoffreybarrow8935]

It's a great lens - for a 2-3 years. Unfortunately, that's as long as it lasts. In my opinion, there's too much automation in it. I've had two of them, and both have failed. The first one I actually sent back to Olympus for repair, and it failed again after a couple of years, on a recent two-week hiking trip, when the autofocus stopped working. I traced the problem to the fact that the electrical mechanism was not extending the lens all the way out. Fortunately, I had learned from experience and had bought the older, 14-42 mm RII version, which does not have electrical extension. You can bet I was glad I had taken that with me as a back-up. I'm now through with the EZ lenses and do not intend to waste any more money on getting them repaired.

[@SK-uy7bv]

I thank you very much for your video. I concur with your review. I am a hobby photographer. I have this cute lens with an auto lens cap on my em10 m3. I also shoot with oly 25 1.8 and a Ricoh GR2 (“poor man/woman Leical”) with a fixed lens 28 mm 2.8.

[@falldoughnuts]

Love the special guest, she rules! :)

[@charleenmeredith]

Fall Doughnuts aww thank you 😘

[@keri-di5122]

I also use Zuiko 14-42mm MSC to mine ЕМ1X.Тhe combination looks great!

[@TITAOSTEIN]

It is a good Option for travelling, or b- camera, or back up. But I prefer the Lumix 12-32...

[@johnmiller5717]

Charleen shines bright in another good video.

[@8thom00]

Hi Jimmy, I was wondering if you could help me out with my first world problem :) I use an E-M5 II. My main lenses are PL8-18mm f/2.8-4 and PL25mm f/1.4 mark II, and I rarely need a longer focal length. I want to buy a pancake lens for when I want to keep the overall package as small as possible. After long pondering (and having owned and sold twice the Pana 14mm) the choice is on this pancake zoom you presented so greatly and the little cheaper but much older Olympus 17mm f/2.8, which doesn't get much love on the web but seems to deserve some! Any wise words apart from 'get both'? Thank you in advance!

[@Red35Photography]

LOL, first thanks for watching my videos Giorgio. Well, either options won't get you the same optical performance on what you have already, these are 'cheaper' grade lenses but from my experience, the 14-42 is actually a better performer than the 17mm 2.8, even though the latter has a brighter aperture at 2.8. But the 14-42 does give you the flexibility if you don't want to stick with one focal length and it's a electronic zoom which means you can do some fun stuff in videos.

[@8thom00]

@@Red35Photography Thank you Jimmy - and yes, I'm ready to sacrifice some performance for the sake of portability... I'll give it some thought and let you know, and if you're ever around Regents Park / Euston / Camden... well, coffee is definitely on me :) Have a good night!

[@8thom00]

@@Red35Photography Got back to this discussion after long, and the 14-42 EZ is now a faithful companion - I love how it makes the E-M5II fit in a coat pocket, or in a small hip pack when I go for a run. It's very flexible and I'm particularly fond of its close-up performance, especially when coupled with extension rings. With the right focal length and distance I also manage to get decent background separation in portraiture, though of course that it's not its strength. Thanks Jimmy! On a side note, it's made me less shy in using ISO6400 when light is not much - processing carefully with Topaz gifted me with one more stop or even more.

[@ruff1draft]

Jimmy is this 14-42 the equivalent of the 18-55 kit lens on a AP-C camera

[@michaelbell75]

Thanks. I have been thinking about picking up an Olympus camera because I love several of the lenses but the skin tones are just so bad for portraits. 11:42 of the video is a perfect example, the red blotchiness on the left side of her face and then again in the last shot of her at 12:09 under her right eye and on her nose. Panasonic cameras do this too, I had the GX7, GX8 and GX85 and they all did this, is this a M43 thing? Maybe Im too used to Canon skin tones but that red blotchiness these M43 cameras seem to exhibit in less than great lighting really kills it.

[@bobneedham6224]

Loved the out takes.

