the pancake zoom lenses

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses. On the wide end I've settled for now on the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish).

But how about a kit zoom? When I first bought the GX9, I tried out the 12-32mm. I love the focal length of 12mm, but there was a lot of barrel distortion. More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...! I miss having a focus ring.


Which is the best? 12mm fov VS overall quality vs one-handed operation

I've been using the 14-42 Panasonic PZ and I quite like it. I think its single inner barrel is quite handsome as well, more-so than the others. The bright text is not pretty; I cover that with black tape.

From a user's perspective, it has some annoying quirks. Primarily: why the hell are the zoom and focus switches on the left side?? This necessitates two-handed operation. If Panasonic simply put them on the right side, I could use the GX9 one-handed, like a more powerful Ricoh GR. I really wish this was possible!

Secondly, It's also just a tad too big. I can get it into my jacket, but it's a struggle. This makes me wonder if I should get the 12-32mm again just for its compactness (and that 12mm wide fov), or perhaps the 14-42mm Oly EZ.

The Olympus EZ is super flat (like the 14mm Panasonic) - it would fit easily in my jacket. With a more traditional ring configuration, it appears that it can be operated one-handed. Is this true? I cannot see why not, but I haven't used it. How does its perform with a modern Panasonic body? Online I read that in the past, the lack of IBIS made it quite weak. But now with IBIS, is there any disadvantage of pairing this Oly lens with a Pany body?

I care a lot about user experience and real-world feel, but I also do care about image quality as well. None of these three can compare to the Summilux, for instance, but are any of them noticeably worse than the others? I've read that the Oly is much weaker IQ-wise than the Panasonics. Any thoughts about that?

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov? Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ? Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

P.S.

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

-
https://www.instagram.com/keithpictures/

Keithpictures said:

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses. I even have the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish)!

But how about a kit zoom? When I first bought the GX9, I tried out the 12-32mm. I love the focal length of 12mm, but there was a lot of barrel distortion. More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...! I miss having a focus ring.


Which is the best? 12mm fov VS overall quality vs one-handed operation

I've been using the 14-42 Panasonic PZ and I quite like it. I think its single inner barrel is quite handsome as well, more-so than the others. The bright text is not pretty; I cover that with black tape.

From a user's perspective, it has some annoying quirks. Primarily: why the hell are the zoom and focus switches on the left side?? This necessitates two-handed operation. If Panasonic simply put them on the right side, I could use the GX9 one-handed, like a more powerful Ricoh GR. I really wish this was possible!

Secondly, It's also just *a tad* too big. I can get it into my jacket, but it's a struggle. This makes me wonder if I should get the 12-32mm again just for its compactness (and that 12mm wide fov), or perhaps the 14-42mm Oly EZ.

The Olympus EZ is super flat (like the 14mm Panasonic) - it would fit easily in my jacket. With a more traditional ring configuration, it appears that it can be operated one-handed. Is this true? I cannot see why not, but I haven't used it. How does its perform with a modern Panasonic body? Online I read that in the past, the lack of IBIS made it quite weak. But now with IBIS, is there any disadvantage of pairing this Oly lens with a Pany body?

I care a lot about user experience and real-world feel, but I also do care about image quality as well. None of these three can compare to the Summilux, for instance, but are any of them noticeably worse than the others? I've read that the Oly is much weaker IQ-wise than the Panasonics. Any thoughts about that?

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov? Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ? Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

P.S.

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

-
https://www.instagram.com/keithpictures/

Click to expand...

Choose between the Lumix 12-32 and the Oly 14-42 pancake. The former has better IQ, a more useful range (my opinion) while the latter has a focus ring and extra reach.


And no, in my opinion, the Lumix 14mm f2.5 doesn't have vastly better IQ, but it is one stop faster (which can help improve IQ by lowering ISO's) and it is a bit smaller than the pancake zooms. Colors are nice though with that prime, even if sharpness is not much better than the zooms.

bluevellet said:

Keithpictures said:

Which is the best? 12mm fov VS overall quality vs one-handed operation

Click to expand...

