Comment & Critique: my M43 shopping list

It all started here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55855029

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me making the first step into M43, I've been enjoying it greatly so far! I've enjoyed it to the point that I'm planning to slowly add lenses to my collection, in order to cover all the situation where I can't / don't want to carry my 6D with me.

I currently have G3 and Panny 14mm f2.5. I'd be thrilled to switch the G3 to a better body, but apart from a couple of missing features I can't complain much about it, especially considering that I paid 100$ shipped for it. I'll consider a body upgrade maybe next year, at this moment I prefer to focus on lenses.

Here's what I'm planning to do:

a) The: "I want to carry camera + 1 really small lens that will give me good coverage, while being able to drop it in the backpack without having to worry about it" setup

For this, I plan to get the Panasonic 12-32. When collapsed it's really tiny, 24-64mm equivalent range sounds really useful, and the sharpness is quite impressive. G3 + this lens would be with me daily.

b) The: "I'm going for a small trip and I want to be able to do a bit of everything with just one lens" setup

Panasonic 14-140mm mkII seems like the best candidate for this. Keeping my fingers crossed to get my hands on a second hand copy, especially now that it comes with the G7 it may be a bit easier to find one.

c) The "I'm going for a trip where I want to able to shoot everything but can't carry the 6D with me (hiking/cycling trip)" setup

One could argue that b) and c) have a bit of overlap, but sometimes I go on longer trips on the mountains and during those occasions I want a UWA with me. The 14-140mm mkII would be part of the kit, and my other lens of choice is the Panny 7-14. It would offer similar range to my Canon 17-40 + 70-300 at a fraction of the size and weight. My wallet is not excited by the cost of the 7-14mm, but there are not many options available.

There are a couple of primes that I'd like to get, but if I have to take portraits or shot in low light, I'd rather take out the 6D with primes.

How does my plan sound like? Anything that could be improved significantly? I haven't considered the f2.8 zooms and don't plan to buy any in the near future ($$$).

Thanks in advance for any help!

TyphoonTW wrote:

It all started here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55855029

How does my plan sound like? Anything that could be improved significantly? I haven't considered the f2.8 zooms and don't plan to buy any in the near future ($$$).

Thanks in advance for any help!

Consider the 75, or even the Sigma 60/2.8 if the busget is really restricted.
A few shots with the 75 here ...
and 
Also, there are some with the 40-150 (great model lens)
And some with the 60 here ... it ain't bad if you can put up with the klunk.

Here's a 75 sample

TyphoonTW wrote:

It all started here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55855029

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me making the first step into M43, I've been enjoying it greatly so far! I've enjoyed it to the point that I'm planning to slowly add lenses to my collection, in order to cover all the situation where I can't / don't want to carry my 6D with me.

I currently have G3 and Panny 14mm f2.5. I'd be thrilled to switch the G3 to a better body, but apart from a couple of missing features I can't complain much about it, especially considering that I paid 100$ shipped for it. I'll consider a body upgrade maybe next year, at this moment I prefer to focus on lenses.

Here's what I'm planning to do:

a) The: "I want to carry camera + 1 really small lens that will give me good coverage, while being able to drop it in the backpack without having to worry about it" setup

For this, I plan to get the Panasonic 12-32. When collapsed it's really tiny, 24-64mm equivalent range sounds really useful, and the sharpness is quite impressive. G3 + this lens would be with me daily.

b) The: "I'm going for a small trip and I want to be able to do a bit of everything with just one lens" setup

Panasonic 14-140mm mkII seems like the best candidate for this. Keeping my fingers crossed to get my hands on a second hand copy, especially now that it comes with the G7 it may be a bit easier to find one.

c) The "I'm going for a trip where I want to able to shoot everything but can't carry the 6D with me (hiking/cycling trip)" setup

One could argue that b) and c) have a bit of overlap, but sometimes I go on longer trips on the mountains and during those occasions I want a UWA with me. The 14-140mm mkII would be part of the kit, and my other lens of choice is the Panny 7-14. It would offer similar range to my Canon 17-40 + 70-300 at a fraction of the size and weight. My wallet is not excited by the cost of the 7-14mm, but there are not many options available.

There are a couple of primes that I'd like to get, but if I have to take portraits or shot in low light, I'd rather take out the 6D with primes.

How does my plan sound like? Anything that could be improved significantly? I haven't considered the f2.8 zooms and don't plan to buy any in the near future ($$$).

Thanks in advance for any help!

Good plan. Maybe you could get a GM1 with the 12-32. That is a really small package. AFAIK the 14-140 (and 12-32) are a little sensitive to shutter shock, so it will work better on a GM1 (EFC) or any other body with electronic shutter then a G3.

The 7-14 is a great lens!

Talking about primes, I currently have the 14mm, so I'd be looking at something like 30mm (Sigma), 42.5 (the new Panny 1.7) and probably the Sigma 60mm.

