Micro four thirds lens advice

J

Jordash

Messages
23
Name
Ian
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

We've had our panasonic gx8 for about a year so far and I must say I'm really impressed. The Nikon D7000 has hardly been out of the bag at all.

Having said that I wonder if I could get some feedback on lenses.

I currently have the 12-60 panny kit lens which I must say I've been pretty impressed with. For a kit lens it works great and gives some good results.

Sadly I can't say the same for the Panasonic 45-200ois I picked up second hand. Looking back over the year I doubt I've had less than 10 'keepers' from it.

We do a mixture of photography when we're out and about. I think a majority is landscape, but we'd love to do more wildlife stuff.

On the Nikon we have the 70-300 VR II and for a consumer lens it's been brilliant. That lens gets put on all the time. I can't say the same for the 45-200 on the Panasonic.

It would be great to know what lens other folks use most with their m43 cameras and maybe even see a few examples if possible?

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi there :D

I had the 45-200mm and found it very difficult to get sharp pictures at the longer end, at the shorter end I found it to be good but at longer end it always seemed to disappoint me with unsharp pictures. I don't think it was a fault, I think they're all like that :(

I changed mine for a 45-150mm and although it's much smaller than the 45-200mm I think it's a much better performer :D
 
OK thanks, I appreciate it. I need to try similar style of photos and see how they look, I could also do a side by side with the Nikon and see how I feel.

Either way keep the advice and recommendations coming.
 
I have the Olympus 40-150 4 - 5.6, cheap as chips, [it does feel it too, all plastic inc mount] but it does produce decent enough quality. I've noticed some CA issues when used on my old em5, but only in extreme highlight conditions. I plan to sell on mine though for a little more reach, and a lens that will have better correction with my G80. I have been eyeing the 45-175, it is apparently very good, I like that it has internal zoom so it remains nice and neat - also very good for shooting up against glass like I often do for garden bird shots. I also fancy the Pany 100-300, though it is getting back into bigger lens territory I think it is still a fair bit smaller than your average Dslr 70-300

Anywhere I have read about the 50-200 suggested it was poor lens, probably the poorest of all the tele lenses for M43
 
Last edited:
Jordash said:
It would be great to know what lens other folks use most with their m43 cameras and maybe even see a few examples if possible?
Click to expand...

I have recently been putting my best images into Flickr albums which indicate the lens used.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amcuk/albums

I have an Olympus E-M10 Mkii (recently upgraded from the original).

My most used lens is the Olympus 17mm f1.8 (equivalent to 34mm on FF)
Followed by the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 - cheap, brilliant (50mm equ)

I then move onto the 14-42mm Olympus Pancake zoom.
Less frequently I use the Olympus 45mm f1.8 and finally the cheap Olympus 40-150mm zoom

I don't shoot anything that needs your kind of reach regularly but there is a bit of discussion on telephoto lenses going on in the general Olmpus OM-D thread here.
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...-2-owners-thread.395080/page-281#post-8086571
 
Just one thing to bear in mind, if memory serves, Olympus lenses don’t have stabilisation because Olympus bodies have built in stabilisation whereas Panny lenses do have stabilisation in the lens. So you probably want a Panasonic lens rather than an Olympus one
 
sirch said:
Just one thing to bear in mind, if memory serves, Olympus lenses don’t have stabilisation because Olympus bodies have built in stabilisation whereas Panny lenses do have stabilisation in the lens. So you probably want a Panasonic lens rather than an Olympus one
Click to expand...
I'm open to consider either, as the gx8 also has body image stabilisation, but it is a worthwhile consideration.
 
Once the body has IBIS then it doesn't matter what lens you use, it'll be stabilized. The only difference really is with Power OIS lenses, that take advantage of dual IS with Panasonic cameras. And from what I've heard, there's not all that big a difference between IBIS and dual IS
 
Last edited:
AMcUK said:
I have recently been putting my best images into Flickr albums which indicate the lens used.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amcuk/albums

I have an Olympus E-M10 Mkii (recently upgraded from the original).