Choose between the Lumix 12-32 and the Oly 14-42 pancake. The former has better IQ, a more useful range (my opinion) while the latter has a focus ring and extra reach.

And no, in my opinion, the Lumix 14mm f2.5 doesn't have vastly better IQ, but it is one stop faster (which can help improve IQ by lowering ISO's) and it is a bit smaller than the pancake zooms. Colors are nice though with that prime, even if sharpness is not much better than the zooms.

Click to expand...

Good to hear that the prime lens isn't significantly better!



The 14mm is certainly the smallest, but not by too much. That tiny size appeals to me, but perhaps not more than the versatility of a zoom.

How much better is the 12-32 IQ over the EZ? Do you think it's a really noticeable difference? The wide end is great, but the operation seems so much worse...

--

Keithpictures said:

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses. On the wide end I've settled for now on the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish).

But how about a kit zoom? When I first bought the GX9, I tried out the 12-32mm. I love the focal length of 12mm, but there was a lot of barrel distortion. More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...! I miss having a focus ring.


Which is the best? 12mm fov VS overall quality vs one-handed operation

I've been using the 14-42 Panasonic PZ and I quite like it. I think its single inner barrel is quite handsome as well, more-so than the others. The bright text is not pretty; I cover that with black tape.

From a user's perspective, it has some annoying quirks. Primarily: why the hell are the zoom and focus switches on the left side?? This necessitates two-handed operation. If Panasonic simply put them on the right side, I could use the GX9 one-handed, like a more powerful Ricoh GR. I really wish this was possible!

Secondly, It's also just a tad too big. I can get it into my jacket, but it's a struggle. This makes me wonder if I should get the 12-32mm again just for its compactness (and that 12mm wide fov), or perhaps the 14-42mm Oly EZ.

The Olympus EZ is super flat (like the 14mm Panasonic) - it would fit easily in my jacket. With a more traditional ring configuration, it appears that it can be operated one-handed. Is this true? I cannot see why not, but I haven't used it. How does its perform with a modern Panasonic body? Online I read that in the past, the lack of IBIS made it quite weak. But now with IBIS, is there any disadvantage of pairing this Oly lens with a Pany body?

I care a lot about user experience and real-world feel, but I also do care about image quality as well. None of these three can compare to the Summilux, for instance, but are any of them noticeably worse than the others? I've read that the Oly is much weaker IQ-wise than the Panasonics. Any thoughts about that?

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov? Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ? Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

P.S.

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

-
https://www.instagram.com/keithpictures/

Click to expand...

I would go with the 12-32mm.

Yes, it has barrel distortion at the wide end as it was designed to be corrected in software. Download a free 30 day trial of Dxo-photolab 2 Elite and you will find that it provides superior lens correction than LR, which uses the jpg correction embedded in the raw file. As a bonus at the wide end you will also be able to obtain a slightly wider fov than the quoted 12mm.

PRIME noise reduction will also enable higher ISO's. The comparison below is ISO 25,600 DXO-PL vs in camera jpg.





You can see the extra fov (more yellow letters on the book spine) and excellent noise reduction

Ian

Keithpictures said:

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov? Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ? Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

Click to expand...

It is not safe to assume that the Panasonic 14mm 2.5 is vastly better than the Panasonic 12-32 pancake zoom. In fake, and I have owned both, the 12-32 is superior at that focal length in most ways (with the exception of aperture, which is 3.5 versus 2.5).

Having owned both of the Panasonics, I would say it is better to put up with the fiddliness of having to "unlock" the lens when stowed and not having a manual focus ring. Keep in mind, that you also gain a wider 12mm focal length and the option to zoom in a bit when needed with this lens as well. They also seem to go for roughly the same price on the used market.

Even though all of the above testing was done on an Olympus body, I prefer the zoom range and the sharpness of the Panasonic lens enough that I was often using that on my EM5 (original model). In fact, my father still owns and uses his EM5, and he pretty much always have the Panasonic 12-32 mounted on it, it is a fantastic lens for the price that they can be found for on the used market.

