The Olympus 40-150mm lens is available in a terrific kit that is so affordable. The kit comes with the E-500 body and the standard 14-45mm zoom and of course the lens. You can however buy the lens separate from the kit, but with the price of the whole package being so affordable, you would want to get the kit. The lens itself is so nice and compact and weighs a mere 190g. This light weight is possible because the lens is mostly made of plastic, but despite this fact it is durable nonetheless. The lens has a wider than usual aperture range, making it very accurate. The photo quality is wonderful and sharp. The Lens has a MSC (movie and still compatible) design; this makes it ideal for use in still and video. Performance of this lens is overall excellent, you will not be disappointed. This is a great starter lens.