Photo Club

Olympus continues to push digital’s optical envelope with the industry’s widest non-fisheye lens for sub-full-frame DSLRs. A 14-28mm equivalent ($1,595, street), even by 35mm standards, this lens is extremely wide.

Its unusually large and double-sided aspheric elements, plus multiple elements of extra-low- and super-extra-low-dispersion glass (a total of three) help deliver performance unequalled in the ultrawide digital-only zoom category.

HANDS ON:

At 1 pound, 12 ounces, the lens is quite hefty by digital ultrawide and fixed-aperture standards. In comparison, fixed f/4 models from Nikon, Pentax, and Tokina, all 12-24mm, weigh only a pound (roughly). The Olympus is also more than an inch longer than these other lenses. However, it is internal-zooming — the length doesn’t grow as you zoom it out.

Other physical distinctions: a fixed lenshood, extremely smooth manual focusing, fast but slightly noisy AF, and protective gaskets and O-rings to repel dust and moisture. It does not accept threaded filters — common with front elements as convex as this one.

IN THE LAB:

At the three tested focal lengths, SQF tests found sharpness and contrast well into the Excellent range, very slightly ahead of most of the comparable lenses we’ve tested, especially at larger output sizes.