The Panasonic 7-14mm lens is the first and the best ultra wide angle lens for the Micro Four Thirds format to date. You can get this lens from either Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
During the launch date, there are many excitement and buzz around this lens. The 7mm focal length is the widest focal length out there in the Micro Four Thirds format and people have been wanting to get a wide angle lens for their Micro Four Thirds camera for a long time.
In terms of optical performance, this lens certainly delivers. It gives sharp and contrasty pictures at any aperture and focal length. All the optical defects are kept to a minimum which is very rare for an ultra wide angle lens.
In addition, the build quality is simply superb. This is simply the best built Micro Four Thirds lens that I have ever tested.
It does not stop there though. This lens has an amazingly fast and accurate autofocus speed as well.
However, all those features comes at a price. And that price is high.
At around $1000 USD, the Panasonic 7-14mm is not a lens that you can buy immediately without thinking. Also, the lens size is pretty large (currently this lens is the largest) compared to other lenses in the Micro Four Thirds format.
If you want to shoot extreme wide angle shots and demand the best quality out of your Micro Four Thirds camera, then get this Panasonic 7-14mm lens. Just remember that you will pay for the price.
If you are looking for a more compact (and cheaper) alternative to this Panasonic 7-14mm lens, check out my Olympus 9-18mm Micro Four Thirds lens review.
To read this Panasonic 7-14mm review further, scroll down below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Panasonic 7-14mm Specs
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Official Name:
Panasonic 7-14mm f/4
Focal Length Markings:
7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14mm
Features:
Micro Four Thirds – Only compatible with Micro Four Thirds camera. Not compatible with Four Thirds DSLR camera.
Full Technical Specs (from Olympus’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 12 / 16 |
| Angle of View | 114 – 75 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.25m |
| Filter Thread | n/a |
| Weight | 300g |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 70 x 83.1mm |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.08X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Panasonic 7-14mm Sharpness
This lens is very sharp on the center at any aperture. On the borders, the same characteristics follow.
The point of maximum sharpness is at f/5.6 on this Panasonic 7-14mm lens.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 7mm | Excellent | Great | Great | Great |
| 10mm | Excellent | Excellent | Great | Great |
| 14mm | Excellent | Great | Great | Great |
Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 7mm | Great | Great | Good | Good |
| 10mm | Great | Great | Great | Good |
| 14mm | Great | Great | Great | Good |
Distortion
Being an ultra wide angle lens, distortion is apparent at 7mm but I would consider it to be very well controlled for a lens in this league.
At 10mm and 14mm, distortion is close to zero and can be ignored.
See the distortion test result for this Panasonic 7-14mm lens below.
Vignetting
Vignetting is apparent at the widest aperture at any focal length which is typical for an ultra wide angle lens.
Stop down to f/5.6, which is the optimal aperture of this lens to reduce vignetting significantly.
See the full vignetting test result below.
Chromatic Aberration
Surprisingly, chromatic aberration is extremely well controlled on this lens. Because this is so unusual, I had to conduct several testing and the results speak for themselves.
The chromatic aberration can be ignored at any focal length and at any aperture.
See the chromatic aberration test result below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 7mm | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
| 10mm | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
| 14mm | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
Build Quality
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Materials
Combination of high quality plastics and metals. Probably the best built lens for the Micro Four Thirds format.
Zoom Ring
The zoom ring is very smooth and responsive. It has just the right amount of stiffness and it feels very professional.
The length of this lens remain constant (although the inner tube moves slightly) during zooming or focusing which is a characteristics shared by many professional lens in the DSLR world.
The front element of this somewhat similar to many fisheye lenses with the optics slightly bulging outwards. This design improves the optical quality but it will come at a cost: you cannot mount a filter on this lens.
You don’t have to worry too much because the built in lens hood will protect the lens properly.
Focusing
The autofocusing mechanism is extremely fast and silent. This is very unusual for a wide angle lens but nonetheless a very nice feature to have.
The accuracy tested was spot on.
Image Stabilization
This lens does not feature the Mega O.I.S function. Being an ultra wide angle lens, I do not think this feature is necessary.
If you are using an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera, the Image Stabilization is installed on the sensor, not on the lens.
On the other hand, Panasonic install the Image Stabilization on the lenses. If you are using this lens with Panasonic Micro Four Thirds, then you will not get Image Stabilization feature.
Compatibility
This Panasonic 7-14mm lens is only compatible with Micro Four Thirds camera: both Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds can be used with this lens.
Note that this Panasonic 7-14mm lens is not compatible with regular Four Thirds DSLR camera.
Sample Image
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Below are some sample images taken with this Panasonic 7-14mm lens. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the images.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
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Alright, now I will summarize and conclude this Panasonic 7-14mm lens review.
Being the first and widest ultra wide angle lens for the Micro Four Thirds format, this lens really did not disappoint.
Optical quality is very good. This lens is very sharp on the center and borders. Vignetting, chromatic aberration and distortion are all kept to a minimum degree.
They will not bother any photographers trying to get good super wide angle shots.
Build quality is built to the highest standard. I would even say that this lens is the best-built lens for the Micro Four Thirds format.
However, you will need to PAY a lot for those features. At close to $1000 range, this is certainly not a cheap lens by all means.
This price is comparable to many professional DSLR lenses out there.
If you can afford the price and want to get stunning ultra wide shots using the compact Micro Four Thirds format, then I would recommend this lens.
Note: If you cannot afford this price and want smaller lens, take a look at the Olympus 9-18mm Micro Four Thirds lens.
Below are my conclusions for this lens.
Drawbacks
- Expensive
- Visible vignetting at f/4
- No filter thread
Positives
- Very sharp on the center and on the borders at any focal length and aperture
- Great distortion control for an ultra wide angle lens
- Good vignetting control above f/4
- Excellent chromatic aberration control
- Superb build quality – the best so far in the Micro Four Thirds format lineup
- Smooth zoom ring – lens dimension does not change during zooming
- Amazingly fast autofocus performance
Good For
- Landscape photography
- Shooting indoor
- Street photography
- Shooting any extreme to moderate wide angle scene using a Micro Four Thirds Camera
Not So Good For
- Anyone looking for a compact wide angle lens for their Micro Four Thirds camera
What Others Are Saying…
by “Noirist”
First, an ultra-wide lens is very useful. The difference between 7mm and 14mm is enormous. The broad field of view at 7mm lets you take amazing landscape pictures. At 7mm, mountains are reduced to boulders, and boulders are…
Click here to see the full review
by “Ken Walsh”
This lens has been very hard to get for awhile now and it is certainly not cheap. It does, however, deliver the goods. It is a stunningly good performer and its diminutive size demonstrates the advantage the micro-four-thirds has in wide angle optics solutions with the…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Panasonic 7-14mm lens from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
See the following related lens reviews to see more Micro four thirds lenses options options.
Cool, thanks checking out this Panasonic 7-14mm review and I will catch you around!
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