In summary
The small size, light weight and relatively fast maximum aperture of this lens make it ideal for photographers who want a ‘walkaround’ combo with one of the smaller G-series cameras.
The GM series makes an ideal partner for this lens, with the black version matching the black and black/red versions and the silver lens fitting with the silver/green GM5 camera.
As with the original lens, the 14mm focal length covers an angle of view of 75 degrees, which is equivalent to a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera.
It’s not the widest prime lens in Panasonic’s stable ““ the 8mm fisheye lens holds that honour.
Nor is it Panasonic’s fastest prime lens as the company has a 15mm f/1.7 Leica-branded lens, which is not quite as wide and more expensive.
The moderate wide-angle is best suited to landscape photography and group portraiture. The closest focus is 18 cm which, with the wider angle-of-view, is inadequate for shooting close-ups of small objects but usable for larger flowers and animals.
Full review
The latest version of Panasonic’s Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ‘pancake’ lens has been re-styled to make it a better match for the company’s ultra-compact DMC-GM1 or DMC-GM5 cameras. Offered in black and silver, it has the same basic specifications as the original 14mm f/2.5 lens we reviewed back in September, 2011. The AF drive appears to have been upgraded to provide faster, quieter autofocusing but otherwise nothing much has changed.
Angled view of the new Lumix G 14mm f/2.5II ASPH lens showing the front element. (Source: Panasonic.)
The cosmetic differences between the current and previous versions of the Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH. lens are slight. The silver version of the lens is now all silver (including the focusing ring) and the red dot indicating the lens fitting mark is now a slightly smaller, subdued white dot. (The black version of the lens is all black with the same reference dot.)
Comparison views of the silver versions of the new Mark II lens (left) and the original version of the lens it replaces (right). (Source: Panasonic.)
As with the original 14mm f/2.5 lens, this lens comes with front and end caps but no lens hood. Time has seen a reduction in the asking price for the new lens, which has an RRP of AU$599, compared with AU$649 for the original lens. Currently, Panasonic doesn’t offer this lens bundled with any G-series camera.
Who’s it for?
The small size, light weight and relatively fast maximum aperture of this lens make it ideal for photographers who want a ‘walkaround’ combo with one of the smaller G-series cameras.
The GM series makes an ideal partner for this lens, with the black version matching the black and black/red versions and the silver lens fitting with the silver/green GM5 camera.
As with the original lens, the 14mm focal length covers an angle of view of 75 degrees, which is equivalent to a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera.
It’s not the widest prime lens in Panasonic’s stable ““ the 8mm fisheye lens holds that honour.
Nor is it Panasonic’s fastest prime lens as the company has a 15mm f/1.7 Leica-branded lens, which is not quite as wide and more expensive.
The moderate wide-angle is best suited to landscape photography and group portraiture. The closest focus is 18 cm which, with the wider angle-of-view, is inadequate for shooting close-ups of small objects but usable for larger flowers and animals.
Build and Ergonomics
Build quality is similar to the original 14mm f/2.5 lens, with most of the construction comprising black polycarbonate. Like its predecessor, the new lens is manufactured in Japan and has a metal mounting plate, which surrounds a black plastic ring carrying 11 gold contacts. The rear element sits at the centre of this ring, recessed by a millimetre or two.
The outer barrel is a roughly 15 mm wide with a 9 mm wide ribbed focusing ring just behind the leading edge. The front of the lens is threaded to accept 46 mm diameter filters. Internal focusing maintains a constant lens length at all times and the front element of the lens doesn’t move during focusing, allowing use of polarisers and graduated filters.
This diagram shows the optical design of the Lumix G 14mm f/2.5II ASPH lens with the position of the aspherical elements highlighted. (Source: Panasonic.)
As before, the optical design consists of six elements arranged in five groups and includes three aspherical elements to minimise chromatic aberration and distortion. A special multi-coating has been applied to the lens elements to minimise surface reflections that can cause flare, and ghosting. It also optimises contrast and colour neutrality.
A rounded seven-blade iris diaphragm closes to create a circular aperture, producing a pleasing rendition of out-of-focus areas in shots taken with wide aperture settings. Aperture settings range from f/2.5 to f/22. The fast maximum aperture of f/2.5 provides benefits for photographers who work in low-light conditions
Autofocusing is driven by a stepping motor, which operates quickly and quietly, making it ideal for shooting movies and when quiet operation is required. Manual focusing is ‘by wire’, which means this ring can be rotated indefinitely in either direction. We found it moved smoothly and positively, with detectable resistance that allows precise adjustments to be made. There are no stops to mark the infinity or close-focusing distances.
