Almost unnoticed at Photokina was the new Panasonic 14mm II lens announcement. Just like the 20mmII this is an “esthetic” update. Well, you can now preorder that updated lens on BHphoto (Click here). And those are all other preorder linsk for the new Photokina stuff:
Panasonic preorders:
LX100 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto. Europe at WexUK.
GM5 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto. Europe at WexUK.
GM5 in red at Adorama.
35-100mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Olympus preorders:
Silver E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus. In Europe at Wex UK.
40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus. In Europe at Wex UK.
LH-76 lens hood at Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
MC-14 1.4x teleconverter at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
PRF-ZD62 Z protection filter at Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
PRF-ZD72 Z protection filter at Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
General links to all new Olympus stuff at Adorama.
ALL new stuff announced at Photokina at Amazon.
74 Responses
Why don’t they do a real update instead of a cosmetic face lift?
The original 14mm is also available in black, which is much nicer than the silver/grey.
I agree. I would vote for a facelift on the 7-14mm f4. Give it weather sealing !
MayI’ll take weather sealing!
Maybe a enlarge the hood a bit to help cut down on flare, too.
I am new to Panasonic. Do you have any idea how long it will take for the 7-14mm to get it’s facelift ? Is there a regular refresh-rate ? The lens was introduced in march 2009. That’s ancient.
Ancient? Canon still has lenses in production that date back to the early 90’s. Their 50mm 1.4 design is 22 years old!
2009 isn’t all that old, relatively speaking. Though I certainly hope Panasonic refreshes their lenses faster than the glacial pace of Canon.
Do you have the 7-14 ? If you do, what’s your experience with it ?
Oh none, I’ve never used it. Just wanted to butt in to say that 5 years old isn’t what some manufacturers would consider ancient with regards to a lens’ life cycle. I doubt Panasonic will keep the same design on the table for 2 decades, that was an extreme example.
They did do a refresh of the 14-140mm, launched July 2009 with the new version in April 2013, so there is a precedent for them updating their early zooms. They improved the aperture in the wide and long end, and even made it smaller and less expensive! No weather sealing, unfortunately.
My experience with Canon has made me a little cynical with regard to expectations for updates, you have to laugh to keep from crying sometimes. 😉
Why, what do you need that they don’t provide, and stops you taking pictures?
A decent 50mm that’s less than $1500 would be nice. The 50mm 1.4 has a fragile focus motor that can break if it’s bumped in the front, even gently. This is a known issue from when the lens was launched, in 1993. Mine has busted twice from being bumped, once while INSIDE A PADDED BAG. It hasn’t stopped me from taking photos because now when I want to shoot a normal perspective with a 1.4 prime, I go with the Panasonic 25mm instead.
I like Canon cameras, I like most of the Canon lenses I’ve used. Their lens library is vast, but not without problems. The company is pretty conservative, and tend to be reactive instead of proactive. I think the only reason they’ll ever update their 50mm 1.4 is when Sigma’s 50 1.4 starts to take a bite out of their sales (I hope).
Yeah that 50 1.4 is pretty clumsy.
Yes but Canon lenses are generally good…
The one I was referring to that’s been on the market for 20+ years is rather weak, and it’s getting a little ridiculous that they haven’t updated it. The 50mm 1.4 has a focus motor that is fragile, and this has been a known issue since it launched. But it sells well despite this, so they haven’t updated it. I’m hoping that Sigma’s recent 50mm will cost them some sales and push them to update their 50, like the updates they’ve been doing recently on non-L series lenses. The 35mm f/2 is much nicer now.
Screw that, give us rear filter holders by default.
400 dollars? Kinda feel like I got a tremendous deal now. 🙂
At least the 14mm isn’t as much in a dire need of an updated AF system as the 20mm is.
$400????? are you kidding me. LOL! I bought a new one of the original on eBay for $140.
It is a useful lens …don’t get me wrong..but if you have ever held one in your hand…you would have a real hard time paying $400 for one.
Most boring “update” ever?
All I can see different form my black kit version is the altered colour of the 14mm Lettering and lens Dot?
I think I read somewhere during PHotokina that the diameter of the lens was down-sized slightly to make it fit on the GM1/GM5 without going over the edge of the body…but when I look at the specs on the B&H webpage….they are basically identical?
It’s one of the few existing lenses that actually does fit the GM1.
The 20mm is a few mm too wide.
Still, the 15mm is practically the same FoV and much higher quality in sharpness, build and extras (AF/MF switch, aperture ring, lens hood), they shouldn’t have priced it just $200 under.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love for Panasonic to refresh more lenses, but put a little more effort into it!
