SLOW Olympus E-620 (lens or camera issue?)

[Jac050]

I have the Olympus E-620 with the Olympus 18 - 180 lens. It's painfully slow. Before I toss it on e-bay, does anyone else know if the issue is just the lens? Or has anyone had this problem and fixed it? Also- the flash works when it feels like it - maybe 3 out of 4 times when used alone and about 50% of the time with my studio lights (using Olympus Safe Sync). Thank you for any input / advice!

[BlueRob]

The 18-180 is no the best Zuiko I´ve heard...but I dont have one of those so I can be of much help.
If you dont find and answer in this post try it on the Olympus section.

[Photo-John]

Without actually trying your camera / lens combo it's hard for me to say for sure. However, the 18-180mm Olympus lens is not the fastest focusing lens they make. I like it because it's so small and light. But if you need more speed, try something else. My favorite Olympus kit is the E-620 plus the 12-60mm and the 70-300mm. That's a range (35mm equivalent) of 24mm to 600mm in a very compact package. The 70-300 isn't super fast, either. But the 12-60mm is really quick and you really can't beat that kit for a really powerful and compact camera setup.

[BlueRob]

Without actually trying your camera / lens combo it's hard for me to say for sure. However, the 18-180mm Olympus lens is not the fastest focusing lens they make. I like it because it's so small and light. But if you need more speed, try something else. My favorite Olympus kit is the E-620 plus the 12-60mm and the 70-300mm. That's a range (35mm equivalent) of 24mm to 600mm in a very compact package. The 70-300 isn't super fast, either. But the 12-60mm is really quick and you really can't beat that kit for a really powerful and compact camera setup.

I must say (wont hold my tongue) John I feel....how is it called.....oh! yes ENVY. That combo of the 12-60 plus the 70-300 makes me drool LOL.

My very modest 14-42 and my 70-150 f3.5 is pretty decent speed wise...good glass for the money if you ask me.

[Jac050]

Thank you!! I will post in both areas. It's so slow that it is useless outside of brightly sunlit scenes. I may just go back to Canon. It was just so right on paper. ;

[Don Kondra]

I have the Olympus E-620 with the Olympus 18 - 180 lens. It's painfully slow. Before I toss it on e-bay, does anyone else know if the issue is just the lens? Or has anyone had this problem and fixed it?

I had the 18-180 and used it with my E-510, I had no problems using it under reasonable lighting conditions and enjoyed it's range.

If you are pushing its limits in low light try using CAF+MF or focus on an area with the most contrast.

Also- the flash works when it feels like it - maybe 3 out of 4 times when used alone and about 50% of the time with my studio lights (using Olympus Safe Sync).

The flash does not work when it feels like, it works under the conditions you set it. Sounds like you need to read the manual.

And why are you using the flash with studio lights ?

The on board flash is basically a last resort tool/feature and is an awkward way to trigger remote lights.

Post some pictures with the exif data, perhaps that will help us understand what is happening.

Cheers, Don

[nared]

I have the Olympus E-620 with the Olympus 18 - 180 lens. It's painfully slow.

Check the resolution of the picture taken. On mine (different model) I saw a markedly slower response time when I increased the resolution from 8meg to 10 meg on taking the picture. Even on a great camera, you'll see the response time vary with this.

Before I toss it on e-bay, does anyone else know if the issue is just the lens? Or has anyone had this problem and fixed it? Also- the flash works when it feels like it - maybe 3 out of 4 times when used alone and about 50% of the time with my studio lights (using Olympus Safe Sync). Thank you for any input / advice!

I doubt the lens is involved, easy test would be to ask a small camera shop if you can test with a very cheap lens & see if it changes. They SHOULD be cooperative. The flash, sounds like either a user issue or a mechanical defect, without seeing the camera I cannot say much though.

Good luck!!

J Nared