Thread: telephoto zoom lens - the best one?

I have looked everywhere trying to find out what the best zoom telephoto lens for a mirrorless camera is, but no luck. I dont care what it costs, I want the best and then i will buy the camera to suit. I am a pro and need a small discreet camera to travel with and shoot people. Any help or hands on experiences much appreciated. At the moment I am leaning towards the panasonic G2 as the body due to the viewfinder. I cannot do without this.

Thanks for help,
Steph

You have to define 'best' - what are your criteria?

Quickest autofocus?

Highest image quality but without autofocus.?

Size, weight and focal length requirements?

For example the Olympus Zuiko 50mm f2 macro is equivalent to 100mm on 35mm and is outstandingly sharp. It is also very slow to autofocus on MFT and quite large.

Panasonic 14-140mm is outstandingly quiet and is very good but not the very highest image quality.

As my old professor used to say - define your terms!

In reply to your request:

Best quality to me is:
1. highest image quality
2. fast auto focus
3 somewhere between wide angle to 140 minimum - preferably more
4 not a prime lens!
5. as I want a small camera to travel, obviously it would be nice to be small/ low weight.

Neither lens above seem to fit the bill from what you say - one is prime and the other does not have high enough image quality. Does one exist? If not what is the best I can do?

Thanks,

You're asking for the impossible, and no such lens exists for mirrorless cameras right now. The market is still too young, and developing in terms of quality lenses. I think your best bet is the Panasonic 14-140. While it doesn't have the quality of a Zeiss or Leica that costs $4000, it's pretty darn good. It's not small or light, but you can't have high image quality (= lots of heavy glass) and light weight.

What about the Panasonic 45 - 200 mm?

Also, I see that there is a panasonic 14-150 mm at twice the price of the 14-140 mm. I don't know what the difference is and why the prices are so extreme. I just cannot find any info in one area that sorts all these lenses out. And are the panasonic lenses better than the olympus zuiko lenses?

Re Panasonic 45-200mm

It's a pretty average kit lens, I bought it to replace the Olympus ZD 50-200 when I went from 4/3 to MFT and immediately noticed the drop in image quality.

Originally Posted by sdeleng

What about the Panasonic 45 - 200 mm?

The 14-140 is a much better lens than the 45-200. The 45-200 is average, not bad, but average, which explains the low price on it.

Originally Posted by sdeleng

Also, I see that there is a panasonic 14-150 mm at twice the price of the 14-140 mm. I don't know what the difference is and why the prices are so extreme. I just cannot find any info in one area that sorts all these lenses out. And are the panasonic lenses better than the olympus zuiko lenses?

By all accounts, the 4/3 14-150 is a special lens with superb sharpness throughout the zoom range. It's a true Leica lens, with the quality to match. They also didn't make that many of it, so between the high quality and low quantity it explains the price. However, it doesn't fit your criteria - it's larger than the 14-140 which isn't all that small of a lens, it requires the 4/3 adapter, and it doesn't AF very fast. Here's a review on the 14-150: Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. OIS - Review / Test Report.

As for Panasonic vs. Olympus lenses it's difficult to draw a universal conclusion. Each has exemplary lenses, and each has average lenses. It's best to find individual lens reviews to make your decision.

well that is VERY useful advice - finally in a nutshell and in one place. I think, unless there are any new developments before September 24th or so, I shall buy the G2 and the lens you recommend. Hopefully there will be further and better ones in the future. Just one question. Did you ever use a nikon D40 or similar with the 18 - 200 mm VRI lens? I had it and sold it - it was not bad, but just not good enough in that it did not resolve detail well in my opinion. If this 14-140 is the same, or worse, then I shall have to revise my thinking on what to buy.