Panasonic 14-140 question

[DynaSport]

I have been thinking about getting the new Panasonic 14-140 as my next lens. The lens tempts me because I could use it as a vacation/outdoor walk around/general purpose lens. My current lens line up, which I am happy with, is the P14/PL25/O45 and the O40-150. I also have the kit O14-42 that came with my E-PM1, but I haven't used that lens in a long time. I still have the E-PM1, but I rarely use it. I now use a G5. The P14-140 also appeals to me because it has OIS, which I don't have in any of my lenses at present.

But I have read in the P14-140 image thread here that shutter shock with this lens on a G5 may be an issue. Unfortunately, that thread is not very active and there isn't much conclusive information about the issue. Having suffered with shutter shock on my E-PM1 and kit 14-42, I really don't want to deal with it again. Another concern is that for the price I can get something like the LX7 or other compact camera to cover that range. Finally, for the money I can get a different lens like the P100-300 which would cover a range I don't have now and would like or even the new PL15 which interests me to replace my P14.

So, you can see I'm all over the place. I'm in no hurry on this purchase and will probably wait until whatever lens I want to buy is on sale or I find a good price on a used one and am interested in other's thoughts about this.

Thanks
Dan

 

[T N Args]

Shutter shock seems to be impossible to predict which lens/camera combo will exhibit it.

My wife uses the 14-140 almost exclusively. Her camera is the G3. She has no complaints at all. But that doesn't help you much.

 

[alex66]

You could get a used one then if you end up with shutter shock just sell it for min loss, that said if you are in decent light you can always switch off the OIS. I like the 14-140 for a super zoom its not bad quality, certainly better than the aps options I tried and it is a great walk round. Am I right in thinking this prob is a stabilisation/shutter speed issue?

 

[jrsilva]

Hi Dan.

Did you got the 14-140mm zoom?
If yes, how does it perform on the Panasonic G5.
I also own a G5 and I'm thinking about getting this zoom, but I'm concerned about shutter shock.
I've read that using electronic shutter may fix this issue, but electronic shutter does have also some feature limitations and I don't want to use it all the time.

 

[Turbofrog]

I assume you're talking about the 14-140 f3.5-5.6 (i.e. the Mk. II). I have been using the 14-140 Mk. 1 on my GX1 without noticeable shutter shock (or rather, when pixel peeping I can't tell whether it's the optics or shutter shock causing any slight loss of sharpness).

I've heard the Mk. II may be worse than the Mk. 1 due to its OIS design (Power OIS vs. Mega OIS), though, so I'm not sure my comments are worthwhile here. In general, IQ on the 14-140 has been a pleasant surprise, and usability is excellent. Having the long FLs readily available without having to dedicate myself to them really expands your shooting envelope. Works handily for near-macro shots of bigger bugs like bees and dragonflies, too!

 

[jrsilva]

Thank's for sharing your experience
I really like to ear about the MK II version.

 

[stw]

I am interested in the 14-140 II as well. My current lineup consists of an O17 1.8, O45, P14-42 kit lens that came with my GX7, and a P45-150. The O45 is my favorite of the lot, far and away. I am not unhappy with the others, and have gotten some great shots with them. I am thinking about selling both the 14-42 and 45-150, and replacing them with the 14-140. Having that large range to use as a walk around lens would be really nice.

It seems that this lens and its Oly counterpart don't go on sale very often. Does Panasonic ever do refurb sales like we see fairly often from Olympus?

 

[ijm5012]

I am interested in the 14-140 II as well. My current lineup consists of an O17 1.8, O45, P14-42 kit lens that came with my GX7, and a P45-150. The O45 is my favorite of the lot, far and away. I am not unhappy with the others, and have gotten some great shots with them. I am thinking about selling both the 14-42 and 45-150, and replacing them with the 14-140. Having that large range to use as a walk around lens would be really nice.

It seems that this lens and its Oly counterpart don't go on sale very often. Does Panasonic ever do refurb sales like we see fairly often from Olympus?

No, Panasonic does not do refurbished sales like Olympus does. Occasionally you'll see some cash-back offer with the lens, but other than that you're stuck paying retail prices for a new one. The only option to get one cheaper is to get one used, but they don't come up very often (for good reason, it's a great lens).

 

[alex66]

No, Panasonic does not do refurbished sales like Olympus does. Occasionally you'll see some cash-back offer with the lens, but other than that you're stuck paying retail prices for a new one. The only option to get one cheaper is to get one used, but they don't come up very often (for good reason, it's a great lens).

They do refurbs or sell offs on the UK Ebay if your in the UK.

 

[stw]

Dang. Well, I'll keep an eye out for a deal on one. Thanks for the info.

 

[Mohun]

I hope this is not a hijeck of the thread, but I think my query is closely related.

I have a relaively new GX7 and, GAS not withstanding, I don't plan "upgrading" any time soon. My very modest kit is the venerable but excellent IQ/operating value 14-45 OIS zoom (and it's functioned very well indeed as my general walk-around lens on two European holidays), and a new 15mm f/1.7 PL Summilux which so far has been splendid and is currently mounted on the GX7 as my default, i.e., "grab and go" lens.

From time to time on a few outings, particularly to the zoo and other mostly outdoor activities, I'd like a little bit longer (than the 14-45) lens option, definitely an OIS Lumix, but not one of the several costly options.

I've thought about the Lumix 45-150 which seems so far to be a good value for its IQ and price, but is not sold separately locally. I more and more prefer to buy locally than deal with the possible hassle that might be involved with any returns, hipping, etc even with a solid online retailer like B&H, from which I've purchased in the past and from which I continue to purchase snaller items like spare batteries an, especially, printer ink.

I did, in fact, recently inquire about a 45-150 OIS that was part of a local CL package for a GX1 and a couple of other lenses, but it may be that the entire package was sold (it still appears on CL, though), which was the seller's preference, but I'll keep looking for similar deals.

On the subject of the 14-140 in his thread, I'm wondering here if a sensible option for me would be to sell or trade in my 14-45 and subsitute the 14-140 for both my basic zoom and the for the longer (45-150 OIS) zoom, or would I suffer an overall IQ and/or operational step backward in the 14-45mm range if made such a change?