Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 VR Review

Image © Nikon USA

Background

My Nikon D500 is a great camera and there might be times when I want to use that camera outside its primary purpose.  It's primary purpose is the long range sport shooter, paired with the 70-200/2.8

What about the other times?  FX lenses in the wide range are going to be too tight, so we look at a dedicated DX lens range.  The 18-140/4.5-5.6 VR is a great candidate.  See how well it fairs below.

All images in this review taken with the Nikon D500.

1/320, f/5.6, ISO 100 @ 140mm

1/250, f/7.1, ISO 1800 @ 140mm

1/100, f/5.6, ISO 450 @ 66mm

Handling/Weight/Size

 This lens is mostly made of plastic, so the weight is not really there.  It balances well on the D500.  It is by no means a large lens.

The zoom ring is nice and smooth and your field of view with the DX crop factored in is 27-210mm.   That is a pretty good range for a walk around all in one shooter.

It works well in many situations from street photography, wildlife and photojournalism as you will see in the images samples provided.

1/250, f/5.6, ISO 360 @ 140mm

1/200, f/4.8, ISO 100 @ 56mm

1/160, f/5.3, ISO 560 @ 95mm

Image Quality

I've looked at the 18-200VR and 18-300VR.  All considered great performers from Nikon.   I generally don't need much more than the 200mm-ish field of view on the long end.  A majority of third party sources and some small testing I've done on my own have shown that the 18-140 was generally a better performer in all comparable ranges.

1/640, f/6.3, ISO 100 @ 22mm

1/400, f/5.3, ISO 100 @ 95mm

1/250, f/7.1, ISO 100 @ 140mm

1/250, f/7.1, ISO 100 @ 112mm

Auto Focus

We are not in pro grade AF territory here, but the performance is great for everyday use.  I've not missed  shot because the lens could not focus fast enough.

1/640, f/5.6, ISO 100 @ 140mm

D500 HDR mode
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100 @ 100mm

Bottom Line:
If you don't need the longer field of view of 210mm, then this is a great value lens when you look at the performance that you get from it.  If you do need more reach and an all in one, then the Nikon 18-200 or 18-300 lenses might better fit your bill.  You might also want to consider a 2 lens kit, perhaps the 18-55 and the 55-200VR.

Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6 Review

Image © Olympus America

Background

Wide angle options can be very slim for a smaller sensor camera.  Micro four thirds has a few zooms, the O9-18/4-5.6, P7-14/4 and the new PRO designated O7-14/2.8.  This discussion leaves out the fisheye lens options.

Today we are going to explore the O9-18 and why we chose and love this wide angle option.

1/1250, f/8, ISO 200 @ 9mm
Olympus PEN-F

Handling/Weight/Size

Out of the three wide zooms, the O9-18 won out.  After many hours of research, the IQ difference between the 9-18 and the Panasonic 7-14 were not that great.  The Olympus was much smaller, and I only see this as an occasional use lens.  There for, the less room it needs, the more likely I am to bring it, "just in case".

The zoom and focus ring are ready to get to and find.  The one little niggle that she might have is that the lens has a zoom lock on it.  This needs to be unlocked when not in stored mode.  There is a small switch on the side of the lens, you push forward and twist the barrel.  I don't find it an issue as I just knock it and me it unlocked until I plan on putting the lens away in the bag for a while. 

It's a personal preference thing. 

The lens weighs next to nothing, and is very first pocketable or can be slipped into a small belt pouch.

The field of view(FOV) of this 9-18 will be equivalent to 18-36mm.  A great wide side, plus going down to 35mm FOV can make for an alternative option for street shooting in tight quarters.  

1/200, f/8, ISO 200 @ 18mm
Olympus PEN-F

1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 200 @ 18mm
Olympus PEN-F

Image Quality
Don't let the small size fool you.  While the aprrture range does not make this a first wide angle choice for low light, it is plenty capable and very sharp indeed.  The images have good contrast, and distortion is well controlled, with only minor post processing need for what is not handled in camera (for Olympus users).

I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Olympus PEN-F High-Res Mode

1/100, f/4, ISO 1250 @ 9mm
Olympus PEN-F

1/60, f/6.3, ISO 800 @ 18mm
Olympus PEN-F

Auto Focus

As to be expected with modern Olympus built micro four thirds lenses, this is a quick focusing lens.  You'll have no complaints from me on its S-AF performance.  Also consider that at f4-5.6 and 9-18mm focal lengths, your duty of for will be large anyway.

1/60, f/4, ISO 400 @ 9mm
Olympus PEN-F

1/60, f/4.8, ISO 800 @ 13mm
Olympus PEN-F

Bottom Line:
If you need a holy Trinity of Olympus lens, you'll want the 7-14, 12-40, 40-150 f/2.8 lenses.  That wood be a great so for me, but I rarely need the very wide end, so convenience and cost are more important than pixel peeping sharpness and weather sealing. 

After you factor this into the equation, a used O9-18 was the best choice and as you can see, is capable of making some great images.

Olympus 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II Lens Review

Background

An all in one, affordable, weather sealed lens for micro four thirds?    Interested?
This is the newest iteration of this "kit" lens by Olympus.  The original was not weather sealed, so we have an upgrade there.  Let's take a look at this lens.

