Review Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ASPH LUMIX G VARIO (Micro 43)

The Panasonic 7-14 was announced in March 2009 and a few months later, it entered the market. At launch, the Panasonic 7-14 was by far the most compact and lightweight interchangeable wide-angle zoom. Meanwhile, a smaller and lighter Olympus 9-18 zoom lens is for sale. But the extreme zoom range of 7 mm - which is 14 mm converted to full-frame - makes this zoom lens still unique.

Test results are based on standard jpg files from the camera. Resolution is tested at a 2:3 image ratio of the test camera ( Panasonic GH2), making the results directly comparable to the results of lenses on a camera with an APS-C or full-frame sensor. If the camera is used in the standard 4:3 ratio, the number of lines per image height is even higher. For further information on the test method, see the FAQ.

Construction and autofocus

The zoom lens changes its length as you zoom, but you will only see this when you see the lens from the front. The total length of the lens remains unchanged because of the fixed lens hood that is built around the lens.

No image stabilization

Vignetting

The vignetting is a little more than one stop at all focal lengths at full aperture. Apart from the 7 mm focal length, the amount of vignetting is already halved after stopping down one stop. At 7 mm, 2 stops are needed to halve the amount of vignetting. For a wide-angle zoom lens, these are very good performances. Any visible vignetting can be corrected by software.

Distortion

The distortion - an aberration caused by lens faults - is remarkably low for a wide-angle zoom lens at all focal lengths. This is partly due to the in-camera distortion correction, which is used in both JPG and RAW files.

Move your mouse over the image to compare the distortion of a corrected jpg file with an uncorrected RAW file.

Something else is the effect of warp, which is large for every ultra wide-angle lens, but is not a lens aberration. Warp is caused by the perspective from which you are shooting: if you take a photograph of a building @ 7 mm where the camera is tilted a little bit, you get a very distorted picture. This distortion is due to warp, not lens distortion. It really takes practice before you are able to hold your camera so straight, both vertically and horizontally, that justice is done to the low distortion of the Panasonic 7-14. Initially, if you shoot images without the use of a tripod and alevelling gauge, you may have to  correct horizontal and vertical distortion afterwards.

Bokeh

At full aperture, this lens has a wonderful Bokeh when you take a picture at close distance. Once you are shooting a subject that is removed a few meters from the camera there is no more Bokeh, thanks to the small sensor and short focal length, but a background with many details.

In the image to the right, the red berries on the background show a beautiful background blur at aperture 4. At aperture 11, the Bokeh is completely gone when you photograph this subject again from the same position.

Place your mouse over the image for a comparison of the Bokeh of the Panasonic 7-14 at aperture 4 and aperture 11.

Glare

The Panasonic 7-14 has a convex front lens, making it impossible to use, for example, a UV filter to protect the lens. The combination of a convex front lens and the 16 lens elements from which this lens is built, makes the Panasonic 7-14 sensitive to internal reflections. In practice, the degree of glare and ghosting, probably thanks to the fixed hood, is not that bad.

Despite the built-in lens hood, the Panasonic 7-14 is sensitive to ghosting caused by bright sunlight at an acute angle on the convex front lens. For those accustomed to working with a wide angle lens, this is not surprising, because almost all wide angle lenses suffer from this.

You need to watch out for rain drops. A minuscule dried drop of rain on the front lens gives an image that looks like glare/ghosting, but in exactly the same place in every image. Carefully cleaning the front lens with soft cloth eliminates this "ghosting".

Resolution

The resolution of this lens is very good at all focal lengths starting at full aperture (aperture 4). After stopping down one stop, the best performances are obtained. The resolution in the farthest corners is about 1200 LW/PH on average, and there are a lot of lenses that realize such resolution only in the center. But in the center, the resolution of this lens goes up to 2000 LW/PH.

When you click your mouse on the chart, you'll see the resolution at different focal lengths.

Chromatic aberration

Chromatic aberration is, thanks to in-camera correction, entirely absent in practice. But even in uncorrected RAW files, the average chromatic aberration remains always below 0,05% and the worst corner below 0,12%.

When you click on the chart with your mouse, you'll see the values for chromatic aberration at different focal lengths. Move your mouse over the picture for a magnification of the left upper corner at 100%, where no chromatic aberration can be observed.

Panasonic 7-14 mm f/4 ASPH LUMIX G VARIO

Look in our overview of tested lenses to compare the performances of this lens with other lenses. 

Advantages

• Zoom lens with extreme large optical angle. 
• Extreme good optical performances in terms of resolution, chromatic aberration and distortion
• Very compact and still well built

Disadvantages

• High price
• Visible vignetting