Keithpictures said:

if I should get the 12-32mm again just for its compactness (and that 12mm wide fov), or perhaps the 14-42mm Oly EZ.

Click to expand...

You need to decide if you want the extra 2mm on the wide end.

For compactness, the 12-32mm is wonderful when I want to go out with a small package.

Keithpictures said:

More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...!

Click to expand...

Suggestion: extend the lens before powering on the camera!

- Richard

--
http://www.rsjphoto.net

Keithpictures said:

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the club

Keithpictures said:

On the wide end I've settled for now on the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish).

Click to expand...

I was always kinda intrigued by this little lens cap. But having a Samyang 7.5mm, it is hard to spend 85 EUR on Olympus.

Keithpictures said:

I've been using the 14-42 Panasonic PZ and I quite like it. [...] it has some annoying quirks. Primarily: why the hell are the zoom and focus switches on the left side?? This necessitates two-handed operation. If Panasonic simply put them on the right side, I could use the GX9 one-handed, like a more powerful Ricoh GR. I really wish this was possible!

Click to expand...

You do know that you can control the zoom with your thumb on the touchscreen, right? My GM5 is too small to do it without holding the camera with the other hand, but you do not have to touch the zoom lever with your left hand at all to operate it. Not sure how that would play out on GX9, but you might want to give it a go.

Keithpictures said:

Secondly, It's also just a tad too big. I can get it into my jacket, but it's a struggle.

Click to expand...

BTW, do you use a lens cap? I find those annoying for my pocketable camera (which is GM5). So I replaced them with filters (37 and 46 mm).

Keithpictures said:

I care a lot about user experience and real-world feel, but I also do care about image quality as well. None of these three can compare to the Summilux, for instance, but are any of them noticeably worse than the others? I've read that the Oly is much weaker IQ-wise than the Panasonics. Any thoughts about that?

Click to expand...

It's probably all about luck. Like you wrote, Olympus is considered inferior and a lot of photos people posted confirm this. But then again, I saw some photos from it that were clearly better than the bad ones. I suspect a lot of sample variation.

The PZ I have is basically the same as the regular Panasonic 14-42 II in terms of image quality. A bit less purple fringing maybe, but in general it's a wash. I consider both to be good for small zooms (I was happy with the 14-42 II and am happy with the 14-42 PZ). Both are considerably better than Oly 14-42 R II that came with my E-M10 (which I'm pretty sure is a bad copy).

Keithpictures said:

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov?

Click to expand...

Vastly better? Probably not. The thing with all those zooms is that they are all the best at the wide end, where they are all pretty good. I didn't compare my 14mm to the zooms, so can't quantify my experience with it. To me, it's a nice and sharp lens with the only weakness being in the extreme corners. Otherwise it's nice and sharp. And considerably smaller than the zooms (well, at least compared to 14-42 PZ, since that's the only one I have and can directly compare). Of course, a good copy of the prime will for sure be noticeably better than a wonky copy of a zoom.

Also, the prime is one stop faster, so...

Keithpictures said:

Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ?

Click to expand...

I'd go with 12-32.

Keithpictures said:

Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Ha, dream on. What you described is basically impossible. Not that I would not want one, but there's no way such a lens will ever be made.

But a small 10mm prime similar to the 14mm in size would be absolutely amazing. Even if it's f/2.8 or f/3.5 or some such.

Having just got my hands on an Oly 14-42 EZ a few hours ago, I'm thinking Panny knew what they were doing with the 12-32. To me it's no big deal extending the lens and without a doubt the manual zooming is far superior. Some complain of no MF ring on the 12-32, but really with a lens like this I'd never use it anyway. I have never missed that it was not there. This brings me to another point and that is that it is easy to confuse the zoom and MF rings on the Oly. No such problem on the 12-32.

Never had the Panny PZ lens so cannot comment on that one personally.

I have been quite happy and even surprised with the IQ from the 12-32. Can't really say on the Oly 12-42 EZ as I just got it.

Overall from what I know at this moment, the 12-32 is the best lens in my mind. IQ is very good and possibly better than the others and the manual zoom is a big plus.

