I originally intended to shoot a tennis tournament happening in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend and subsequently do an extension review for the M.Zuiko 300mm F4 IS Pro lens. However, the weekend was filled with meeting friends who came from all over the place, and I decided that catching up with precious friends was more important than shutter therapy, and I had a blast with my mates!
Therefore, I moved on to the next item of my to-do list on this blog: to do a comparison review between two of the possibly most used lenses for Olympus PEN and OM-D users: the kit lenses M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 and M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 pancake lens. Although both 12-50mm and 14-42mm pancake lenses were designed as kit lenses, they are actually quite different in characteristics and real world shooting applications. In this blog entry I shall do my best to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each lens and supplement my findings with plenty of photographs which I have taken over the weekend.
Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 (on the left) and M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 Pancake (on the right)
Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 (on the left) and M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 Pancake (on the right)
OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO 12-50MM F3.5-6.3 ED LENS
This lens was first introduced ahead of the launch of the now legendary first OM-D camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M5, which also happened to be the kit lens designed specifically for the E-M5. To complement the E-M5, the 12-50mm lens is weather-sealed just like the camera body. While this 12-50mm lens is larger and heavier than the 14-42mm pancake lens, the wider angle focal length of 12mm vs 14mm, the slightly longer reach of 50mm vs 42mm, weather-sealing as well as a very capable macro feature built into the lens made this quite a compelling choice. Obviously with the added wealth of features, the 12-50mm lens is priced more expensive than the 14-42mm simpler, smaller designed pancake lens.
OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO 14-42MM F3.5-5.6 ED LENS
The most notable trait of the 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 pancake lens, is the pancake design. At the collapsed position (the lens extends out when the camera is powered on, and retracts into a slim, compact resting position when the power is off), the lens being mounted onto a small camera body results in a truly compact system, even pocketable in some cases. (I am not talking about tight jean pockets, please). This pancake kit lens was introduced as the kit lens for the OM-D E-M10, which came out more than a year after the original E-M5. While this pancake lens lacks all the rich features of the 12-50mm lens, the slim design and compactness made this a popular choice to be an easy carry-around do it all, general purpose lens. Many users, as well as review sites have reported that the 14-42mm pancake lens has better optical performance, producing slightly sharper images in comparison to the older and bulkier 12-50mm kit lens.
12-50MM VS 14-42MM PANCAKE
I will not be able to test everything, but I will do my best to address the most commonly asked questions. My test approach is very simple, non-technical (no graphs, no charts, no numbers), but straight to the point, practical shooting. I went out to shoot plenty of photographs with both lenses on two identical camera bodies (the latest PEN-F), I made sure the settings and framings were as consistent as I could, and based on the image results I write my conclusions here.
Here are the questions I wish to explore in my comparison review:
1) Wide angle coverage, how much advantage does the 12mm focal length benefit wide angle shooting, as opposed to 14mm? Is the 2mm difference significant?
2) Generally reviewers and users have reported that 12-50mm is not a very sharp lens, some even dared to comment having "disappointing" results. On the other hand, most users who have used 14-42mm pancake kit lens are satisfied with the images. In terms of sharpness, at different focal lengths, which lens is superior?
3) 12-50mm lens has a dedicated macro function, which the 14-42mm does not have. How much difference will this make when it comes to macro/close up shooting?
4) How about other lens characteristics, such as Chromatic Aberration and Distortion?
Before we move on further, please be reminded that these two lenses are basic kit lenses, they will surely not outperform higher grade lenses such as PRO lenses (12-40mm F2.8 PRO) or the prime lenses (25mm F1.8, 45m F1.8). Therefore, please do not view the photographs with ridiculously high expectations of seeing razor sharp images void of technical imperfections.
12-50mm lens
12mm, F5.6, 1/40sec, ISO200
14-42mm pancake lens
14mm, F5.6, 1/80sec, ISO200
12-50mm lens
12mm, F5.6, 1/1250sec, ISO200
14-42mm Pancake Lens
14mm, F5.6, 1/1250, ISO200
WIDE ANGLE 12MM VS 14MM - FRAMING COVERAGE
Looking at the direct comparisons between 12mm focal length framings vs 14mm, the extra 2mm wide angle does provide more flexibility, and I would believe to be beneficial to wide angle photography. Speaking from experience, I do think that 14mm to be mostly sufficient for most of my wide angle shooting needs, but there were a few incidences when the 12mm wide angle can make a big difference in creating a better composition.
DISTORTION & CHROMATIC ABBERATION
Both 12-50mm and 14-42mm pancake lenses, when used at their widest angles (12mm and 14mm respectively) exhibit noticeable amount of distortion, even after the camera runs the JPEG processing corrections. In my tests, I found that the 14-42mm showing more curvature in the lines which were originally perfectly straight, than the 12-50mm lens. Nonetheless, the distortion is not serious enough to undermine the usefulness of the final image output. Shooting with both lenses under high contrast conditions (near noon), I do not observe any trace of Chromatic Aberration (usually purple and green fringing), and this could be due to the aggressive software correction working in the Truepic 7 Image Processing engine of the PEN-F camera.
WHICH ONE SHARPER AT THE WIDEST?
