In our latest Field Test we put Olympus's new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO and M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO in the hands of DPReview writer Dan Bracaglia. Dan put them to the test in some of his favorite environments: a rock concert, skate park, and a beach landscape at sunset. See what it's like to shoot with Olympus' wideangle 'Pros' out in the field.
This is sponsored content, created in partnership with Olympus.What does this mean?
I suggest you add specific conditions, parameters, explanations, etc. for the phrase ",,,sponsored content, created in partnership with..." when connected to field tests or any other content.
In general, wide angle lens is one way to cheat photography skill. The object can be very fast but the wide angle still can catch it within the wide view.
I cannot afford a Hubble Telescope (worlds largest digital camera). Medium formats are out of my league too. While we are busy dancing on the head of a pin, we should be truthful, full frame cameras take better pictures in a few, but nowhere near the majority or all circumstances. If you can identify which of your circumstances benefit most from a full frame solution, and choose the few lenses to solve those problems, you might get a good bang for the buck. Otherwise, you are probably wasting money, when you could do just as well to have many more lenses on a crop frame system, for all of the other kinds of pictures, multitudes, you can take equally well. Call it heresy if you like, but the full frame religion is not the whole story. It costs too much, is too heavy, and is frequently more bulky than you need bother with. It suffers these enumerated trade-offs, and a few others. Give the advantages their due, but skip the claim that it is better for everything.
It is fun to see the same wars cotinue in MFT and Mirrorless threads as in the full frame threads. Nicely done. Love gear talk as there is NEVER a winner as there is always new gear coming.
I am looking forward to picking up the 7-14 in the near future, but in the interest positive reinforcement I recommend working with a more fluid/capable athlete if you are going to create a video.
You clearly have no clue about filming off peak athletes in training do you? Also, posts like these point to a need to top off your of cerebrospinal fluid tank. Something' definitely rubbing in there.
This is the first DR Review video I've seen and I like the look and feel and the lack of "I'm hipper than you" attitude that WAY too many of these sorts of videos indulge in. I will be looking at more videos
As for content, I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for more of how does this lens stack up against the competition contrast and compare sort of info.
The lenses sound great though, I have no use for either, but I still wish I owned them!
Was interesting to see, especially the benefits of getting f2.8 or wider, last weekend I hit some limitations with my Sony supawide zoom f4 (ouch) with a6000 and slow to focus is poor light rx10. Note no flash allowed .. Nice too see what the better gear or lens at least can do. Here bad light gig shots and BMXing! https://www.flickr.com/photos/127926668@N02/sets/72157656523732600 I have no faith to use iso more than 1250 images seem to degrade too much or maybe that's Sony's rather less impressive jpg engine. Its a reason is like to sell up and move in to maybe high qual m4/3.
You want better high ISO and would move from a APS-C sized sensor to a m43 sensor? You should move to a bigger sensor or a faster lens, like Samyang 12mm f2.0.
Also, the "newest" Oly EM-5.2 uses same old SONY sensor as EM-5 which was also being found in FOUR years old Pana DMC-G3.
Oly F2.8 is indeed a stop faster than SONY F4, but a6000's sensor has almost a stop advantage in high ISO after normalized. Therefore both have more less the same performance in low-light, as well as DOF.
In the end of the game, MFT has really NO advantage in low-light comparing to APS-C.
Mike FL - Panasonic used its own 16mp sensor in the G3. The first camera to use the Sony 16 mp sensor was the E-M5 from Feb 2012. If you're thinking of the Panasonic GH3, that camera was released in Sep 2013.
The rest of your point still stands, though I'd debate whether or not the A6000 has a full stop advantage over the Sony 16mp m4/3 sensor. From what I've seen, it's really about 1/2 a stop, which makes sense given that (I believe) they're essentially the same generation sensor, with only APS-C's size advantage to help the A6000.
once again a video showing what m4/3 is capable of with good lenses. An OM-D 5 + Olympus Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO is a USD 2000 check. I admit: nobody said m4/3 was a budget system.
It could be fun to se what a Olympus Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO is capable of together with an older (cheaper) m4/3 body.
As for the video: using flash at concerts is for me a no-go. IMHO the presens of flash photografers is a significant drawback. Being audience at TV transmissions of concerts is not worth paying entrance fees.
If anyone is interested in proper skateboarding photography and can't really skateboard, this two part video feature explains it very well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uenv7PXwvhk
I've always pronounced it "Zoo-eee-ko". But I'm pretty sure the right to mispronounce foreign names is in the US Constitution somewhere. It's either there or in the Bible.
I suspect if you write a check to buy something, Olympus will be happy to let you mangle their trade names all you want!
