Camera lens question

LVSteve

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I'm looking to get a zoom lens for my Olympus micro four-thirds body that I can use when traveling. So, it needs to go from wide angle to a fair amount of telephoto and not be too heavy. I'm going to express the focal lengths of the lenses I'm looking at in 35mm full frame equivalent. If you want it in micro four-thirds terms, divide the numbers by two.

I've narrowed it down to two lenses:

Panasonic 28-280mm, F3.5 (Wide-end) to F5.6 (long end). Long reach, lightweight

Olympus 24-200, F4 (constant). Less reach, better wide-angle, probably better glass, but it should be at about twice the price. Much heavier.

Any thoughts?
 
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Ditto. The Panasonic lenses are Leica designs but made by Panasonic. I have an even wider range Panasonic/Leica zoom lens (35-420mm, 35mm equiv. and very compact) on a Panasonic LUMIX digital, and could not be happier with the optical quality of the P/L lens. But I know nothing about the Olympus lens so I can't make any informed comparison. Even though I have several (formerly) high-end Nikon digital cameras (APS-C) and Nikon lenses, that Panasonic LUMIX with the Leica zoom lens is my favorite for most purposes. I could sell my Nikons without missing them very much.
 
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Cheaper Glass

I'm looking to get a zoom lens for my Olympus micro four-thirds body that I can use when traveling. So, it needs to go from wide angle to a fair amount of telephoto and not be too heavy. I'm going to express the focal lengths of the lenses I'm looking at in 35mm full frame equivalent. If you want it in micro four-thirds terms, divide the numbers by two.

I've narrowed it down to two lenses:

Panasonic 28-280mm, F3.5 (Wide-end) to F5.6 (long end). Long reach, lightweight

Olympus 24-200, F4 (constant). Less reach, better wide-angle, probably better glass, but it should be at about twice the price. Much heavier.

Any thoughts?

I have had the best Nikon glass.
I have owned the best Swarovski glass.
I have never thought, "Gee I wish I had bought cheaper glass."
Superior glass, if you can afford it, is an investment you will enjoy for many years.
👍👍👍👍👍
 
I have a Panasonic MFT camera. My favorite lens is their 14-140. I recommend it. You can find it used online for around $245.

My only concern for you is image stabilization. It might not be a big deal at 140mm. But Panasonic uses stabilization in the lens. Olympus uses it in the body. While the lenses are interchangeable between the two brands with auto focus, I'm not sure stabilization is interchangeable.
 
Not really an answer to your question, but my recommendation for travel is a Panasonic ZS200 pocket camera. [ame]https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-Stabilization-Megapixel-Sensor-DC-ZS200S/dp/B079QNXFCC?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=AXCB29L39I26U[/ame]

It uses a so-called 1" sensor which is smaller than MFT, but much larger than most phones and small cameras. It has a 24-360 equivalent lens, and the big selling point for me, a high resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF). Having to rely on a screen on the back might be okay for the young, but I want a proper viewfinder.

I bought mine used from Amazon and am very satisfied with it.
 
I missed a "Bucket" photo of a heard of white Billy Goats, that were
on a high rock out crop behind me , on one of my hikes, in the state of Washington , because I left my long, heavy zoom lens , behind in the car.
They posed and milled around for twenty minutes, that made for a great photo,
if I had a lens that I could see them with. :mad:

Just get one of them and be set for some great pictures.
 
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