Lenses for M43

jim stirling wrote:

emzee wrote:

I have the 14-45, and the Panasonic 14-42mm II, the 14-45mm is a great kit lens and can be picked up used at a good price. However I got the 14-42II along with the GX8 and it seems to be very close to the performance of the 14-45mm with the advantages of being smaller and lighter another advantage for the 14-42II is that it is compatible with the dual-IS of the GX8 , the 14-45mm lens is not.

Thanks. Is the image quality of 14-45mm better than 14-42mm II lens? A lot of people have mentioned about the superior quality of 14-45mm and I am trying to find out whether the 14-42mm II matches that. The new 12-32mm is also in my consideration. The primary criteria being image quality.

Regards,

emzee

All three are gonna be really close, all three are well above average for kit lenses, random sample variation will probably matter more than any minute differences in IQ. The 14-42 II is pretty compact even if not quite as much as the 12-32, and it barely extends at all in use while zooming which is nice. It'll also support DFD unlike the older 14-45, so I'd rule that one out.

12mm is a big deal for me personally, and the size is a big factor for me, so I favor the 12-32 (actually sold my kit 14-42 II and bought the former separately). You may not like the shorter reach at the long end tho, or having to extend it before use, or not having a focus ring... The 14-42 II also uses a more common 46mm filter thread. Can't go wrong with either really...

The kit 14-42 II comes with a plastic mount instead of a metal one, retail ones have a metal mount, I don't think it's a big deal on such a lightweight lens but it might bother some.