[@stevepage2369]

Got one of these little pocket rockets ... Very Very underrated lens indeed .. use it all the time and get some very sharp images ... no-way would I sell it

[@Chalky555]

I've just ordered this lens.... Together with the EM-10 Mark III (waters getting deep now... music, can't find it anywhere, any clue?) thanks for the video.

[@Red35Photography]

Not sure we understand your music question but hope you enjoy the lens!

[@Chalky555]

@@Red35Photography the background song, off topic sorry. Spent most of the week studying the camera! Dog's tired of posing.

[@Red35Photography]

@@Chalky555 Not a problem, if you're talking about the music in this video, they're all tracks from Artlist (tiny.cc/artlist, if you want 2 extra months with your yearly subscription). In no particular order: 'Can't Help It' by Shtriker Big Band, 'Fairytale Place' by Alex Zado, 'Foxistance' by DayFox, 'Glow' by Liqwyd, 'Great Times Ahead', by Rex Banner, 'Lioness - Instrumental Version' by DayFox, and 'Outgoing', by Luke Melville. Hope that answers your question :P. Dog deserves treats!!

[@rkgaustin]

Did I miss the part where he showed the zoom range?

[@MarchalisVan]

lol this lenses limits is really about 20megapixels already at that point you can notice softness, so i'm not sure why there was the "High res" bit, especially anything not smack centre isn't going to notice any improvement.. I have tried with 3 copies of this lens, don't ask how I ended up with that many at one point lol. I thought the Bokeh creation was creative, as usually you don't notice any with this lens when out and about, but with focus on a close plant and the subject walking away, and, just being in an area with massive distance while focusing reasonably close to your subject does make it seem like you can get more plentiful bokeh than normal with this lens... at the 42mm range :S

[@JCStreet]

I skipped the kit lens with my PEN-F. Maybe I shouldn’t have...?

[@ronmalvert2387]

Yes, it's an amazing little lens but where is Zoha?

[@stuartnelson3202]

I have the Pan 12-32mm pancake that came with my GX7 which seems very similar and despite it's cheap appearance is a very capable lens. How do these compare, or can you not comment on Panasonic? I also had the Pan 20mm F1.7 with that camera, and both pancakes are amazing on the pocket sized GX7 for discreet city walkabouts, especially in this country where I don't want to draw attention. Also have the Oly 12-40mm F2.8 Pro that came with my EM5MII which is my current standard holiday combo, yes it's better, but bigger, but you don't mind looking like a tourist when you actually are one! In this country the same, mainly only use it when in, say, museums, where again you can get away with looking touristy. But otherwise I think these little kit lenses are perfect for day to day carrying when you feel a little self conscious. As I'm more than happy with the 12-32, it's virtually impossible this 14-42 could be better to the point where I'd straight out buy it. If it came with a camera I wanted I'd possibly pay a little extra. But at the moment my sights are on the PenF and 17mm F1.8 combo if anything... 😉

[@razkki]

Great vid as per Jimmy!

[@jerry2357]

I don't like electronic zoom. I prefer the tactile quality of turning a manual zoom ring, it's easier to be precise. That was one reason why I moved from the Canon G1X Mk 2 to micro four thirds (the other reasons were interchangeable lenses and camera bodies with a built-in EVF). I got one of these when I bought my Pen-F, but I hardly ever use it.

[@SirMo]

I love this channel. Who does a high production spot like this for a kit lens? It's not any kit lens I suppose. It's an Olympus :)

[@WMedl]

My impression is that the lens does not focus as accurate as the 12-40. But the main problem ist that the chosen focal length is not retained after the "re-start" of the lens.

[@ariunboldgaram-ayush8914]

You can change that in settings

[@ruff1draft]

I do alot of street photography with my 18-55 Nikon kit lens. Granted I have just bought myself a Youngnou 35mm for my camera

[@lindenakalyndon6937]

This lens is amazing! The focal length is useful for me in many cases. I hope Olympus makes a 14mm prime soon !

[@fgc1981]

I can highly recommend the Panasonic 15mm 1.7.

[@photonspark]

Thanks, what lens was used to film this video?