My thoughts could change as I spend more time with the 14-42 EZ, but right now I can't see ever getting rid of the 12-32.

If you're seeing noticeable distortion with the 12-32 you must be developing RAW with something that does not correct for distortion. All m43 wide angle lenses have huge amounts of distortion, even the Oly Pro and PL lenses. They are all designed that way. The JPGs are automatically corrected and most RAW converters will do the same.

--
Jonathan

Keithpictures said:

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses. On the wide end I've settled for now on the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish).

But how about a kit zoom? When I first bought the GX9, I tried out the 12-32mm. I love the focal length of 12mm, but there was a lot of barrel distortion. More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...! I miss having a focus ring.


Which is the best? 12mm fov VS overall quality vs one-handed operation

I've been using the 14-42 Panasonic PZ and I quite like it. I think its single inner barrel is quite handsome as well, more-so than the others. The bright text is not pretty; I cover that with black tape.

From a user's perspective, it has some annoying quirks. Primarily: why the hell are the zoom and focus switches on the left side?? This necessitates two-handed operation. If Panasonic simply put them on the right side, I could use the GX9 one-handed, like a more powerful Ricoh GR. I really wish this was possible!

Secondly, It's also just a tad too big. I can get it into my jacket, but it's a struggle. This makes me wonder if I should get the 12-32mm again just for its compactness (and that 12mm wide fov), or perhaps the 14-42mm Oly EZ.

The Olympus EZ is super flat (like the 14mm Panasonic) - it would fit easily in my jacket. With a more traditional ring configuration, it appears that it can be operated one-handed. Is this true? I cannot see why not, but I haven't used it. How does its perform with a modern Panasonic body? Online I read that in the past, the lack of IBIS made it quite weak. But now with IBIS, is there any disadvantage of pairing this Oly lens with a Pany body?

I care a lot about user experience and real-world feel, but I also do care about image quality as well. None of these three can compare to the Summilux, for instance, but are any of them noticeably worse than the others? I've read that the Oly is much weaker IQ-wise than the Panasonics. Any thoughts about that?

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov? Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ? Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

P.S.

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

-
https://www.instagram.com/keithpictures/

Click to expand...

I have no experience with any of those zooms but I`d go with that 12-32, you can zoom using your feet but in tight spaces you can`t always step back, the 12mm end will have advantages.

Astrotripper said:

Keithpictures said:

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the club

Click to expand...

Glad there are more of us out there!

Astrotripper said:

Astrotripper said:

On the wide end I've settled for now on the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish).

Click to expand...

I was always kinda intrigued by this little lens cap. But having a Samyang 7.5mm, it is hard to spend 85 EUR on Olympus.

Click to expand...

It's a fun lens. Obv not amazing IQ, and a bit of a hassle to add EXIF data and defish, but super compact and great wideness.

Astrotripper said:

Astrotripper said:

I've been using the 14-42 Panasonic PZ and I quite like it. [...] it has some annoying quirks. Primarily: why the hell are the zoom and focus switches on the left side?? This necessitates two-handed operation. If Panasonic simply put them on the right side, I could use the GX9 one-handed, like a more powerful Ricoh GR. I really wish this was possible!

Click to expand...

You do know that you can control the zoom with your thumb on the touchscreen, right? My GM5 is too small to do it without holding the camera with the other hand, but you do not have to touch the zoom lever with your left hand at all to operate it. Not sure how that would play out on GX9, but you might want to give it a go.

Click to expand...

Intriguing suggestion! I'll try this out.

Astrotripper said:

Astrotripper said:

Secondly, It's also just a tad too big. I can get it into my jacket, but it's a struggle.

Click to expand...

BTW, do you use a lens cap? I find those annoying for my pocketable camera (which is GM5). So I replaced them with filters (37 and 46 mm).

Click to expand...

Yes, I have the filter and I also have one of those auto lens caps, which is maybe 1mm thicker than the filter: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00IFWE9M0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Astrotripper said:

Astrotripper said:

I care a lot about user experience and real-world feel, but I also do care about image quality as well. None of these three can compare to the Summilux, for instance, but are any of them noticeably worse than the others? I've read that the Oly is much weaker IQ-wise than the Panasonics. Any thoughts about that?

