Lenses for M43

emzee wrote:

justgo99 wrote:

I must ask why you don't want to go for any of the f/2.8 pro lenses? They may cost more ($700+) but they are easily the most versatile, highest performing lenses, especially if you want to do more run-and-gun sort of video. Primes are fantastic, make no mistake, but the pro lenses do wide, they do short tele, they're fast and they're sharp, so it would make sense. They're also weathers sealed if that matters.

I would probably recommend that you steer clear of the superzooms such as the 14-140mm. They may be versatile, but their slow aperture combined with the middling ISO performance of m4/3 means that they won't be very good for low light at all.

The 12-32 is a cracker of a lens for its size, but it has no MF ring and if you were going for such a compact lens then you wouldn't be getting a GX8, a quite sizable camera. As a mid-level zoom, the kit 14-42mm will do a decent job if you want to save more money for primes.

Thanks. 14-140 is now ruled out as I read many issues with that lens. For standard zoom, I am trying to find whether 12-32mm or 14-42mm II or the 14-45mm is the right one. I am planning to use them for sometime and then upgrade to F2.8 zooms later (if needed). The price of these 3 zoom lenses are the same range, but not sure which one to pick. I may not need the 12mm wide end. Other than that is there any advantage to 12-32mm in terms of image quality?

Regards,

emzee

I'd say the kit 14-42mm is pretty much the same in terms of image quality and sharpness compared to the 12-32mm (that is to say quite solid). The differences mainly lie then in the focal range and the ergonomics. The 12-32mm will give you those extra 4mm at its widest (24 vs 28mm) but for that you sacrifice 20mm of focal length in the long end, a manual focusing ring and a decently sized filter thread. I would personally go for the kit 14-42mm.

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.

Gidday MZ

I went the opposite direction recently. I already have a plethora of UWA and normal zooms, including the FTs 11-22 and 14-54 MkII. Both of these are too large, heavy and obvious for social photography and happy snaps in general.

My good lady wife bought me an Olympus mFTs 14-42 EZ collapsible pancake zoom for Christmas. It is an MSC lens (movie/stills compatible), and has both manual focus and (electronic) zoom rings. It is about 22 mm thick when retracted, and automatically extends and retracts when my E-M1 is switched on and off.

Optically nothing to write home about (not in the same ballpark as the 11-22 and 14-54 ... ), nor very fast (f/3.5-5.6).

However, it is tiny and very unobtrusive. My E-M1 looks like a P&S with it fitted, and who takes any notice of these? Also cheap (AUD$ 230), with a metal mount. Not weather sealed.

This combo will fit in a belt pouch I bought many years ago for my truly tiny Nikon Coolpix E5000, including the OEM camera strap, flash, extra battery and card. Just terrific when I want the camera with me, but am not doing any 'serious' photography.

I can take photos at social gatherings with this that I could not otherwise get. Took it to a Christmas party last night. Worked well. Also got some very ordinary (actually surprisingly good!) night city shots on the way home at up to ISO 12,800.

To sum up: the lens is nothing to write home about - just pretty OK, but is very well suited to the purpose for which I bought it.

MZ, while I am sure the Panny/Leica f1.4 is an excellent lens, the Olympus f1.8/25 appears to have excellent performance in every area, and is probably very considerably cheaper. It depends on how much moolah that extra 2/3rds of a stop maximum aperture is worth to you, and whether the size/weight difference is unimportant. IOW, it is a very personal decision, to which there is no right or wrong answer.

For myself, I would prefer the f1.8/25. However, I already own the FTs f/2.8 25, and it suffices for my needs for a small prime with good optical characteristics. It is not as good or as fast as the f/1.8 25, but it is good enough.

emzee wrote:

John King wrote:

Gidday MZ

I went the opposite direction recently. I already have a plethora of UWA and normal zooms, including the FTs 11-22 and 14-54 MkII. Both of these are too large, heavy and obvious for social photography and happy snaps in general.

My good lady wife bought me an Olympus mFTs 14-42 EZ collapsible pancake zoom for Christmas. It is an MSC lens (movie/stills compatible), and has both manual focus and (electronic) zoom rings. It is about 22 mm thick when retracted, and automatically extends and retracts when my E-M1 is switched on and off.

Optically nothing to write home about (not in the same ballpark as the 11-22 and 14-54 ... ), nor very fast (f/3.5-5.6).

However, it is tiny and very unobtrusive. My E-M1 looks like a P&S with it fitted, and who takes any notice of these? Also cheap (AUD$ 230), with a metal mount. Not weather sealed.

This combo will fit in a belt pouch I bought many years ago for my truly tiny Nikon Coolpix E5000, including the OEM camera strap, flash, extra battery and card. Just terrific when I want the camera with me, but am not doing any 'serious' photography.

I can take photos at social gatherings with this that I could not otherwise get. Took it to a Christmas party last night. Worked well. Also got some very ordinary (actually surprisingly good!) night city shots on the way home at up to ISO 12,800.

To sum up: the lens is nothing to write home about - just pretty OK, but is very well suited to the purpose for which I bought it.

Thanks for the feedback. I am leaning towards the Panasonic 14-42mm II lens as the zoom.

