12-60 v 14-140

[justa1972]

Hello

I've decided my next camera will be the G80 - but with which lens ?

The 12-60 is the kit lens but LCE also do a kit with the 14-140 - which is the better lens ?

I would miss the 12mm if I went 14-140 but I could always later buy a 12mm prime or even the 12-32...

If I go for the 12-60 I would then have to buy a 45-150 or similar...

The price difference is £250 more for the 14-140...

Thanks again

 

[Mattyh]

I had the same dilemma but having owned the older version of the 14-140mm and never being totally happy with it and owning the 12-32mm and liking the 12mm focal length I went for the 12-60mm and I'm more then happy with this lens, in fact it's a lens I now use 90% of the time.

 

[AllanG]

I ordered the 14-140mm II and love it. Great colour rendition and really nice IQ. Indeed this lens is the only one I take travelling except for the Oly12mm.
Would not be without it as its so versatile.

 

[Mike Wingate]

I bought the 14-140mm mk.II. It has replaced my 2 kit lenses, the 12-32 and 35-100, both nice lenses, but I was forever changing them over. Missing 12mm? Do a Panoramic shot, or buy the 7-14mm like I did. You will never stop buying lenses, so dont worry. I have the 100-300, not long enough. The Olympus 60mm, great Macro, can be used as a 60mm, bit tight but not a long lens. Tried a PL15, fast, crisp, had to have one, now thinking of a 42.5mm for theatres, shows and concerts in low light.

 

[AllanG]

An example of the IQ and colour that the 14-140mm vII renders with an EP5

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[scotttnz]

I picked up a 14-140 this week as a travel lens for a couple of trips I have coming up. I'll take the G85, 7-14, 14-140, and 20mm. Should cover 95% of situations while minimising lens changes, size, and weight. Initial impressions are positive, but if I didn't have the 7-14 I would probably favour something that went to 12mm.

So my advice is to have a think about what other plans you have for the camera and system. If you like wider angles, do you plan to get an ultra wide in the future?

 

[wjiang]

If you don't really plan on other specialised lenses other than a telephoto, I'd just go for the 14-140 Mk2 - the 12-60 f/3.5-5.6 doesn't have much going for it other than weather resistance and 12mm.

 

[Mike Wingate]

You have covered yourself with the 7-14mm. You can still take panoramic shots.

 

[Egregius V]

I just bought an unused 12-60 f/3.5-5.6 taken from a kit. I think it has a lot going for it, if you can find a good copy at a good price. Yes, the new 14-140 mark II is only slightly bigger and is also splash/dust-resistant. At full retail price, it's the better buy. However, my 12-60 cost about a third as much, handles great, and is sharp in its entire range (sharpest at 12mm) with noticeably better corner-to-corner resolution than the 14-140 or 14-150 lenses. Zoomed in past 40mm, my copy exhibits some mild left-side decentering, which was noticed in some reviews and isn't as bad as my 14-150 II. Unfortunately, it also front-focuses quite severely in that 40-60mm range. Manually-focused, it's awesome. I'll be returning it and trying again.

EDIT: second copy is fine. Lens OIS by itself is wonky, but Dual IS works great.

 

[jimr.pdx]

@Egregius V covers it nicely. To rephrase:

• Will you use 12-14mm less than 60-140mm?
• Do you despise changing lenses?
• Are you willing to pay more for a 14-140 than 12-60 + (45-150 or similar)? Actually the prices for used gear might be closer than I expect, I haven't been checking prices recently..

Beyond that we have copy variation and owner preferences, so a good copy of either will serve you well. I'm also a 12-60 fan and don't mind changing lenses. I definitely like the FL overlap between my 12-60 and 45-150 - having zooms with no overlap is not a happy circumstance for me.

 

[retiredfromlife]

I ordered the 14-140mm II and love it. Great colour rendition and really nice IQ. Indeed this lens is the only one I take travelling except for the Oly12mm.
Would not be without it as its so versatile.

I second the 14-140.
I also own the 12-40 OYL Pro, but use the 14-140 more due to the greater focal range. Every nown and again I miss the 12mm, but not as often as I would miss the 140 end

 

[ac12]

Personal preference and individual needs.

I have the 12-60 on my Olympus as the primary GP travel lens, and I like it.