Click to expand...

It's probably all about luck. Like you wrote, Olympus is considered inferior and a lot of photos people posted confirm this. But then again, I saw some photos from it that were clearly better than the bad ones. I suspect a lot of sample variation.

The PZ I have is basically the same as the regular Panasonic 14-42 II in terms of image quality. A bit less purple fringing maybe, but in general it's a wash. I consider both to be good for small zooms (I was happy with the 14-42 II and am happy with the 14-42 PZ). Both are considerably better than Oly 14-42 R II that came with my E-M10 (which I'm pretty sure is a bad copy).

Astrotripper said:

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov?

Click to expand...

Vastly better? Probably not. The thing with all those zooms is that they are all the best at the wide end, where they are all pretty good. I didn't compare my 14mm to the zooms, so can't quantify my experience with it. To me, it's a nice and sharp lens with the only weakness being in the extreme corners. Otherwise it's nice and sharp. And considerably smaller than the zooms (well, at least compared to 14-42 PZ, since that's the only one I have and can directly compare). Of course, a good copy of the prime will for sure be noticeably better than a wonky copy of a zoom.

Also, the prime is one stop faster, so...

Astrotripper said:

Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ?

Click to expand...

I'd go with 12-32.

Click to expand...

+1 for extra 2mm

+1 for generally superior IQ

-1 for handling

Oly gets a +1 for one-hand zooming...

I might need to try out both

Astrotripper said:

Astrotripper said:

Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Ha, dream on. What you described is basically impossible. Not that I would not want one, but there's no way such a lens will ever be made.

But a small 10mm prime similar to the 14mm in size would be absolutely amazing. Even if it's f/2.8 or f/3.5 or some such.

Click to expand...

Yes! would absolutely love a 10mm pancake prime. I'm sure Panasonic can do it! Us prime lovers should get a new product - seems like everything in the past years has been a huge tele lens.

Nice flickr btw!

IanYorke said:

I would go with the 12-32mm.

Yes, it has barrel distortion at the wide end as it was designed to be corrected in software. Download a free 30 day trial of Dxo-photolab 2 Elite and you will find that it provides superior lens correction than LR, which uses the jpg correction embedded in the raw file. As a bonus at the wide end you will also be able to obtain a slightly wider fov than the quoted 12mm.

PRIME noise reduction will also enable higher ISO's. The comparison below is ISO 25,600 DXO-PL vs in camera jpg.Ian

Click to expand...

Interesting suggestion. Not too keen on adding another software step to my workflow, but might do... Yes, 12mm is very appealing. If only I could auto zoom one-handed! But everyone seems to favor the 12-32 over the Oly, so I guess it is indeed a better fit.

ChinaM43User said:

Keithpictures said:

I will decide between the 14-42 EZ, the 12-32 and the 14mm prime as an alternative to my current lenses (with the main goal of compactness and UX). Is it safe to assume that the prime is vastly better at 14mm fov? Between the zooms, would you favor the 12mm and deal with its awkwardness, or go for the Oly 14-42, even if it doubles up (replaces?) my current 14-42 PZ? Or should I just accept my slightly larger, two-handed 14-42 PZ?

Click to expand...

It is not safe to assume that the Panasonic 14mm 2.5 is vastly better than the Panasonic 12-32 pancake zoom. In fake, and I have owned both, the 12-32 is superior at that focal length in most ways (with the exception of aperture, which is 3.5 versus 2.5).

Click to expand...

Nice to hear this! I will subdue my interest in the smallest pancake then, since the wide zoom is more practical an addition to my kit.

ChinaM43User said:

Having owned both of the Panasonics, I would say it is better to put up with the fiddliness of having to "unlock" the lens when stowed and not having a manual focus ring. Keep in mind, that you also gain a wider 12mm focal length and the option to zoom in a bit when needed with this lens as well. They also seem to go for roughly the same price on the used market.

