When I
was a child, there was a cartoon called “Gatchaman” (Science
Ninja Team Gatchaman),
with the opening theme singing “…the battle of the planets…”
That’s it. I don’t know why it does come back to my mind right
now. Anyway, this has nothing to do with what I want to say today.
And I
have soooo much to say.
The
two super wide lenses in the Micro43 world.
Yes.
That’s because in the Micro43 world there are two “bulky” names
we have to take into consideration when we talk about extreme
wide-angle lenses, since they are the hot topic of many discussions
in half of the world’s forums too: Panasonic
Lumix 7-14 Vario G f/4
and Zuiko 7-14 Pro
f/2.8.
The
first one had free reign for several years as the only quality
solution for all those people who were looking for an extreme
wide-angle lens, but since about one year ago it had to come to terms
with an ambitious rival that has been provided with one more stop of
brightness and a Pro building typical of Zuiko lenses. Which one
should be considered the best?
Panasonic
used with Em1 – adjustments with LR CC
This is
a very difficult question to answer. That’s because, in spite of
the full compatibility set by the Micro43 consortium, the lenses may
have some limitations when attached to camera heads that are not from
the same brand and these cases require careful considerations.
Since
some years ago, camera electronics can adjust common problems of
distortion and vignetting given by compatible lenses. In other words,
even if they are perfectly compatible, some lenses may not be
completely supported by some kinds of camera heads, so they give us
something we can call “undoped” performances. An emblematic
example may be the Panasonic lens put on Olympus camera heads.
I was
honestly a little bit concerned by the amount of discussions and
catastrophic comments about this matter, so I decided to examine it
in depth by myself.
Panasonic
used with Em1 – full backlight. Shot purposely taken under extreme
conditions.
Now,
please let me write a short introduction so that you can correctly
interpret what I’m going to say later, because I want to make clear
I don’t have any intention to belittle anyone who expressed a
different opinion before me. On the contrary, I just want to explain
and clarify how I will evaluate this case and the value I think this
method will give to certain features.
- I’m
not a fan of landscape photography intended as the one that recently
has come to be very popular, sophisticated and “sensationalized”.
I prefer a simple illustrative approach and I have never felt like
needing something more advanced than my 24mm for this.
- I had
been using an excellent Zuico 7-14 f/4 that was part of the 4/3 old
generation for a long time. That was magnificent, but it had so many
“flares”. So, I stopped to feel shocked when I see glares.
- My
priority is to keep my system portable. In other words, I want to be
able to bring with me everything everywhere, including the equipment
I’m not supposed to use, without being troubled by the weight. In
this way, if the time comes I need something I can be sure to have it
with me. If not, I can be sure it hasn’t become a burden to me.
-
Officially, I would use this kind of lenses mainly to take a little
more sophisticated shots or exaggerate the prospective a little more
in churches or in other situations, but if I find out that the
feeling is good I may start to use them in a wider range of
situations.
Here
you are two “homemade” shots showing the pink spots problem. They
appear in a situation where the main source of light mixes with
sources of artificial lights hitting the frame directly. I purposely
arranged the lamp like that to emphasize the conditions.
Here we
come to the crux of the matter. If we look at the size and the weight
of the two lenses, we notice there is a huge difference. The
Panasonic lens is just like a jewel, small and portable, while the
Zuico lens shows its muscles with its appearance characterized by its
evident frontal lens and its building which is “like a tank”, as
many people like to describe it.
The
Olympus lens completes the triad of Pro zooms that are able to cover
focal lengths going from 14mm to 300 mm, with a steady opening of
f/2.8. Panasonic chose a more modest brightness fixed at f/4, which
is quiet common among the good quality optics included in this range
and among the ones made by other producers.
When we
talk about extreme wide-angle lenses, we should consider that a very
high brightness is often connected to a big size and the appearance
of chromatic aberrations due to huge lenses: this reminded me why
many people preferred to use the 17-40 L Canon instead of the
brighter f/2.8: that was exactly because of its stronger resistance
to the backlight.
Zuiko
Pro used with Em1 – 7mm
Lumix
G 7-14 used with Em1 – 7mm
In
the second picture there are some halos, but the framing is not the
same (I used a 7mm for both).
For all
practical purposes, the two lenses are excellent. And when I say
“excellent” I mean they’re at the top in their category.
Olympus focused more on features like the central precision, a
bulletproof building and the brightness, while Panasonic focused more
on the optics quality for the whole frame (the f/4 is very helpful
here) and the size.
According
to what I said before, my choice would have been very simple if it
wasn’t for the bad reputation the Panasonic lens has when used with
Olympus camera heads instead of Lumix ones. So, what should I do?
Of
course, I should see it with my own eyes.
Panasonic
7-14 used with Em1 – Jpeg exported by Raw with Olympus Viewer (the
aberrations were not removed).
The
same shot with LR CC after the aberrations were removed (Remove
Margins).
In these
days, after I heard out opinions from some of my trustful
acquaintances, I tried to understand the problem, which certainly
exists. However, this problem arises mostly when people start to look
for forced comparisons, because otherwise the performance is about at
the same level of the best wide-angle lenses. We can say that the
“doping” these lenses receive when they are attached to native
camera heads tends to distort their evaluation, because actually the
Lumix 7-14 used with my Em1 gave me very good results even in very
extreme conditions and its performance was at the same level with the
excellent performance I observed with my old 7-14 Zuiko Top Pro (a
lens I paid something like 2000€ at that time).