• It is smaller and lighter than the Olympus 14-150, so easier to carry. Since I was coming from APS-C, my goal was bulk and weight reduction for a travel camera. A little here and a little there, and the weight goes back UP towards my APS-C camera.
  
• As a GP lens, I was trying to avoid having to get and carry another lens, to plug a focal range gap. So I was after the more usable focal range for ME.
  • I value the extra 2mm on the short end of the 12-60, more than the 80mm more on the long end of the 14-140. I can always crop into a frame, but I cannot create what isn't there.
    
  • For me, most of the time 60mm is adequate on the long end.
  • I also have the 12-40, and I definitely miss the extra 20mm on the long end. So we are back to a 12-60.
• This is not to say that one day I won't get a 14-150 or 12-200. But it has to be for a specific need that my current lenses don't meet.

However, I recommended to my BiL that he get the Olympus version of the 14-140, the 14-150, with his new Olympus camera. The 14-150 fit HIS needs better. So again, matching to individual needs.

 

[ac12]

BTW, I don't know how the zoom ring on the 14-140 feels like, but the zoom ring on the 12-60 is light and smooth. Just like how I like zoom rings to be

 

[AllanG]

The new version of the 14-140 is weather sealed. The zoom ring on mine is smooth and easy to use.
I'm just going through some of my images from Sri Lanka where I took the Pen F and 14-140II and PL100-400mm to keep the weight down
The image below was taken with the Pen F, 14-140mm at ISO 2000 at 1/60th and f5.4. Very poor lighting and I was distant to the dancers.
Very versatile lens which is easy to hold and unobtrusive, in my opinion the best travel lens out there. If I broke it I'd get another the next day.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[Stanga]

The 12-60mm and 14-140mm are both suitable for different occasions, which is why I bought both. For indoor use the 12-60mm has come in very handy. My favourite lens for functions as well.
The 14-140mm is my general lens, which I have used at several weddings and Christenings inside churches to get a limited depth of field by shooting from a distance at the longer zoom end. But I do walk with a wide angle converter for it when I might need a wider view on the odd occasions.

 

[retiredfromlife]

BTW, I don't know how the zoom ring on the 14-140 feels like, but the zoom ring on the 12-60 is light and smooth. Just like how I like zoom rings to be

The zoom ring on the 14-140 is very light. A little lighter than my 100-300 and no way near as tight as the 100-400.

 

[frankmulder]

I find it pretty difficult to make small focal length adjustments on the 14-140. When it's set to a certain focal length, it feels a bit "stuck" and hard to turn. Then once I've started to turn the zoom ring, the rest works smoothly. But switching between e.g. 18mm and 25mm doesn't feel very nice. Mind you, this is not a large problem, but it's definitely something I notice compared to the P12-35 and P35-100 (their zoom rings work smooth as butter).

As for the 12-60 vs the 14-140: I went for the latter one because I usually like long more than wide (but I'm still not sure whether to keep it, now that I have the f/2.8 zooms; but that's something for another thread probably ).

 

[ac12]

As for the 12-60 vs the 14-140: I went for the latter one because I usually like long more than wide (but I'm still not sure whether to keep it, now that I have the f/2.8 zooms; but that's something for another thread probably ).

Depending on what you are shooting, you might find the 14-140 preferable to constantly switching between the 12-35 and 35-100.

 

[LV426]

I own the 14-140 III (had a vII and mistakenly sold it) and find it hard to beat for its capabilities. Great range, good IQ (contrast is a little low) and pretty good close focus.

 

[frank28]

As an owner of PL12-60, I'm considering ordering the new 14-140II to replace my old 45-150 and carry both of them when travel.

As someone said above, I don't think the FL overlap would be a problem. When I carry PL12-60 only, I always miss a longer lens. However, when I switched to 45-150 for distance shot, I always found some interesting thing to shot that I regretted I had switched the lens. A 14-140 will not give me that regret anymore. On the other hand, PL12-60 will be used more often, as it offers something that 14-140 could not beat: 12mm, rendering, faster.

Besides, as a replacement of 45-150, I find 14-140 is not significantly larger and heavier.

• 45-150: 200g 62x73 mm
• 14-140: 265g 67x75 mm

and I've got used to carrying 45-150, so I could live with that extra 65 grams I think.