Nice "pop" to this lens

I've used the version II on both a Panasonic GM5 and now on an Olympus Pen F. One handed shooting is a breeze on each camera due to the minuscule weight of the 14mm pancake. I've alway liked the 28mm focal length on film cameras and this one matches that FOV.

This lens falls off a bit in the extreme corners in low light but shooting at the native 4x3 aspect ratio I always crop like mad anyway so it is not a problem. This lens is super sharp stopped down to f4 and it has a real 3D pop to its rendering undoubtedly because of only having 6 elements. Great lens.

I have mk-I of this lens for a long time as a merely free kit with GF3, which should be optically the same as mk-II.

It is not bad, but also not outstanding. When comparing to 14~45, 14 does not have any wow factor to me except for the pancake design, light weight or a faster speed of f/2.5 vsf/3.5.

However before GX85/G85 has the finally usable IBIS, the 3~3.5 stops effective stabilisation of lens OIS on a non IBIS Panny body, f/2.5 indeed has no advantage at all. I can shoot with much slower shutter speed with the OIS f/3.5 than non stabilized f/2.5 on G1, GX1 or GX7... So for quite a long time 14 had gathered dust. I use 14 again after upgraded to GX85, but the 2~2.5 stops effective IBIS doesn't make 14 shine.

Now when I need a fast lens I shall pick up the 15 f/1.7 (similar AoV, faster speed, not really much larger and heavier...). 15 also has better IQ than 14. If Panny can produce a 14 f/1.7 in similar size of f/2.5, it could be a far more interesting lens.

skatr wrote:

I've used the version II on both a Panasonic GM5 and now on an Olympus Pen F. One handed shooting is a breeze on each camera due to the minuscule weight of the 14mm pancake. I've alway liked the 28mm focal length on film cameras and this one matches that FOV.

This lens falls off a bit in the extreme corners in low light but shooting at the native 4x3 aspect ratio I always crop like mad anyway so it is not a problem. This lens is super sharp stopped down to f4 and it has a real 3D pop to its rendering undoubtedly because of only having 6 elements. Great lens.

I really like mine too. Even if I do not use it often.

It's nicer on the newer 16mpx sensors than it was on the GF2.

skatr wrote:

I've used the version II on both a Panasonic GM5 and now on an Olympus Pen F. One handed shooting is a breeze on each camera due to the minuscule weight of the 14mm pancake. I've alway liked the 28mm focal length on film cameras and this one matches that FOV.

This lens falls off a bit in the extreme corners in low light but shooting at the native 4x3 aspect ratio I always crop like mad anyway so it is not a problem. This lens is super sharp stopped down to f4 and it has a real 3D pop to its rendering undoubtedly because of only having 6 elements. Great lens.

Does the Pen F correct the Panasonic’s CA?

Unless I need to manually focus the 12-32 gets the nod over the 14.  I don’t see the pop with this lens but will take it out tomorrow to see if I am missing anything.

jhunna wrote:

Unless I need to manually focus the 12-32 gets the nod over the 14. I don’t see the pop with this lens but will take it out tomorrow to see if I am missing anything.

Same.  I have the 14 and see no pop...

Sharpness is pretty meh too, but then again can't expect too much for the price (pick mine up for ~$100USD), size and weight.

I sold mine years ago with my GF2. I think it had bad shuttershock. But when not affected it produced nice shots. But here also the 14-45 was better. And f2.5 vs 3.5 is not much difference. For a light pancake I use the 12-32 on a gm5 now. Like this much better.

skatr wrote:

I've used the version II on both a Panasonic GM5 and now on an Olympus Pen F. One handed shooting is a breeze on each camera due to the minuscule weight of the 14mm pancake. I've alway liked the 28mm focal length on film cameras and this one matches that FOV.

This lens falls off a bit in the extreme corners in low light but shooting at the native 4x3 aspect ratio I always crop like mad anyway so it is not a problem. This lens is super sharp stopped down to f4 and it has a real 3D pop to its rendering undoubtedly because of only having 6 elements. Great lens.

Do you have some 3D pop pictures with this lens to share.

Thanks.

Luke Forrest wrote:

alcelc wrote:

I have mk-I of this lens for a long time as a merely free kit with GF3, which should be optically the same as mk-II.

It is not bad, but also not outstanding. When comparing to 14~45, 14 does not have any wow factor to me except for the pancake design, light weight or a faster speed of f/2.5 vsf/3.5.

However before GX85/G85 has the finally usable IBIS, the 3~3.5 stops effective stabilisation of lens OIS on a non IBIS Panny body, f/2.5 indeed has no advantage at all. I can shoot with much slower shutter speed with the OIS f/3.5 than non stabilized f/2.5 on G1, GX1 or GX7... So for quite a long time 14 had gathered dust. I use 14 again after upgraded to GX85, but the 2~2.5 stops effective IBIS doesn't make 14 shine.

IBIS or OIS doesn't help with anything moving. A stop of light does though.

Agreed, and f2.5 is approximatively 1 stop faster than f3.5.

Now when I need a fast lens I shall pick up the 15 f/1.7 (similar AoV, faster speed, not really much larger and heavier...). 15 also has better IQ than 14. If Panny can produce a 14 f/1.7 in similar size of f/2.5, it could be a far more interesting lens.

