Panasonic 14-140ii or Olympus 14-150ii on GX8? (or other options?)

I am trying to decide on this.

I will be using the rig on a rubber boat (taking pics of yacht races) with the possibility of spray, so the water-resistant Olympus sound very attractive.

However, the rubber duck will be bouncing all over the place, so the better IS of Panasonic sounds good if I could keep things dry. (Usually I can, but every now and again I get caught)

I get mixed reports of IQ, based on all the available reviews, so real life experience would be most helpful, but it sounds as though it is a wash.

The Panasonic 35-100 2.8 could be the answer but it is shorter so needing more cropping (how does a cropped 35-100 compare with 14-140, assuming not so much as to cause pixellation?) the Oly 14-150 2.8 is longer and waterproof but has the same IS issues as its cheaper cousin.

Maybe I go for the Olympus for this specific application and the 35-100 for a general walk around tele.  It would need a hard selll to my FD, though!

I wold be shooting in good light, with shutter normally 1/1000 or faster, would IS be a factor?

Any comments which could help me decide?

tom

I have the Panasonic 14-140, though not on a gx8.  I am very happy with the IQ across it's zoom range.  I don't have the 35-100, but I do have its shorter cousin the 12-35.

The 12-35 is superior, it should be at the price, but for publishing on the web or printing up to, say, A3 the 14-140 should be fine.  Can't comment on appearance after cropping.

I would think the big difference is that the 35-100 is weather sealed.

Dave

What a brave person! Regardless of lens, I wouldn't take a GX8 on a rubber dinghy to photograph yacht races: it's going to get wet. With salt water. And AFAIK the camera isn't weatherproof. I'd take a fixed lens water-proof camera with decent zoom and be prepared to crop. The TG4 looks like a good bet.

Good luck - and please post your decision!

Maggie

The GX8 is rated as weather resistant. However I have taken my GX1 on a RIB (rigid inflatable boat with powerful outboards) without problems. Mostly using 45-150 and 9mm bodycap.

For general application you cannot beat 14-140. Until you need 2,8. It is 3,5 at wide end so it just half a stop or so slower, at long end (100mm) it is more (as far as is remember around 5,4 at 100mm. However it is as good as my 35-100 at comparable apertures. However no weather sealing.- OIS for stills is really good - with carefull handling (and my specific hands I get 4 stops easily with some luck up to 5). It has best stabilizer from all my OIS lenses. But beware of video jitter and shutter shock with some bodies.

Just have a look here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyf7mssXrs&list=PL754C3AAF38017475&index=41

You have a 20 MP, weather sealed (that means splash proof, not submersible) body and that 20 MP will give you quite a lot of crop area if needed.  You also have the digital 2X should you want to go that route.  If you want 'water sealed' in a lens, you can use the 35-100 (FF = 70 - 200) and either crop or 2X your way to the composition you require.  Taking a splash proof camera without a splash proof lens probably makes no sense.  Of course, taking a more expensive camera setup into a rubber boat is asking for trouble.

tomhongkong wrote:

I am trying to decide on this.

I will be using the rig on a rubber boat (taking pics of yacht races) with the possibility of spray, so the water-resistant Olympus sound very attractive.

However, the rubber duck will be bouncing all over the place, so the better IS of Panasonic sounds good if I could keep things dry. (Usually I can, but every now and again I get caught)

I get mixed reports of IQ, based on all the available reviews, so real life experience would be most helpful, but it sounds as though it is a wash.

The Panasonic 35-100 2.8 could be the answer but it is shorter so needing more cropping (how does a cropped 35-100 compare with 14-140, assuming not so much as to cause pixellation?) the Oly 14-150 2.8 is longer and waterproof but has the same IS issues as its cheaper cousin.

Maybe I go for the Olympus for this specific application and the 35-100 for a general walk around tele. It would need a hard selll to my FD, though!

I wold be shooting in good light, with shutter normally 1/1000 or faster, would IS be a factor?

Any comments which could help me decide?

tom

First a caveat: I have no first-hand experience with either the 14-140ii or 14-150, I don't know which one is better optically but have heard praise for both. That said, given the hybrid IS (on board IS in the GX8 in tandem with the lens' Power OIS (better than the older Mega OIS of the previous version), I would guess that in the long run you will be better served in most occasions with the Panny than with the Oly, just not in this specific case. As you say, if all shots are taken at 1/1000th or higher, IS begins to be a moot point and the ruggedness and inherent physical stability of this huge lens gives the Oly the advantage for this wet application. You might also want to read OzRay's account of his helicopter shots to convince yourself about the need - or not - of IS when shooting fast with a fat lens. http://australianimage.com.au/wordpress/index.php/a-matter-of-balance/

Considering the cost, size and weight of the Oly 14-150 Pro compared to the Panny : 1299$ vs less than 600$, 160mm vs 75mm and 880g vs 265g, if constant F2.8 and tank status are not primordial, the Panny seems the better choice for 95% of the time were dual IS gives it an additional edge. For the 5% when you are bouncing about in salt spray, you should look into renting the 14-150... or wait for the PL 100-400 which will also be weather-sealed but at a premium cost.

tomhongkong wrote:

I am trying to decide on this.

