One zoom or two? (14-140mm mk 2)

I have the 14-140 mk 2 which I bought deliberately as a travel lens for my GX7. I also still have the two lenses it was meant to replace: the Panasonic 14-145mm and the Olympus 40-150mm. The two older lenses are so reliable I find I'm in a bit of a quandary.

I'm going to Burma in a few weeks and there will be heat and quite a bit of walking, so I'm trying to minimise my kit. I expect it will be mostly landscapes, architecture and some people shots. I really ought to take just the 14-140mm, but will I be missing anything which the older lenses would give me? (I'll also have 3 small primes for low light or subject separation, so I'm not relying on the zooms for that. And I'll have the 9-18mm for wide angles. It's just the standard walk-around shots I'm thinking about.)

Please give me the benefit of your experience!

Maggie

Gidday Maggie

If you are happy with the IQ the lens gives, it all sounds good to me. I am totally unfamiliar with how it performs ...

I recently bought the (very ordinary) Olympus 14-42 EZ collapsible 'pancake' zoom for social type photography. The IQ is fairly ordinary, as are other performance characteristics. However, it does turn my E-M1 into a rather large P&S, which is precisely why I bought this lens. Horses for courses, and all that ... .

Hope you have a wonderful, safe trip .

I assume you meant Panasonic 14-45mm (rather than 14-145mm)?

I don't have a 14-140mm, so cannot comment on its IQ or size/bulk issue.  But I do have experience with a similar focal range (28-280mm equiv) in my Nikon V1 + 10-100mm and I can comment on the usefulness of that focal range - on a one camera travel kit, the focal range is useful in good lights but I did feel the size/weight of the 10-100mm lens.

However, on my m43 setup, I decided to go with a two camera travel kit (EM10 + GM1), and I typically have my 9-18mm on EM10 and one of my primes on the GM1(14mm f2.5 or 25mm f1.8).  My 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 is also in my bag to be used on either body when need be.

For general landscape, the 9-18mm is really handy.  When lighting becomes challenging especially indoors, my GM1 is ready to take over.

This was my setup during my 10-day land+cruise-ship vacation in the Caribbeans this past August more than half of my shots was with the 9-18mm.

Hope this helps.

Maggie - lay your lenses out on the bed, and then view it as a "shopping trip" where you grab what you want for your trip, weighing the utility vs. the aggregate size/weight of the kit. Every time I do it, I end up with a slightly different set of lenses, which occasionally leads to some skill improving opportunities.

The 14-140 ii is a wonderful lens, and should go on all trips in my opinion.

You should have a fast 2.8 or 1.7 for night scenes where you can't use a flash. I would trade your old zooms in for a wide and maybe a 42.5 1.7 or if possible a 2.8 zoom, but the Sigma 2.8s are great lens too.

I just returned from a week long trip in the Western Carribean. Took only a G7 and the 14-140 ii. Outstanding performance from the lens and body. The lens, at least for me, is a perfect travel lens.

addlightness wrote:

I assume you meant Panasonic 14-45mm (rather than 14-145mm)?

I don't have a 14-140mm, so cannot comment on its IQ or size/bulk issue. But I do have experience with a similar focal range (28-280mm equiv) in my Nikon V1 + 10-100mm and I can comment on the usefulness of that focal range - on a one camera travel kit, the focal range is useful in good lights but I did feel the size/weight of the 10-100mm lens.

However, on my m43 setup, I decided to go with a two camera travel kit (EM10 + GM1), and I typically have my 9-18mm on EM10 and one of my primes on the GM1(14mm f2.5 or 25mm f1.8). My 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 is also in my bag to be used on either body when need be.

For general landscape, the 9-18mm is really handy. When lighting becomes challenging especially indoors, my GM1 is ready to take over.

This was my setup during my 10-day land+cruise-ship vacation in the Caribbeans this past August more than half of my shots was with the 9-18mm.

Hope this helps.

Ooops! Yes, I meant the 14-45mm. It's beginning to seem that the best option is in fact the 14-140mm. I'm going to take a second camera, the G3, and have the 9-18mm mounted on that: it should be fine in good daylight. The primes will have to replace the 14-140mm in low light, as the sensor in the GX7 seems much better than the one in the G3 for low light conditions. But I'll have enough time to make the switch.

Thanks for sharing!

Maggie

Big D in SP wrote:

maggiemole wrote:

I have the 14-140 mk 2 which I bought deliberately as a travel lens for my GX7. I also still have the two lenses it was meant to replace: the Panasonic 14-145mm and the Olympus 40-150mm. The two older lenses are so reliable I find I'm in a bit of a quandary.

I'm going to Burma in a few weeks and there will be heat and quite a bit of walking, so I'm trying to minimise my kit. I expect it will be mostly landscapes, architecture and some people shots. I really ought to take just the 14-140mm, but will I be missing anything which the older lenses would give me? (I'll also have 3 small primes for low light or subject separation, so I'm not relying on the zooms for that. And I'll have the 9-18mm for wide angles. It's just the standard walk-around shots I'm thinking about.)