Even though all of the above testing was done on an Olympus body, I prefer the zoom range and the sharpness of the Panasonic lens enough that I was often using that on my EM5 (original model). In fact, my father still owns and uses his EM5, and he pretty much always have the Panasonic 12-32 mounted on it, it is a fantastic lens for the price that they can be found for on the used market.

Click to expand...

I'm seeing all these lenses under $150, so I'll pull the trigger on one of the used models. Is it risky to get a lemon? I hear so much about variance..

richj20 said:

Keithpictures said:

if I should get the 12-32mm again just for its compactness (and that 12mm wide fov), or perhaps the 14-42mm Oly EZ.

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You need to decide if you want the extra 2mm on the wide end.

For compactness, the 12-32mm is wonderful when I want to go out with a small package.

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Right. Yes...

richj20 said:

richj20 said:

More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...!

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Suggestion: extend the lens before powering on the camera!

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Ha!

jwilliams said:

Having just got my hands on an Oly 14-42 EZ a few hours ago, I'm thinking Panny knew what they were doing with the 12-32. To me it's no big deal extending the lens and without a doubt the manual zooming is far superior. Some complain of no MF ring on the 12-32, but really with a lens like this I'd never use it anyway. I have never missed that it was not there. This brings me to another point and that is that it is easy to confuse the zoom and MF rings on the Oly. No such problem on the 12-32.

Never had the Panny PZ lens so cannot comment on that one personally.

I have been quite happy and even surprised with the IQ from the 12-32. Can't really say on the Oly 12-42 EZ as I just got it.

Overall from what I know at this moment, the 12-32 is the best lens in my mind. IQ is very good and possibly better than the others and the manual zoom is a big plus.

My thoughts could change as I spend more time with the 14-42 EZ, but right now I can't see ever getting rid of the 12-32.

If you're seeing noticeable distortion with the 12-32 you must be developing RAW with something that does not correct for distortion. All m43 wide angle lenses have huge amounts of distortion, even the Oly Pro and PL lenses. They are all designed that way. The JPGs are automatically corrected and most RAW converters will do the same.

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Convincing points here, man. I appreciate the words. Yes, I tried out the 12-32 with an old version of LR that wasn't correcting the distortion well. It seems like I'll have to give it another try.

Out of curiosity, what made you pick up the 14-42 EZ if you're so satisfied with the 12-32? To me, aesthetics are also important and I do think the Oly looks the nicest and most classic. The extended 12-32 looks cheap and weak. I know it belies superior optics, but it just doesn't have a great look to it.

I think you're right about the superiority of a manual zoom, but since I do use my GX9 one-handed quite often, I like the idea of reaching for that 14-42 zoom (by wire) ring with my right middle finger, instead of using my left hand. I'd be interested in hearing if this is something you might try and do.

Well, owning both/all is surely the nicest set-up!

Paulmorgan said:

Keithpictures said:

I'm a street and travel photographer. Compactness is very important to me. My favorite lens is the 15mm PL, but alas, I cannot quite fit it into my jacket pocket, which is how I ideally carry around my GX9. I also use the 20mm Pany and I might even get the 14mm Pany because I simply love pancake lenses. On the wide end I've settled for now on the 9mm Oly fisheye BCL (which I defish).

But how about a kit zoom? When I first bought the GX9, I tried out the 12-32mm. I love the focal length of 12mm, but there was a lot of barrel distortion. More of a deal-breaker: the need to manually open the lens. That text on the screen: "Please extend the lens" drives me crazy...! I miss having a focus ring.

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I have no experience with any of those zooms but I`d go with that 12-32, you can zoom using your feet but in tight spaces you can`t always step back, the 12mm end will have advantages.

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True, that 12mm angle is indeed a nice thing.

Keith, this shot was taken with my E-M1 + 14-42 EZ pancake, through a triple glazed window. I deliberately bought this lens, after much consideration. I am very happy with it for its purposes.