Primes are not high in my priorities list though, I already have 50mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 for my 6D, so before buying primes that will overlap with my dslr I'd prefer to focus on zooms that will allow me to never miss a shot in terms of range. And to be honest, if I'm going out for a walk in the evening I'll pack the 6D rather than my G3, there's too much difference in low light.

Haven't seen a 12-32 or Gm1+lens on sale second hand for a very long time

For price and size it would be my first purchase, but the standard price of the lens brand new is a bit too high compared to the cost of Gm1+lens, and I don't really like having 3 cameras.

Wife:" Why 3?"

Me:"Well, this one is the best one, this one is smaller but still good, this one is....even smaller?"

I'm afraid it's not going to work xD

The 7-14mm better be very good at that price! Why Panasonic? Why can't you sell it at...uhm...400$? Why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends.

If you want to go really light but definitely want an UWA the Oly 9-18mm is worth a look. OK, it doesn't go as wide as the Pana version but you get some extra reach to compensate for it and it's tiny and barely weighs anything (it's something like 150 grams!). IQ is really pretty decent from it and I've had no issues using it on Pana bodies. Much cheaper than the 7-14 too AND you can use filters on it

Ulfric M Douglas wrote:

TyphoonTW wrote:

b) The: "I'm going for a small trip and I want to be able to do a bit of everything with just one lens" setup

Panasonic 14-140mm mkII seems like the best candidate for this. Keeping my fingers crossed to get my hands on a second hand copy, especially now that it comes with the G7 it may be a bit easier to find one.

Mah. It's not a great lens and you would already have the 12-32,

I would suggest forget that you really want just the one lens

buy one of the other zooms like 45-175 or the cheaper 45-150.

Save money and probably get sharper pictures.

A double setup 12-32 + long zoom would still be reasonably convenient, but there are so many options for that...

35-100 is incredibly small and light

45-175 has great range

45-150 should be slightly better than the 45-175

Too many options  Y_Y

Heavens Light wrote:

If you want to go really light but definitely want an UWA the Oly 9-18mm is worth a look. OK, it doesn't go as wide as the Pana version but you get some extra reach to compensate for it and it's tiny and barely weighs anything (it's something like 150 grams!). IQ is really pretty decent from it and I've had no issues using it on Pana bodies. Much cheaper than the 7-14 too AND you can use filters on it

Here in Taiwan they cost exactly the same :/ I don't know the cause of that since both companies are from Japan and import taxes should be the same. It happens the same with Tamron, more expensive here than in the Us.

For the same price I'd pick the Panny for the extra wide end.

TyphoonTW wrote:

It all started here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55855029

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me making the first step into M43, I've been enjoying it greatly so far! I've enjoyed it to the point that I'm planning to slowly add lenses to my collection, in order to cover all the situation where I can't / don't want to carry my 6D with me.

I currently have G3 and Panny 14mm f2.5. I'd be thrilled to switch the G3 to a better body, but apart from a couple of missing features I can't complain much about it, especially considering that I paid 100$ shipped for it. I'll consider a body upgrade maybe next year, at this moment I prefer to focus on lenses.

Here's what I'm planning to do:

a) The: "I want to carry camera + 1 really small lens that will give me good coverage, while being able to drop it in the backpack without having to worry about it" setup

For this, I plan to get the Panasonic 12-32. When collapsed it's really tiny, 24-64mm equivalent range sounds really useful, and the sharpness is quite impressive. G3 + this lens would be with me daily.

Good choice. If I do not have 14-45 (hate to retire this good and sharp kit), I would probably buy 12-32 for the wider end. It forced me to change lens (7-14) frequently.

b) The: "I'm going for a small trip and I want to be able to do a bit of everything with just one lens" setup

Panasonic 14-140mm mkII seems like the best candidate for this. Keeping my fingers crossed to get my hands on a second hand copy, especially now that it comes with the G7 it may be a bit easier to find one.

Unlike others opinion, I strongly recommend 14-140 MII. No SS, good contrast, fast AF, highly versatile and it rocks my expectation (prejudice on such sort of 10x super zoom) before buying it for my wife's GF3 (now GX1). I even don't find any irregular OIS in video at least on my 3 Panny bodies (some claims on GH4 can't be verified by myself). Its IQ is comparable to primes within similar f/stop and range.

c) The "I'm going for a trip where I want to able to shoot everything but can't carry the 6D with me (hiking/cycling trip)" setup

One could argue that b) and c) have a bit of overlap, but sometimes I go on longer trips on the mountains and during those occasions I want a UWA with me. The 14-140mm mkII would be part of the kit, and my other lens of choice is the Panny 7-14. It would offer similar range to my Canon 17-40 + 70-300 at a fraction of the size and weight. My wallet is not excited by the cost of the 7-14mm, but there are not many options available.

I think 7-14 won't disappoint you and once used, you would realize how different its AoV comparing to 17-40 despite of its tiny 3mm less in wide coverage (114.2 degree vs 103.7 degree diagonally; 10% wider). Same for 9-18, you would find they are 2 different class of UWA in terms of coverage (14% wider coverage diagonally). Using Panny (no purple flare) and if cost similar, 7-14 is your obvious choice unless filter would be a must to you.