Please give me the benefit of your experience!

Maggie

I've had 2 G6's and now a G7 which I purchased with the 14-140. I've also owned and used the 14-42 II and 45-150 kit zooms which were very good. I've also had 4 Nikon and 1 Tamron "super" zooms for dSLRs.

In short, the 14-140 II is better in sharpness across the board as well as focusing accuracy than any of the mentioned lenses. In size it is about the same length as the 45-150 only slightly larger in diameter and slightly heavier, neither of which is enough to bother about. In careful testing I discovered that the 45-150 had a tendency to "backfocus", i.e., focus slightly behind the intended target which was noticeable wide-open at the longest distances. (Something I didn't think occurred with sensor-based CD focusing.) The 14-140 never misses.

I'm selling the G6's with the 45-150 and keeping the 14-42II for those rare times I might want the smaller lens, though I really don't know yet if that time will come.

Get the 14-140II. You will be delighted with it. It's the perfect lens for your trip. Enjoy!

Regards,

Warren

Thanks, Warren! It's good to have the strong endorsement!

Maggie

Spectre38 wrote:

The 14-140 ii is a wonderful lens, and should go on all trips in my opinion.

You should have a fast 2.8 or 1.7 for night scenes where you can't use a flash. I would trade your old zooms in for a wide and maybe a 42.5 1.7 or if possible a 2.8 zoom, but the Sigma 2.8s are great lens too.

Selling lenses??? Parting permanently with friends??? Is that allowed??? I might just get around to it when the GAS for a 2.8 zoom gets unbearable, but not for this trip. Thanks for the vote of confidence in the 14-140mm!

Maggie

Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, opinions and advice. It seems I can't lose by taking the 14-140mm, so that's what's going in the bag and the other two will stay home. I hope I'll take something worth posting ....

Maggie

maggiemole wrote:

I have the 14-140 mk 2 which I bought deliberately as a travel lens for my GX7. I also still have the two lenses it was meant to replace: the Panasonic 14-145mm and the Olympus 40-150mm. The two older lenses are so reliable I find I'm in a bit of a quandary.

I'm going to Burma in a few weeks and there will be heat and quite a bit of walking, so I'm trying to minimise my kit. I expect it will be mostly landscapes, architecture and some people shots. I really ought to take just the 14-140mm, but will I be missing anything which the older lenses would give me? (I'll also have 3 small primes for low light or subject separation, so I'm not relying on the zooms for that. And I'll have the 9-18mm for wide angles. It's just the standard walk-around shots I'm thinking about.)

Please give me the benefit of your experience!

Maggie

No, you won't.

Just the 14-140II could cover both 14-45 & 40-150. But for higher speed, a fast prime and also an UWA might better with you.

A shot yesterday by my wife using 14-140II on GX7 on e-shutter shooting at a distance around 15~20 ft really blow me off for its IQ (pls see the original at 100% view). Likely my 14-45 might not easy to deliver such IQ.

Some had commented that around the wide end of 14-140II would be weaker than its long end. The following was taken by my wife on GX1 + 14-140II (pure M-shutter, the combo suspected most to suffer from shutter shock) earlier and perhaps it is not be too bad....

Happy trip.

Ok, here is my take. I had the 14-140II twice, and sold it twice. I compared it to my 14-45 and oly 40-150, and wondered if the 14-140 could replace them. Well, unfortunately, for me the answer was no. The 14-45 is definitely sharper across the frame and the zoom range. And the 40-150 is better, too.

Don't get me wrong, the 14-140 is not a bad lens, but if ultimate IQ is your goal, keep the 14-45. Oh and I had focusing issues with the second 14-140, but this can happen with any lens.

Take the 14-140, but add a fast prime. The 15 1.7 is an excellent, sharp lens and it does a fine job in low light. The aperture ring is a great advantage as it curtails the need to flip the wheel around to pick your aperture. Have a great trip.

photofan1986 wrote:

Ok, here is my take. I had the 14-140II twice, and sold it twice. I compared it to my 14-45 and oly 40-150, and wondered if the 14-140 could replace them. Well, unfortunately, for me the answer was no. The 14-45 is definitely sharper across the frame and the zoom range. And the 40-150 is better, too.

Don't get me wrong, the 14-140 is not a bad lens, but if ultimate IQ is your goal, keep the 14-45. Oh and I had focusing issues with the second 14-140, but this can happen with any lens.

Oh dear, photofan, that puts me back to my quandary. Thank you for telling me, though. I might just have time to carry out some comparisons with my copies before I pack, and you make me think I should find the traditional brick wall.

Maggie

That's my walkabout kit (at least till my G7 arrived a couple of weeks ago).  Go with it.

Dave

rashid7 wrote:

ditto here... ive shot about 1000 frames w/ my 14-140ii in Yosemite on 3 trips, and i love the results. in good light i cant see that my 20mm is any better!

Unfortunately, while a great lens overall, it does suffer from shutter shock more that some of the other lenses. (I used it for reproducing shutter shock on my GX8.)