Which telephoto option for D3-Oly 50-200, Pany 14-150 or R lens w/adapter?

[cfc247]

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Hello everyone,

 

After reading probably every single thread on the Digilux 3, I have finally decided to sell off my Nikon gear for the D3. The decision boiled down to the analog and more natural feel of the D3 versus the high-performing and yet machine like feel of the Nikon body. Plus I have been so impressed with the D2 lens that I want to explore some more Leica glass.

 

At the moment I am considering one telephoto lens, either zoom or prime. The three I have listed seem to be roughly the same in terms of price. Any thoughts on what option would be best in terms of image quality, cost/value ratio, and pleasure to use? Thanks everyone!

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[goodbokeh]

Hello everyone,

 

After reading probably every single thread on the Digilux 3, I have finally decided to sell off my Nikon gear for the D3. The decision boiled down to the analog and more natural feel of the D3 versus the high-performing and yet machine like feel of the Nikon body. Plus I have been so impressed with the D2 lens that I want to explore some more Leica glass.

 

At the moment I am considering one telephoto lens, either zoom or prime. The three I have listed seem to be roughly the same in terms of price. Any thoughts on what option would be best in terms of image quality, cost/value ratio, and pleasure to use? Thanks everyone!

 

I would think if you could find the Leica 14-150mm it would be preferable with the Digilux 3 body because of its having image stabilization.

[rsolomon]

i have the Digilux 3 with the 14-50 2.8/3.5 lens, its a beauty and so easy to use. in my opinion the 14-150 is to slow, but it offers stablization which is clearly a plus.

 

i have been looking at the Oly 50-200 2.8/3.5 , i have heard great things about the lens, they make two versions : an ED, and ED SWD. the second hass a faster focusing mechanism but has no advantage on the Digilux 3 i am told.neither offers stabilzation as Oly puts it in the camera- i wish Leica had done that as well.

 

I also have numerous R lenses and the adapter, i must say the R lenses out perform the kit lens significantly,keep in mind the angle of view with R lenses decrease to double the size, ie the 80 1.4 views as a 160 1.4 - a fantastic lens

 

At this point i have ruled out the Leica 14-150, still looking at the Oly. BTW (with loosing some quality) you can put the Digilux 3 camera in digital zoom mode and get more from your current kit zoom in 4/3rd terms the 14-50, becomes a 28-100 or 42-150, in 35mm terms your 28-100 becomes a 56-200 or 84- 300

[charbinjr]

Hello everyone,

 

After reading probably every single thread on the Digilux 3, I have finally decided to sell off my Nikon gear for the D3. The decision boiled down to the analog and more natural feel of the D3 versus the high-performing and yet machine like feel of the Nikon body. Plus I have been so impressed with the D2 lens that I want to explore some more Leica glass.

 

At the moment I am considering one telephoto lens, either zoom or prime. The three I have listed seem to be roughly the same in terms of price. Any thoughts on what option would be best in terms of image quality, cost/value ratio, and pleasure to use? Thanks everyone!

 

I've been using the Pano/Leica 14-150 (28-300 in 35mm equivalent) for about six weeks. I love this lens. It is not much larger or heavier than the supplied kit lens with the Digilux3 which for me, makes it ideal. I had a real problem locating a dealer for the lens but got a heads up from some helpful person on this forum that she had bought on from Berger Brothers Cameras . When I ordered mine, they had 4 in stock. I highly recommend this lens because of compact size and Leica glass. Yes it is a wee bit slower than one might like but we trade off on stuff everyday. Complete compatibility and image stabilization is worth a lot. Hope this helps.

Charlie

[cfc247]

Thank you all for your comments. I think the decision is getting even tougher now that I am a bit more informed.

 

The 14-150 is certainly appealing in that it offers practical speed and versatility, though the lens is not as fast as one would like. It certainly isn't cheap either at $1100.

 

Could someone tell me which features work with the Oly lenses on a D3? What does one lose by not using an Oly body?

 

Charlie, how do you feel about the image quality of the 14-150? What about build and handling? Also, do you find yourself not needing the kit lens with the focal length overlap? Or do you use it for the certain situations? I'm wondering whether I would use the kit lens with the purchase of the 14-150.

[ASpes]

Thank you all for your comments. I think the decision is getting even tougher now that I am a bit more informed.

 

The 14-150 is certainly appealing in that it offers practical speed and versatility, though the lens is not as fast as one would like. It certainly isn't cheap either at $1100.

 

Could someone tell me which features work with the Oly lenses on a D3? What does one lose by not using an Oly body?

 

Charlie, how do you feel about the image quality of the 14-150? What about build and handling? Also, do you find yourself not needing the kit lens with the focal length overlap? Or do you use it for the certain situations? I'm wondering whether I would use the kit lens with the purchase of the 14-150.

 

I bought the P/L 14-150 fairly recently, and had very little chances to put it to work. My first impressions are of a capable lens, in any case better than I expected. Optically it has very low distortions and a tiny bit of CA at the long end, but imo nothing to worry about in real use, or that you cannot easily deal with in pp, so the line that "it's the best 10x zoom around" likely holds true. I'd also add that probably it's better than many less critical lenses in all makes.

If you like I have a small gallery with a few test images. Just take into account that it's not a formal test, but just some shots I did for myself, all hand-held and with my usual pp (which means to my taste) . All in all I'd say it pleases me pretty well.

Zenfolio | ASpes | Pana/Leica 14-150 test

 

Now to compare it to the Oly 50-200, which I also have, is not an easy task. In a few words, apart from the different reach, optically the Oly is top notch, and better, it is brighter but has no stabilisation, and last but not least is also a much heftier lens. The current version of the Oly is also SWD, and is faster than mine which is of the older kind, but anyway in use it looks faster at focusing than the P/L in critical situations. If contrast or light are not good, the P/L tends to hunt a bit at first.