1/200, f/6.3, ISO 200 @ 58mm

Handling/Weight/Size

Relatively, for its range, the lens is just slightly smaller than the Olympus 12-40/2.8 PRO.  It is smaller in diameter as well as length.  It is very similar in size to the budget friendly Olympus 40-150/4-5.6R lens.

It is an f/4-5.6, which helps keep the size down.  The lens does extend when zoomed.  The zoom ring is smooth and responsive, the lens feels solidly built.

This is a great option for those times when only one camera/lens is wanted or the ability to change lenses (high dust environment or raining/inclement weather) is not possible.  The weather sealing is a great thing to have when you need it.

The close focusing of this lens is welcome as well.  You can get very close.  It is not good enough to be a "macro" lens, but the close focusing capability will most likely satisfy a lot of photographers needs.

1/500, f/4, ISO 200 @ 14mm

Image Quality

Let's make no qualms about it...this is not going to rival IQ from lenses such as the PRO line zooms.   It does start at f/4, so you lose some ability to have a shallow depth of field like you would get with an f/2.8 zoom or the f/1.x primes.

What I planned on using this for was an all in one street shooting or every day carry lens.

The image quality did not hold up to what I wanted, just too many compromises for the range you are getting.  I'll stick with the current setup I have which is 2 lenses, the Panasonic 12-32 and the Oly 40-150R.

I found that doing my part as a photographer, that I was able to get some shallow depth of field and that the transition and out of focus areas are quite pleasant.  You can judge for yourself from the sample images, though.
Image quality seems best at wide to medium telephoto and suffers at the long end toward the 150mm mark.

All sample images taken with the Olympus PEN-F.

1/200, f/5.6, ISO 200 @ 54mm

Auto Focus

As to be expected with modern Olympus built micro four thirds lenses, this is a quick focusing lens.  You'll have no complaints from me on its S-AF performance.

1/200, f/7.1, ISO 1250 @ 90mm

1/320, f/5.6, ISO 200 @ 150mm

Bottom Line:
In a kit or at the current $399 price(as of 12-22-2016), this is a great everyday carry option when versatility or weather sealing are needed and budget is a concern.  If you want something faster with better IQ but need the versatility, I'd look more to the 12-100/4 PRO lens.

It suffers most at the longer telephoto end in clarity.  As stated previously, this is not a keeper lens for me and I'll stick with the 2 lens kit of the P12-32 and O40-150R.

Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II - 4k Video and More Shooting

Background:

We've had some more shooting time with the EM1 Mark II stills and some 4k video.

Image Quality

Here are some sample images.  They range from ISO 200 through 6400.

Oly 12-40/2.8 PRO
1/400, f/2.8, ISO 4000 @ 40mm

Oly 12-40/2.8 PRO
1/500, f/2.8, ISO 5000 @ 40mm

Oly 12-40/2.8 PRO
1/80, f/5, ISO 1000 @ 40mm

Oly 12-40/2.8 PRO
1/80, f/2.8, ISO 2500 @ 40mm

Oly 12-40/2.8 PRO
1/80, f/2.8, ISO 500 @ 40mm

Oly 12-40/2.8 PRO
1/60, f/4, ISO 2000 @ 28mm

Oly 75-300/4.8-6.3
1/250, f/6.3, ISO 2000 @ 228mm

Oly 75-300/4.8-6.3
1/80, f/6, ISO 6400 @ 187mm

Oly 75-300/4.8-6.3
1/100, f/6.7, ISO 6400 @ 300mm

Auto Focus Revisited

I tried testing out the different modes shooting model trains.  I'm still learning the way that the AF modes function.   The single point C-AF worked as one would expect and was the most successful tracking method for me.  I believe that C-AF + Tracking might be better than the previous EM1.1.

The Cross Type and 3x3 block of focus points locked quickly, but there was a problem.  Unlike the way that Nikon cameras work with these kinds of groups AF points, you cannot select the main focus point.  The camera decides which AF point is main within the group you selected.  I often had issues with a moving subject not in focus because the camera picked a focus point below or behind the main subject.

What I would have liked to have seen was, a la Nikon, that the points around the main are used to help the C-AF more accurately track your subject.  I'm going to continue to test the AF types, but my guess is  that the issues are partly mine (lack of knowledge and improper technique) and the camera trying to find the most contrasty part of the scene under the focusing grid.

An example can be found in the images above of the green train.  In Cross or 3x3 grid mode, the camera would select an AF point either below the train on the track or the green body, even though the center of the focus groups were on the front of the train at the face.

Video

Did a more serious set of video shoots in the Cinema 4k Mode.  This was for a news blog I do called Visual Ohio.

Settings were 1/30, f/4, ISO 800.  "Flat" profile with post processing done in Premiere Elements 14.
I would lock focus and then record my shots.

I found the camera a pleasure to work with in video mode.  The IBIS and the 12-40/2.8 PRO were a great combination for capturing the subject above.    Panning was smooth and effective.

Bottom Line:
The EM1 Mark II continues to be a pleasure to work with.  The stills and video performance are great.  I will continue to work with the