My most used lens is the Olympus 17mm f1.8 (equivalent to 34mm on FF)
Followed by the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 - cheap, brilliant (50mm equ)

I then move onto the 14-42mm Olympus Pancake zoom.
Less frequently I use the Olympus 45mm f1.8 and finally the cheap Olympus 40-150mm zoom

I don't shoot anything that needs your kind of reach regularly but there is a bit of discussion on telephoto lenses going on in the general Olmpus OM-D thread here.
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...-2-owners-thread.395080/page-281#post-8086571
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing, that's helping.
 
I think the Panasonic 14mm f2.5 is a fab lens for the money, it's absolutely tiny and the results are great, it's hardly ever off my granddaughters camera.
 
Another vote for the Panasonic 45-150, it's nice and compact. I've also got the 100-300 II but it is about three times the size and price. I've been very happy with both so far.
 
Jordash said:
Has anyone else got any lens recommendations?
Click to expand...
Another vote for the cheap and lightweight Olympus 40-150.
Mine is sharp and goes everywhere with me in a pouch in the bag.
(My camera usually has 15mm or 20mm or 45mm prime to start.)
I also own yer Lumix 45-200 but it is a bigger heavier lens and stays at home mostly. Better at 200m than the olympus...
 
I had a brief play against this weekend. Actually the 45-200 is working well, comparable to the Nikon 70-300. I think the difference is the weight and feel of the lens. Its performance seems OK. Still I'd like some nicer lenses!
 
So the next question is, what prime lenses do you guys like to use (plus examples if possible).
 
Jordash said:
So the next question is, what prime lenses do you guys like to use (plus examples if possible).
Click to expand...

I’m not sure how answering that would be very helpful, everyone’s preference for focal length is different.

I own/owned pretty much all the primes and I use them when I want a fast prime of that focal length. Generally though I just use the 12-40 pro.
 
Nawty said:
I’m not sure how answering that would be very helpful, everyone’s preference for focal length is different.

I own/owned pretty much all the primes and I use them when I want a fast prime of that focal length. Generally though I just use the 12-40 pro.
Click to expand...
I'm just interested in people's experiences. Especially if there are any dogs to avoid, or gems that should be in everyone's bad.
 
As Nawty said it’s down to personal prefernece. Some people rate the 20mm highly but I’m not a fan of it. I personally use PL15mm, PL25mm and 42.5mm 1.7 which suit my needs. It’s easier to say which focal lengh you use the most and then ask for recommendations based on that, better yet if you use Lightroom you can see which lengh you tend to shoot the most.
 
Jordash said:
I'm just interested in people's experiences. Especially if there are any dogs to avoid, or gems that should be in everyone's bad.
Click to expand...


The nice thing about m43 is that all the lenses are good so you can just pick on specs to suit your needs.

Everyone says the Oly 45mm f/1.8 is a gem but I have one and don't use it. It really is down to personal preference with primes.
 
Many of the M43 primes are cheap in comparison to comparable APSC or FF primes. Take the 42.5mm f/1.7 mentioned, it can be got for about £240 used, a fair bit cheaper than the £300+ the Nikon 85mm 1.8 fetches still. And the Panasonic has Power OIS.

I only have the one prime atm, the very cheap Panasonic 25mm f/1,7, and it does most of what I need for now. I still want something wider, and something longer, that 42.5mm is tempting, but I'm also looking to the Samyang 12mm F2.
 
I had the Panasonic 45-200 and was never very impressed with it. I replaced it with the Panasonic 45-150 and I'm much happier. I also bought the Olympus 40-150 afterwards and they are both very good, especially for the price they go for. Given that you have a Panasonic body, I would probably recommend the Panasonic 45-150 as an alternative to the 45-200 given that it has OIS in the lens. If you need more focal length then the Olympus m.Zuiko 75-300 is pretty good, affordable and still very portable. I had the Panasonic 100-300 MkI but again wasn't very impressed, especially at the tele end; the 100-300 MkII may be better.

As for primes, I have the following Oly primes: 12 f/2, 17 f/1.8, 25 f/1.8, 45 f/1.8, 75 f/1.8 and they are all excellent IMO. I had the Panasonic 20 f/1.7 MkI at some point, which was very sharp but was somewhat slow to focus, so I sold it and replaced it with the Oly 17 f/1.8.

