Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

I was taken aback by the reviewer that gave this lens 2 stars and strongly suggested the Olympus 14-150 M43 lens instead. So before I purchased, I decided to check out the test results on the Lumix 14-140, he Olympus 14-150, Canon EFS 18-200 3.5-5.6 IS, and the Nikon DX 18-200 at the dpreview.com site. I was amazed to see how both the Olympus and the Lumix tested considerably better than the Nikon in almost all phases. I also noted that the Lumix tested slightly better than the Olympus in most phases. The Canon EFS 18-200 3.5-5.6 IS was closer to the M43 lenses but clearly not superior. None of the lenses here compare to the overall tests of the older Lumix 14-45 or the new Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH OIS 3X lenses, but these 10X lenses and are a different class being wide angle to 300mm equivalent . By the way, The Lumix 14-140 is only $130 more than the Olympus 14-150. The difference being the Mega O.I.S. The Olympus is lighter so if I had an Olympus M43 with stabilization built into the body, I would buy the Olympus. Since I have the Lumix G3, the clear choice is the Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. I can also hold my head high that my Lumix lens is equal or superior to the Nikon and Canon counterparts you see everywhere for less money, less weight and a smaller size.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

First, those that gave this lens 1 or 2 stars, its not the lens, its the users. Typically, "kit" lens are useless, but Panasonic packaged this 12-140mm lens along with the GH2 for one reason, its made specifically for video, plus the Lumix G 14-140mm is a [$] lens alone. This IS THE ONLY lens on the DSLR market made for Auto Focus HD video, super silent and super accurate and fast. I use my Canon XHA1S for serious work but I am using the GH2 with the 14-140mm more now because its much lighter with excellent video quality. People that complained about the Auto Focus on this lens has no idea how to setup their Auto Focus Continuous or AF Single on the GH2, those that complained the lack of f stop with only f/4.0-5.8 didn't really read the discription specifically saying f/4-5.8, were they suprised it didn't have f/2.0? Those that complained about lack of depth of field, once again, learn how to operate the your DSLR and if want good depth of field that's easy to operate, get the pancake lens, don't buy a lens made for HD Video and complain about lack of depth of field for pictures. Overall, excellent lens and I find it extremely versatile for my cinemtography work.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Better off getting the Olympus M.Zuiko for $200 less, that one is a newer design, lighter, better optically, can go from 14mm to 150mm (instead of only 140mm w. the Panny), and like I said, $200 cheaper than this Panny version.

This Pana-lens was good when it first came out, but now it is just a long in the tooth old hag. Pretty dark and very slow AF for video shooting, too. Pass.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

All in one. Great for traveling allows you to bring one lens instead of your whole kit. Sharp and fast enough for outdoors and well lit indoors.
love it

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

The perfect one lens solution for the G3 camera.
The physical size and scope of this lens make the G3 camera a great allrounder in a small managable package

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Things I liked:

Versatile zoom range
well built
relatively compact
Silent AF in movie mode
Good image stabilization
Great reach when in EX tele mode...especially video

Things i wasn't so keen on:

Inaccurate AF
Slow; f4.0
Quickly ramps up from f4.0 to 5.6 in a matter of 25mm or so and f4.0 is ONLY at 14 mm
servo focus (more a preference) but when the body doesn't included foot markers for focus only a "portait guy" and "mountain" and the lens doesn't included stops or markers its tricky to get the focus just right, especially with an EVF.

Most importantly is that it just ins't an endearing lens, no character at all. The images at acceptably sharp @ F4.0 and slightly sharper around f8.0 but never crisp. The Contrast and bokeh are decent for a 4/3rds but, again, aren't really that great. I spent the extra money over the 14-42 because i thought i was getting a much higher quality lens. Having tried both now, I wish i had bought the 14-42 and the 20mm separately for the same money.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Works very silent and good. I don't understand how the image stabilizer will work, couldn't see a difference. Some people complained about the f4.9-5.6 but that doesn't bother me when I film outside.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Good lens that ships free with the AF100 if you buy it off of B&H.

Zoom is smooth, focus is fast, but smooth. The F stop of 4.0 - 5.8 isn't the best, but as long as you aren't shooting at night or inside with bad lighting, you should be ok.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

I use this lens on a af-100. The lens is very small, light weight and handy. The image stabilisation works great. Very good with this lens: you can use automatic exposure because it's very smoot and silent. The AF takes ages and needs good light conditions. The problem with this lens is that it's very, very slow!

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Simple to use. Great lense to start with if you don't own DSLR glass.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

I can appreciate the versatility of this lens -- it offers a great zoom range and the glass is nice enough... But I still can't help but feel like this is a very large lens for a M43 system - it's heavy, the barrel zooms out quite far at 140mm, and it's not a good choice (in my opinion) for a camera such as the G3. Maybe the GH series can handle it better, but even so, it's almost like having a full-frame SLR lens on the camera. I much prefer the feel of a fast prime (such as the Voigtlander 50mm f/0.95). The Panasonic 14-140 is NICE, but the trade-offs to me almost negate the benefit of a small M43 system. If I need zoom this much, I'd just pick up a super-zoom camera (for the same price and weight) as this. The whole point of a M43 system, to me, is a "good enough" system as an affordable alternative to a (much-preferred) Leica. I returned this lens in favor of a smaller, faster prime.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

This is a good way to get started shooting with the AF100 camcorder. It covers a good focal length range, is pretty sharp, and works well with the auto-focus and auto-iris features of the camcorder. The image stabilization works well and appears to be tuned appropriately for video shooting.

Downsides are the speed (this camera really shines with lenses at f/2.8 and better), the stepped iris that changes exposure abruptly in auto mode during video shooting, and the "fake" parfocal performance achieved by adjusting the focus-by-wire setting while zooming. It's possible to zoom faster than the focus will keep up.

Because of these issues and the lack of a smooth servo zoom, I wouldn't expect to zoom while shooting much with this lens and camera. Viewed and operated as a slow but versatile variable prime lens, this will probably always have a useful place in my AF100 kit, and can fill a lot of roles while I build up my collection of better and more specialized lenses and adapters for the AF100.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

this lens is great for shooting as long as you don't need an extremewide angle shot. you also need a good deal of light when shooting indoors

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm is very suitable lense for AG-AF101, the camera which I wanted to buy from B&H but it wasn't available then.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Great glass. Heavy lens. Just by picking it up I could tell that is was well made! Not so great for low light situations, but I knew that going in. I love using this lens for outdoor shoots.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

If you're a ENG type, this is the lens for you. Sure its not the fastest lens around, but nailing focus is important.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

Purchased to use on the Panasonic AG-AF100. Works well. My only slight complaint is I wish it were better in low light. The camera lets me compensate, but still, it would be great if it were just a bit faster.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

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Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

I'm using the lens for video professionally with a Panasonic GH2. It's fantastic to have one lens that can do everything from macro work to a wide industrial warehouse shot in low light. This lens makes it possible to do beautiful photography and video without compromising either. However, even with the 1.4 firmware upgrade, this lens/gh2 combo will "hunt" for focus in cases where a dedicated video camera usually does not. I do suspect that the lens will perform better as my knowledge of this system improves.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.:

The optics on this lens are pretty great but the zoom ring does not turn evenly i.e. there is more tension on some parts than others so it make is hard to get a steady zoom when you are using it for video.