Thanks Jeff… I guess I read bad info…then there is absolutely no reason to purchase the updated lens! 🙂
Relax. It’s not for you. It’s for people who don’t yet have a 14mm 2.5. You can go to sleep now. Everything is still alright with the world.
Hasn’t the 14mm gone through a cosmetic revision already, from that old tacky silver band to an all black version? I did see one pic on a rumor site, and it appeared identical to the all black version.
The black and silver were basically two color versions of the same lens (although maybe the black came out after the silver, I don’t remember.) But they’ve both been available simultaneously.
Isn’t 400$ for a f2.5 lens way too expensive? Should be like $150.
Yeah it is too expensive. You can easily find the 14mm used for around $150-170. Same thing goes for the 20mm f1.7. Way too expensive new… but you can get it for the right price used.
pricey yes, but 150 for a new panasonic lens? very optimistic. The Canon EF 50 f/1.8 sells for less I know that by accident. But maybe the cost was very unusually llow there , no idea . You could wait for prices coming down or go second hand.
Canon 40mm f2.8 is on sale every other week in Canada for $130. 24mm f2.8 launch msrp is $150, so yes $400 for a f2.5 lens is absurd.
lets see how the street price will be in a while. The term absurd if prefer to save for more ridiculous examples, since already used to seeing alot of expensive products.
It’s a f5 lens compared to a FF sensor.
That makes it even more expensive !
Save up for the 12-35 f2.8
But since m43 sensor area is smaller, doesn’t it still capture the same amount of light, just the dof is different?
A FF lens captures the same amount of light at f5 as this lens at f2.5.
A FF sensor is equal sensitive to light at ISO 200 as a m43 sensor at ISO 400. That’s why FF bodies produce much less noise at the same ISO settings. That’s understandable when you realize that when you bump up the ISO on your GH4, to let’s say ISO 800, it’s actually ISO 1600 as opposed to a FF sensor, set to the same value. That’s starting to show in the form of noise quickly !
No. If you shoot a FF body at same exposure settings (ISO/aperture/shutter speed) as a Micro 4/3 body, you will get the same exposure. They are capturing the same amount of light, although the FF lens has a larger image circle since the FF sensor is larger.
The difference in noise at higher ISO has nothing to do with the lenses or ‘equiivalent apertures”, it has to do with the sensors themselves only.
Equal exposure does NOT mean equal total light collection. And therefore not equal noise. It’s pretty clear when you compare the iPhone 4 with its f/2.4 camera module to a m43 camera with the 14/2.5. They will have approx. equal exposure, but the phone has much more noise at the same output size.
However, m43 and 135 format are much closer to each other, that’s why it’s not so obvious (in irrelevant in most shooting situations)
It’s not because less light is hitting the sensors, it’s because a larger sensor delivers better image quality, all else being equal.
You can invert this relationship by comparing a modern Micro 4/3 sensor to an older APS-C sensor. For example, compare the image quality coming from an Olympus E-M5 to an original Canon Digital Rebel with older APS-C sensor, the E-M5 will have better image quality.
But how does the larger sensor magically deliver less noise with the same light falling on it?
In the “simpler example” you are exactly right. The exposure WILL come out the same. But since exposure is not the same as total light collected, signal-to-noise ratio will not be the same.
Total light collected on the sensor is proportional to sensor area divided by f-number.
The comment I replied to, was saying that a FF LENS captures more light at same aperture. Which is different than what you are saying- that a FF SENSOR is capturing more light or having a better signal to noise ratio. I don’t disagree with what you are saying- a better sensor is a better sensor is a better sensor, although there can be different factors that go into a better sensor.
But what exactly is it that makes a better sensor a better one, given the same pixel technology? Like a sony m43 vs their 135 sensors.
I think it’s most useful to consider sensor and lens together. In the case of a phone camera you really have to.
A sensor with a bigger surface will capture more photons than a smaller one, so it requires less amplification, which introduces noise.
A larger sensor is also more forgiving of lens weaknesses. You need the very best glass on m43 to even come close to cheap glass on 135.
not f5 because ,nobody(stupid) use this len on FF sensor.
light circle do has much sharp on m4/3 sensor,right?
please,do not compare a stupid condition again.
You got me there ! I’ll rest my case.
Taken that stuff again huh?
I paid $180 for my black de-kitted 14mm. Nice price!
Too bad I never use it. 😉
I got is from ebay for around $120 (I think, been a long time…). And same story: never used it.
Same here, black bulk version, 130 GBP from eBay.
They even added a black 46mm lenshood.
BMPCC depict the combo on the box, so I threw it on there. Not too bad.
Its almost that price on eBay usually
Just like with the 20/1.7 I cannot fathom why they didn’t use the opportunity to add a bayonet type lens hood! There is space, and panasonic has nice bayonet hoods on almost all other lenses.
