Ultrawide primes?

[Growltiger]

Are there any ultrawide primes? (NOT fisheye). I need 7mm or 7.5mm. I have not found any.

 

[letsgofishing]

Afraid not.
I've been hoping that SOMEONE - Oly, Panny or Sigma, will bring out an 8mm rectilinear prime, but so far, no go.....

 

[MassimoFoti]

A quality, rectilinear prime in the 7-10 mm range is one of the most visible "hole" still remaining within Micro 4/3 lens lineup.
I believe it's just a matter of time and somebody will fill the gap

 

[cmpatti]

Afraid not.
I've been hoping that SOMEONE - Oly, Panny or Sigma, will bring out an 8mm rectilinear prime, but so far, no go.....

Seems to me that if we are to get a rectilinear ultrawide Samyang is the most likely manufacturer. They currently produce a 14mm FF lens and might down-scale that design for m43. Hard to see Oly or Panny filling this gap.


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[Growltiger]

Looks like I have to wait for the Olympus 7-14 f/2.8 - and that is not until some time in 2015.

 

[dhazeghi]

Are there any ultrawide primes? (NOT fisheye). I need 7mm or 7.5mm. I have not found any.

If it just needs to be a prime, the Rokinon 10/2.8 + 0.7X focal reducer adapter should do.

Looks like I have to wait for the Olympus 7-14 f/2.8 - and that is not until some time in 2015.

But that's not a prime. So perhaps you can help by explaining why a zoom won't work for you.

 

[Growltiger]

A zoom will work but is larger and heavier and far more expensive. I envisaged a small high quality prime.

 

[cmpatti]

A zoom will work but is larger and heavier and far more expensive. I envisaged a small high quality prime.

I wouldn't assume that an ultrawide prime will be far less expensive than a zoom. Canon's 14mm f/2.8 is $2400, more than any of its UWA zooms. Olympus's widest prime, the 12mm f/2, is more expensive than the 9-18mm. While it's possible that a UWA prime will be cheaper than current zoom options, especially if we were to get one from Samyang, for example, that's not a foregone conclusion.


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[dhazeghi]

A zoom will work but is larger and heavier and far more expensive. I envisaged a small high quality prime.

Ultrawide zooms are not usually all that small, due both to the challenges of designing of UWA design and the fact they tend to have faster apertures to distinguish them from the zooms (see e.g. the 12/2 and 9-18/4.0-5.6). Price is also not necessarily lower, since zooms sell in much smaller quantities.

There aren't many prime lenses for any system wider than ~20mm EFL (10mm on m4/3), and of those that exist, almost none are compact or inexpensive.

If you want 7mm, the Panasonic 7-14/4 is your best bet. The upcoming Olympus 7-14/2.8 will certainly not be smaller or less expensive, and the adapted Samyang 10/2.8 and focal reducer will be larger as well.

 

[Ned]

If you want the best, get the 4/3 Zuiko Digital 7-14mm/4 with the MMF-3 mount adapter.

Well... if you don't mind the size and weight of course. xD Seriously, I don't see what's wrong with the Lumix 7-14mm/4? It's a fabulous lens and I see no need for another. A prime could be made faster, but you don't need that with an ultra-wide.

 

[Turbofrog]

There is the Kowa Prominar 8.5mm/f2.8 coming at some point. But it is an ultra-low distortion specialty lens and manual focus, and I don't think anyone is expecting it to be less than $1000. Possibly much more.

 

[Growltiger]

Yes, you are right, the Lumix 7-14 is tempting. But I'll make myself wait to see how the Olympus 7-14 compares.

 

[Ricoh]

...Seriously, I don't see what's wrong with the Lumix 7-14mm/4? It's a fabulous lens and I see no need for another.

Unless using an EM5, or you can tolerate the purple flaring! And before someone leaps on the rear filter adaptation bandwagon, yes I'm aware of the mod and I'm currently trying to purchase the necessary parts.