There are a couple of primes that I'd like to get, but if I have to take portraits or shot in low light, I'd rather take out the 6D with primes.

How does my plan sound like? Anything that could be improved significantly? I haven't considered the f2.8 zooms and don't plan to buy any in the near future ($$$).

Thanks in advance for any help!

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This is my stuff: Canon 6D - Canon 17-40mm f4 L - Canon 70-300mm IS - Canon 85mm f1.8 - Canon 50mm f1.8 STM - Panasonic G3 - Panasonic 14mm f2.

Unless going to the territories of f/1.7 or f/1.4 primes, I found 14 f/2.5 indeed didn't help me much in low light shooting on non IBIS Panny bodies. 14 f/2.5 is merely 1 stop faster than my standard zoom at f/3.5, but OIS offering me 2~2.5 stop advantage and hence I often found 14-45 f/3.5 offering me more steady images than 14 f/2.5 in low light (I could go slower shutter). Now GX7 has IBIS and the story would be rewritten.

Just my 2 cents for your info.

TyphoonTW wrote:

Heavens Light wrote:

If you want to go really light but definitely want an UWA the Oly 9-18mm is worth a look. OK, it doesn't go as wide as the Pana version but you get some extra reach to compensate for it and it's tiny and barely weighs anything (it's something like 150 grams!). IQ is really pretty decent from it and I've had no issues using it on Pana bodies. Much cheaper than the 7-14 too AND you can use filters on it

Here in Taiwan they cost exactly the same :/ I don't know the cause of that since both companies are from Japan and import taxes should be the same. It happens the same with Tamron, more expensive here than in the Us.

For the same price I'd pick the Panny for the extra wide end.

Wow, that pricing's crazy. Here in the UK Amazon are selling the 9-18 for £360.00 and the 7-14 for £850!!!!!

Heavens Light wrote:

TyphoonTW wrote:

Heavens Light wrote:

If you want to go really light but definitely want an UWA the Oly 9-18mm is worth a look. OK, it doesn't go as wide as the Pana version but you get some extra reach to compensate for it and it's tiny and barely weighs anything (it's something like 150 grams!). IQ is really pretty decent from it and I've had no issues using it on Pana bodies. Much cheaper than the 7-14 too AND you can use filters on it

Here in Taiwan they cost exactly the same :/ I don't know the cause of that since both companies are from Japan and import taxes should be the same. It happens the same with Tamron, more expensive here than in the Us.

For the same price I'd pick the Panny for the extra wide end.

Wow, that pricing's crazy. Here in the UK Amazon are selling the 9-18 for £360.00 and the 7-14 for £850!!!!!

Is it the VAT?

In HK, for new and with local mfr's warranty it is around £670 in high street, if from gray market without local mfr warranty, £380.

both are small, light, good, and reasonably priced

i use them on the gm1 and gm5

if you really want a "everything with just one lens" setup: get the panny fz1000

Unfortunately in spite of FZ1000's pretty wide coverage lens, it is still short of UWA (9-18 or 7-14) and long reach (currently 75-300 or 100-300, or the upcoming long telephoto f/4 pro). Optically reach is very different from cropping or digital zoom! It also lack of choices on f/1.4 or f/1.7 fast primes.

Also it has the basic pros and cons of a fixed lens compact vs system camera.

You might wish to to visit a recent thread comparing G7 vs FZ1000 that you might find OP of that thread also realize the size and weight advantage of G7 vs the all-in-one of FZ1000 that sometimes might find over kill but still has to be carried....

If one day ZS superzoom could put in 1" sensor having 28-400, it would change the story.

Thanks for your input!

The 14mm equivalent range of the Panny lens looks very interesting to me, I've never went wider than 16/17mm (Tokina 11-16 on dx, Canon 17-40 on full frame), it should be pretty cool to use it!

If I had to pick a brand new M43 camera it would be the G7, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a GX8.

Is the Panny 45-200 still a decent choice? My local store has a second hand one for 160$, as well as an Ollympus 40-150 for 130$. I'd be tempted by the Olympus for the weight, it was REALLY light, but 250/300mm (equivalent) and no IS scares me a bit, on my Canon 70-300 I have IS turned on 99% of the time.

TyphoonTW wrote:

Is the Panny 45-200 still a decent choice? My local store has a second hand one for 160$, as well as an Ollympus 40-150 for 130$. I'd be tempted by the Olympus for the weight, it was REALLY light, but 250/300mm (equivalent) and no IS scares me a bit, on my Canon 70-300 I have IS turned on 99% of the time.

45-200 is good, but not outstanding. It does well at its price range.

If that small longer reach might not be a must, Panny's 45-150 or 45-175 would be smaller/lighter instead. OIS would be better for panny bodies. In fact, the longer end of 45-200 (from 175 upward) might not be as sharp as its other focal lengths.

I'm considering seriously to replace it with a lighter and smaller solution because it might not be justify for me to carry its heavy weight for <10% of my shooting.