Snapshot: a lens to avoid

Olympus is selling its camera business to a Japan investment company. The Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm lens may be a reason why.


The lens came with a second-hand Olympus E-PL1 camera, as its standard kit lens. It’s a very sharp, fast-focusing lens. Until you zoom out to 25mm. Then, the lens refuses to focus. At all.

It took less than 60 seconds to find multiple threads on DPReview.com that confirmed how widespread this issue has become. Judging from a few posts describing owners’ conversations with Olympus technical support, the company knows about the problem. And hasn’t acknowledgeD the lens’ circuitry issue.

The troubled lens is easy to replace. But that’s not the point. 

I treasured several Olympus film cameras, and owned a Tough series compact digital. But a company needs to stand behind its products. Or lose its customers. Sigma — a lens manufacturer of fine pedigree — updated the firmware in one of my lenses when it no longer functioned with a new camera body. At no charge.

Which lens maker would you consider?



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