[@Red35Photography]

photonspark Olympus 12-40 2.8 Pro

[@photonspark]

@@Red35Photography thanks, love your channel🙂 thinking of you and your family 💕

[@Bunnyisms]

Sometimes I laugh in my head when I see the very small lenses on a larger double gripped bodies. The irony is that my much larger and faster Pro lenses work better on my smaller E-PL8 because I don't need to use as slow shutter speeds with the larger apertures. The more powerful image stabilisation on my E-M1X makes the tiny Olympus bodycap pancake lenses and many of the much slower lenses so much more usable. I used to use them on my E-M1 with the vertical grip, but after that body quit last year, I used just my E-PL8 for a year, then this year someone had an E-M1X for a price I couldn't say no to, so now I have an E-M1X, and I'm enjoying it much more than my E-M1 with the vertical grip. I really missed that five axis image stabilisation with the E-M1 bodies, and the built in vertical grip really helps with steady photos since my hands shake a lot

[@RobMoses]

Good video. I'm about to take a trip and just picked up one of these for the light weight and versatility. Hope it works out. Judging from your video I think I'll be just fine. :)

[@revelac_ao5083]

your presets look really good, can you do a tutorial?

[@lorenschwiderski]

Looks like that lens is very capable, but is it better than the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R Lens which I got with the Olympus PEN PL-8? Of the tests I read, it seems the old lens may have the edge for sharpness. I also have the Lumix 12-32mm lens which is very nice, sharp, with a good build, and handling. Of course it too is equally slow, so best in good light situations. I find that camera wise, Olympus handles the ISO around 800+ a tad better than my Panny. Overall the Oly and Panny are pretty close however. Lens wise, in the lower cost group, Olympus 45mm appears to be the gem. In inexpensive zooms, I have the 45-150mm Lumix, but do not have the 40-150 Olympus, which many say is good bang for the buck --- wonder if it is worth considering if I already own the Lumix?

[@LSpec1]

I like it a lot, this kit lens is nice but I feel like the zoom ring works in opposite way that the "normal" lens

[@purpleneons]

You can change the direction in the settings, though.

[@s3tsun444___]

The photos look amazing! Are they SOOC? Or color graded?

[@Red35Photography]

Thanks and Graded ;) I rarely show SOOC unless I am testing 'jpg' or from a new camera that's not supported by any software.

[@vicibox]

Come On You Irons (yes you guessed I am a West Ham born girl he he). Where was I? Ah yes, these MFT pancake zooms are well worth having. I am a prime girl really and only bought a Lumix 14-140mm zoom for wildlife and the Zoo. But, when I bought my Panasonic GX9 last year the 12-32mm kit was less than a £100 more and I dont have a prime as wide as 12mm so, I snapped it up. Well it looks rubbish, looks ugly when extended and I didn't have much hope for it. I took it out on a sunny day. OMG. OMG. did I just say OMG? It was tack sharp and the image was dripping in microtones. Amazon sorted the ugliness with a metal Leica style lens hood which makes it look like the collapsing Leica Summicron on my father's old Leica IIIg. Now when I go on a trip, I throw all my lenses into my luggage and put the 12-32mm pancake zoom on my GX9 and slip it into my handbag; it never disappoints and I even have photos in my current show "Dark Paths" from this at the 24mm end; a stunning panorama of sunflowers (taken on that first sunny day trial out with the lens; talk about instant impact) paired with my poem The Gift of Harlequin ( instagram.com/p/BjzjORkASfx/ ). Have fun ;-)

[@keithspillett]

The 12-32 is an insane little lens, a definite case of everything coming together at the same time!

[@cmartin_ok]

I've had a few compatability issues with focusing when using the Lumix 12-32 on an EM10 mk II body

[@basujayanta1]

This lens is pretty awesome, before one day you attach it to your camera and the message pops out on the LCD screen "Please check the status of a lens"!! Then you un-attach the lens and re-attach it. Nothing works!! You again un-attach the lens and with a clean piece of micro-fiber, clean the attachment points of both the lens and the body, and then re-attach the lens. ALAS!! STILL THE SAME ERROR COMES UP!!! then finally you realize :- "NEVER BUY A MOTORIZED ZOOM LENS, NEVER, EVER"!!! THANK YOU!!!!

