Inazuma Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Hi, Does anyone know how this lens performs compared to modern MFT lenses? In terms of speed of autofocus, noise etc. Compared to say an Olympus 17mm f1.8 or Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8. Main reason I'm interested about AF specifically is because I've been getting great success with AF on my Oly 17mm with steadycam. And also I plan to use this lens for more casual video shooting, where I may use the internal microphone. Also, do generic MMF3 adapters work as well as the official one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenogears Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 The Panasonic 14-50mm is a Four third lens, so autofocus is really very slow on micro four thirds camera except the Olympus Om-D E-M1 and is a little heavy too. the best lens with autofocus and even more if you're using Lumix cameras, is the 12-35mm f2.8, obviously is more expensive but you get a constant aperture zoom lens with silent autofocus and wider field of view than the 17mm. About the generic FT to M4/3 adapter i never try the cheap ones, only have the MMF-3 because the weather resistant option to use with the E-M1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBraddock Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 You know that I bought one and unfortunately, I had to send it back. I was going to write my experiences in the Lens topic. The seller apparently didn't check the lens properly as there was a tiny scratch on the front lens. Before sending it back, I wanted to try on my GX7 and bought a generic adapter on Amazon. However, the adapter failed to create a contact with the lens so I couldn't test the lens. In terms of build quality though, I am not particularly impressed. Not sure if I had a bad copy but the lens rattles and it is annoying. The seller told me that it is the OIS but still, I didn't like it. Other than that, it feels really good. The lens is relatively compact and not so heavy but makes GX7 front-heavy, which is expected. While zooming or focusing, the lens creates a noise that a mic can pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inazuma Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 How slow are we talking? Like DSLR slow? Or Sony NEX slow?JB can you name the seller so that I can avoid him?I think the OIS rattling is common among lenses of this size and higher. I am surprised you weren't impressed with the build quality, as most reviewers (from around the time of its release) say the opposite.I have previously owned the 12-35mm but felt the zoom range was too limited. I know its equivalent to a 24-70mm or a 16-50mm (APS-C lens), but I just felt kind of bummed out that this lens was soo expensive and yet still didn't have great shallow DOF.Still undecided about this lens. On the one hand it's got a good range and IS, making it ideal for travel. On the other hand, it's not going to be as good for my professional work as a Sigma 18-35mm. Wish I could own both :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBraddock Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 The seller (foto-mundus) is solid and an authorised panasonic seller, I believe. They did apologise for the mistake. They sell a bunch of these lenses with a 12 months warranty. The reason that I had second thought about this lens is that most of the time that I need zoom lenses is in controlled environments. Shooting a panel discussion or an interview etc. In those cases, I think, I can get away with a lens that has a similar zoom range. I intend to try my friend's Canon 24-105mm on GX7 to see how it performs. In regards to the build quality, may be I am still under the influence of the awesomeness of 50mm Contax Zeiss that I bought in mint condition at a relatively cheap price :) I can't wait to try it with RJ lens turbo that I've ordered. Joke aside, the built quality is good but I just didn't like that rattling. Walking down the street with the rattling sound that I might hear, I know myself that it would bother me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Turberville Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Joke aside, the built quality is good but I just didn't like that rattling. Walking down the street with the rattling sound that I might hear, I know myself that it would bother me. Yes, the rattling is from the IS element - though on my lens it is a very dull and hard to notice rattle. When the camera is on and IS is enable there is no rattling. For a GH4, the lens is rather large. This is partly because it is moderately fast for this range, but I'd bet mostly because it was designed for the backfocus of a 4/3s camera. I suspect that a made for m4/3 lens of similar focal and aperture range would be significantly smaller. Optically the lens has an excellent reputation. I like mine a lot. I've read other videographers who hold this lens in moderately high regard. I bought the DMC-L1 with lens just for the lens back when you couldn't buy the lens by itself - that's how strong the lense' reputation was back then. Anybody want a DMC-L1 DSLR camera body? :^) Oh, and a front lens scratch probably won't have any real world affect on image quality unless it is a very large and deep gouge. It is mostly a cosmetic issue. I might have tested the lens at multiple apertures and focal lengths (wide and stopped down especially) to assure myself of that - and then I might have complained and argued for a reduced price to keep the lens. Maybe I'll play around with the AF on the GH4 and report back later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBraddock Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Yes, the rattling is from the IS element - though on my lens it is a very dull and hard to notice rattle. When the camera is on and IS is enable there is no rattling. Oh, and a front lens scratch probably won't have any real world affect on image quality unless it is a very large and deep gouge. It is mostly a cosmetic issue. I might have tested the lens at multiple apertures and focal lengths (wide and stopped down especially) to assure myself of that - and then I might have complained and argued for a reduced price to keep the lens. That's exactly what I thought actually. I talked to the seller and asked for a partial refund if everything is fine. However, the original adapter is too expensive in the UK so much so that even when you buy it on Amazon.com and get it shipped to the UK, it is still cheaper :). So I had to try it with a third party adapter, which failed on me. In the end, I didn't want to keep the lens any longer. The rattling was quite there in my copy but again, I am not sure how it would be when OIS is enabled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Turberville Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 That's exactly what I thought actually. I talked to the seller and asked for a partial refund if everything is fine. However, the original adapter is too expensive in the UK so much so that even when you buy it on Amazon.com and get it shipped to the UK, it is still cheaper :). So I had to try it with a third party adapter, which failed on me. In the end, I didn't want to keep the lens any longer. The rattling was quite there in my copy but again, I am not sure how it would be when OIS is enabled. The lugs for the strap rattle far more noticablely than the the lens. As for the original usability question, I just mouned it to the GH4 and: 1) No AFC. AFS only. 2) AFS is not very fast. The lens hunts back and forth and finally settles in. For the most part I'd consider this to be a manual focus lens on the GH4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inazuma Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 Thanks for the info :) Could still be a nice lens for the range. But will probably just get the Sigma for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeys Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 It's slow. It's DSLR live view slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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