Lens Review Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm f3.5-5.6 OIS

 

Panasonic  has been rolling out some very appealing zoom lenses under the Lumix label in the last two years.  The 12-35mm f2.8 and 35-100mm f2.8 have set a new standard for others to follow. The standard kit zoom 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Mk2 has been very well reviewed as has the even newer and remarkably diminutive 12-32mm f3.5-5.6.

The Superzoom  From the early days of the M43 system PanaLumix had a 14-140mm f4-5.8 10x zoom which delivered decent but never inspiring performance. This year (2013) a Mk2 version was released. This is smaller, lighter and better optically than the original, making a much more convincing case for the "all in one" travel zoom lens.

I have had one for several months and made about 2000 exposures with it in a wide variety of conditions, mounted on either a GH3 or G6 body.

Description    The 14-140mm Mk2 is a very light compact superzoom lens for the M43 system. It is compatible with Panasonic Lumix and Olympus M43 cameras.

Dimensions  I thought just for fun I would compare the M43 14-140 Mk2 with the lens which provides near equal angle of view and aperture range for a "Full Frame" camera ie. one with a sensor having a diagonal of 43mm. This actually exists in the form of the Canon EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6.

The EF lens for full frame has 5 times the volume, 6 times the mass and 4 times the price of the 14-140 for M43. 

If we compare the 14-140mm on a Lumix G6 with the EF28-300mm on an EOS 6D, the Canon kit has 3.7x the mass and 3x the price.

The photo below shows the massive difference in size between the Canon EOS kit and the M43 kit (using a GX7).   The actual Canon lens is not black but ivory color as with other Canon L series long lenses.

 

 I included a Sony RX10 in this photo.   The Sony representation is a bit rough but is accurate as to scale.   With this interesting new release Sony is going after the all in one, high performance zoom market. It uses a smaller (15.9mm) sensor than M43 (which is 21.5mm). The  lens has a smaller zoom range (8.3x) but a wider aperture (constant f2.8) so they are not exactly comparable. It is interesting though, that the are almost exactly the same size and the Sony is heavier than the 14-140 on G6 or GX7.  

Here is a table comparing the two:

 All this is by way of putting numbers on the fact that the 14-140 lens on any M43 camera provides a very light compact 10x zoom, easily carried all day. 

The 14-140mm fits easily (with the smaller bodies) or snugly (with the GH3) into a Lowe Pro Apex 110 AW shoulder bag.

 

The 14-140/2 is, like other Lumix M43 lenses of varifocal design which means it has to be refocussed after zooming and cannot have a distance scale.

It feels very well made (in Japan, if that is relevant), with a metal mount. It is not weather sealed. The zoom action is very smooth without creep. The front element does not rotate. The lens extends 44mm on a single inner barrel when zooming out. The manual focus ring (which activates focus by wire) is nicely damped so it does not spin too easily and rotates very smoothly.

The lens is supplied with a reversible petal type lens hood (which I use all the time) and a soft pouch.

 

There is an OIS  On/Off switch on the lens barrel. I did not formally test OIS effectiveness but it is certainly useful for steadying the EVF image preview particularly at the long end of the zoom range.

With AF single the lens focusses very fast on any recent Lumix M43 camera. It is also very accurate with very few shots showing missed focus. Any time focus is missed it will be due to well known types of subject which pose a problem for any AF system.

With AF Continuous the lens performs very well on the GH3. It can easily follow focus on cars approaching the camera at 60kph at about 4.5 frames per second with almost all frames sharply in focus.

 

Resolution  I test this mainly by making lots of photos of different subjects at various focal lengths and apertures. I also use a local grove of casuarina trees with very fine foliage to test sharpness/resolution. Overall the 14-140mm does a very good job at all focal lengths and apertures. Many zooms lose sharpness and contrast at the long end but this one holds up well at 140mm. There is some corner softness at the wide end and the long end, which cleans up if the aperture is closed down about one stop. As with other M43 lenses loss of sharpness due to diffraction begins at about f9.

I rate this lens as slightly below the 14-45mm and 45-150mm in optical performance, but better than the 14-42mm Mk1 and 45-200mm. I have not tested the 14-140mm Mk1 but all reports which I have seen rate the new version to be a  big improvement over the original.

 

Aberrations  Chromatic aberration is corrected on Lumix bodies so is absent in most frames. Distortion is also corrected in camera.

Purple fringing can occur at light/dark boundaries with strong contrast at the edges and corners. This is correctable in Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw but the process may leave double imaging artefacts with some subject elements.

Contrast  Superzoom lenses in my experience tend to low contrast particularly at the long end. However this one does better than most with good overall and local contrast across the focal length range.

Flare  Flare can be induced with the sun just inside or outside the frame edge, but is not severe or prominent.

Local flare can be an issue with subjects having dark structures such as foliage against a bright background such as a cloudy/bright sky. This can induce bleed over flare at the dark/light boundaries. In general however I had to deliberately provoke this in order to find it.

Close up  Closest focussing distance measured from subject to focal plane is 210mm (at 14mm) and 490mm (at 140mm). One easy way to get closer is to fit a screw on 58mm close up lens. Mine is a Hoya +2 diopter which gives good image quality in the central region of the frame but unsharp corners.

Defects and Decentering  In my experience zuperzoom lenses with their complex internal structure, tend to be more prone to decentering and other assembly errors than lenses of more simple construction. My copy has mild evidence of asymmetrical corner softness but you have to be pixel peeping to spot it. There were no dust specks or other foreign material in my lens on delivery or since.

Bokeh  Out of focus rendition in front of and behind the focal plane is very nice with very little evidence of tramlining or optical nervousness.

Shutter Shock  I have found that most M43 zooms can exhibit signs of shutter shock at some focal lengths and shutter speeds. So I routinely use the E-Shutter at shutter speeds slower than 1/250second with all my lenses. Using this approach there have been no problems with the 14-140mm.

Summary  The new 14-140mm superzoom is a very appealing addition to the Lumix M43 lens range. It  provides a more than acceptable solution to the requirements of holiday/travel/walk around photography, where you want to travel light and compact without the need to change lenses. Highly recommended.