Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Olympus 40-150mm is a good option if you are on a budget and the lens is on sale as it often can be. At the list price of $199, I feel there are better options like the Panasonic 45-150mm which sells for $220-$260. The Panasonic offers a more compact body being 1 cm shorter, a metal lens mount compared to the plastic mount on the Olympus, and more durable lens barrel compared the very plasticy feel of the Olympus. If you are shooting with a Panasonic camera the Panasonic 45-150mm lens is a no brainer because it offers image stabilization whereas the Olympus 40-150mm does not since the stabilization is in the body. Even if the Olympus was on sale for $150 and you were a Panasonic shooter I think it would be best to spend the extra $80 to get the Panasonic zoom over the Olympus. The Olympus 40-150mm does produce surprising sharp images for such an inexpensive lens. The sweetest spots are focal lengths between 40-70mm. The image quality sees a fall off at 150mm which is fairly common for telephoto zooms. The image quality between the Panasonic 45-150mm and the Olympus 40-150mm are very similar. The only real advantage the Olympus offers over the Panasonic is at 150mm when shooting at infinity. The Panasonic images are soft whereas the Olympus images are still pretty good. This is a solid performing lens for the price. If you are looking to purchase this lens I'd wait for a sale since there are other, better options out there. I've seen this lens as low as $99 which is a fantastic price for what you get regardless if you are shooting Olympus or Panasonic.