I'm a very happy user of the Lumix GF-1, but I've never really loved Panasonic's 45-200 lens. Always a little too muted, alas. (I usually stick to the 20mm Lumix pancake.) So, now I'm thinking I'd be happier with either this Olympus 14-150 or the (more expensive) Panasonic 14-140.

Any thoughts on which is "better"? That is, crisper, faster, sharper, more vibrant, etc.?

For the GF-1, get the Panasonic lens for the built in IS. The panasonic is reputed to be a little sharper but otherwise there isn't much between the lenses other than cost.

Yeah, I've spent time with both and greatly prefer the Oly (strictly because of size and weight), but for a gf1 I'd definitely go for the Pany. I just wouldn't want that long a lens without some kind of stabilization.

-Ray

Go with the Panasonic for the reasons mentioned above me. It's stabilized, it's whisper quiet and silky smooth in video. AF is really quick.

As for price though, this is largely out the window if you shop around the second hand world. On eBay, here, and the few times I see them on Kijiji/Craigslist in my area, prices on the 14-140 are now in line with the Oly 14-150 at between $600-650 USD.

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[ everythingsablur ]
Panasonic GF1 + LVF1
Native : 20mm f/1.7, 14-140mm f/4-5.8 HD, 7-14 f/4
Legacy: Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 SSC
Flashes: Olympus FL-50

Worldmatt, I am an E-P2 user with a 14-140mm. ;-)

Yes, this lens is sharp during the times between sunrise and sunset. It turns nasty come night fall... ;-)

Then proper use of flash (eg. FL-36) and still useable :-)

PS: Pana 14-140mm is sharper than Oly 14-150mm, as almost all Pana lenses against Oly in u43 family.

Thanks for the feedback, people! Looks like I'm getting the Panasonic lens.

But just to satisfy my curiosity: Is anyone else disappointed with the 45-200, or is it just me?

A lot of people seem to be. I'm not one of them, but since I got the 14-150 its taken on a very marginal role in my kit. Only pull it out for specialty events - its usually left at home. But I like it a lot in good light and as long as I'm careful with focus - I've gotten a lot of my favorite shots with that lens.

As for Jerry's contention that the 14-140 is sharper, I don't believe the testing bore that out - I think both were strong than the other at some focal lengths, but overall it came out about a wash. Having owned and shot with both (although only briefly with the Pany), I couldn't tell the results apart on a bet. Both are great real world lenses. For an Oly body and someone who doesn't do a lot of video, the Oly seems like an obvious choice to me. For a Pany body or for a video shooter, the Pany is an equally obvious choice. The differences in IQ are probably not something the typical human eye could discern.

-Ray

In my experience, neither superzoom is crisper, sharper, faster, or more vibrant than the 45-200. I just did a review of the Olympus lens on Serious Compacts with the Panasonic lens presented for comparison.

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Amin
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