Lens overhaul... thoughts? 7-14, 12-50 and 15 for 7-14 f2.8

The Oly 7-14 is a magnificent lens, and I think it is the way to go if you want to shoot UWA in poor weather. The front element is very exposed at 7mm, and will get rain/snow/dirt/etc on it. Is it durable enough to be cleaned regularly? I would hope so, since weather sealing is a major selling point, but I am always concerned about damaging the front element trying to clean it... There's a huge difference going from 12mm to 7mm, so I think its worth it to go really wide when you need weather sealing - that's why I have a copy of the Oly 7-14. There are threads and tests on the web comparing the Pany and Oly 7-14's, and bottom line is that the Oly has very slightly more acuity, can focus alarmingly close, and provides weather sealing, all at the expense of much larger size and weight. F/2.8 vs f/4 doesn't give you that much, but every little bit counts. Difficulty with filters is a problem shared with the Pany 7-14, but there are some solutions out there. Only you can decide if its worth trading in other lenses for the Oly.

 

This may sound like a silly thing, but by changing lenses like this, aren't you shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted? Unless you are planning to make multiple trips to Iceland, will you find yourself facing these weather conditions on a regular basis?

From what I've read the Oly is a great lens, but make sure you consider everything you shoot every day before making the change.

 

Oly 7-14 doesn't take filter so you wouldn't be able to get those silky waterfall shots. It's one thing that's keeping me from getting this lens. For most landscapes I think 12mm is good enough and it takes filters.


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There are several solutions to fitting filters on the 7-14 but if you prefer screw in filters then the 9-18 is probably the better option, albeit not weather sealed. If a weather sealed UWA is what you need then the 7-14/2.8 is really the only option.

 

The Pan 7-14 f/4 has the same filter issues so it's probably not an issue.

 

If UWA and weather sealing are what you need, there really is no other alternative than the Oly 7-14/2.8 right now.

 

Crazy thought - what's your body? The Olympus 11-22mm is weather-sealed, very affordable (I paid $200 for mine), and would work well on an E-M1 (I use it mainly with manual focus on a GX7, which is fine for landscapes).

If you are in love with the ultrawide look, then it's clearly not suitable. But it would be a major step up from the 12-50, and still takes 72mm filters if that's also a big part of your landscape photography.

I'm always tempted to go wider than 11mm, but I feel like 10-11mm is the threshold of what can almost be considered "natural" looking, before you start to get really extreme perspective distortion that just doesn't feel real to me. But your mileage may vary.

 

Yep. It's really the best for this in any system on the market. Which is kind of crazy. The new Pentax K-1 and 15-30/2.8 WR are probably the other primary competitor. I was pretty annoyed that there isn't any Pentax APS-C UWA that is weather sealed. And I feel like Nikon and Canon are always very coy and elusive about the weather resistance on their high-end lenses and body. I guess the Nikon 14-24/2.8 is sealed, but the Canon 11-24L apparently requires a front filter for complete sealing...but doesn't have front filter threads. I guess there's the 16-35/2.8L II with a filter on the front as another option.

 

IMO you should just sell the 12-50 and keep the 7-14mm f4 and 15mm f1.7. Even though the Panasonic is a stop slower than the Olympus, the 15mm is still 1.5 stops faster. Especially if photography is not always the #1 priority, the 15mm is great for general snapshots and much lighter than the Olympus (115 vs 534 grams).

 

Just a bit of patience on eBay, I'm sure more would come up. It's big, heavy, short-range variable aperture zoom for a dead small sensor system, nominally superceded by two other lenses (9-18 and 12-60). Doesn't sound so good on paper when you put it that way. Shhhhh, it's a secret that it's still good...

 

I just made the switch from the Panasonic 7-14 to the Olympus 7-14 f/2.8, almost solely because of the weather sealing. I loved the Panasonic 7-14 for its size, weight, and IQ, but the lack of weather sealing prevented me from using it in adverse conditions (and you never know what you're going to run in to when you're out in the field for an entire day).

I am very happy with the 7-14 f/2.8. Yes, it is a lot larger and heavier than the Panasonic 7-14, but the weather sealing is a big selling point, and the extra stop of light could come in handy when shooting handheld in low light. One of the things that surprised me the most was the build quality. The Olympus 7-14 f/2.8 is just built like a tank! Comparing it to the Panasonic, it makes the Panasonic seem like a cheap little toy lens (but the IQ begs to differ).

If you find yourself using the 14-24mm eqv. FoV a lot, and you shoot in rainy, cold, dirty environments a lot, then I would definitely suggest picking up the Oly. However unless you have a different weather-sealed, standard zoom, I would be hesitant to let go of the 12-50. That's a crucial focal range, and being without it may end up doing more harm than good. The same goes for the PL15. I have one and absolutely love it. If you don't really use it, then that's a different story, but if you're simply looking to generate the funds to buy the Olympus, I would suggest holding on to the 12-50 and PL15, and just take a bit more time to save up the remaining money needed to purchase the Olympus. Once you get it, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

 

I don't think it's silly at all. By all accounts, the Oly 7-14mm is the best lens in its class. Maybe against a lot of other systems too. Paring down your lens collection to get the best lens in the lineup seems like a fine thing to me.

I'm planning on trading in my Panasonic 7-14mm for one as well. The extra stop of light and weather sealing are important enough for me that the Panny isn't cutting it. Also prefer the Olympus pro ergonomics.

YMMV

 

hi, shaolinmonk, can you update with your findings? at last you moved back to panasonic?
I'm planning to buy an UWA for my em1.2 and gx80 and I cannot decide between the two

 

I fitted the rear filter holder + Wratten 1A gel filter solution to my Panasonic 7-14 and it completely fixes the purple blobs. The only downside is that the gel is quite susceptible to scuffing so you need to treat it carefully.

 

I'm desperately waiting for the new Panasonic 8-18. If that delivers (including no purple blobs) then I'll definitely swap. Regular filter thread and hopefully lighter/smaller than the Olympus 7-14.

 

I have the Oly 12-50mm in my camera bag at all times, it's cheap, weather sealed and wide enough, it's a lens I never have to worry about damaging and unless your a true pixel peeper or a Pro the IQ isn't all that bad at all.

I say keep what you got