Zuiko
7-14 Pro f/2,8
Tropicalized,
extremely bright and with a maf so minimal to be a record for this
category. With this features the Olympus wide Pro seems to be the
absolute champion. However, its weight and its size are a little bit
“excessive” (of course, if we compare it with the whole system).
It’s possible to get a good stabilization with it when it’s
attached to camera heads equipped with BG, as any other Pro optics,
and the borders quality gives way to the astonishing Panasonic with
more open diaphragms. Also, in order to get a border-center balanced
performance it is necessary to close 1-2 stops, but in general the
Lumix lens seems to be a little better at this. I can say for sure
it’s a unique lens and I recommend its use for particular shots,
under unfavorable weather conditions, if you need few more diaphragms
or if you want to use it in a very extreme way. It gives no problem
when attached to Panasonic cameras too.
As the
other similar products included in the same Pro series, you can
select the Manual Focus mode directly with your focus gear, where you
can see the distance scale once you unlock it.
No
compromises here. It’s excellent.
Panasonic
Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4
Small,
compact, fair and well built. The optics quality is excellent with
splendid colors and a very good contrast. The detail, especially
along the borders, is really impressive with the f/4 too. Flares can
usually be adjusted with few clicks in Camera Raw and by using the
tool “Remove Margins”, but the annoying pink spots appearing in
some situations need to be removed manually. Anyway, I also tried to
overdo it and they don’t really seem to appear in a big number.
I didn’t
notice any irregularity when I used it with my Panasonic cameras, a
G7. I dare to say it is perfect! If you want to consider its use with
Olympus Em1, please refer to the other considerations spread in this
article and in the image descriptions. There may be some “intruder”
sometimes, but in general the performance is great.
A
condition of mixed light that unexpectedly didn’t give any problem.
Panasonic
7-14 used with Em1.
So, what
should i do? Having them both would be the ideal solution. I would
use the bright and professional one for set shots where I want to
make the main subject stand out (the central precision is really
impressive even with TA). The smallest one is good because you can
carry it with you everywhere, so that you can have its astonishing
quality available at any time. However, buying them both is surely
difficult (but not impossible), so a choice has to be taken.
I would
choose the Lumix 7-14 in spite of its small imperfections, since it
can be used with Olympus camera heads (surely with the EM1 at least,
I can’t say much about the previous models) with a fantastic
quality and some carefulness (to be always applied when we use wide
focal lenses). The photos I added to this post are very satisfying
and I know that I can use it on my Panasonic G7 if I want to take
full advantage from it. The price different makes me want to choose
the Lumix too. Anyway, this is just like comparing Ferrari and
Lamborghini, so no judgement is to be considered absolute.
So, did
I make my choice?
I will
take my final decision after the last test in a church where I will
reproduce the conditions of a wedding event. If I see that the
situation is going to be under control, I’ll choose the Panasonic
lens. If I notice excessive irregularities, I’ll go for the Zuiko
lens. Whatever my choice will be, I will land on my feet, but I want
to be sure of my final decision and use the new purchase as much as I
can.
-
Update! -
I made
the last test and I didn’t observe any problem. Of course, one
should also consider that each tool and equipment can have a
weakness, but in this case what one can do is to learn to exploit all
the potential without worrying too much about what could have
happened if…
Panasonic
7-14 used on EM1
Just to
be fair, I made some few more tests with the Olympus too, and I say
the performance is really good under backlight conditions.
Zuiko
Pro @ f/2,8 used on Em1. Outstanding!!
Really outstanding!
I can
state with a certain level of self-confidence that the problems
related to the pink spots are very contained when the lens is used
with an Olympus Em1 and similar cameras (Ep5, Em5 mk2, Pen F… in
other words, Em1 and the following models). There was no case where I
had to intervene by applying heavy post-production. On the contrary,
in the 99% of cases the file was already very good and the problem,
when it appeared, was really insignificant. So, under very good light
conditions, I would say it works perfectly!!!
If you
just look at the whole photo, without trying to analyze it with a
microscope, the problem is very restrained, but everybody knows that
“it is human nature to dwell on one's misfortunes”. So, you’d
better forget about this thing and do something else, instead of
looking for such microscopic defects.
In the
photo depicting the church, the detail is impressive and no error
appeared.
So…?
My
conclusion is very simple, maybe a little bit predictable, but I
assure you it was suffered: it’s a tie. We can also call it an
equal victory too. My “like” goes to the Panasonic mainly because
of its compactness, quality and versatility, but this may not be
enough to make me take my decision, because I also have to consider
an intense professional use of the equipment, which sometimes may
occur with unfavorable weather conditions (the hailstorm occurred in
last September still reminds me about that).
So, I
would summarize it in the following way.
a) If
you only use Lumix/Panasonic cameras go straight for the Lumix G 7-14
f/4: it is spectacular and if you match it with native cameras it’s
PERFECT.
b) In
case you use both the brands, as I do, or in case you use Olympus
cameras only, the choice is more difficult:
- for a
non-professional but serious use (travel or reportage) giving
priority to portability, I would recommend the Panasonic lens;
- for an
intensive/professional use giving particular attention to the
brightness f/2.8, I would recommend the Zuiko lens without any doubt.
In
conclusion, both are good. The only one thing you need to understand
is the kind of use you want to make of it. Surely, the Panasonic lens
used with Olympus cameras is really excellent!
So, what
am I going to buy?
You will
find it out later. Stay tuned! :D
7-14 Pro on Olympus Em1
7-14 Pro on Lumix G7
www.ugobaldassarre.com
thanx Cris & Merry Xmas to you, too
RispondiElimina