What is the best wide 4/3 lens?

C

cjewelz

Member
Hello friends,

Once again I need spiritual advice from you all. I'm considering a fast wide lens and I'd like to know which one you use or would recommend. I'm looking at the Lumix 14mm and Zuiko 12mm. From what I've gauged so far it seems that the Zuiko is better, but I don't know in what way besides build quality. If you have any other ideas let me know.

Thanks.
 
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I have the Opteka 6.5mm and Tamron 10-24mm in Pentax K-mounts that I could use with my GH1 and GH2 with m4/3rd adapters.
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BTW the 14-45mm is sharp @ 14mm F3.5 wide open and has OIS.
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It really depends on what you mean by wide. 28mm to one person is different then 12mm to another in terms of thinking of wide. I tend to use my 20mm a lot and consider it just as wide as many video cameras I have used. I feel 20mm is a pretty good compromize between 24mm and 28mm typically found in older lenses and the ultra wides of M4/3 such as 12mm. There are times however where it just isn't wide enough and I find myself having to use a slower 14mm lens to get a bit wider.

So for the most part my 20mm is a perfect wide lens but at some point I would like to get a fast 12mm to cover those situations where 20mm isn't enough. Honestly I'm not a fan of the distortion under 20mm which is why I only use sub 20mm lenses when I have no choice. Thats just me however which is my whole point. Every single person here has a different view of what wide means to them.
 
Like you say, Mr. Smet, it means different things to different people... 17.5, 20, and 25 are my "normal" lenses, and I go to the 7-14 and 12-35 for wide shots.

The Lumix 14 is a very good, relatively inexpensive lens and a nice pancake size for travel. The Oly 12 is a bit bigger, a touch faster, a smidge sharper, and has about the best AF of any m43 lens I've tried. I don't own either of these but have tried them.

The 7-14 is a great lens and wonderfully sharp and wide, but not very fast. The 12-35 is reasonably fast with great OIS, great image, and great range, but is pricey (although when you consider it is twice the range and half the size of the Tokina 11-16, plus all its AF, OIS, and auto feature usability, for only twice the price, it seems justifiable - or at least, that's how I justified it)
 
The 7-14 is the widest lens you can get. It's WIDE and rectilinear (no barrel distortion). It's sharp, has the best zoom action and best focus ring of any of the Lumix lenses I have, and it is wide wide wide (equivalent to a 14mm on a full-frame stills camera).

So do you want fast? 7-14 isn't it. Do you want wide? 7-14 has that covered.
 
Barry_Green said:
The 7-14 is the widest lens you can get. It's WIDE and rectilinear (no barrel distortion). It's sharp, has the best zoom action and best focus ring of any of the Lumix lenses I have, and it is wide wide wide (equivalent to a 14mm on a full-frame stills camera).

So do you want fast? 7-14 isn't it. Do you want wide? 7-14 has that covered.
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The 7-14 sounds perfect, except the f/4.0. It's not cheap either. For that kind of money, I'd hope for f/2.0 - I'd run out and buy it immediately. Alas, I doubt we'll see anything that wide and fast from 7mm all the way to 14mm for any kind of money.

The paradox is what use scenario is best for 7-14? Wide generally is how you'd want to go for interiors (and landscapes for exteriors). But interiors require fast lenses (or a ton of lighting). So either way you're missing something for your ideal use scenario. Ideally, you'd want a wide and fast lens, but those are going to be the hardest first to design, and then to actually put on the market for a reasonable price - and of course something that doesn't absolutely dwarf the smallish GH2 and light enough so it can be attached without collars. So yeah, what kills the 7-14 is how slow it is - of course, if you have oodles of time and money, you can always use a truckfull of lights (or shoot in bright sunlight).

I would look into the 17.5 f/0.95 - if the distortion is not too bad for your purposes.
 
I just wanted to throw in a recommendation for the Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6. Obviously still not a fast lens, but easier to justify on price versus the Lumix 7-14. It's my go-to for Glidecam work and I shoot mainly outside material so it's a great combo. But if fast is a necessity, then don't forget about the Oly 12mm f/2. Great lens as well.
 
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