Hi everyone,

If there’s one thing above all else that irritates me about so many lens reviews it’s the absolute obsession with sharpness. I’ve never owned a modern lens that isn’t, at the very least, acceptably sharp. All those test charts and lens comparisons ad-nauseum. What self-respecting modern day lens manufacturer would try and market a lens that isn’t sharp?. In the pre-digital analogue days we never even thought about such things, we used what we had. The internet didn’t exist and neither did another of my pet peeves “pixel-peeping”. How about all those great photographs taken with analogue equipment?. I wonder what the modern day reviewers would make of the lenses that I and others were using fifty or so years ago?. By comparison with their modern day equivalents, on the whole, they definitely weren’t as sharp, It seems to me that some folks are really hung up on the pursuit of the sharpest of sharp lenses. As a matter of personal taste I spend more time softening my images than sharpening them. 🙂

Of late I’ve been reacquainting myself with my Olympus M.Zuiko 14-150mm II “superzoom” lens, a great lens for travel. I bought this lens seven years ago just prior to my visit to Rome where I used it for the first time. Since then I’ve used it off and on and never been unhappy with the results obtainable from this lens. Given my photographic interests and preferred method of working, if I had thousands of pounds to spend on Pro-branded lenses would I do so?. The short answer is no, the longer answer is no, because not only are they considerable bigger and heavier, I don’t believe the difference in optical quality is such that comes close to warranting their hefty price tag. The 14-150mm is weather-sealed, small, light and so well suited as a travel lens. I trust this lens to produce good quality images. Pair this up with a small lightweight fast prime lens like my 20mm Lumix f/1.7 another great lens and when travelling I’ve got all I need for 99.9% of subjects and occasions and I’m neither straining my back nor my finances.

Here’s a nice real-world review of the 14-150mm lens.

Kind regards

Leigh