Widest Wide
 

Hi, everyone! First, does anyone have ANY IDEA where the year went?!? It's almost No-freaking-vember! Levity aside, I am curious what is the widest wide angle lens we can use with the GH series before we have to contend with fisheye? From what I can tell, 12mm is probably the widest, though Voigtlander has a 10.5 that's just a bit out of my price range.

Thoughts? Thanks, all!
~TW

Re: Widest Wide
 

The 9-18mm and the 7-14mm both from Olympus come to mind.

Re: Widest Wide
 

So Noa, are you saying that at the wide end of those lenses there's no fisheye? I understand that the crop factor requires doubling the effective aperture...I just wasn't sure that fisheye might sneak in there, when the lens is as wide as it can be. Thanks again! ~TW

Re: Widest Wide
 

I have the Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 and it's awesome. No fisheye.

Re: Widest Wide
 

I don't have the 7-14 but the 9-18, at 9mm objects near the edge curve but not like a fisheye, for it's price it's also an excellent lens and it's very sharp.

Re: Widest Wide
 

Thanks, Noa AND Patrick, for clearing up the question! And the fact that both are zoom lenses makes them more desirable acquisitions. Thanks again!

Re: Widest Wide
 

I have the Oly 9-18mm and it is fairly rectilinear at the 9mm end from what I've seen in my images taken with it.

Not the aperture! Doubling the focal length gives you the full frame focal length equivalent field of view. The 9mm end of my lens will give me the approximate field of view of a full frame sensor and 18mm lens. Still an ultrawide field of view.

The crop factor changes a bit more if you are shooting 4K, it's more like 2.3X

Re: Widest Wide
 

Thanks, Bruce! You know, as I was typing my original question, I KNEW I should'a been asking about focal length! Must've been having a "senior moment!" Or as Homer Simpson might say.......D-OH!!

~TW

Re: Widest Wide
 

Another option if you already have a Metabones speed booster adaptor for either Canon or Nikon is the Rokinon 10mm. It is rectilinear, starts at f2.8 but of course with the speed booster you gain an extra stop of light, & ends up the same focal length as a 7.1mm!!! The lens is really quite cheap, & i have to say, the images i have got from this lens are outstanding.

Re: Widest Wide
 

I'm also on the lookout for a wide angle. I'm stuck between the Oly 7-14mm 2.8, Voigtlander 10.5mm 0.95 and the SLR Magic 10mm 2.1. All 3 have their pluses and minuses. I'm not ready to invest till the New Year, so have time to ponder which is the best for me. Alas the Oly 7-14 lacks a filter thread making outdoor use restrictive unless any here know of a solution other than bumping up aperture and shutter values, whilst 2.8 is restrictive inside. Shame as the zoom is quite useful plus the extra wide angle of 7mm is a plus.

Re: Widest Wide
 

Those where also some the same lenses on my radar :) I got the Oly 9-18 because instead I needed a zoomlens that can go much wider then my 12mm and in terms of detail across the frame it's an excellent lens for video considering it's price but f4.0 at it's widest can be somewhat limiting. Otoh f2.8 doesn't cut it either in darker venues so my use of a 7-14mm would be as limiting during a wedding day as the 9-18 Oly which made the extra investment not justified. Now If the gh4 could do a clean 12800 or 25600 iso that would change a lot :)

Re: Widest Wide
 

Yeah I've discounted the Oly 7-14 due to its limitations inside and out, despite hearing how good quality the lens is. I'm thinking of the SLR Magic 10mm which is cheaper the the Voigtlander. 2.1 aperture isn't as good as 0.95, but for wide angle you can't go too shallow if you're covering a room, even in low-light, so I may as well save some cash and get the 9-18 as well.

Re: Widest Wide
 

I think people make a bigger deal about shooting indoors than is necessary. I use the 7-14 indoors all the time on real estate, corporate, wedding, etc.

Re: Widest Wide
 

"only" f2.8 is a big deal on a m4/3 camera, for the kind of weddings I get to shoot that doesn't work once the lights go out.

Re: Widest Wide
 

Believe me, I wouldn't make a fuss if I didn't have exact cases on a regular basis where 2.8 doesn't cut it. I also shoot 2.8 indoors with my 12-35, but only to a point. However once the evening kicks off, my 2.8 zoom lens gets put in the bag. I'd really use it if I could.

Regretfully the 7-14 can't take an ND filter either making outdoors limited also - not sure how you deal with that. It would be a deal breaker for me. I hate high shutter value videos - hate the look and the motion and I've seen the Panasonic 7-14 lens pushed to high apertures values too and the image is soft as mush.