Looking for Wide Angle, Panasonic 7-14mm($1000) Worth it?

C

cam123

Active member
Hey Friends,

I have been looking for wide angle for sometime.
Do you think 7-14mm is worth it?
Anyone has a first hand experience with this lens?

Thanks! :)
 
Honestly, I'd go with the Olympus 9-18 f4-5.6. It's generally sharper, quieter and has front filter threads which can come in quite handy if you're outdoors and need to use ND filters.

--SM
 
My 7-14mm arrives this morning. I looked at all the reviews and user reports I could find and felt the electronic correction with the Panasonic camera, build quality, constant F/4.0 and that extra 2mm really made the difference. I use a mattebox with the GH1, and the AF100 will have built-in ND's, so I'm not too fussed about the lack of a filter thread. I understood the 7-14mm was sharper then the Olympus, but its probably all relative with video work anyway. Either lens will be good.
 
Yeah, if you use a mattebox setup, the 7-14 is probably a good choice. But I don't, and all that glass swingin' in the breeze just makes me nervous.

And yes, on the AF-100 you'll have built-in NDs. I was using it on the GH1, so couldn't do much of anything with it.
 
I know what you mean about nervous. I use a very expensive Canon 21x HD lens on my Varicam and 99% of the time it has no filter on it. You just have to be careful..... very careful.
 
It's easier said than done when you're wading waist-deep in a Colorado trout stream trying to find the one rock at your feet that isn't covered with moss. :D
 
I have the 7-14 and find the only downside to be the inability to use filters. I wish it had the rear loading filter slot like the 8 mm fish-eye. Maybe some one can do a "hardware hack"?

I got it before Oly 9-18 came out, but if I had to do it again I would go for the Panny. Sometimes you need to squeeze the maximum amount of image into the frame without fish-eye distortion. Looking back, a lot of the images I shoot are at 7mm. In the end, when laying out that kind of cash you have to be happy with the images that are produced and I am.

P1010887.jpg
 
I love it. Obviously, it's a lot of money, and as a wedding videographer it doesn't earn me a penny more...I bought it totally for fun and for taking amateur pics/video downtown where I live. However, I still but it out sometimes at weddings when I'm bored.

These video frames aren't great...but I threw them in just because I had the lens in my case the past weekend shooting a wedding. It's good for taking a video of the outside of the building when you're shooting across the street, or just wanna grab a bunch of buildings in the background, or whatever. It's fun if you have the money to blow (which I really don't, lol).

All in "Nostalgic" mode with factory firmware. (I think the 7-14 would REALLY benefit from the "hack"...since it takes in so much detail. I'm gonna shoot a 7-14 lens example video downtown with the hack in the next two weeks and post it.)







 
Any tests I've seen versus the Olympus 9-18, the Panny wins by quite a margin in sharpness, CA, and contrast.

Also keep in mind the FOV difference between 7mm and 9mm is very large, probably more than you expect.
 
+1

Agree with all of the above posts. I also bought the 7-14 before the Olympus came out and would make the same choice again. 7-14 does get better reviews than the 9-18. The build quality is high and the photos and video are amazing. Pana cameras correct for chromatic aberration on Pana lenses, but not on Olympus. Olympus cameras also don't correct for CA. The Oly lens has more CA even before correction and is not as sharp.

My opinion is that wide angle is the weakness of micro 4/3 format. It is easy to get telephoto effect, but wide angle is not possible with most adapted lenses. So, I decided to get the best wide angle tool made for the camera and don't regret spending the money at all. Can look for bargain lenses at longer focal lengths. The difference between 7 and 9mm is pretty great. Try to see if you can find this lens and try it out. You will definitely have fun with it.
 
NPrincen said:
My opinion is that wide angle is the weakness of micro 4/3 format. It is easy to get telephoto effect, but wide angle is not possible with most adapted lenses..
Click to expand...

I get what you are saying about adapted lenses, purely because most old manual lenses that exist are longer focal lengths.

However I strongly disagree with wide angle being the weakness of micro 4/3. In fact, it is its greatest strength. The super close flange distance means designers can ditch retrofocus designs at extreme wide angles and end up with MUCH smaller, lighter wide lenses with great performance.
Wide angle lens design is actually the weakness of all other SLR designs, not of micro 4/3. u4/3 was practically built for wide-angle above anything else.

Your conclusion was definitely a sound one, though. To really take advantage of the micro 4/3 design, a native micro 4/3 wide-angle is definitely the way to go. It's a shame they're so expensive (frankly the Olympus, while the price is what a decent wide-angle should be in this format considering the optical design is simpler, is dissapointing in optical performance so the only real option is the over-priced Panny... I guess because Panny knows they've got the only serious game in town).
 
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I'm seriously Iooking at getting the Panasonic 8mm fisheye to work alongside my 7-14 and 14-140. I've looked at the Samyang and although it's half the price, it looks like half the quality in both build and PQ. If I could just see the Panny for a bit less than $700, I'd probably do it.
 
dasbin said:
However I strongly disagree with wide angle being the weakness of micro 4/3. In fact, it is its greatest strength. The super close flange distance means designers can ditch retrofocus designs at extreme wide angles and end up with MUCH smaller, lighter wide lenses with great performance.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I did not mean to say that wide angle is a weakness of micro 4/3 from an optical standpoint. I meant it from a buyer standpoint. You are correct that the short flange distance allows optical designers to get rid of the retrofocal design. This means the micro 4/3 wide angle lenses should be optically superior to the designs for DSLR's. Or, it means the lenses can shrink in size and weight. Or, both. So, micro 4/3 is optically superior to longer flange distance lens mounts for wide angle design.

But, from a buyer standpoint, it means that there are fewer choices in wide angle. Adapted lenses are generally too long. If they are in the right focal length range, they are also big, heavy, and expensive due to the retrofocal design you pointed out. The native micro 4/3 wide angle lenses are definitely the way to go to get the best out of the format. If not the 7-14mm, then the 14mm f2.5 and 8mm fisheye are good. But, the Olympus 9-18 and 17mm are both a bit disappointing optically, especially given Olympus great reputation in lens design.
 
This is mine - and this is why I love it
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I garee that the lack of a filter ring is somewat of a hassle.
I'm thinking of machining something with a spare 7-14 front cap ;-)
Where can I find one?...

Thx

Paul
 
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