Architectural shots with Pany 7-14

Ray Sachs

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Not too far from Philly
Name
you should be able to figure it out...
WIth my recent decision to go all-in with m43 and get out of Fuji, I finally broke down and did something I should have done long long ago (considering I've had at least one m43 body since March of 2010). I bought a used Panasonic 7-14. I've had an Olympus 9-18 all along and it's a very nice little package and it's not like it's not wide. But I'm a wide angle junkie and that extra 2mm at the wide end REALLY makes a difference. So I'm thrilled to have this lens finally and I'm not sure why it took me until now. Just shot with it this morning for the first time on a short walk around town. Can't wait to really put it to work...

These are all at 7mm, needless to say, and with the EM1 (which I guess may cause problems in some light, but didn't this morning):

View attachment 80502
7-14 West Chester-40-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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7-14 West Chester-59-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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7-14 West Chester-17-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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7-14 West Chester-32-Edit-2 by ramboorider1, on Flickr

-Ray
 
It is one heck of a lens. Having only a 21mm equivalent right now for my X cams, I can tell you I miss that lens, lol. Great series, Ray, and it looks mighty fine on the E-M1 -- maybe you don't need the G5 after all?

But you didn't have any serious highlight points so I guess that remains to be seen yet.
 
It is one heck of a lens. Having only a 21mm equivalent right now for my X cams, I can tell you I miss that lens, lol. Great series, Ray, and it looks mighty fine on the E-M1 -- maybe you don't need the G5 after all?

But you didn't have any serious highlight points so I guess that remains to be seen yet.

I went looking for blobs yesterday afternoon and last night after the lens arrived. I could make them happen, but I really had to try. I had to shoot almost directly into a bright afternoon sun or right at a bright light source at night. I did the same shots with the G5 and it didn't give me the dispersed purple flare the EM1 did, but it gave me a much larger and more localized bit of green flare. Much more obnoxious actually - the purple stuff was diffuse enough that it probably wouldn't bother me - almost had to look for it to see it. But the green flare was RIGHT THERE. The flip side though is that the green flare was pretty easy to neutralize in processing because it was so localized while the purple stuff was much more difficult because it was subtler and all over the place.

Not sure if I'll end up NEEDING the G5, but for the great price, it's at worst a nice cheap insurance policy / backup body. If I never end up using it, well, that's what you HOPE for with insurance, but insurance is a whole other discussion we probably shouldn't launch back into here! :D

-Ray
 
I went looking for blobs yesterday afternoon and last night after the lens arrived. I could make them happen, but I really had to try. I had to shoot almost directly into a bright afternoon sun or right at a bright light source at night. I did the same shots with the G5 and it didn't give me the dispersed purple flare the EM1 did, but it gave me a much larger and more localized bit of green flare. Much more obnoxious actually - the purple stuff was diffuse enough that it probably wouldn't bother me - almost had to look for it to see it. But the green flare was RIGHT THERE. The flip side though is that the green flare was pretty easy to neutralize in processing because it was so localized while the purple stuff was much more difficult because it was subtler and all over the place.

Not sure if I'll end up NEEDING the G6, but for the great price, it's at worst a nice cheap insurance policy / backup body. If I never end up using it, well, that's what you HOPE for with insurance, but insurance is a whole other discussion we probably shouldn't launch back into here! :D

-Ray

Yes, your findings are pretty much what I experienced. There were fewer visible "bounces" or repeats off flare spots and they were easier to clean up when I used the G5. Your material is different than mine so it's very possible you might not have to worry about it, and it's also possible the E-M1 has a bit of improvement in this area.

Then again, you can watch for them and make them work like Gary does, lol.
 
Great shots... It is great to have 14mm option w/ IQ. If you use it w/o distortion correction, it is even wider. It replaced 9-18mm as my travel lens... I haven't noticed much flare spots much but I guess I haven't checked it either...
 
Not sure if I'll end up NEEDING the G6, but for the great price, it's at worst a nice cheap insurance policy / backup body.

The G6 is, IMO, one of the best modernistic looking cameras (i.e. not retro) out there from any maker. It's sleek and gorgeous, and makes me want to buy one!
 
The G6 is, IMO, one of the best modernistic looking cameras (i.e. not retro) out there from any maker. It's sleek and gorgeous, and makes me want to buy one!

Sorry, I meant to say I got a used G5 as a backup and possible antidote to purple blobs. I think it's the same body as the G6 though. Doesn't do anything for me in terms of looks, but then neither does the EM1. The G5 is a bit smaller and lighter though. Both feel really good in the hand.

-Ray
 
The way they removed the "shoulders" on the G6 compared to the G5 is a nice touch.

Compare camera dimensions side by side

Oh yeah, thanks for the link. I didn't realize it was that different - thought they'd just added a few features to what was basically the same camera. Looks a little bit like the RX10, with it's rounded slope-iness...

I never really find cameras all that great looking. The X100 maybe, but that's probably tied up with memories and nostalgia rather than any actual beauty - I remember cameras looking like that so on some level I like it, or what it represents. But if I didn't have any memories of them, I think they'd just look sort of like at rectangular box with some holes in the front... I kind of do like silver bodies - ie, mostly black but with silver tops/bottoms and other silver accents. Kind of breaks up the mass of the object a bit. That said, my cameras now that I've sold the XE1 are all dead solid black and I don't miss the silver...

-Ray
 
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