That lens is more than double the price. You pay for what you get.

Tatouzou wrote:

Luke Forrest wrote:

alcelc wrote:

However before GX85/G85 has the finally usable IBIS, the 3~3.5 stops effective stabilisation of lens OIS on a non IBIS Panny body, f/2.5 indeed has no advantage at all. I can shoot with much slower shutter speed with the OIS f/3.5 than non stabilized f/2.5 on G1, GX1 or GX7... So for quite a long time 14 had gathered dust. I use 14 again after upgraded to GX85, but the 2~2.5 stops effective IBIS doesn't make 14 shine.

IBIS or OIS doesn't help with anything moving. A stop of light does though.

Agreed, and f2.5 is approximatively 1 stop faster than f3.5.

But with modern (20MP sensor) you can make up for the stop of light with ISO if you can accept a bit of noise.  And for video you can't even tell the difference.  I hate to say it but the 14/2.5 is fairly obsolete, UNLESS you like to manually focus and don't want to deal with the collapsing of the 12-32.

jhunna wrote:

Tatouzou wrote:

Luke Forrest wrote:

alcelc wrote:

However before GX85/G85 has the finally usable IBIS, the 3~3.5 stops effective stabilisation of lens OIS on a non IBIS Panny body, f/2.5 indeed has no advantage at all. I can shoot with much slower shutter speed with the OIS f/3.5 than non stabilized f/2.5 on G1, GX1 or GX7... So for quite a long time 14 had gathered dust. I use 14 again after upgraded to GX85, but the 2~2.5 stops effective IBIS doesn't make 14 shine.

IBIS or OIS doesn't help with anything moving. A stop of light does though.

Agreed, and f2.5 is approximatively 1 stop faster than f3.5.

But with modern (20MP sensor) you can make up for the stop of light with ISO if you can accept a bit of noise. And for video you can't even tell the difference. I hate to say it but the 14/2.5 is fairly obsolete, UNLESS you like to manually focus and don't want to deal with the collapsing of the 12-32.

The 28/2.5 is a "pancake" lens.

It's small even when in use.

Of course, the 12-32 goes from 12mm (wider)... to 32mm, and, is more versatile.

Anyway, aren't we lucky that we have all those choices of M4/3 lenses ?

skatr wrote:

I've used the version II on both a Panasonic GM5 and now on an Olympus Pen F. One handed shooting is a breeze on each camera due to the minuscule weight of the 14mm pancake. I've alway liked the 28mm focal length on film cameras and this one matches that FOV.

This lens falls off a bit in the extreme corners in low light but shooting at the native 4x3 aspect ratio I always crop like mad anyway so it is not a problem. This lens is super sharp stopped down to f4 and it has a real 3D pop to its rendering undoubtedly because of only having 6 elements. Great lens.

This was the first prime I purchased for the system. I ended up selling it at one point. In natural lighting, this little guy actually did pretty well. Surprised me. I churned out some good citiscapes and paid food photography with this guy. But it really suffered from flare. I shoot a lot of events and mostly concerts. This just did not handle shooting directly in the light well at all. Great little lens but it wasn't for me. I ended up selling it once I got the Oly 12-40 PRO. But it's a nice value can make a nice first or second prime for someone.

rashid7 wrote:

Dan_168 wrote:

skatr wrote:

I've used the version II on both a Panasonic GM5 and now on an Olympus Pen F. One handed shooting is a breeze on each camera due to the minuscule weight of the 14mm pancake. I've alway liked the 28mm focal length on film cameras and this one matches that FOV.

This lens falls off a bit in the extreme corners in low light but shooting at the native 4x3 aspect ratio I always crop like mad anyway so it is not a problem. This lens is super sharp stopped down to f4 and it has a real 3D pop to its rendering undoubtedly because of only having 6 elements. Great lens.

I have this lens too and like it pretty good, not because it's optically a good lens but just because it's a pancake style, actually, optically speaking, I really have nothing great to say about this lens, but it fit the main purpose of me getting an OMD 10 II, SMALL and LIGHT and still interchangeable lens, that's the only reason I got this system. so I mainly use Pancake lenses on this system, 12-32, 14-42, 14, 20.and recently added a Sigma 56 for occasionally when I use this for portrait when I am hiking and don't have those bigger camera with me. I like the 12-32 a lot better, at least it's more flexible. the 14 2.5 is a prime without the prime lens's quality, but again, it's so small, so I still keeping it.

I disagree. While maybe subtle, I find it better than the kit zooms! Especially vs. old Lumix14-42, and even current Oly 14-42's

I know this gets dragged up regularly but it has some interesting results re. the Pana 14...not so good for the PL25!

If we are to believe the guys at LensRentals [I would] the 14 [re.MTF results] eclipses a bagload of zooms and couple of WA primes and pretty well keeps up with the Pana 20 1.7.

This is wide open up to f/4...which is pretty much where it matters.

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/05/wide-angle-micro-43-imatest-results/

I'm a brand new owner of an older 14 [in very nice condition].

Does it pop?....Not sure about that but I'm pretty happy with what I'm seeing!