Help decisions? Oly 12mm or P7-14

[tgrieger]

I'm new to m43 and am trying to build a decent kit. If you could have either a Panasonic 7-14 or the Olympus 12prime, but not both, which would you prefer.
I'll use it predominantly for landscape and architecture on OM-D

 

[Hingo]

dont know the 7-14, I think its good, for architectural especially

The 12mm olympus is looks good, but the only thing thats bother me is that heavy distortion, which can be reduced but I think there will always be a sign of it.

 

[Kiwi Paul]

I chose the 7-14, the IQ is fine and it has the versatility of a zoom. It might only be f4 but for UWA-WA that is enough, I don't really see the necessity of a 12mm lens needing to be f2, good for low light hand held stuff I guess but I've found the 7-14 to be fine for my requirements.

Paul

 

[Mercurio]

I decided to buy the O 9-18 instead of the P 7-14 to be used with the O-MD simply because I can use filters and I wanted to avoid the issues of purple flaring that occur with this lens and camera, as have been discused in other threads. As I live in South America I haven't received it yet to give you my impressions but it seems to be pretty small, that is a plus for portability. I didn't considered the 12mm because I wanted to go wider.

 

[dhazeghi]

I'm new to m43 and am trying to build a decent kit. If you could have either a Panasonic 7-14 or the Olympus 12prime, but not both, which would you prefer.
I'll use it predominantly for landscape and architecture on OM-D

If you've never used an ultrawide, I'd wait, or at least rent before you buy. It's not simply a matter of getting more in the frame - interesting composition requires careful layout. Landscapes and architecture do not automatically demand UWA lenses - they're one approach among many.

I'd start with the kit 12-50 and if you find yourself trying to go wider or needing more light or sharpness, you'll know where to go. Also, the Panasonic 7-14, while an excellent lens, does have some odd behavior on the E-M5 in terms of flare.

 

[tgrieger]

There's a Panasonic 7-14 on Ebay from local town... I've read the reviews of both lenses and had fixed my heart on the 12mm prime simply because it's native to Olympus. What I've seen of the much wider panasonic does look appealing and I thought some other users may be able to make the decision easier... Just wish Olympus has a 8mm F2 or something similar. Is 12mm wide enough for those special places? On my old OM4 system the 21mm was far more interesting than the 24mm.

 

[tgrieger]

Thanks for your wise advice on the P7-14. I'll let it go and use the gear I've already got a bit more first. Maybe the Oly 9-18 is a better alternative. This forum is quite a treasure store of useful advice.

 

[quatchi]

Although you already made your decision:

In case your primary use is landscape, I would go with the P7-14 (or Oly9-18) instead of the Oly12. This is why: The Oly is supposed to be a very sharp lens (I don't own it) and has the advantage of f2. While sharp images are although desirable for landscape pictures, the f2 most often will render a very small DoF. Especially with a wide angle lens, most often this is not a desired effect. This means, the f2 would only come in handy when used in a dark enviroment for hand held shots (again not a landscape domain).

The 7-14/9-18 on the other hand, give you the advantage of a zoom as well as even more wide angle. And for every day use, they are sharp enough as well.

I for myself chose the 9-18. Its a very nice and tiny lens which is capable of rendering very beautiful images.

 

[martink111]

12f2

I had the same dilema in preparation for a two week trip to Europe. It basically came down to whether low light or flexibility were the most critical consideration. Since I wanted to avoid using a tripod (the wife would kill me if I lugged it around everywhere) I went with the 12. I can't speak for the 7-14 (I do have a near equivalent in my Canon 10-22), but for what its worth I absolutely love the 12. Without IBIS on my GF3, I can reliably handhold down to 1/10th and get critically sharp shots at even 100% magnification- this is critical when inside buildings or at magic hour lighting (just before sunrise for example). The build is stellar, the size is indiscrete and it- along with my Panalux 25- is the only lens I have ever used (APS-C or Micro Four thirds) that I won't hesitate to use wide open. DXO Optics also has excellent correction for it as well.

I will someday get the 7-14 as well, but that 12 justifies the whole micro four-thirds concept.

 

[apbtlvr]

+1 for the P7-14mm
I nearly got the Oly 12mm as first lens for my GX1. The lack of an included hood dissuaded me however. The P7-14 is a great lens that serves like a pint sized 14-24 Nikon- very similar FOV. The slower f/4 aperture is not a liability to me and the lens takes great images hand held or from a tripod. For landscapes, it's hard to go wrong at f/5.6- f/8. I do plan to add the Oly12mm for low light use at some point but there's no rush at all. Having said all that, you are quite sensible to use what you have now and wait before choosing.

@9mm
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The lens is nice for panos too.
Great Falls on the rise after Sandy.
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