The only other feature on the lens barrel is a small lens fitting mark. We tested the supplied lens on the GH4 body and also on the Olympus OM-D E-M1, which has sensor-shift stabilisation.
This lens is supplied with front and end caps plus a warranty and a 15-page user manual (in English). No lens hood is provided; nor is there a carrying pouch.
Performance
Our Imatest testing showed the review lens performed better on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 body than on the Panasonic DMC-GH4 in our comparative tests. The differences in our test results weren’t great but enough for us to base our assessments on the test images from the E-M1.
The review lens didn’t quite meet expectations for either camera’s 16-megapixel sensor with JPEG files, although our results were very close with raw files from the GH4 and just met expectations with raw files from the E-M1. Resolution peaked at f/4, with a very gradual decline to around f/7.1, where diffraction began to take effect.
Edge and corner softening was found at the widest aperture settings, declining quite rapidly to become largely irrelevant by f/5. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.
Lateral chromatic aberration remained within the ‘negligible’ category, although only just so with the widest and smallest aperture settings. In the graph of our results below, the red line separates negligible and low CA.
We found very slight traces of coloured fringing in shots taken of contrasty subjects but the problem is unlikely to disconcert most potential buyers of this lens. Many M4/3 cameras provide in-camera corrections for chromatic aberration and, for those which don’t, both JPEG and raw files are easily corrected with editing software.
Similarly, most cameras provide automatic corrections for vignetting (edge and corner darkening) and rectilinear distortion so we had to look at raw files to see the extent to which the review lens suffered from either. In each case, the aberration was slight, but noticeable. We estimate corner darkening was roughly half a stop at f/2.5, while barrel distortion was just noticeable.
Contre-jour lighting was handled very well. It was possible to force the lens to flare by including a bright light source in the frame, but with normal backlit subject, flare was minimal and contrast and colour saturation were well maintained.
In bright conditions, the review lens was quick to focus and virtually silent. However, its minimum focusing distance of 18 cm was too long to be ideal for close-ups, except when subjects were relatively large. Bokeh at the widest aperture settings was moderately smooth and typical of many good wide-angle lenses.
Conclusion
Panasonic’s Lumix G 14mm f/2.5II ASPH lens has a lot in its favour, even though the sample we tested was a bit below par, resolution-wise. Small enough to slip into a shirt pocket and fast enough for shooting in dim lighting, it is also inconspicuous and, therefore, ideal for street photography.
It’s a good choice for owners of one of Panasonic’s smaller G-series cameras. However, the local RRP, though lower than when we reviewed its predecessor in 2011, is a little high for the average user, when the original lens is selling for almost $200 less. (Importing the lens from off-shore re-sellers won’t provide a worthwhile price reduction, given the current dollar conversion ratio.)
SPECS
Picture angle: 75 degrees
Minimum aperture: f/22
Lens construction: 6 elements in 5 groups (including 3 aspherical lens elements)
Lens mounts: Micro Four Thirds
Diaphragm Blades: 7 (circular aperture)
Focus drive: Stepping motor
Stabilisation: No
Minimum focus: 18 cm
Maximum magnification: 0.1x
Filter size: 46 mm
Dimensions (Diameter x L): 55.6 x 20.5 mm
Weight: 55 grams
Standard Accessories: Front and rear caps, soft storage bag
TESTS
Based on JPEG files taken with the OM-D E-M1 camera.
SAMPLES
Vignetting at f/2.5. (Taken from an uncorrected ORF.RAW file.)
Rectilinear distortion. (Taken from an uncorrected ORF.RAW file.)
Slight flare in a shot with a bright light source inside the frame; ISO 100, 1/500 second at f/5.6.
Normal backlighting with the light source outside the frame; ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/9.
ISO 100, 1/640 second at f/8.
Crop from a 100% enlargement of the above image showing traces of coloured fringing.
Close-up shot at f/2.5; ISO 200, 1/4000 second.
102: Close-up shot at f/8; ISO 200, 1/320 second.
Rating
RRP: AU$599; US$397.95
- Build: 8.5
- Handling: 8.5
- Image quality: 8.3
- Versatility: 8.3