From originally using a Canon system, I have been consistently impressed by the optical performance most m4/3 lenses that I have bought, almost regardless of price. A good place to read up on m4/3 lens tests is here:

http://www.opticallimits.com/Reviews/overview#mfourthirds
 
maarten.dhaese said:
I had the Panasonic 100-300 MkI but again wasn't very impressed, especially at the tele end; the 100-300 MkII may be better.
Click to expand...


They both have the same optics. I've just ordered the mk1, in fact I'd have it already if it weren't for the snow! I only need it to be decent up to around 250mm. I use a 200mm manual focus lens atm and it's a bit tricky, it's also soft wide open [F4] and really wants to be stopped down to F8 for best quality. Reasonable AF, modern optics and a bit more reach should please me. I will report back on how I find it though
 
I had good results with and enjoyed using;

Lumix G Vario 100-300
Lumix 20mm f1.7
Olympus M.45 f1.8
 
Thanks for the feedback. Useful stuff. I took my gear out skiing with me and tried to stick with the 45-200 all day. My main issues at the time was relatively slow focusing. It also lost focus several times, which has wasted annoying.

Then came the biggest disappointment when I came to look at the photos on my laptop. They are all soft. To the point of looking like they missed the focus point. Very annoying, the photos will do for holiday snaps, but not sure how they'll look printed at A4.

Normally I'd have considered it to be a slow shutter speed issue, but some of these shots were taken at 1/2000s (glorious sunshine on the slopes!)

I'm out on the slopes at the moment, but once I'm back and have chance to edit them, I'll upload some shots to show you.
 
Cagey75 said:
They both have the same optics. I've just ordered the mk1, in fact I'd have it already if it weren't for the snow! I only need it to be decent up to around 250mm. I use a 200mm manual focus lens atm and it's a bit tricky, it's also soft wide open [F4] and really wants to be stopped down to F8 for best quality. Reasonable AF, modern optics and a bit more reach should please me. I will report back on how I find it though
Click to expand...

Just to add to this, I have the original 100-300mm (bought second hand) and struggled with it a bit in the beginning but have been reasonably happy with the results if you keep the shutter speeds up which may mean higher ISO's than you would like. The lens construction is not great......does not feel like an expensive lens....and the zoom, at least on mine, is not smooth at all. I found the best technique to use auto ISO (set max to 1600) then use camera in shutter priority with a shutter speed set for 1/640. Of course will not work for every situation but OK for general visits to the zoo :) Also to add I found a monopod very helpful.

20180226-P1220265.jpg by Gary Laird, on Flickr

20180226-P1220240.jpg by Gary Laird, on Flickr

20180226-P1220435.jpg by Gary Laird, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
GaryLaird said:
Just to add to this, I have the original 100-300mm (bought second hand) and struggled with it a bit in the beginning but have been reasonably happy with the results if you keep the shutter speeds up which may mean higher ISO's than you would like. The lens construction is not great......does not feel like an expensive lens....and the zoom, at least on mine, is not smooth at all. I found the best technique to use auto ISO (set max to 1600) then use camera in shutter priority with a shutter speed set for 1/640. Of course will not work for every situation but OK for general visits to the zoo :) Also to add I found a monopod very helpful.

20180226-P1220265.jpg by Gary Laird, on Flickr

20180226-P1220240.jpg by Gary Laird, on Flickr

20180226-P1220435.jpg by Gary Laird, on Flickr
Click to expand...


Lovely images, great colours.

I have since got the lens and finding it fine for my needs :) I can get away with up to 1000 ISO usually with the garden birds, which is clean enough if the lighting is half decent even, if it's real dull I may have to go to 1600 - I prefer manual control, I set the ISO and SP on the fly and generally stick to 5.6 - 7.1, depending on the light. I have been pulling it back to around 250mm but 300 is sharp enough. The zoom isn't the smoothest on mine either, the manual focus ring even tighter, but I think it's built well enough, especially what I paid for it.

Green finch
f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 640 @300mm
Greenfinch grabbing sunflower seed by K G, on Flickr
 
Jordash said:
So the next question is, what prime lenses do you guys like to use (plus examples if possible).
Click to expand...
As above - the Olympus 17mm f1.8 is my most used and most loved lens.
If I had to buy one lens then that would be it.
However it's £370 new or somewhere around £220 used.
The Panasonic 25mm f1.7 at £150 new is an absolute bargain.
 
