Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R vs Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 - which to get

You already have the 12-50. Since you're considering a fisheye lens, you should look into the Samyang 7.5. A great lens, at a very reasonable price.

alan092177 wrote:

Can't decide between these two. from several reviews I've read (here - dpreview, DxoMark), they're almost the same and if memory serves me right, it's also because of Olympus' and Panasonic's partnership. What baffles me though is that Lenshero says the Panasonic one has fisheye capability (http://lenshero.com/lens/Panasonic-14-42mm-f3.5-5.6-MEGA-O.I.S.-lens) but it did not say if the Olympus one has. I have not also come across any reviews or samples that demonstrate the Panasonic fisheye. I know you can also attach lens converter to both but I don't think they used a converter when they reviewed it. That being said, can you use a Panasonic lens converter on the Olympus lens and vice-versa?

Thanks!

As others have said, the fisheye adapters are relatively cumbersome, expensive add-ons to the front of the lens which don't offer the best optical quality.  As far as I am aware, they are not cross-compatible between the brands and I think it's the power zoom (pancake) version of the Panasonic 14-42 lens which is compatible with their adapter - a fairly expensive lens which can perform well, but which in my own experience is quite easily upset by shutter vibrations, and which can be a bit finicky to operate as zooming and focusing is done by switches on the lens, or switches and/or touchscreen on appropriately-equipped Panasonic bodies.

The Panasonic 14-42 in the link you gave is the original 14-42 they produced (which is still current) - an OK lens but not optically the best they've ever made, and large, with a somewhat "sticky" zoom action.  The new MkII version, as another poster mentions, is far better - it is small, smooth and better optically, and lighter. This is the lens supplied with the GF6 and GX7 (sometimes also on the G6 but in many markets that model comes with the previous, large version) and it is also available separately - either expensively as a boxed retail product, when it has a metal lens mount, or cheaper if split from GX7 and GF6 kits (when the mount is plastic - for reference, all versions of the bigger, early 14-42 have plastic mounts, as does the Olympus 14-42 IIR, whilst the Panasonic 14-42 Power Zoom always has a metal mount).  The Panasonic 14-42 II is a far closer match to the Olympus in size - and in fact, is smaller in operation as the barrel hardly extends on zooming, whereas the Olympus grows in length considerably when extended for use.

Which lens I would recommend depends somewhat on the camera body you are intending to use it on.  On any Panasonic body except the GX7, using the Olympus leaves you with no image stabilisation, though I like its handling (but note, it is the loudest focuser of the lot when shooting movies).  I personally don't like the early, large Panasonic 14-42 much due to its size and jumpy zoom ring action.  The Panasonic Power Zoom is nice and compact, and CAN perform well, but my experience with it is that if the camera doesn't have a fully-electronic shutter option, it is easily disturbed by a mechanical shutter, particularly the sharp ones in Panasonics other than the GM1, and the smaller, cheaper Olympus Pens (which have no electronic shutter option in any model, even the top of the range ones, though their shutter actions are a little softer, typically).  In many ways my favourite is the Panasonic 14-42 II on either brand of body, as it's small, light, quiet, smooth, good optically and gives optical image stablisation to both brands of camera.

Maybe I'm missing something, but why are you even considering these lenses?  Your 12-50 should cover anything that this lens would be used for.  Depending on your budget and what you shoot, I would be considering the 25mm F1.4, 45mm F1.8, or one of the cheap telephotos.  If budget is not an issue, you can also consider one of the pro zooms.  I'm sure the lenses you listed are probably dirt cheap, but there's really no benefit to you for getting either of them.

get the lumix version. i hate the unlock lock unlock on the olympus. quite troublesome when you need fast access to the system.

Forget the gimmicks and get a used original Panasonic 14-45, it's still the best affordable kit lens to date.