Are they concerned about estetics? IMO lenses with proper hood bayonets look more professional.
This hood thing is a general issue in m43. Take a Nikon or canon, they all have consistent functional plastic hoods, even the cheapest ones.
I use a 46-37mm step-down filter.
It’s minimalist, cool looking and cheap!
I use an aftermarket screw in hood, but a bayonet one would be more convenient and there is no reason at all it wasn’t included in the design.
These little inconsistencies and nuisances are among what keeps m43 from being a professional system. (Not that I’m professional).
Don’t even get me started on the hood for my oly 12/2. That “solution” is a joke.
http://youtu.be/u7qv7rfTEx8
A nice review on the original 14mm.
panasonic is laughing on the consumers with that one…
those who worry for the look are those who are thinking that it look pro if you put a hood on it. I don’t understand why you need 14mm lens with 2.5 aperture. you would not get a very shallow dept of field any way. and you most use it for landscape anyhow.
It’s NOT about depth of field fer cryin’ out loud!
Not EVERY lens buying or using solution is about D-O-effin’-F!
The 14mm is a TINY, fast focusing and very sharp lens.
Put on virtually ANY M4/3 body and it makes it very small and subtle.
Try it on a PEN, a GM1 or a GX7 and you’ll see what I mean!
if you are looking for small you better look for point & shoot pocket cameras.
now tell me, what are you going to photo with that lens?
is it sport?
wildlife action?
yes indeed, you may need that fast focusing for street photography.
but all other who are not street photographer can SKIP THAT LENS.
and it 2.5 aperture.
in that price you can buy a speedbooster and have fun with many other sharp and cheap lenses.
A friend bought my EPM1, paired it with the 14mm 2.5 and took that kit with him to Bali and made some beautiful temple shots at dusk. THAT’s what the f2.5 is there for.
guess he couldn’t do that with any other lens…
good for your friend and very good for panasonic.
I would buy the speedbooster with that price and have allot of good cheap lenses to choose from.
that’s all.
You must have XXL sized pants and a small brain to go with it.
A 28mm FoV is thought by many to be one of the classic choices but if you don’t get it then you don’t get it…
Mountaineers, rock climbers, ice climbers,… need lenses like this. Weight and size are paramount. You are mostly connected to your partner by a rope, do not have the freedom to move around, and are close to the rock/ice. You need the wide angle to take your object/partner in the frame and add the stunning surroundings. You need the aperture for those low light moments during the approach when the day breaks, in the evening during the bivvy, … Really, lenses like this are key for the m43 system, that’s what it’s all about…
next time I will do rock climbing I will remember that.
panasonic, they are really appealing to the masses now days.
all those rock climbers who have changeable lenses cameras…
good thinking!
Only a fool buys a wide angle lens for shallow dof
A mostly cosmetic update, and I can’t find images of it. That’s especially puzzling. B&H doesn’t have an image available, and a quick google search just shows when they made it all black. Does it even look that different?
I like the lens, I use it here and there, but I’m glad that I bought mine used off a buddy. I found it useful with a flash at parties, back when it was the only other lens I had besides the 20mm 1.7. I don’t see paying $400 for one new.
This one is even more of a ripoff, since the original 14mm street/used value is lower than the 20mm…
Bottom line; if you want a good lens, a keeper. One that you also want on your GH7, save for the Summilux 15mmf1.7. It is not even shockingly more expensive in the sense that you get a lot more bang for your buck !
or the Olympus 12mm…when I bought the 12mm I gave away the Pana 14mm and have not missed it since
Did they actually improve the lens or is it still soft? Have their been any reviews on this new version?
exactly! the original was not a special piece of glass, it had a great form factor and that
s about all. Now they want people to “pre-order” the a newer version on the basis of what…?
Why are MFT lenses so damn expensive… 🙁
what is this i don’t even
Why would anyone Pre-order this lens, noone has seen or used? specially when you can pick up the original for about $150.
Never loved this lens to begin with. Save up for the Olympus 12mm and be happy
the price is ridiculous.
on the other hand …I like my ver.1 …but it costs me 130eur ..mint
This is one of two things that piss me off about Panasonic: re-releasing lenses with aesthetic updates, and making them more expensive again. The other thing is almost total lack of firmwares updates (big fixes not included).
It’s sales & marketing – they are in competition with other mfrs, so if there’s an easy win then go for it. Savvy buyers will avoid until such time the price drops or buy the ‘old’ model 2nd hand…
Panasonic there having a laugh aint they, almost $400 for 14mm 2.5, they taken the pizz.
Great lens for my needs (street,walk-around) and only 160$ (new) on Ebay. so skip ver II for now.