I think this is the best looking DPRreview vid ever. I wish you had included info on the making of the video (camera used, audio, etc). I really wish there was a behind the scenes making of vid or interview with the cameraman but I realize that's not practical. But given how many people on here have transitioned to video it'd be cool to see how you achieved such great results.
Best Lens review/field test on here ever! Finally my style and my style. I still skate at 44 and occasionally shoot live music, so this was a treat to see this. I hope @Barney Britton practices some skating! Its worth it.
Very enjoyable. It breaks the monotony of reading text articles sprinkled with a few images. The subjects, skateboarding, rock band, and sunset and it more interesting too. For some reason I have a desire to buy a fisheye lens now....ahhhh, I see what's going on now :)
Lovely video and very enjoyable. I have one little pedantic nit-pick..Olympus pronounce Zuiko as Zeeko. Having spent a few days in Tokyo as a guest of the company I paid particular attention to the word, which I had always mis-pronounced Zweeko! I was politely corrected.
Hint of mockery? I think you're ready a little too much into that... we didn't put PRO into the headline BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE SHOUTING but I'll fix it in the article.
What's with mocking Sigma by using the apostrophes and skipping all caps when referring to their ART lenses? Man, you guys certainly have anti-Sigma bias to go along with your anti-Olympus bias, don't ya?
Have to say I really enjoyed this, as well as finding it quite substantial, each in many ways.
Dan, you and Barney are really doing something fine here again, in expanding DPReview's horizons, along with your compatriots.
For a single point, how better to understand what a camera, lens, etc. are actually like, than to see them so well viewed in actual use?
There's also the richness in context and reactions which has so often been trying to escape the bounds of traditional review reporting, and this contributes a great deal.
The video is particularly well put together, a lot of work one may know involved to do so. Lou Karsten the star definitely.
Would you want to miss Dan skateboarding to get the shot, several thousand worth of equipment in hand? Or Barney equably taking a lesson, alongside his quiet diction in narrating?
Lots to appreciate, lots to learn here. A video that really gains in being watched again, not least about interesting usefulness of highly wide angle...
Hang on a minute, I'll just remove that stick from my bottom, before I continue.
Ah, that feels better. I found the video informative and well put together - especially the gig shoot. The fisheye does nothing for me (the effect has been for me), but the 7-14 looks very nice. It would be nice to see how well this lens works with Olympus's high res mode.
How could you shoot pictures like the one from 2:48 with 1/4s by hand without any blur? Another challenge on this picture are the shaking people and not to only have a stone or something like that. What is the secret on this picture?
Sorry, should have noted this: Everything shot at the music venue was shot using an on-camera flash bounced either off the ceiling, or fired directly at the subject. Good question.
To 'test' something doesn't necessarily mean to put something through a scientific test, it can also mean just trying something out, as in taking a car for a test drive.
Yeah we're using 'Field Test' in the colloquial sense of taking something out into the world and trying it out. Notice though that we do avoid using the word 'review', which is reserved for content that has a definitive final conclusion and score etc.
So I don't think the word "Test" has a very strict definition... and it's neither misleading or anything. They see what they can do with it, give it a go... it's one way of testing in a real world situation outside of a scientific setting.
@Barney. Don't worry, some of us get it. When we watch Youtube cooking clips, they often say 'taste test' at the end of it. Nobody expects people in lab coats coming out with test equipment measuring the values of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami...
My post wasn't really an accusation of wrongdoing, but a suggestion to improve clarity.
Clarity is in short supply these days, if you want a hilarious example do a study of the work "hookup" ;)
I would argue that on a professional photography site with a surprisingly good reputation considering it walks a fine line, "field experience" is more accurate than "field test" when describing these type of posts.
PS. I am not picking on Olympus as the OMD-E5 is my camera of choice at my income level and if I had more disposable cash I would buy both PRO lenses.
That said the stock oly and pana lenses are quite good for most purposes. If the oly 40-150 had a wider apertures .......
Some photos are OK, but there's a bunch of "why did they show these?" pics (especially taken with a fisheye). But after all the 7-14mm is a highly desirable lens.
Hi "iudex", I hope you were kidding. Statements like yours just show how much some people don't know about photography and/or how fun it must be (for the same some) to waste forum space and people's time. Be proud, you wanted reactions and you got them, now please go away.
iudex is entitled to their opinion. I have the Panny 7-14 and love it, but would never buy one of the available fisheyes and I rarely see fisheye prints on walls.
@showmeyourpics: do you know the meaning of a term "forum"? ;-) I wrote my opinion, agree or disagree with it as you wish, give your reasons, but don´t tell me to go away.
Thats a pretty good lens. Its small and is very sharp in the center. The sides are not as sharp but that is down to the Sony sensor and flange distance rather than the lens.
