Must have M4/3 lenses ?

justa1972

justa1972

Messages
2,127
Name
Justin
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello all

I'm new to MFT and just have the 12-60 kit lens that came with the G80. Although this will cover most of my needs I'd like to add a fast prime and a telephoto - afterall it was the availability of good cheap lenses that attracted me in the first place - along with weight.

So I'm tempted by the 14, 15, 17, and 20mm primes - the 25mm might be a bit long for me...

Telephoto wise I'm not sure as there are so many to chose from ! The 35-100 f4 looks good but isn't hugely different to my 12-60 and I've been advised to look at the Panasonic 45-150...

The best bang for buck is what I'm after - so what do you recommend?

Thanks
 
I have been accused of trying to hide problems with the m4/3 :eek: but i will mention relevant issues,i have read that the 20mm f1.7 can give a banding effect,it is a lens and certain sensor problem it would seam,the same sensor in a Olympus can have the same problem,as that lens is on your list you may want to research a little.

http://alanwatsonforster.org/writing/mft-panasonic-20-1.7-banding.html
 
For low light i enjoyed the 17mm 1.8 and loved the bargain 45mm 1.8 on my EM1.

The Oly 12-40mm 2.8 pro is awesome.
 
The beauty of m43 is that there are no bad lenses really, especially the primes. So it's just a case of pick your focal length and aperture and away you go :)

I really liked the Panasonic 14mm, I sold it as after getting the Oly 12-40 pro I never really used it but it is a lovely lens if that FL is your thing.
 
Nawty said:
The beauty of m43 is that there are no bad lenses really, especially the primes. So it's just a case of pick your focal length and aperture and away you go :)

I really liked the Panasonic 14mm, I sold it as after getting the Oly 12-40 pro I never really used it but it is a lovely lens if that FL is your thing.
Click to expand...
:agree:
 
Got a feeling its the same one as can have problems with that lens but not sure.
 
There are so many great options but in terms of value, the 14mm 2.5, 20mm 1.7 and oly 45mm 1.8 are hard to beat. The 45mm is really special
 
The Olympus 12-40mm Pro is a fantastic lens, sharp and versitile. The Olympus 45mm is great (but might be a little long). The Olympus 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 R is another favourite that you can pick up very cheap and is quite sharp.

There is also the Samyang 7.5mm fisheye that is manual focus but is a very good lens (you can even use as a wide angle by defishing).
 
Last edited:
For a Panasonic body you will struggle to beat a good used copy of the 12-35. It's small with excellent IQ. You do need to colour match the images with an xrite colour passport though to get the best quality through LR
 
mikew said:
I have been accused of trying to hide problems with the m4/3 :eek: but i will mention relevant issues,i have read that the 20mm f1.7 can give a banding effect,it is a lens and certain sensor problem it would seam,the same sensor in a Olympus can have the same problem,as that lens is on your list you may want to research a little.

http://alanwatsonforster.org/writing/mft-panasonic-20-1.7-banding.html
Click to expand...

Grooooaaaaaan...

Yes indeed the 20mm can cause noise banding at higher ISO's. It's not a problem that I ever saw with my Panny G1 which goes up to ISO 3200 but no further but I have seen it with my GX7, which goes significantly higher than ISO 3200, under artificial lighting but it seems to be intermittent and I can't say with any certainty what will cause it other than it can occur at high ISO's under artificial lighting. This lens also isn't the fastest to focus but on the positive side the 20mm focal length is nice and handy, the image quality is good and when mounted on a camera it gives a nice compact package.

Other than that I think that the Olympus lenses shouldn't be overlooked. I have the 17mm f1.8, 25mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 although the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 might be a good one to look at as it seems to be at a bargain price but as you say the 25 and 45mm may be a bit long for you. I also have the Panasonic 14mm f2.5 which I don't think sets the world on fire in any department but it's a very compact lens and might be worth looking at (as with the 20mm f1.7) for that reason alone.

Good luck choosing.
 
Last edited:
My go to lens is always my 17mm F1.8 - it really is superb although a little bit on the pricey side.

The 45mm F1.8 is excellent and tiny, no m43 bag is complete without one. Indeed my two lens kit is the 17mm and the 45mm.

That said, I really rate the Oly 25mm F1.8 although if I were a panasonic user I would take their 25mm instead - mainly for the aperture ring.
 
One lens I've come to value is the tiny 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 mega ois. It's the size of a prime lens and makes a pretty good and flexible day out and holiday lens. It's sharp wide open and covers three good old favourite classic focal lengths of the 35mm era... 28, 35 and 50mm and nudges a fourth at 85mm. It only has two issue, the pedestrian aperture range but thankfully it's useable wide open and on some bodies the dreaded SS issue with the mechanical shutter but thankfully this should be a thing of the past with the GX80.
 
FishyFish said:
I've never noticed any banding with my 20mm f/1.7 on my GX7, although, to be fair, I rarely go above ISO 1600. Other than that, I love the lens and would highly recommend it. It's never off the camera.

Here's my Flickr album from the lens: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fishyfish/albums/72157669972473616
Click to expand...

Well there you go then. It's an issue that AFAIK simply doesn't occur up to ISO 1600 and is again AFAIK unpredictable and lighting dependent at higher ISO's.

If you mostly shoot in good to low light and keep your ISO at or lower than 3200 then it could well be a complete non issue but if you happen to shoot indoors under artificial lighting and can't stay at even relatively high apertures and have to venture into the stratospheric apertures available today (above 3200 and waaaay beyond) at for example indoor venues or family events then it could be an issue as when shooting people you're going to want to keep the shutter speed up and that obviously forces the ISO higher and potentially into a problem area.

As someone who does shoot under artificial light it could be an issue for me as could the rather pedestrian focus performance. There are positives such as the compact package that the lens offers but all in all I'd rather avoid the issues and use the Olympus 17mm f1.8. However, there's possibly a very good argument for going for the much cheaper 20mm f1.7 if you don't shoot under artificial lighting at high ISO's.
 
Last edited:
EspressoJunkie said:
To be fair I'm going to miss it when it goes but with a 12-35 in sights needs must!
Click to expand...
Just to wet your appetite... I bought a used 12-35mm f2.8 and it's a very nice lens :D I like wide aperture lenses that are good at the wider apertures as it allows MFT to give a FF look and to compete on quality too if you apply the crop factor and allow f8 and be there to be f4 and be there with appropriate shutter and ISO settings etc :D I recently tested my G7 and 12-35mm against my FF A7 and kit lens and the MFT set up was in some respects a clear winner :D Certainly it's very good at f2.8-f4/5.6 which would possibly be where much FF shooting would be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top