Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0028Y5GLO
• Item model number: 14-140mm Micro Four Thirds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. as a new member of the Lumix G Micro System. The new Lumix G lens incorporates an inner focus direct-drive linear motor for focusing, which enables smooth, silent operation of its fast and accurate contrast AF system, for use in both photo and movie recording. Adopting the Micro Four Thirds System standard, the new lens offers a wide and long zoom range of 14-140mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-280mm) to suit a large variety of shooting situations, from scenery to portraits or telephoto shots, in a surprisingly compact and lightweight body.

The new lens system uses four aspherical lenses and two ED lenses to achieve dramatic downsizing despite its powerful 10x optical zoom, while minimizing distortion and chromatic aberration. Panasonic's Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) suppresses the blurring that is commonly caused by hand-shake, making it easy to shoot clear shots even at telephoto range or in dimly lit places without using a tripod.

When mounted on the DMC-GH1 Lumix G Micro System Camera, the new lens allows use of the advanced contrast AF system, which includes a Face Recognition function, for more convenient, more enjoyable shooting. Seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. The new Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. lens also features a highly reliable metal mount, and uses multi-coated lens elements that minimize ghosts and flare to further enhance its optical performance.

Lens Construction



Technical Specifications

• Lens Construction: 17 elements in 13 groups (4 Aspherical lenses, 2 ED lenses)
• Mount: Micro Four Thirds mount
• Optical Image Stabilizer: YES
• Focal Length: f=14 mm to 140 mm (35 mm camera equivalent 28 mm to 280 mm)
• Aperture Type: 7 diaphragm blades / Circular aperture diaphragm
• Aperture: F4.0 (Wide) - F5.8 (Tele)
• Minimum Aperture: F22
• Closest Focusing Distance: 0.50 m / 1.64 ft at all focal lengths
• Maximum magnification: Approx. 0.2x / 0.4x (35 mm camera equivalent)
• Diagonal Angle of View: 75° (W) - 8.8° (T)
• Filter Size: f62 mm / 2.44 in
• Max. Diameter: f70 mm / 2.76 in
• Overall Length: Approx. 84 mm / 3.31 in (from the tip of the lens to the base side of the lens mount)
• Weight Approx. 460 g / 16.23 oz

MTF Chart

Product Description

The Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. as a new member of the Lumix G Micro System. The new Lumix G lens incorporates an inner focus direct-drive linear motor for focusing, which enables smooth, silent operation of its fast and accurate contrast AF system, for use in both photo and movie recording. Adopting the Micro Four Thirds System standard, the new lens offers a wide and long zoom range of 14-140mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-280mm) to suit a large variety of shooting situations, from scenery to portraits or telephoto shots, in a surprisingly compact and lightweight body.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The complete package, May 28, 2010

By 

Wat (SF, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I use this lens on my GH1 and sometimes on my E-PL1 and it's simply fantastic. The fact that it gives you such range and operates silently when you want to take movies is a great combo.

It's been rated to be among the best in super zoom lenses equal or better than the top offerings from Tamron and certainly better than the Nikon and Canon equivalents according to DPReview. From my real world results, I have to agree 100%.

I do wish it was a little lighter, but it's still not bad carrying it around all day. I've traveled with it twice so far and it covers every length you could want and delivers great quality. Remember to use the provided lens hood or else you sacrifice a certain amount of contrast in your photos. Most people don't realize the hood is not just to help flare and slam the lens for their own mistakes.

If you have a Panasonic m43 body, this lens is a no brained because of it's in lens IS. On Olympus bodies it's equally great because you can choose either the lens IS or the in body IS.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great buy for GF1, September 19, 2010

By 

Steve G. Bjorg (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I almost didn't buy this lens because of another review. The GF1 is my only high-quality camera and I got it with the pancake lens for better portability. I'm an amateur photographer and only on seldom occasions take pictures on the P mode rather than the idiot-simple iA mode. As any owner of the GF1 can attest, the GF1 performance is so good with the pancake lens that it turns anyone into an artist. However, it does not have a zoom. So, my quest for a zoom lens began and I eventually decided on the Panasonic 14-140mm. I dreaded that it might be too uncomfortably big, but it's not really an issue as you learn to balance the camera by its body and lens. I did follow someone else suggestion on getting a 2 Million Dollar Home Crumpler bag for it and I'm glad I did. Trying to carry the lens around the neck would probably not make much sense. Anyway, I had removed the neck strap a while back already and replaced it with a sturdy wrist strap.

I've been using it for a few weeks and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I only use it during the day where the slower shutter speed is a non-issue. I'm very glad I got the 10x zoom instead of the 3x zoom from Olympus. The latter might have been better as a replacement for the pancake, but that wasn't my objective. The optical image stabilization (OIS) feels almost like a must have, especially at the longer zoom range. With the Crumpler bag, the camera is easy to carry, protected, and generally not obstructive when the 14-140mm lens is attached. I haven't relied much on the silent focus and progressive exposure change which is built into this lens. It's mostly useful for video, which I don't use often. But I did weigh the presence of these features in my decision to buy this lens.

In short, if you have a GF1 as your primary high-quality camera and you're looking for a quality zoom lens, I don't think you can go wrong with this lens.

Detailed equipment list (for reference):
* Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
* Canon WS20 Wrist Strap
* Crumpler 2 Million Dollar Home Photo Bag
* Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens

As my next purchase, I'm planning for the viewfinder. I thought I'd be able to get away without one, but getting the exposure right on some subjects while zooming is quite hard through the outside LCD screen.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great all around travel lens, February 25, 2010

By 

C. Chiu (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I had this lens for almost a month. It works really well with my Olympus E-P1. The image is very sharp between 18mm to 70mm and a bit soft from 70mm and up. I like the built in O.I.S on the lens, so I can turn off the IBIS on the camera to avoid excessive heat when using it continuously. This is an amazing all around travel lens when pair with my Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens, which I can use it indoor such as restaurant with limit light condition and 14-140mm outdoor for landscape, wildlife animal or any occasion. I bought it separate with my camera system due to I like the retro look of E-P1. Consider its price is a bit high, but if you like to shot with video, then this lens is definite worth it Due to its virtually silence video focusing ability. I hate to hear my 20mm lens roaring when recording video using C-AF. I also planning test it out in my friend's coming wedding event and pair it with Olympus FL-50 flash. The lens is high quality made, inside of lens is made by metal with plastic casing I think due to manufacture consider its portability of m3/4 system. Consider its wide to telephoto range & price, there isn't much lens performs better than this lens unless you are willing to pay $500 more for the Leca 14-150mm without silent focusing ability.