[@christopheschmit8671]

True story

[@Koji-888]

I’ll take those odds. 1% chance of it breaking./ 99% odds of it being fantastic till the end. 🥰

[@WhoIsSerafin]

I just ordered a backup camera and probably will put it on that body and let my wife use it since she likes shooting in auto, otherwise I just could never connect with that lens.

[@rudolfabelin383]

I am gonna buy this one with the power (motor) zoom :-)

[@johntbd]

Nice intro!

[@totalstranger8412]

This lens came with my EM 10 Mark iii. I now use it with my M1 Mark ii. Because I like the low profile, I carry it and use it more than my prime lens.

[@rodmehta5356]

Why not call it a pizza lens?

[@johnallen3423]

It's great on a Pen F.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I know it's not the lens but the earlier video was super pixelated.

[@Red35Photography]

I didn’t see the problem, could be KZbin

[@drpork1360]

When you buy an EM1-X and forget about lenses

[@rascalhusky8129]

Mine became dysfunctional after on year . I just gave it away , it would have cost me well over a 100 dollars to repair. Disappointing.

[@rougecrown]

this lens has very shoddy constructions, so it seems like the panasonic's 12-32mm is a better kit lens IMO.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I think they're both shoddy. I have the 12-35. I still think they both take great photos. Even if they feel cheap. They could be faster but not in a pancake. I also have the Leica 12-60 f2.8-5 and totally think the sharpness is similar.

[@Koji-888]

Looks like the guy from that Pirate movie. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@HenryStradford]

Charli!

[@Red35Photography]

Your wish was granted

[@charleenmeredith]

Henry Stradford lots of love! ☺️💓

[@HenryStradford]

@@charleenmeredith Hope you're doing well!

[@charleenmeredith]

Henry Stradford I’m doing good thank you! Settling into life in LA County ☺️

[@derJackistweg]

Heavy vignetting.

[@RobBob555]

who the FUCK is Charleen Meredith ??

[@chrisking3849]

don't buy this lens have been with Oly still the em -I. a cheap poor slow lens. spend a little more

[@Koji-888]

So.. what do you prefer for a PANCAKE ZOOM

[@ixoye56]

Good lens for family and vacation photo in "P" mode, but nothing for an enthusiast, f3,5-5.6 is useless in my opinion.

[@WMedl]

Why 3,5-5.6 is useless? If You shoot landscape a very long depth of field (DoF) is the goal so the smalles apterture number will be 5.6 but better 8! The same for architecture in open air! Yes for portrait (this is no dedicated portrait lens) only if you want a small DoF! But remember the DoF on 42 mm and f/5.6 and distance of 4 meter 1,58 m, for 3 meters only 0,87 meter So it depends on the back ground and its distance! In studio (where I would not use that lense) you will shoot normally with more than 5.6! And what has the shooting-mode to do with the maximum aperture of the lense?

[@ixoye56]

@@WMedl It's useless because it cannot be used in low light, and it can't give you short DOF, why not buy a lens that can give you all this advantages? and a kit lens like this is primarily intended for people that use "P" mode, there's not much you can do with it when it comes to creative photography.

[@WMedl]

@@ixoye56 Short DOF is no criteria of good quality. Except for some portrait situations short DoF should be avoided. Look at iconic images of Ansel Adams Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Jim Brandenbugh, Michael Kenna, David Yarrow, .....

[@Koji-888]

“Useless”? Photo snob eh.? Fast glass is, Big, Heavy, and Expensive. And it’s only needed for “Low light, or Bokeh.”

[@Koji-888]

@@ixoye56 Maybe work on your lighting, composition, and subject matter. And less relying on Bokeh as a crutch for your artistic ability. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Just practice more.