Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

Good image quality but awful noise making when using ois. Aperture was decent for this price range, but if you are shooting using camera on board mic, prepare for not somclean audio.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

I purchased my Leica Digilux 3 with this Elmarit 14-50 mm zoom lens in 2007. I love this camera and lens, and have been completely satisfied with its performance, until 2 days ago, when the zoom froze at approximately 22 mm. I could zoom 22-14, but not past 22 mm. It eventually unfroze, worked fine 22-50 mm and worked for a couple of minutes through the full focal length, then froze again, and again, and again. I eventually started a search for information about repair or replacement, and was shocked to find a review, dated September 2010, describing this exact problem, including the focal point at which it froze and the approximate age of the lens. More reviews turned up with the same problem. I'm heartbroken and depressed; I waited years to buy my first Leica because I loved the Leica color handling, and this camera has been perfect for me, it fits my hand, it's comfortable to use, the color management is fantastic (I acknowledge this is a personal opinion, but compared to other camera brands I have used, I find the colors much more pleasing), the sharpness, exposures, and metering are all super. One reviewer noted 3 options: repair, replace, or scrap the whole system. None of these work for me; I'm reluctant to repair and chance having the same problem down the road; to replace is $950 plus a 5 year warranty (I'd be afraid to take the 2 year warranty, since the lens worked just fine for 3+ years), and I have no idea if the problem has been fixed in production; and I don't want to scrap what is otherwise perfect for me. So, necessity being the mother of invention, I offer a 4th option: inelegant for sure and frankly rather pathetic for a [$] lens, but one that works for me – a rubber band. An ordinary grocery store produce department approximately 1/4" rubber band. With the lens extended fully, put the rubber band around the lens, and it will prevent you from hitting the 22mm "freeze" mark. Not much of an advertisement for Leica/Elmarit, it leaves one with a very expensive 23-50 mm zoom lens, but it's my only option, and since I use the 25-50 range more often than the 14-22 range, I can live with it.Disappointing for sure, I expected much more from Leica.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

This lens was great for the first 3 years I owned it. The one day it decided to stop zooming in past 22. It made no sense to me as I always took great care of the lens. I thought maybe someone else had dropped it and not told me about it until I did some research online. Apparently this has happened to many other photographers using this lens.

This was my first lens/camera and I'm not too happy that I need to pay $500 to fix the darn thing because of a defect. I was always under the impression that Leica made top quality products and was a reason I spent the extra money on this camera.

I'm no pro, and didn't use the lens on an everyday basis so for it to break down like this for this price is a shock to me.

Beware..great lens with the durability of a Dollar Store Item

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

Pros: Excellent flexible lens in this price range. Leica quality optics and responsive auto-focus. Nice match for Panasonic DMC-GF1 (with adapter).

Con: Casing's plastic components..

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

This lens is very prone to internal mechanical failure. I bought this Leica lens initially together with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 kit, and after 2 years the zoom mechanism jammed up unexpectedly without receiving any bumps. I replaced the lens with another new one while I awaited repair of the old lens. I have since discovered this is a very common problem of this lens when used on both its Panasonic DMC-L1 and Leica Digilux identical cameras. As this is the primary lens of an expensive camera system without an alternative primary lens, it forced me to change to a new camera system and forfeit all the accessory lenses and equipment I had purchased. I note both Leica and Panasonic have ceased to sell the DMC-L1 and Digilux cameras carrying this lens. I hope Panasonic (and Leica) will announced a camera and lens recall of this expensive camera system due to the commoness of the design-manufacture defect and the fact the defect forces one to abandon an entire canera system with accessories. They should offer exchanges for other equipment.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

I want to love this lens. While it was working, I almost did. It's very sharp at nearly all apertures and fairly fast. I never loved the O.I.S. feature (I never really saw any improvement or reduction in camera shake), but I'm something of an old school photographer. I loved the aperture ring for the same reason. When it was working properly, my main criticisms were weight, size, and the fact that the lens vignettes with anything more than one thin filter. Later, it developed a problem where the zoom blocked solidly at about 22mm rendering the lens a 14 - 22 zoom. An Internet search reveals that it's a pretty common problem and Panasonic often wants around $500 to fix it if it's not covered under warranty. I think I'm going to get the Olympus 14-54 and remember this experience before I buy Panaleica again.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

This is the kit lens with the LUMIX DMC-L1 and the reason why I bought the L1. I like fast glass and I am used to using an aperture ring on my AE-1. The quality of this lens is exquisite! Its output (on the L1) is very LEICA in character. The only down-sides to this lens are its weight and practicality for Olympus users.

I don't expect a fast lens to be light, but this lens would not balance well on a 400 series camera. Which brings me to the second point. Its image stabilization is the only appealing feature to Olympus users and then only to users of the 400 series and older Olympus cameras. The aperture ring does not function on Olympus models, which I find a shame.

It is a wonderful lens and a perfect upgrade for L10 users, but within the Four-Thirds system, there are more practical options for Olympus owners.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

Very sharp, which is what you want from any lens. The Leica cache is well founded for this lens. While it is constructed of modern plastics it is very rugged and has that smooth Leica feel.
The Bokeh is smooth and quite lovely. The downside with the 4/3 system is the greater depth of field. While this may be an advantage for some types of photography, for portrait work it can be a pain. I use this lens wide open to soften the background as much as possable and it is still very sharp.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

I love this lens. For a 4/3 system, this lens is great. Not that I am knocking 4/3, but a lens must be very sharp to give great photos with this size sensor. It is bright enough to allow focusing in low light situations, as long as it is not totally dark.

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

This is a great way to get a Leica designed lens. It may have a plastic body, but the glass is Leica spec. It captures great color and detail. With built in OIS at this range you can get good low light even with the f/3.5 end. It is heavy for this size lens, but again excellent lens. Excellent bokeh and quiet focusing. The lens is worth buying if you have any 4/3 cameras.

Problems Encountered: None

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Zeiss, Pentax, CanonL

Items I Recommend: Good filter to protect the front. Buy the best you can afford

Comments about Panasonic 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 Vario-Elmarit Aspherical MEGA O.I.S. Lens:

Although the lens is plastic composited, it still has a solid feel. Heavier than similar zooms in this range, but what do you expect from a lens with this much quality glass? Extremely bright TTL at F2.8., which helps correct the inherent problem of 4/3 viewfinders being a bit dark. Aperture ring takes a bit getting used to, unless you're used to shooting film. Extremely silent AF and OIS motor, although the AF is slower than some other lenses. Manual Focus is crisp and smooth, allowing for precise visual control of the bokeh. And the price of this beauty is far below that of other lenses of this caliber. A must have for any 4/3 mount owner...

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Oly f2.8 50-200mm, Oly f3.5 40-150mm

Items I Recommend: Panasonic DMC-L1K