Honestly, both lenses produce soft images at their widest angle, but this is the usual case for most zoom lenses, especially basic kit zoom lenses (true for any manufacturers/brands). There was nothing to write home about when it comes to the wide angle shooting with these lenses, but for basic usage, general day to day use (non-professional) the quality of the zoom lens at wide angle is adequate. Sharpness can be improved by stopping down the aperture to F5 or F5.6, so avoid shooting at F3.5 when possible. I personally think that the 14-42mm Pancake lens is just a little bit sharper at 14mm in comparison to 12-50mm lens at 12mm.
12-50mm lens
12mm, F3.5, 1/6400sec, ISO200
Chromatic Aberration Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens
14mm, F5.6, 1/6400sec, ISO200
Chromatic Aberration Test
12-50mm Lens
12mm, F5.6, 1/20sec, ISO200
Distortion Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens
14mm, F5.6, 1/20sec, ISO200
Distortion Test
12-50mm lens
12mm, F5.6, 1/3200sec, ISO200
Sharpness Test at Wide Angle
12-50mm lens
100% Crop from previous image
Sharpness Test at Wide Angle
14-42mm Pancake Lens
14mm, F5.6, 1/3200sec, ISO200
Sharpness Test at Wide Angle
14-42mm Pancake lens
100% Crop from previous image
Sharpness Test at Wide Angle
Now that we have seen the lenses performed at their widest angle, let's zoom to the furthest telephoto distance.
ZOOMING IN TO THE LONGEST
At the full zoom, both lenses produce very similar looking images, and are both equally sharp. In the following images I have taken samples from a far distance, as well as a close up subject. For the close up test, do be mindful of the depth of field difference. In order to obtain similar framing, obviously I needed to move myself closer to the golden statues with the 14-42mm lens (42mm vs 50mm). The lens being nearer to the subject, and shooting at F5.6, the depth of field was shallower. Therefore, please ignore the out of focus area. Setting that aside, it is difficult to distinguish the difference of sharpness between the two lenses at their furthest telephoto zoom.
HOW ABOUT OTHER FOCAL LENGTHS IN BETWEEN?
I have also done tests ranging from 25mm to 35mm focal length range, and I have scrutinized the images very hard to see the difference, yet the conclusion I have is: both lenses performed very closely to each other.
12-50mm Lens
50mm, F7.1, 1/1000sec, ISO200
Telephoto Sharpness Test
100% Crop from previous image
Telephoto Sharpness Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens
42mm, F7.1, 1/1000sec, ISO200
Telephoto Sharpness Test
14-42mm lens
100% Crop from previous image
Telephoto Sharpness Test
12-50mm Lens
50mm, F6.3, 1/50sec, ISO800
Telephoto Sharpness Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens,
42mm, F5.6, 1/60sec, ISO800
Telephoto Sharpness Test
100% Crop From Previous Images
12-50mm on the left, 14-42mm on the right
Telephoto Sharpness Test
12-50mm Lens
30mm, F5.4, 1/60sec, ISO200
Mid Zoom Sharpness Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens
30mm, F5.4, 1/60sec, ISO200
Mid Zoom Sharpness Test
100% Crop from previous images
12-50mm lens on the left, 14-42mm on the right
12-50mm Lens
35mm, F5.6, 1/8sec, ISO1250
Mid Zoom Sharpness Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens
35mm, F5.6, 1/8sec, ISO1250
Mid Zoom Sharpness Test
100% Crop From Previous Image
Mid Zoom Sharpness Test
CLOSE UP/MACRO SHOOTING
The 12-50mm lens has a built in macro function, with the ability to produce 0.36x magnification, as opposed to the 14-42mm which can only manage a 0.23x magnification. We are looking at more than 50% more magnification capability with the 12-50mm lens, which is a massive difference when it comes to close up shooting situations.
12-50mm Lens
Macro Enabled, 43mm, F6, 1/8sec, ISO400
Close Up Shooting Test
14-42mm Pancake Lens
42mm, F5.6, 1/10sec, ISO400
Close Up Shooting Test
CONCLUSIONS
M.Zuiko 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 Advantages
12mm wide angle - 2mm makes a lot of difference.
Superb Macro Function
Weather-Sealing
M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 Pancake Advantages
Small, light and ultra-compact. Complements smaller PEN and OM-D cameras well
Overall image quality is slightly better, but in practical use, the difference is negligible
If you own any of these two lenses, it only made sense that you keep them and continue using them. If you have the 12-50mm lens, I see no reason to go for the 14-42mm pancake option, unless you really do need the ultra compact slim design of the lens, and do not mind giving up the wealth of features (12mm, macro function, weather sealing). If you are using the 14-42mm pancake lens, the lens should suffice your basic needs in general shooting. If you do need upgrades for better lens to be used in specific shooting conditions, there are far more capable lenses available: 9-18mm F4-5.6 for the ultra wide angle needs, a dedicated macro lens, the 60mm F2.8 Macro, or a full upgrade to the PRO lens option, 12-40mm F2.8 PRO Lens, all upgrades enabling you to do a lot more than the basic 12-50mm lens, which is still a kit lens.
I have had plenty of opportunities to shoot extensively with both the 12-50mm and 14-42mm pancake lenses, and I do think both are capable lenses. I loved the image output from these lenses, and I do carry around at least one of them most of the time for my wide angle shooting, just in case. (as you all know I shoot mostly with 25mm F1.8 or 45mm F1.8 lens on the street).
Do you own any of these two kit lenses? If you have had experience handling these lenses, do share your experience!
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