Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 7-14 mm f/2.8 from Pier-Yves Menkhoff on Vimeo.
Pier Yves sent me his latest test video shot with the brand new Olympus 7-14mm PRO lens:
2I love the wide angles lens. This lacks to Panasonic. There is no fixed wide angle lens below 28 mm. It’s a shame. The Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F/2.8 has been tested with the Panasonic DMC-GM1. This is the “jewel” that I bring with me anywhere when I travel. I really love it. However, all is disproportionate. The Olympus is heavy and huge in comparison to the GM1. The result, if the quality is at the rendez-vous, the 7-14 is not suited to travel. It is best suited to lovers of architecture. With a 7-14, one is quickly frustrated not to zoom. Just a little bit !”
New Olympus PRO lens store links:
7-14mm f/2.8 PRO lens: Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus, WexUK, AmazonUK, AmazonDE, Digitalrev.
8mm f/1.8 PRO lens: Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus, WexUK, AmazonUK, AmazonDE, Digitalrev.
51 Responses
Hmmm, my Panasonic 7-14mm is one of my main travel lenses. I can’t imagine traveling, or doing my work, without it!
People used to complain about it’s massive size and weight … 300g… oh, my aching back ?… but the Oly 7-14mm is a beast that makes even those chunky Voigtländers, also so often complained about, look almost svelte… sort of… ?
Well, f/2.8 is quite different from f/4!
1.2 stops. Not that big of a deal.
It’s 1 stop.
Oooops, I stand corrected. ?
It is a big deal, esp if you are shooting video. There’s also the metal chassis, weather sealing and focus clutch. In view of that the panasonic is overpriced
Yep, it’s heavier.
Ha! The Oly 7-14 weighs a whole 534g — OK, nearly double the Panny, but still reasonable if it avoids some of the Panny’s… issues…
No “issues” shooting with Panasonic bodies.
I was being a bit facetious… but stick an Oly logo on something and few complain.
Thats because Olympus engineer their optics better. No purple blobs…
Well, it’s simply because Olympus puts a coat on lenses, while Panasonic add some kind of filter on the sensor: that’s why those hated purple flares and bubbles are almost absent on Panasonic bodies.
No its because the pany 7-14 is rather old and engineered before lens coatings became the norm.
I didn’t know the Panny was that old, allmy ancient Zuikos are multi coated glass.
I have read somewhere that there’s a layer on Panasonic cameras that works as a coating. That’s why some lenses are less prone to purple fringing (7-14, 25mm, just to name two I own) on Pana bodies.
Then it’s also true that nano coating is something relatively new.
Really? Lens coatings have been in use for DECADES.
I think you are confusing us: At first we thought you were a die hard Nokton photographer and now you sneak in information that you not only have the O12-40 f2.8 (and maybe by now also the O40-150 f2.8
With all that heavy calibre its surprising that you opt for such a light lens and not go for the FT 7-14 f/4
Obviously for your work you need a wide angle and maybe the P7-14 f/4 is the only lens you carry in your pocket during the day
Huh?
I have a Panasonic 7-14mm. It was the first extra lens I got for my first M4/3 kit four years ago! I travel on foot, subway and bike, so it’s nice and compact and fits easily in my pack along with my MacBook Pro. No 4/3 lenses for me, I’ve got enough lens adaptors already, thanks, I’d prefer something longer than the 40-150mm f2.8. A faster 100-300mm w/OIS perhaps!
Yeah, I’m a dedicated Nokton drone! But, I got a 12-40mm to use as a travel lens. Needed to cut down on my kit because my girlfriend and I only use carry-on luggage. I was up to 6-8 lenses… too many! I managed to bring only 3 to Morocco last month… 7-14mm, 12-40mm and 17.5mm. Okay, I stashed my 100-300mm in my pack for a few nature walks, but didn’t carry it every day.
Well for Morocco in summer I don’t think you needed many clothes, so you could have taken more lenses 😉
But with your lens selection it really makes me wonder, which Panasonic body you must be using (as you look for OIS) and why you didn’t geht the Panasonic zooms
We didn’t carry too much clothing and did hand washing along the way. ?
I use a GX7 and my girlfriend uses a GX1 + 14-140mm II. Stabilization isn’t a big issue for me… my hands don’t shake and I know how to handle a camera. ?
I wanted a lens that got as close as possible to my fave travel lenses, the Voigty 17.5mm and 42.5mm. The 12-40mm is close to that, it gets better reviews than the 12-35mm and it also has great close-focus abilities. I wanted to cut down on lens changes and because it was rather dusty in some places, that worked out very well!
That sounds quite nice for a lineup. I’ve got the 12-40, too but on an E-M1 as I prefer to have a more substantial grip. I couldn’t warm for a particular prime yet but maybe the new 10.5 Nokton or 8.5 Kowa…
The 17.5mm is fantastic. It’s worth taking a hard look at.
I’m on the fence as far as an ultra-wide prime goes, since I already have the 7-14mm and am unsure just how much I’d actually use one.