 

[jnewell]

Yes, you are right, the Lumix 7-14 is tempting. But I'll make myself wait to see how the Olympus 7-14 compares.

Unless using an EM5, or you can tolerate the purple flaring! And before someone leaps on the rear filter adaptation bandwagon, yes I'm aware of the mod and I'm currently trying to purchase the necessary parts.

I do not get noticeably different performance on my G5 (or on my former GX1) than I get on my E-M5 and E-M1.

The Olympus 7-14/2.8 will probably be a great lens, but it will be larger and heavier than the Panasonic 7-14/4.

I had a couple of the Oly 12/2s for a while and compared them to my 7-14/4. At the same apertures and FLs, the 7-14/4 was at least as sharp as the 12/2s. It's a very good lens.

 

[letsgofishing]

There is the Kowa Prominar 8.5mm/f2.8 coming at some point. But it is an ultra-low distortion specialty lens and manual focus, and I don't think anyone is expecting it to be less than $1000. Possibly much more.

I'm aware of this lens - just waiting to see how much and what it's like in real life.
For my seascape images, I need a lens that takes filters.

 

[cmpatti]

There is the Kowa Prominar 8.5mm/f2.8 coming at some point. But it is an ultra-low distortion specialty lens and manual focus, and I don't think anyone is expecting it to be less than $1000. Possibly much more.

Wow, I hadn't previously heard about this lens. Unfortunately based on the few images of and by the lens I've found, it looks bigger than the P7-14 and not at all optically superior (although it's really hard to tell). It may be more expensive as well. All of this reinforces just what an amazing lens the P7-14 is. The Kowa does take filters, however, so for those for whom that's an absolute requirement, it might be just the thing. If it turns out to be of high optical quality, it might also be of interest to night sky photographers (although I suspect it will have trouble competing for that application with the O7-14 if that lens turns out to be of similar quality to the 012-40).


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[RDM]

Are there any ultrawide primes? (NOT fisheye). I need 7mm or 7.5mm. I have not found any.

Afraid not.
I've been hoping that SOMEONE - Oly, Panny or Sigma, will bring out an 8mm rectilinear prime, but so far, no go.....

There is the Kowa Prominar 8.5mm/f2.8 coming at some point. But it is an ultra-low distortion specialty lens and manual focus, and I don't think anyone is expecting it to be less than $1000. Possibly much more.

Wow, I hadn't previously heard about this lens. Unfortunately based on the few images of and by the lens I've found, it looks bigger than the P7-14 and not at all optically superior (although it's really hard to tell). It may be more expensive as well. All of this reinforces just what an amazing lens the P7-14 is. The Kowa does take filters, however, so for those for whom that's an absolute requirement, it might be just the thing. If it turns out to be of high optical quality, it might also be of interest to night sky photographers (although I suspect it will have trouble competing for that application with the O7-14 if that lens turns out to be of similar quality to the 012-40).

Yes the Kowa would be one solution for you. It is all manual like any lens Samyang would have made too.
It is essentially a re-labled lens from their 4/3" C-mount lineup, with a permanent µ4/3 mount. If you have a C-mount adapter you might be able to go and try one right now if you can find a place that sells/stocks one and would let you test it. And yes Kowa's cin c-mount version is already out and sells for just over a thousand dollars.

 

[Klorenzo]

I'm aware of this lens - just waiting to see how much and what it's like in real life.
For my seascape images, I need a lens that takes filters.

Maybe you could try some ugly universal filter adapter...

I mean something like these: http://www.stockholmviews.com/sigma_8-16/sigma-8-16mm-filters.html

 

[mistermark]

A quality, rectilinear prime in the 7-10 mm range is one of the most visible "hole" still remaining within Micro 4/3 lens lineup.
I believe it's just a matter of time and somebody will fill the gap

Agreed 100%. There are rumours that Olympus will launch such a lens, in the 9 to 10.5mm range, late this year. I hope it's available in black as well as silver, is weather-sealed and uses the same 46mm filters as the 25 and 60mm optics.