Early Verdict
Compact and capable, the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III is a weather-sealed wonder that shoots whatever you want, whatever the conditions. Its equivalent 28-84mm focal range makes it an ideal option for travel, walkabout and street photography. It's impressively sharp, boasts impressive close-focusing capabilities and even supports focus stacking. On top of that, its super-small form factor makes it an excellent everyday carry companion for cameras like the OM-5 and PEN. For the price, especially as part of a kit, it's an absolutely brilliant bargain – and punches well above its weight (which, at 125g, is ultra-light!).
Pros
- +
IPX1 certified weather sealing
- +
Compact, lightweight
- +
Versatile 28-84mm focal range
- +
Sharper than it has any right to be
- +
Super affordable
Cons
- -
Slow, variable aperture
- -
Needs "uncollapsing" to shoot
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If the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III seems familiar, that's because we've seen it at least three times before (there was the original lens, a mark II and a mark II "R" before this one).
It's always tempting to overlook a kit lens, but in the case of the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III that would be a mistake. You see unlike most kit lenses, this one is weather sealed – which is both a breath of fresh air and a case of OM putting its money where its mouth is.
After all, every camera in its lineup boasts weather sealing – including the new and technically entry-level OM System PEN. But what good is a sealed camera if the lens that comes with it isn't sealed as well?
In addition to IPX1 certification, the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III also boasts a new look and refined operation – eschewing the cumbersome lock switch for an elegant and satisfying twist-and-click mechanism.
Yes, the optical formula is the same – but this lens is a far better performer than most give it credit for. If you're thinking of picking up the latest PEN, or you just want a compact and budget-friendly weatherproof lens to complement an existing OM camera, this deserves your attention.
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Specifications
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Specifications
Mount options |
Micro Four Thirds |
Equivalent focal length |
28-84mm |
Image stabilization |
No |
Weather sealing |
IPX1 |
Focus |
Manual, automatic |
Control ring |
No |
Aperture ring |
No |
Lens construction |
8 elements (3 aspherical), 7 groups |
Minimum aperture |
f/22 |
Minimum focus distance |
0.13m at 14mm, 0.30m at 42mm |
Filter size |
46mm |
Dimensions |
60 x 50.5mm |
Weight |
125g |
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Price & availability
The OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III carries a standalone price of $350 / £349 / AU$479. However, it's really designed to be bought with a camera – where it effectively only costs $100 / £100 / AU$300.
If you pick up the lens in a kit with the OM System PEN, it will cost $1,099 / £949 / AU$1,799.
OM also makes another lens with the same focal length and aperture range, but with a non-weather sealed pancake design and a motorized zoom – the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ, which is priced $349 / £329 / AU$429.
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Build & handling
First of all, in case you've ended up here while searching for OM's other 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, this is a very different proposition to the electronic zoom pancake lens!
The OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ is a much smaller optic, thanks to its collapsible pancake design, and also boasts a motorized zoom – which can be handy for remote shooting as it enables you to zoom in and out. However, it's not a weather-sealed lens.
This new OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III is a much larger lens, though it still collapses to palm-size when not in operation. It is, as noted, IPX1 certified to dust and splash resistance, but the zoom is not motorized – meaning you have to manually 'telescope' the barrel, upon which the lens extends about an inch.
Unlike older versions of the lens, which had a lock switch that had to be disengaged during the twist-and-deploy motion, the mark III has a more elegant click mechanism that simply locks and unlocks as you turn the barrel.
Generally this lens was a joy to use and shoot with – the only downside is that, because you have to extend it in order to start shooting, I was occasionally a step slow off the mark because I'm used to just turning the camera on and stabbing the shutter. You get used to it, but it still trips me up occasionally!
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Performance
I primarily tested the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III with the OM System PEN, though I also tried it out with the OM System OM-3 and Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II.
While the form has certainly changed, the function hasn't. This lens has the same optical formula as its previous iterations – and, as I expect our lab results to bear out as soon as we can read OM's latest RAW format, its optical performance is also essentially identical.
I certainly didn't experience any huge difference from the earlier versions I've used in years past – but that's not the end of the world. While most people sleep on kit lenses (and, for some reason, this lens in particular), it's a surprisingly pleasing performer.
It performs best, as you'd might expect, at its widest focal length – and honestly, at 14mm f/4 is has a brilliant amount of bite. Sharpness does drop the longer you go, but this is compensated by the correspondingly ascending apertures. Honestly, I'm happy with the performance of this lens anywhere it lands in its zoom range.
The first sample image below is a great example of what the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III can do; the details of the dayglo gnome and the hairy leaves at his feet alike are piercingly sharp.
Focusing is impressive in all respects, too. Autofocus is nice and snappy, the ability to focus as close as 0.13m comes in very useful for an everyday lens, and the fact that it supports focus stacking makes it a very versatile performer for anyone looking to get creative.
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Sample images
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Lab tests
We've put the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III through our battery of lab tests, but we are currently unable to analyze the results (until we can process OM's newest RAW format).
I will update this review as soon as we've completed the lab analysis.
Until then, given that this lens has the same optical formula as the previous iterations, you can expect almost identical performance.
OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III: Early verdict
While I need to wait until we can process our lab tests before I can officially assign a score to this lens, I'm familiar enough with its predecessors (with which it shares the same optical formula) and happy enough with the thousands of frames I've shot to say that the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III performs well.
In real-world use I'm impressed with its sharpness, particularly wide and wide open at 14mm f/3.5 where it gives satisfying levels of crispness and crunch – dial it down to f/5.6 and you get pretty much all the bite you could possibly want.
However, I don't think sheer sharpness alone is really the metric by which this lens should be judged. It's a lens that costs you $100 / £100 / AU$300 if you buy it with a camera or $350 / £349 / AU$479 when bought on its own – for that price, the fact that it's impressively sharp and weather sealed is pretty dang amazing.
After thousands of shots on multiple camera bodies, I can safely conclude that I would be delighted to use this lens as my daily driver – which is its intended purpose. Yes, when I'm setting out to shoot something intentionally, I'll snap on a dedicated lens – like the M.Zuiko 45mm or 75mm f/1.8 for portraiture.
But as an everyday companion for my everyday carry camera, the the OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III does everything I could possibly ask of it – and does it well. It is the perfect lens to pair with the OM System PEN, but honestly I think it's an even better partner for the slightly chunkier OM-5 family.
The equivalent 28-84mm focal range is perfect for everyday shooting, with enviable close focusing, fast and faithful autofocus, and even support for in-camera focus stacking. If you want a cheap, compact, capable lens that shoots whatever you want, whatever the weather, you just found it.