I will be using the rig on a rubber boat (taking pics of yacht races) with the possibility of spray, so the water-resistant Olympus sound very attractive.

However, the rubber duck will be bouncing all over the place, so the better IS of Panasonic sounds good if I could keep things dry. (Usually I can, but every now and again I get caught)

I get mixed reports of IQ, based on all the available reviews, so real life experience would be most helpful, but it sounds as though it is a wash.

The 14-140mm II works very well on the GX8. It supports dual-image stabilization, which may be helpful in a small boat and certainly in other situations.

While the GX8 is weather sealed, the 14-140mm II isn't, so I'd suggest getting a camera rain cover to protect the camera and lens while shooting. I've used one in the Costa Rican rainforest and it works well. Practice with it a bit before going out, because it does change the way you interact with the camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/891383-REG/ruggard_rc_p18_18_plastic_rain_cover.html

The Panasonic 35-100 2.8 could be the answer but it is shorter so needing more cropping (how does a cropped 35-100 compare with 14-140, assuming not so much as to cause pixellation?) the Oly 14-150 2.8 is longer and waterproof but has the same IS issues as its cheaper cousin.

Maybe I go for the Olympus for this specific application and the 35-100 for a general walk around tele. It would need a hard selll to my FD, though!

The 14-140mm II is a better lens AND has image stabilization and Panasonic's in-camera image processing, that you'd wouldn't have with the Oly.

You might consider a 100-300mm in addition to the 14-140mm. The extra reach would be a very good thing. The boat races I've been to the action can be pretty far away, so being able to pull it in with a long would be quite valuable.

I wold be shooting in good light, with shutter normally 1/1000 or faster, would IS be a factor?

At shutter speeds above 1/400th, not at all.

WhiteBeard wrote:

tomhongkong wrote:

I am trying to decide on this.

I will be using the rig on a rubber boat (taking pics of yacht races) with the possibility of spray, so the water-resistant Olympus sound very attractive.

However, the rubber duck will be bouncing all over the place, so the better IS of Panasonic sounds good if I could keep things dry. (Usually I can, but every now and again I get caught)

I get mixed reports of IQ, based on all the available reviews, so real life experience would be most helpful, but it sounds as though it is a wash.

The Panasonic 35-100 2.8 could be the answer but it is shorter so needing more cropping (how does a cropped 35-100 compare with 14-140, assuming not so much as to cause pixellation?) the Oly 14-150 2.8 is longer and waterproof but has the same IS issues as its cheaper cousin.

Maybe I go for the Olympus for this specific application and the 35-100 for a general walk around tele. It would need a hard selll to my FD, though!

I wold be shooting in good light, with shutter normally 1/1000 or faster, would IS be a factor?

Any comments which could help me decide?

tom

First a caveat: I have no first-hand experience with either the 14-140ii or 14-150, I don't know which one is better optically but have heard praise for both. That said, given the hybrid IS (on board IS in the GX8 in tandem with the lens' Power OIS (better than the older Mega OIS of the previous version), I would guess that in the long run you will be better served in most occasions with the Panny than with the Oly, just not in this specific case. As you say, if all shots are taken at 1/1000th or higher, IS begins to be a moot point and the ruggedness and inherent physical stability of this huge lens gives the Oly the advantage for this wet application. You might also want to read OzRay's account of his helicopter shots to convince yourself about the need - or not - of IS when shooting fast with a fat lens. http://australianimage.com.au/wordpress/index.php/a-matter-of-balance/

Considering the cost, size and weight of the Oly 14-150 Pro compared to the Panny : 1299$ vs less than 600$, 160mm vs 75mm and 880g vs 265g, if constant F2.8 and tank status are not primordial, the Panny seems the better choice for 95% of the time were dual IS gives it an additional edge. For the 5% when you are bouncing about in salt spray, you should look into renting the 14-150... or wait for the PL 100-400 which will also be weather-sealed but at a premium cost.

I edited out that last paragraph, finally figuring out that while I was thinking about the Oly 40-150 Pro, the OP was talking about the 14-150ii which of course - besides lacking OIS - is much more comparable with the Panny 14-140ii. My bad...