Best zoom lens upgrade: 8 tested

Best zoom lens upgrades

Designed specifically for the Four Thirds SLR system, the Olympus 14-54mm has a useful effective zoom range of 28-108mm.

Street price : around £580

Read the full Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II review

Image tests

Sharpness Test

Best dslr zoom lens upgrades: 8 tested

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Images from the Olympus lens are visibly softer than the others in the group test, and it's especially noticeable when it's at 54mm.

Fringing test

Best zoom lens upgrades

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At 14mm, red fringing is visible at the very edges of the frame, but as the focal length increases the influence drops off.

Distortion test

Best zoom lens upgrades

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Distortion performance is good, with mild barrelling at 14mm. The 2x crop factor of the Four Thirds sensor means wide angles are required.

Image test verdict

Throughout the focal range sharpness is low, but there's only a little softening towards the edges. Fringing and distortion results are good.

Score: 3/5