Do you guys rate the P25 1.4 and the P100-400? Today I Collected the G9 and although i have loads of primes I don’t have a 25mm and I have nothing over the O75 (150mm). I was looking at the 100-300 mark II but i like the extra reach of the 100-400.

Recommendations and pictures would be extremely helpful in making my mind up.
 
I use the Oly EM1 ii, and have favoured the Oly 12-40mm Pro, and the Oly 40-150mm Pro. For birding I use the Pany 100-400mm zoom. If you use the Pany body, they first two might not work for you as the IBIS is in the Oly body, not the lens............:)
 
Gandalf said:
Do you guys rate the P25 1.4 and the P100-400? Today I Collected the G9 and although i have loads of primes I don’t have a 25mm and I have nothing over the O75 (150mm). I was looking at the 100-300 mark II but i like the extra reach of the 100-400.

Recommendations and pictures would be extremely helpful in making my mind up.
Click to expand...


I have both.

The 25mm is pretty decent, gives a different look to the Oly lenses - different colours. I don't use it much though for some reason even though I quite like the focal length.

The 100-400 is an absolutely cracking lens, I took it to Alaska and nothing beats having 200-800 FFE that you can just carry around and hand hold.

Mummy Merganser by Ned Awty, on Flickr

Posing by the falls by Ned Awty, on Flickr

Bear 151 by Ned Awty, on Flickr

Alaska-6164874 by Ned Awty, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Gandalf said:
Do you guys rate the P25 1.4 and the P100-400? Today I Collected the G9 and although i have loads of primes I don’t have a 25mm and I have nothing over the O75 (150mm). I was looking at the 100-300 mark II but i like the extra reach of the 100-400.

Recommendations and pictures would be extremely helpful in making my mind up.
Click to expand...


If I had the money I'd have the 100-400 without doubt, looks an amazing lens.
 
Jordash said:
Thanks for the feedback. Useful stuff. I took my gear out skiing with me and tried to stick with the 45-200 all day. My main issues at the time was relatively slow focusing. It also lost focus several times, which has wasted annoying.

Then came the biggest disappointment when I came to look at the photos on my laptop. They are all soft. To the point of looking like they missed the focus point. Very annoying, the photos will do for holiday snaps, but not sure how they'll look printed at A4.

Normally I'd have considered it to be a slow shutter speed issue, but some of these shots were taken at 1/2000s (glorious sunshine on the slopes!)

I'm out on the slopes at the moment, but once I'm back and have chance to edit them, I'll upload some shots to show you.
Click to expand...

I've had an issue when out in cold and windy conditions that my Panasonic 45 - 150 OIS had trouble locking focus and it simply stopped at a point where nothing was in focus; something similar may be happening here? Make sure you see a solid green focus confirmation dot in the viewfinder before you press the shutter button. If the green dot is blinking, you haven't achieved focus.

In my case turning the camera on and off helped, but the issue resurfaced quite quickly afterwards.
 
Gandalf said:
Do you guys rate the P25 1.4 and the P100-400? Today I Collected the G9 and although i have loads of primes I don’t have a 25mm and I have nothing over the O75 (150mm). I was looking at the 100-300 mark II but i like the extra reach of the 100-400.

Recommendations and pictures would be extremely helpful in making my mind up.
Click to expand...

The Panasonic 100 - 400 is a fantastic lens but it is also the heaviest and bulkiest in the m4/3 zoom lineup. If you want the best IQ and reach then there is currently no other m4/3 zoom that can compete, but if I was on an all-day hike, I would probably bring my Olympus m.Zuiko 75-300 II instead as it is considerably lighter and smaller (but the trade-off is reach and IQ).

GH4 with Panasonic 100-400 at 400mm f/8.0 ISO 800:

20170717_173525_107.jpg
 
maarten.dhaese said:
I've had an issue when out in cold and windy conditions that my Panasonic 45 - 150 OIS had trouble locking focus and it simply stopped at a point where nothing was in focus; something similar may be happening here? Make sure you see a solid green focus confirmation dot in the viewfinder before you press the shutter button. If the green dot is blinking, you haven't achieved focus.

In my case turning the camera on and off helped, but the issue resurfaced quite quickly afterwards.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice.

Here's an example of the 'softness'. F8 at 1/1250s.P1060696.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top