EC14 or 50mm F2

[Kansas Ron]

Have an opportunity to buy either, but can only afford one. Already have the 14-54mm and the 40-150. I do portrait work, may start doing some small weddings again, travel photography. I don\'t know if I want this sharp of a lens for portrait work or not (may have to soften the pictures to make them more pleasing). On the other hand I don\'t think I would be using the EX14 for indoor work, unless there was lots of light available.

Just trying to get some general feelings from those who have either or both.

[First Light]

I have both but I also have some bigger glass than you do so the EC14 is very useable indoors for me. Here\'s what I have:

ZD 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 zoom
ZD 50mm f2.0 macro prime
ZD 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 zoom
ZD 150mm f2.0 prime
EC14 teleconverter
I shoot a lot of candids so I purchased the EC14 first because I shoot more telephoto and super-telephoto shots. I purchased the ZD 50mm f2.0 later primarily for macro photography.

If I shot a lot of portraits like you do, then I would have purchased the ZD 50mm lens first.

As for sharpness, I always want the sharpest lens I can afford. If you have a \"soft\" lens, you can never get a sharp picture. All of my photos go through Photoshop so it is easy to soften them or create a \"glamour\" look if desired. However, if you start with a soft image, you can\'t go the other direction and make it look sharp. I\'ve experimented with some of the plug-ins that claim to be able to sharpen photos and none are as good as what you\'d get with a properly focused sharp lens in the first place.

To help you make your decision, why don\'t you make a list of your requirements. Then prioritize them and see which lens best satisfies your highest priorities. You might also make a Pros and Cons list for each lens to evaluate their benefits.

Finally, there may be some other choices. If you don\'t mind using a manual lens and you have the OM adapter for your camera, you could purchase a Zuiko OM lens on eBay (like a ZOM 50mm f1.8). They don\'t cost that much and you may still be able to afford the EC14.

[Kansas Ron]

FL, thanks for the response.

It is a difficult decision. I do most shooting in RAW and do the remaind of the PPing in PS CS2. The 50mm does have a lot of appeal even though I rarely shoot any macro and never any \"super\" macro. While the 14-54mm is a great sharp lens, I do see some advantage to using the 50mm as a portrait lens, and using it for a lot of indoor shooting. Other than possibly a few candids I do not see me using the EC14 indoors (kids are out of school and I don\'t have their concerts or performances anymore). In doing my priority list I probably would not be using it that much. In fact the leaked page on the E-500 also had links to all lenses, which included the EZ1818 (I believe that was the name). I don\'t need a long zoom very often, which is why I was considering mating the EC14 with my 40-150mm, but that lens would give me a long zoom (although a slow one) to use when I needed it - outdoors of course. So the more I think about it and mull it over the more the 50mm looks to be a good idea.

I did consider the adaptor and the 50 mm F1.8, but decided I would be going for the most quality and spending the most on the item I would use the least.

[jan56]

Hi Ron,
just to let you know what I\'m doing with the 50mm ...
I use the 14-54mm for most of my \"work\" in studio or functions. for longer distances (or wildlife or sometimes landscapes) I take the 50-200mm.
The 50mm is a nice lense for indor portraits with ambient light or if you create special effects with small dof. Otherwise I take it mainly for macros or closeups. So weddingrings or writings/engravings on what ever are specially good for the 50mm.
The 1.4x converter is mainly used for extending the 50-200mm for birding etc...
All is good stuff and when I would be you, I\'d go for the 50mm...
happy shooting :)
Jan