Wide angle GH2 zoom

[Ben_B]

Because they didn't have ETC when they made the original 7-14mm and they know that people are just drooling to use the sharpest m4/3s lens @ 36mm to 72mm(35mm terms) for 1080p @ 24 FPS video. Since you would be using the center of the sharpest lens with ETC your results should be outstanding with a very useful focal range and essentially no vignetting or skew. You could also shoot some nice 80% slow motion video with it as well. Image stabilization is very useful in the 36mm to 72mm range.

Is the 7-14mm one of the fast focusing lenses?

It focuses pretty fast. I am thinking the main reason they are doing an OIS lens is to allow for slower shutter speeds in handheld stills shots.

Really? I can't say first hand but I seem to remember a number of people saying that the Tokina 11-16 is different than other EF-S lenses in that it will work on the 5D, but starting at about 14mm. But on a 5D, 14mm is definitely very wide.

Someone wrote this on another board

"It works on my 5D mark II
Check out my flickr; they're all done with the 50 1.8 and the 11-16 tokina

The IQ isn't as sharp as it is on crop and there is pixel smearing at the corners as well as chromatic noise in the corners. I often crop that out to give me an effective 20-24 mm of actual scene focal length.

But it does work at 16 mm really well and 15 mm pretty darn well too.

Peripheral illumination works nicely to make the corners look natural, but isn't required.

In the center its about as sharp as it is on crop."

I think it fills the image circle on the longer parts of the zoom.

Not all of them extend. The 7-14 doesn't become actually longer. Well, it does, but only within the confines of its permanently-attached lens hood, so as a practical matter it doesn't change size when zoomed.

Maybe worth noting it actually becomes shorter as you zoom in. 14mm is most recessed.

Yes... that is a strange decision to not allow filters to be attached. Seriously limits the usefulness of the 7-14. I don't think I ever shoot at f22, it would look like super video. Like shooting out of a pin hole.

The nice thing about the Tokina 11-16 is that it's a bit more future proof. Works on GH2 (With Kipon adapter), 5D and 7D, and it takes filters.

Shooting at F/22 will kill the sharpness but for video it might not matter so much. What's the big deal?

 

[jaydil]

After many thoughts about it, and so many people saying that Panasonic's 7-14mm makes wonders, I've bought it! Almost $1300 here in EU tough

It sells for $850 on Amazon in the US. With a $450 price difference, you might want to cancel your order, buy it from the US instead, and take your chances with the import duties.

Either way, I envy your new lens.

J