Does anybody else want an updated 14mm pancake?

Jut thought I'd ask. If I'm just going out, I sometimes grab one of my E-PM2 bodies with the 14mm on it just so I can throw it in a jacket pocket to keep handy. The lens has been adequate, but wondering if there's anybody else out there who would appreciate it more if it was better? The same question goes for the 20mm, but I already know everybody wants an updated one of those.

Why I like the pancakes:

- They're small, much easier to throw in a jacket pocket than the 17/1.8

- The 14mm is the only 28mm eFL that we have

- Allows one handed operation (unlike the 12-32)

Why I don't like the pancakes:

- Never been wowed by the 14mm's color or sharpness. Never bad, but haven't yet gotten something especially memorable from a photographic standpoint.

- The 14mm could be faster than f/2.5

- The 20mm (which lives on my GF's camera) focuses slowly and noisily

I know people will throw out the PL15 and Oly 17/1.8 as alternatives, but what if I really want a 28mm eFL that's less than 1" deep? If we had a great 1" thick 14/2.0, edge-to-edge sharp from wide open that retailed for ~$300, then we'd have an option that was price, quality, and size comparable to the Ricoh GR, Fuji X70, and Coolpix A. As it stands, the current 14mm is so _almost_ that it's a little frustrating, and not really curing my GAS for the above cameras. A little bit faster, a little bit sharper, all in the same compact size - is it too much to ask for?

The more I shoot with my Olympus 12mm f/2, the harder it is to go back to the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5.  I'm thinking of picking up the 15mm f/1.7 instead as a fairly compact, better lens of similar focal length.

aliasfox wrote:

A little bit faster, a little bit sharper, all in the same compact size - is it too much to ask for?

Yes. You basically want a PanaLeica 15/1.7 but slightly wider, half the size and half the price. Not gonna happen. At least not from Panasonic, I'm sure they are not in a hurry to kill the sales of their premium Leica branded lens.

I've 2 of the 3 pancake prime's - P14mmf2.5 and O17mmf2.8.  I've looked at the 20mmf1.7 but couldn't come to terms with its shortcomings - slow, noisy AF and banding.

A reboot of the trio(all by Panasonic including 17mm) will be a huge welcome provided they stay pancake.

14mm/17mm/20mm, all f1.7 with known issues fixed on the 20mm.  I'd sell off my 15mmf1.7, 14mmf2.5, 17mmf2.8 and 25mmf.18 to fund those.

Elemental Photography wrote:

The more I shoot with my Olympus 12mm f/2, the harder it is to go back to the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5. I'm thinking of picking up the 15mm f/1.7 instead as a fairly compact, better lens of similar focal length.

I understand where you're coming from, and I often have the 17mm on the camera because I like the output better than the 14mm. But Even the 17mm and 45mm are just slightly too big (deep) for when I'm not specifically "going out shooting," but simply want a camera with me if I see something I want to take a picture of.

My understanding is that if the 17mm makes the camera difficult to pocket, then the PL15 would be the same.

aliasfox wrote:

Jut thought I'd ask. If I'm just going out, I sometimes grab one of my E-PM2 bodies with the 14mm on it just so I can throw it in a jacket pocket to keep handy. The lens has been adequate, but wondering if there's anybody else out there who would appreciate it more if it was better? The same question goes for the 20mm, but I already know everybody wants an updated one of those.

Why I like the pancakes:

- They're small, much easier to throw in a jacket pocket than the 17/1.8

- The 14mm is the only 28mm eFL that we have

- Allows one handed operation (unlike the 12-32)

Why I don't like the pancakes:

- Never been wowed by the 14mm's color or sharpness. Never bad, but haven't yet gotten something especially memorable from a photographic standpoint.

- The 14mm could be faster than f/2.5

- The 20mm (which lives on my GF's camera) focuses slowly and noisily

I know people will throw out the PL15 and Oly 17/1.8 as alternatives, but what if I really want a 28mm eFL that's less than 1" deep? If we had a great 1" thick 14/2.0, edge-to-edge sharp from wide open that retailed for ~$300, then we'd have an option that was price, quality, and size comparable to the Ricoh GR, Fuji X70, and Coolpix A. As it stands, the current 14mm is so _almost_ that it's a little frustrating, and not really curing my GAS for the above cameras. A little bit faster, a little bit sharper, all in the same compact size - is it too much to ask for?

The 14mm has already been updated, as has been the 20mm.

The 14mm f/2.5 MkII was announced in Sept 2014.

RedDog Steve wrote:.

The 14mm has already been updated, as has been the 20mm.

The 14mm f/2.5 MkII was announced in Sept 2014.

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rd

But both of those updates were cosmetic only, unfortunately.

The 14's USP is its size and weight. If it is improved without increasing those, sure.