Panasonic 14-42 Mk2 As Walk-Around Lens For G7?

What's the general opinion on the 14-42mm MK2 (especially the recent cosmetically upgraded one) as a walk around/general purpose lens?

When I'm on my daily commute or just mooching around London, I find myself needing something tighter when I fit my 15mm PL and something more open when the 30mm Sigma is mounted.

I'm fully aware that the correct answer is "get the 12-35mm f2.8", but the Fun Budget won't stretch that far this year...

Terminal Boy wrote:

What's the general opinion on the 14-42mm MK2 (especially the recent cosmetically upgraded one) as a walk around/general purpose lens?

When I'm on my daily commute or just mooching around London, I find myself needing something tighter when I fit my 15mm PL and something more open when the 30mm Sigma is mounted.

I'm fully aware that the correct answer is "get the 12-35mm f2.8", but the Fun Budget won't stretch that far this year...

Olympus and Panasonic make two kind of standard zooms: the Pro ones (rainproof F/2,8 zooms) and the "ordinary" ones.

If the Pro ones have the best IQ, the image quality of the "ordinary" ones will vary between good (the M.Zuiko 12-50mm) and very good (most of the other ones, including the Lumix 14-42mm II).

In a nutshell, the wide difference in prices for µ4/3 standard zooms is not proportional to their IQ. For example, the Lumix 14-42mm II might have something like 85% of the IQ of the Lumix 12-35mm F/2,8 at a small fraction of the price.

I think the 14-42mm v.II is a very good lens for the price, and it should suit your described needs well.  It's also compact, light, takes a 46mm filter, and only extends less than 1 cm when zooming.

Thanks for the rapid responses!

Looks like the 14-42mm MK2 is going to be added to my gear list shortly...

When I bought into M43 almost a year ago, I learned that the Lumix 14-42II has a very good reputation for a kit lens and took a GX7 with it. I've been shooting with it exclusively for several months and after adding a couple more lenses (Olympus 25/1.8, 9-18/4.0-5.6) still pretty much satisfied with it.

In fact, it has become my measure of the acceptable sharpness for a lens, where everything below its level starts looking soft (e.g., cheaper legacy glass). The Oly 25 is of course sharper, but the 14-42II is still very good by my standards and gives me plenty of sharpness freedom in PP. One thing I noticed after adding more lenses to my kit though is that I often need more work in PP with the 14-42II, especially on WB for indoor and sunny shots. It tends to provide slightly warmer output which I generally like, but getting rid of it sometimes can be tricky. That is, for an amateur like me, of course.

Here is a shot of the Montserrat mountain @42/f5.6, stitched from 3 shots in LR demonstrating that yellow-ish look. In this case it's not bad at all, gives it a golden hour look, although the shot has been taken at around 14pm.

Lumix 14-42II @42/f5.6, stitched from 3 shots in LR

Terminal Boy wrote:

What's the general opinion on the 14-42mm MK2 (especially the recent cosmetically upgraded one) as a walk around/general purpose lens?

When I'm on my daily commute or just mooching around London, I find myself needing something tighter when I fit my 15mm PL and something more open when the 30mm Sigma is mounted.

I'm fully aware that the correct answer is "get the 12-35mm f2.8", but the Fun Budget won't stretch that far this year...

Hi, I have this lens.  Much as I love using prime lenses, notably the Panasonic 20mm f1.7, this one is on my Panasonic GM5 most of the time. As a keen amateur from the pre-digital age, I love  it.  It is light, tiny and versatile.  It gives great results for its size and price, maybe not top notch if you're very, very particular but certainly perfect for everyday shots, street photography and so on. If I have a criticism at all it's that I would like it to be weatherproof but that would probably add to the weight.

Thanks again for the new responses.

I picked up a "new look" MK II from Amazon a week ago and it now goes everywhere I do on the front of my G7.

Really looking forward to using it, but life and the English summer have got in the way so far.

Terminal Boy wrote:

What's the general opinion on the 14-42mm MK2 (especially the recent cosmetically upgraded one) as a walk around/general purpose lens?

When I'm on my daily commute or just mooching around London, I find myself needing something tighter when I fit my 15mm PL and something more open when the 30mm Sigma is mounted.

I'm fully aware that the correct answer is "get the 12-35mm f2.8", but the Fun Budget won't stretch that far this year...

It's a pretty good lens. Mine sits in a "never use / should I sell it" drawer. Originally, I bought it for my girlfriend, but it wasn't zoomy enough, so I got her a 14-140mm II. Let no good deed go unpunished. It's surprisingly good, though.

Why didn't you get one as a kit lens with the G7? (a no-brainier) Or did you opt for the 14-140mm II?

jeffharris wrote:

Terminal Boy wrote:

What's the general opinion on the 14-42mm MK2 (especially the recent cosmetically upgraded one) as a walk around/general purpose lens?

When I'm on my daily commute or just mooching around London, I find myself needing something tighter when I fit my 15mm PL and something more open when the 30mm Sigma is mounted.

I'm fully aware that the correct answer is "get the 12-35mm f2.8", but the Fun Budget won't stretch that far this year...

It's a pretty good lens. Mine sits in a "never use / should I sell it" drawer. Originally, I bought it for my girlfriend, but it wasn't zoomy enough, so I got her a 14-140mm II. Let no good deed go unpunished. It's surprisingly good, though.

Why didn't you get one as a kit lens with the G7? (a no-brainier) Or did you opt for the 14-140mm II?

Because I thought that I'd only use the G7 for dedicated photo outings where I'd have the correct prime for the job or the 100-300 for wildlife. So I got my G7 body only (at a very good price).

And the immediately regretted not getting it with 14-42 II as it's still compact and light enough to be a daily carry camera.

I made the same mistake and got a GX7 with a 20mm lens that I have not used at all

You can find the 14-42mm on ebay around £100 as split kit lenses.

It is a great lens as you can shoot reasonable width and good portraits when fully zoomed