- Olympus lenses
Olympus lenses range from the most basic kit lens of dubious quality through acceptable to good and onwards to excellent. This is why there are so many overlapping focal lengths available. There is no simple mark of quality (except, perhaps, for the price tag) as silver bands and ED designations seem to occur throughout the range. Sometime in 2005 Olympus classified its lenses into consumer, intermediate and professional (I think the actual terms were great, fantastic and even better), and I’ve used these terms to describe the lenses as the fastest way of making a simple classification.
During 2006, Olympus tinkered with the lens designations again. The terms are now, ’standard’, ‘pro’ and ‘top pro’. I’ve stuck with my labels of consumer, intermediate and professional – which describes lenses according to their specification and not their performance. Consumer lenses are those which appear to be built down to a price; have unexciting specifications; or which generally would not be the first choice for picture quality. Features which get a lens put into this category include poor maximum apertures, rotating front elements, lack of special elements or cheaper build quality. Professional lenses are those which appear to be specified to meet the demands of exacting users. Fast, non varying maximum apertures, dust and water protection, and super special glass are expected. Weight and cost penalties mean that these lenses are not necessarily the best in practice, even if they would produce better results if you could afford them and carry them to the subject. This leads to my intermediate category. Not as good as the professional lenses, but lighter and cheaper. Better than the consumer lenses but more expensive and heavier.
Amusingly, Olympus changed the lens classification names again at the start of 2007. They are now ’standard’, ‘high grade’, and ’super high grade’. I’m sticking with the names I’ve used for the last couple of years.
ED glass – lenses not labelled with the ED designation have “ordinary” elements and might have “Ultra High Refractive Index” glass elements or aspherical ones. Lenses with the ED label additionally have ED, Super ED or ED aspherical lens elements. Olympus is a bit shy on saying exactly what ED stands for prefering to use words like “luxurious”. The distinction probably has more to do with marketing than engineering (in the same way that aspherical used to), but generally read it is a statement of intent about imaging quality.
SWD stands for Supersonic Wave Drive, or, more prosaically, a faster autofocus system.
This page last updated in May 2007.
All dates are approximate. Lenses sometimes first became available for purchase later.
Discontinued lenses in grey.
ZD 7mm – 14mm (2004) f4. ED glass – Professional. This is one of the lenses that marks the Olympus ZD range out. It is a very large lump of glass, and, with its protruding front element, difficult to use in strong light.
Ultrawide zoom (2008) – Consumer. No details yet available.
ZD 8mm (2005) f3.5 fisheye (180 degrees field of view) ED glass – Intermediate. I find it difficult to classify this lens as fisheyes are often used for their gimmick value. The October 2005 product announcements from Olympus confirmed that they saw this an Intermediate lens.
ZD 11mm – 22mm (2004) f2.8 / f3.5 – Intermediate.
ZD 12mm – 60mm (2007) f2.8 / f4 SWD ED glass – Intermediate. Probably the kit lens with the new top of the range camera.
ZD 14mm – 35mm (2007) f2 SWD ED glass – Professional. Long announced, but not to be seen. Re-announced at the PMA 2007. Expected in 2008. Now with SWD.
ZD 14mm – 42mm (2006) f3.5 / f5.6 ED glass – Consumer. Lightweight design introduced with the E400. Closer focussing than earlier lenses. I’ve also seen multiple references to the fact that the lens mounts are plastic not metal, but haven’t seen this fully confirmed.
ZD 14mm – 45mm (2004) f3.5 / f5.6 – Consumer. Generally the kit lens with the E300, and possibly responsible for the so-so results experienced by early E300 users.
ZD 14mm – 54mm (2003) f2.8 / f3.5 – Intermediate. This is the lens that most E1 owners get with the camera. Widely regarded to be an excellent lens, but this opinion is clouded slightly by the fact that many users had migrated from much lesser systems. It is good though, and it is also weather proof and robust (I’ve dropped mine from 5 foot (1.5m) onto a wooden floor with no apparent damage).
ZD 17.5mm – 45mm (2005) f3.5 / f5.6 – Consumer. “Exclusively for the E500 kit” according to Olympus.
ZD 18mm – 180mm (2005) f3.5 / f6.3 ED glass – Consumer. The only consumer grade lens to get the ED rating (from the early lenses. ED glass migrated down the range in 2006).
ZD 35mm – 100mm (2005) f2 ED glass – Professional.
ZD 35mm (2005) f3.5 macro – Consumer. This lens was graded ‘intermediate’ to begin with, but by 2007 was appearing in Olympus documentation in the consumer class.
ZD 40mm – 150mm (2004) f3.5 / f4.5 – Consumer. I’ve never come across one of these in use. It now would appear to have been replaced by the 2006 lens of the same length.
ZD 40mm – 150mm (2006) f4 / f5.6 ED glass – Consumer. Lightweight design introduced with the E400. Closer focussing than earlier lenses. I’ve also seen multiple references to the fact that the lens mounts are plastic not metal, but haven’t seen this fully confirmed.
ZD 50mm – 200mm (2003) f2.8 / f3.5 ED glass – Intermediate. Commonly bought by early adopters of the E1. An excellent lens, with well a well documented ability at 50mm exceeding that of the 14mm -54mm lens.
ZD 50mm – 200mm (2007) f2.8 / f3.5 SWD ED glass – Intermediate It appears as if this is going to be sold alongside the older 50-200.
ZD 50mm (2003) f2 macro ED glass – Intermediate. (I originally graded this as Professional, but the Olympus product announcements in October 2005 made it clear that they saw this as an Intermediate class lens). Excellent reputation. The lens that everybody in the forums is saving for.
ZD 70mm – 300mm (2007) f4 / 5.6 ED glass – Consumer.
ZD 90mm – 250mm (2005) f2.8 ED glass – Professional.
ZD 100mm f? macro – Intermediate. Long announced, never available. Perhaps in 2008. Now simply listed as a ‘telephoto macro’, suggesting that serious development isn’t yet underway.
ZD 150mm (2004) f2 ED glass – Professional. Tipa award winner.
ZD 300mm (2003) f2.8 ED glass – Professional. Mind boggling price. Less expensive in the US.
Teleconverter EC-14 (2003)
Teleconverter EC-20 (2007)