Eureka Tower, Melbourne, through triple glazed window



--
br, john, from you know where
My gear list and sordid past are here: https://www.dpreview.com/members/1558378718/overview
Gallery: https://www.canopuscomputing.com.au/zen2/page/gallery/

There is a Flickr group dedicated to the Olympus 14-42mm EZ:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2596089@N21/

Keithpictures said:

.................I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

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The 12-32 is your best bet.

It is extremely small. With an excellent IQ for it's size. I do not believe a pancake zoom can be made any smaller without sacrificing IQ and usability.

All I would wish for is a re-design of this lens. With much improved mechanical build quality, rigidity and durability. And a focus ring, no matter how narrow it would have to be, would be the icing on the cake. Everything else is already a near perfect compromise for small size.

I have the 12-32, 14-42PZ, and 14/2.5. I use the 12-32.

The 12-32 was the kit lens, so I expected it to be junk and got the 14-42. Then I got the 14 because I wanted something real y small.

I was really surprised when the 12-32 tested best of the lot, at least for centre sharpness. I also use 12mm a lot. I don't see any distortion, but I mostly shoot in camera Jpeg, and my GX850 corrects for that in software. Reviews note that it's only mildly distorted at 12.

So I assume you're shooting RAW, you should make sure your RAW converter has the profile to correct that. That's one thing I need in a RAW converter as I'm dabbling. Panny supply "Silkypix" for free, that automatically does the correction (and chromatic aberration). I think the DxO version does as well.

I keep the 14-42 around just in case I want to shoot remotely, the Panasonic Image app can zoom that one.

I just find the 14 unexciting, I once managed to take that with me instead of the 12-32, I was very disappointed. The 14 is a stop brighter, but the 12-32 is stabilized good for 2-3 stops. So in most circumstances, I can get 1-2 stops better out of the 12-32 anyway. I mainly keep the 14 around to host the screw on adapters Panny used to sell (Wide, Fisheye and Macro. It makes a decent fisheye lens.)

I don't care about the "Please extend the lens" message. You can get into the menus, or into playback mode without extending.

Keithpictures said:

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

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Me too. I'd like anything Rectilinear, AF, small, and wider than 12.

Barry Twycross said:

I have the 12-32, 14-42PZ, and 14/2.5. I use the 12-32.

The 12-32 was the kit lens, so I expected it to be junk and got the 14-42. Then I got the 14 because I wanted something real y small.

I was really surprised when the 12-32 tested best of the lot, at least for centre sharpness. I also use 12mm a lot. I don't see any distortion, but I mostly shoot in camera Jpeg, and my GX850 corrects for that in software. Reviews note that it's only mildly distorted at 12.

So I assume you're shooting RAW, you should make sure your RAW converter has the profile to correct that. That's one thing I need in a RAW converter as I'm dabbling. Panny supply "Silkypix" for free, that automatically does the correction (and chromatic aberration). I think the DxO version does as well.

I keep the 14-42 around just in case I want to shoot remotely, the Panasonic Image app can zoom that one.

I just find the 14 unexciting, I once managed to take that with me instead of the 12-32, I was very disappointed. The 14 is a stop brighter, but the 12-32 is stabilized good for 2-3 stops. So in most circumstances, I can get 1-2 stops better out of the 12-32 anyway. I mainly keep the 14 around to host the screw on adapters Panny used to sell (Wide, Fisheye and Macro. It makes a decent fisheye lens.)

I don't care about the "Please extend the lens" message. You can get into the menus, or into playback mode without extending.

Keithpictures said:

I'll state this now as well: I really want a new pancake zoom product release. Manufacturers, please make a super compact, super sharp, auto-zoom/auto-focus pancake lens! 10mm on the wide end would be amazing. How about the 10-25mm, but cheap and tiny. Thanks!

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Me too. I'd like anything Rectilinear, AF, small, and wider than 12.

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RIght??! I feel us pancake fans are owed something like this after years of big teles. Of course we're owed nothing, but still...

Thanks for this response - it's a great endorsement with comprehensive comparisons. It's ironic that I too forwent this kit zoom because I perceived it as lackluster at the time. You make a good point that menus and playback can be accessed without extending the zoom.

Maybe I'll check out this Silkypix thing...