I will be getting my Panasonic 25mm F1.4 tomorrow (Today I got the GX8 and 15mm lens). However, I am thinking of returning (or declining the package) of Panasonic 25mm F1.4 and looking at the Olympus 25mm F1.8. Based on the images viewed in various photographic sites, I do not know whether Panasonic 25mm F1.4 is really worth. I understand that it is F1.4, but Olympus 25mm F1.8 is not far behind.

Any comments?

regards,

emzee

I'd actually go for the new 25mm f/1.7 from Panasonic for best value for money. It's every so slightly faster than the Olympus, it's very sharp and performs well in all other aspects as well. It's also optimized for the DFD autofocusing systems so it's focuses really quickly. You can have one for under $300 right now.

emzee wrote:

I have finally decided to get the M43 body (Panasonic GX8) and chose Panasonic 15mm lens as the first lens (I will be adding Panasonic 25mm lens soon). Now I am trying to find out a couple more lenses for me. Following are the choices and I am trying to get two lenses from this list

1) Panasonic 12-32mm

2) Panasonic 14-140mm

3) Panasonic 42.5mm

4) Panasonic or Olympus 40-150mm

Just get the 14-140mm II, 15mm and 42.5 f1.7 for low light.

Don't bother with the Oly 40-150mm.

There's not enough difference between the 14-140mm II and 45-150mm in terms of image quality to bother with 2 kit lenses. The convenience of the 14-140mm is a big selling point!

The selection is very hard for the zoom lens. Since I am not going for expensive zooms like Panasonic 12-35mm or Olympus 12-40mm, it is very tough to select a mid-level zoom lens. I might be using this lens for video as well. Originally I was planning on Panasonic 14-140mm, but I heard a lot of complaints that it is jittery and cannot be used for video.

When I shoot video, I usually use fast primes, so haven't tried the 14-140mm II. If you ARE planning to shoot video and are concerned about the 14-140mm II, the 12-32mm and 45-150mm would make a good compact (and less expensive combo). A little wider and a bit more reach wouldn't be a bad thing, either.

Wilco318 wrote:

Just would like to chime in with my 2 cents worth, I would get the 2 Panasonic F2.8 zooms and a fast prime, I chose the 20mm Panasonic. Then later add other lenses as needed. I have used many of Panasonic lenses But not all and those three are by far the best.

The OP said he couldn't afford even one of the f2.8 zooms, never mind TWO of them. Sure, that would be ideal, but not in this case.

emzee wrote:

The selection is very hard for the zoom lens. Since I am not going for expensive zooms like Panasonic 12-35mm or Olympus 12-40mm, it is very tough to select a mid-level zoom lens.

You should probably reconsider that. The GX8 is pretty big, so you're apparently not going for the most compact kit available. Those two zoom lenses are much better than any of the slower, cheaper kit lenses.

emzee wrote:

justgo99 wrote:

I must ask why you don't want to go for any of the f/2.8 pro lenses? They may cost more ($700+) but they are easily the most versatile, highest performing lenses, especially if you want to do more run-and-gun sort of video. Primes are fantastic, make no mistake, but the pro lenses do wide, they do short tele, they're fast and they're sharp, so it would make sense. They're also weathers sealed if that matters.

I would probably recommend that you steer clear of the superzooms such as the 14-140mm. They may be versatile, but their slow aperture combined with the middling ISO performance of m4/3 means that they won't be very good for low light at all.

The 12-32 is a cracker of a lens for its size, but it has no MF ring and if you were going for such a compact lens then you wouldn't be getting a GX8, a quite sizable camera. As a mid-level zoom, the kit 14-42mm will do a decent job if you want to save more money for primes.

Thanks. 14-140 is now ruled out as I read many issues with that lens. For standard zoom, I am trying to find whether 12-32mm or 14-42mm II or the 14-45mm is the right one. I am planning to use them for sometime and then upgrade to F2.8 zooms later (if needed). The price of these 3 zoom lenses are the same range, but not sure which one to pick. I may not need the 12mm wide end. Other than that is there any advantage to 12-32mm in terms of image quality?

Regards,

emzee

As many suggested, if going for the tiny design 12-32 & 35-100 would be great option. If looking for longer reach it seems that 45-150 is small and of good IQ, but a lot of real life samples from 45-175 PZ had proven its IQ. So 12-32 & 45-150/45-175 PZ would be a quite sufficient coverage for most general shooting (if fast speed not required).

Not under any intention to sell 14-140II at all. But just wish to say my finding on 14-140II. Upon my old school of thinking I original suspected the quality of any high power zoom but after bought it for my wife (she doesn't like change lens), I am deeply impressed. Regarding shutter shock suspicion on still, I had posted a few samples in this thread a while ago. I suppose for a non premium 10x zoom the images there from mechanical shutter should not be too unacceptable.

For the micro jittering on video, I could find nothing when shooting on GX7, GX1 and GF3.

The PL Lenses have really nice bokeh, the 25mm is a really good combination with the 15mm. If I was to keep just two m43 lenses, it would be these two, I find they complement each other well.

With the IQ of these primes, you probably find yourself using them much more then any zoom. I have the 12-35 as well, but almost always reach for one of these.

I have been using this system for a good while now, if I where you I would keep those two, and maybe get the PL 45 macro as well, and you are pretty much set for a wide area of shooting with great IQ. They also suit the GX8 Greatly