That’s the one I have been most eyeing with but I might first want to cover the UWA and here we are really spoilt for choice. It would be nice to have a place to try all of them out…
I think Jeff was referring to the older Oly Zuiko 7-14mm f/4 lens which weighs 780g. Marvelous image quality and few corrections needed in post.
I fear that I have to keep my Pana 7-14 for a little longer time, after the Q.. Or I’ll be a single with a new lens. 🙂
Yep, I tapped myself out in the lens department for quite a while.
when single you will have more free cash for life’s little necessities
You simply refuse to understand that people expect and accept bigger sizes when the aperture number is lower, don’t you? Even though this have been pointed out to you numerous times.
If someone doesn’t expect bigger sizes and weights when buying, carrying and using fast lenses they’re a moron. I was simply mentioning the chorus of whiners who complain about how “big and heavy” the 7-14mm f4 is. I think it’s quite compact. People make the same complaints about the 12-40mm, too.
Like I said, I own a P7-14mm (and a 12-40mm) and use a lot of native manual and adapted manual lenses, so weight isn’t an issue for me at all!
It is big and heavy for a f4. I think it could have been made smaller. The 12-40 probably has some room for improvement here too, at least in weight. The oly 7-14 has a size that is to be expected, but it is also on the heavy side. Constant aperture lenses is a design that unfortunately “throws away” the opportunity to have a lower f-number on some of its range.
Same with me. I’m just about to start a longer cycling trip into the Alps and the Pana 7-14 fits perfectly to my Gear. I usually don’t need F2,8 on the wide angle and additional 250g counts if you go to Stelvio or Großglockner (not to mention the price).
I still think the Oly is the better lens even if you don’t use F2,8. But the difference is not that big on my GH3.
The Panasonic 7-14mm F/4 is crazy small and light. On sheet or photos it looks big and heavy but take it to hand and mount to GM1 and you never ever say it’s big or heavy for its specs. And look the quality and you don’t whine about price.
People who say so are just idiots, stupid and ignorance.
They should only carry shoeboxes for pinhole cameras as those weight just few grams.
Wut?
I tried it at a recent Olympus event. In the hand, it feels no bigger/heavier than the 12-40. Just not my FOV, so not for me, but seems like a pretty nice lens!
“There is no fixed wide angle lens below 28 mm”
What about the Oly 12mm? That takes you down to 24mm in a fixed prime. Nice lens too with real manual focus.
I think he refers to Panasonic not having a wider fixed than 28mm fixed focal lens. It’s simply bad written..
“It’s simply bad written..” :-p
classic example of Muphry’s law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry's_law
How’s your Italian?
He meant to say this. There is no prime with an equivalent FL below 28mm in MFT. There is actually one, the 12mm but it is so mediocre (beaten by all there PRO zooms in IQ) and it is also so
expensive for its performance that I don’t blame him for ignoring it. It’s not a pancake, not particularly fast or small, and also not versatile with its fixed FL, also not cheap. It has no excuse for such a low IQ and easy to forget.
My 12mm is great, perhaps you had a bad copy. It’s sharp. And small. And quite fast. You are right on its price though.
Huh? No wide primes below 12mm?
SLR Magic makes a 12mm T1.6 (I have one and it’s quite good), There’s are Samyang (?) 10mm and the Kowa 8.5mm f2.8. And the Voigtländer 10.5mm f0.95.
Have you used the Rokinon 12mm? I’d love to see more comparisons to the overpriced (to me) Oly12. With a wide lens like that I can’t imagine the lack of AF to be that big of a deal (and maybe a benefit in some instances).
The performance of the 12mm is mediocre? Really? We’re talking about the Olympus 12mm f2.0? Because I’ve got one and it’s great. ePhotozine gave it 5 stars for performance and said it had “excellent optical performance”. Photozone said it was extrememly sharp, Photographyblog gave it 4 stars and said it was “a strong optical performer”. Admiring Light said it was a “stellar performer, with only subtle corner softness at f2.”
Where have you read a review that said it was mediocre?
For once I can make more of the video than of the write up. Thanks Pierre for posting a fully edited video
Terrible translation. Couldn’t make anything from most of it.
Can we have the original text, please?
Just click on “vimeo” in the video window. You will see, that the text is coming directly from Pierre-Yves.
I’m firewalled right now, so I’ll check it when I have a chance.
Thank you.
When shooting video on the GM1 I’d recommend a zero-degree shutter speed. Not even 180, which is sort of the standard setting. So, shooting 30p, shoot with a 30 shutter; certainly nothing higher than 60, which is what many of these shots were filmed at.
I find that the slower shutter with GM1 motion pictures has a more pleasing motion cadence. Just my opinion.
Hey, Panasonic: Olympus isn’t doing it for me with their ultrawides. The 9-18 is too boring and the 7-14 is stupidly big and heavy. Time to release version 2 of your 7-14 (which is perfectly spec’d), with improved coatings to remedy the nasty purple flare.
Maaaaaybe…..
pretty good test but the amount of aliasing in the footage is distracting. is this what GM1’s video is like?