It's also plagued with huge sample variations and i think versatile zoom lenses need to be sharp across the frame to be actually... Versatile. No portrait prime excuse. It's expensive for that kind of performance. Same
And I disagree with your comment with the short flange distance because there are lenses with sharper corners on APSC E mount. You unwittingly gave the probable cause for its fuzzy corners: It's too small so it doesn't produce a large enough image circle to be sharp across the frame after the APSC sensor crop.
"Pro". Anything that is being used to generate income is "professional" - at least by my definition. Trust me that someone who KNOW WHAT he's doing, can get amazing results out of almost any type of equipment. And ZEISS makes nice glass.. no question... but they're not alone.
"Professionally" (read: earning money) I mostly use Nikon gear... but I own a m4/3 system (Oly OM-D E-M1) and the camera sees a LOT of use... even for work. Basically when you don't need super high resolution, or the DOF that a full frame gives you (but hey, give Medium Format a try... ;) ) then there's absolutely no reason why the OM-D + Zuiko Glass can't be used perfectly for professional work. And for example Oly's 12-40 f/2.8 "Pro" lens ist an amazing piece of glass... it's (at least in practical comparison) as capable as nikon's 24-70 f/2.8.... it's much handier.... and it allows for insanely close focus even at max. zoom. I have not owned a lens as versatile as it .... The 7-14 is definitely on my list ;)
The original NEX kit lens has better edge sharpness at some focal lengths than the 16-70mm, I know it has a smaller focal range but that's still troubling.
"Anything that is being used to generate income is "professional" - at least by my definition."
Yes, but as a marketing term, 'professional' means that the product is specifically targeted at professional users, usually because it has been developed to meet their special needs and requirements. There is no implication that consumer products can't also be used to generate an income.
Revenant, Aside from the fact that marketing does use & abuse about every word their is, as long as it sounds good - across all sorts of products...
So take any of Oly's "PRO" Zuiko lenses: - High end glass? Check - Weather Sealing? Check - Dust proof? Check - Fast Focusing? Check - Sharp? Check (they're arguably very sharp). - Metal bodies / solid build? Check
So honestly I guess it does fulfill any requirement that any pro would like.
And again, the bias is mostly that m4/3 isn't a professional system... which isn't true in any sense... it all depends on what a professional might need. Honestly, when I'm shooting stuff up a mountain, already carrying enough gear, I'm happy not having to lug around my D3 if I don't have to.
Well, I never expressed an opinion that the Olympus PRO lenses aren't intended for professional use, so we agree on that one. I see no reason to question the 'pro' label in this case, which I think the OP was trying to do.
It's funny how a little quoted word from the article headline makes all the fanboys defensive and nervous and bashing :D Gotta love a little trolling sometimes simply for those anwers, thanks and cheers!:D
It was a week of lens announcements, sample galleries and updates to our existing content for one of the year's most notable new cameras - the Canon EOS 5DS R. And if that wasn't enough, we went and added a second installment of our series exploring the source of noise. Catch up on any photography news you may have missed over the busy week, here and elsewhere. Read more
Olympus has just announced a pair of wide-angle 'Pro' Micro Four Thirds lenses, and over the past few days we've been able to do a little shooting with them. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 and 8mm F1.8 Fisheye bring some new options to the table for Micro Four Thirds shooters - click through for a link to our sample galleries
They've been on Olympus's roadmap for a while, but today the company officially announced two new wideangle 'Pro' lenses - the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO and M.ZUIKO Digital ED 8mm Fisheye PRO. The 8mm fisheye is equivalent to a 16mm, while the 7-14mm covers an equivalent focal length range of 14-28mm. Both lenses are weather-sealed and are clearly intended for use with the company's high-end OM-D cameras. Click through for a closer look
Olympus has announced two additions to its Micro Four Thirds 'Pro' lens series, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 and 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO. Both are weather and dust resistant and lighter than their competitors, according to the company, and both are slated to become available in June. Read more
It says Olympus on the front, but the OM System OM-1 is about the future, not the past. It may still produce 20MP files, but a quad-pixel AF Stacked CMOS sensor, 50 fps shooting with full AF and genuine, IP rated, weather sealing show OM Digital Solutions' ambition. See what we thought.
Is the GH6 the best hybrid camera there is? Jordan has been shooting DPReview TV with the Panasonic GH6 for months, so he has plenty of experience to back up his strong opinions.
DJI's Mini series has always been a great entry-level option for beginners, hobbyists, or those willing to sacrifice features for size. But with its newest model, the Mini 3 Pro, DJI promises to bring pro features to its most compact model. Does it succeed?
What's the best camera for shooting landscapes? High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting landscapes, and recommended the best.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both speed and focus for capturing fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
Most modern cameras will shoot video to one degree or another, but these are the ones we’d look at if you plan to shoot some video alongside your photos. We’ve chosen cameras that can take great photos and make it easy to get great looking video, rather than being the ones you’d choose as a committed videographer.
Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform. In this guide we've chosen a selection of cameras that make it easy to shoot compelling lifestyle images, ideal for sharing on social media.
Apple has responded to an open letter published last month, wherein more than 100 individuals in the entertainment industry asked Apple to improve the development and promotion of Final Cut Pro.
Venus Optics has launched its Indiegogo campaign for its new Nanomorph lenses, revealing additional details about the world’s smallest anamorphic lenses.
Most smartphones these days offer great-looking video and make vlogging very easy, but there are always accessories that can help to make your footage, and you, look even better
The WG-80 remains largely unchanged from the WG-70, but it now has a front LED ring light that's twice as bright as its predecessor. Aside from that, the 16MP CMOS sensor and 28-140mm full-frame equivalent lens stays the same.
Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is aboard the International Space Station for a six-month mission. She and the other astronauts aboard the ISS witnessed the recent full lunar eclipse, and Cristoforetti captured amazing photos of the spectacular event.
Vivo has announced the global launch of its flagship X80 Pro device, which features an impressive quadruple-camera array on the rear, headlined by a main 50MP custom Samsung GNV sensor.
ON1 has announced the newest update to its ON1 Photo RAW 2022 all-in-one photo editor. Version 2022.5 integrates Resize AI into the editor, plus it includes improved noise reduction and Sky Swap AI. The update also includes new camera support.
Many cameras have a distinct sound. MIOPS partnered with German sound artist Kuntay Seferoglu to harness the diversity of camera shutter sounds and create the MIOPS Camera Symphony.
Panasonic's new 9mm F1.7 lens promises to deliver top performance in a pint-sized package. Does it raise the bar for ultra-wide angle lenses in the Micro Four Thirds system? Check out our sample gallery to find out.
Despite most units still not shipping for a few weeks, DJI has released a firmware update for its DJI Fly app that allows for activation of its new Mini 3 Pro drone, which will unlock the full feature set for the first ‘Pro’ sub-250g drone from the company.
It says Olympus on the front, but the OM System OM-1 is about the future, not the past. It may still produce 20MP files, but a quad-pixel AF Stacked CMOS sensor, 50 fps shooting with full AF and genuine, IP rated, weather sealing show OM Digital Solutions' ambition. See what we thought.
The app is developed by cinematographer and colorist Zak Ray, who's brought together over 1,000 lenses and 150 cameras into a comprehensive and interactive database app for planning out your shoots.
The leaked renderings and information suggests this new FPV drone will come in at around 500g (1.1lbs) and feature a CineWhoop-style design with protected propellers for safely flying in tight spaces.
The lens, which was previously avaialble for Sony E-mount, is fully manual, but chipped to provide support for focus confirmation and in-body image stabilization with compatible Nikon Z-mount camera systems. Cosina says the lens is set to go on sale next month, June 2022.
The total lunar eclipse will start tonight in most hemispheres and extend through midnight into early Monday morning. Here are some tips on where to view it and capture this rare event.
Is the GH6 the best hybrid camera there is? Jordan has been shooting DPReview TV with the Panasonic GH6 for months, so he has plenty of experience to back up his strong opinions.
The Sony a7 IV includes a new screen reader assistive feature that makes the camera more accessible for the many people who struggle with vision impairment and loss. It's a great first step in making photography and digital cameras more accessible.
Markus Hofstätter Is no stranger to massive DIY photo projects, but his latest one took three months to complete and resulted in bringing back to life a massive scanner that he now uses to scan his ultra-large format photographs.
Representation matters. Google is working to improve skin tone representation within its products and services and improve its AI technology to better understand images of people of all skin tones.
As we work towards our GH6 review, we've taken a closer look at some of the video options by shooting clips to highlight some of the compression options, picture profiles, image stabilization modes, the dynamic range boost mode, and low light performance.
By leveraging hardware acceleration, Adobe has managed to speed up 10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC video export times by 10x on macOS computers and Windows computers running AMD GPUs. Adobe has also sped up smart rendering, added HDR proxies and more.
Sony's new Xperia 1 IV smartphone promises to be a true flagship phone for content creators thanks to a true optical zoom, 4K/120p video and new livestreaming capabilities.
Adobe has finally brought Content-Aware Fill to Photoshop for iPad. Other new and improved features include Remove Background, Select Subject, Auto adjustments and more.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope team recently tested the onboard instrument, MIRI, by imaging a portion of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The new image is incredibly sharp and points toward exciting possibilities when Webb begins scientific operations this summer.
We've taken Nikon's Nikkor 50mm F1.2 S prime lens around the state of Washington to see how it performs wide open, both inside and outdoors. Check out our gallery to see what sort of images it's capable of capturing.
Comments