 

(As for your question, using an Oly lens on your D/3 has no real drawback, the wheel at the back becomes the aperture ring and first button on top becomes a mode switch. Apart from this everything works as expected.)

 

So IMO it all comes down to how you want to use it.

The Oly will add to the kit lens, while the P/L makes for an outstanding walk-around lens, fits and works perfectly with the D/3 just as the "kit" one, which is likely to become a backup for low light situations.

 

I would not suggest the P/L as the best choice for sport photography but then probably I would not suggest the D/3 either. Take this of course with a grain of salt, in that I mean you have more suitable cameras for this use, but it does not prevent you to take good action pictures with more traditional and sound techniques like pre-focusing and anticipating the moment. Faster cameras do help but the "handle" is always the key point.

 

All in all, the P/L is highly recommendable both in use and for the quality of what you get ... provided you can live within its limits of course.

 

Hope this helps.

[Ruhayat]

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For autofocus zooms, Olympus has a good range of very fast lenses that (to me) offer better value than the Panaleica equivalent. Dunno about the longer telephotos as I don't use them, but the 12-60mm would be a good start and almost an automatic must-have. Also check out the f2/50mm macro, which is razor sharp.

 

For the fun and enjoyment that manual focus brings, you can't beat the R lenses. If I were starting all over again I'd go with the 60mm Macro Elmarit instead of the 50mm Summicron I got, and then add a 28mm Elmarit (I just like the way Elmarit images look compared to Summicron's). For razor sharp photos, and low light shoots, either a 50mm or 90mm Summicron, or 50mm Summilux should fit the bill.

[ASpes]

For autofocus zooms, Olympus has a good range of very fast lenses that (to me) offer better value than the Panaleica equivalent. Dunno about the longer telephotos as I don't use them, but the 12-60mm would be a good start and almost an automatic must-have. Also check out the f2/50mm macro, which is razor sharp.

 

For the fun and enjoyment that manual focus brings, you can't beat the R lenses. If I were starting all over again I'd go with the 60mm Macro Elmarit instead of the 50mm Summicron I got, and then add a 28mm Elmarit (I just like the way Elmarit images look compared to Summicron's). For razor sharp photos, and low light shoots, either a 50mm or 90mm Summicron, or 50mm Summilux should fit the bill.

 

 

Sorry but, though I'm a long time Oly user and estimator, I beg to differ when you say you have equivalent lenses in the Oly range.

 

The only lens that comes close to the P/L 14-150 is the Oly 18-180. Apart from the difference at the wide end which is not negligible, with this lens the quality is good but just average, and IMO not even close to that of the P/L 14-150.

 

The Leica 14-50 is more a match with the Oly 14-54, I have both. Here we are talking of a high grade lens, but again IMO the Leica has a slight but definite edge on it, though they are quite close.

In any case let's not forget that both Oly zooms are not stabilised like the P/L counterparts.

 

The last one is the amazing P/L 25/1.4, which has no equivalent, unless you want to bring in the pancake 25/2.8, which is affected by a noticeable barrel distortion, and to say it is a good lens you must always add "for the price". I have the Oly pancake as it fills some occasional use, would be a pity to miss it ... for the price. I do not have the P/L 25/1.4, because, though just as good as it is, I love today's top quality zooms, and so went with the Oly 14-35/f2 which is really an amazing lens.

 

As for the Leica R lenses, I agree, most of them are top quality, many use them with outstanding results, but speaking for myself I'd feel thrown back some forty years, when I'd have given an arm and a leg for autofocus. Manual exposure has never been a problem, still use it, but my lost pix were quite a few because of manual focus. Nowadays I'm in a sort of heaven as far as that, and even have left all of my arms and legs ... :-)

 

Just my 2 (euro)cent of course.

[Ruhayat]

I guess it's different strokes etc etc. I prefer manual focusing, especially in low light. But then, I don't tend to do action shots, or like them to be so sharp. I find Oly lenses plenty sharp... although I do prefer the colour rendition of (some of) the Leica lenses.

[cfc247]

thank you for all those helpful comments.

 

Does anyone have a pic of the p/l 14-150? I've only seen the stock photo and can't get a sense of its size and build. Perhaps some shots of it next to the kit lens would be nice.

 

I wish I could try out some of these lenses in person before committing. But realistically, I will probably have to buy one and return it if it doesn't work.

[ASpes]

thank you for all those helpful comments.

 

Does anyone have a pic of the p/l 14-150? I've only seen the stock photo and can't get a sense of its size and build. Perhaps some shots of it next to the kit lens would be nice.

 

I wish I could try out some of these lenses in person before committing. But realistically, I will probably have to buy one and return it if it doesn't work.

 

Only (and hopefully best) thing I can do is to direct you to this web page:

Four Thirds | Products | The Professional voice

 

Over there you'll be able to visually match all 4/3 bodies, D/3 included, with any 4/3 lens, P/L 14-150 included.

Just first select a camera body and then a lens, and they will show you the combo visually and even rotate it to any view you like.

Best experience, short of the real thing of course.

 

Hope this helps.

[cfc247]

Aspes, excellent site! Thank you for the link.

[cfc247]

I finally got my Digilux 3 on hand and just ordered the 25 1.4 in addition to the kit lens. Now I am seriously considering the telephoto.

 

Since several of you own either the Oly or PL or both, I was wondering if you could comment on the low-light performance of the lenses. Does the slower PL match the Oly indoors/low-light with the OIM? Just your overall experience with them would be helpful. Thanks!

 

BTW-I just don't feel confident enough yet with the dim finder on the D3 using a R lens. Perhaps I will grow into it in time.