Tiny but mediocre

*Please note that this review is in comparison to the 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Panasonic lens.

Hello everyone. I'll try to be brief about this review, especially since it's got quite a few images. The Panasonic G 14mm f/2.5 (hence called the '14mm') is one of the oldest primes in the system. It's also the smallest proper lens in the MFT lineup (that is, with AF and diaphragm control). It's a supremely light and compact optic, inexpensive but decently built. I bought it as there was an irresistible offer locally about a month ago - I bought it for around $80 USD, which was a screaming bargain. However, I'll be selling it after a month of tests and use.

Executive summary: it's a mediocre lens. Not much smaller than the 12-32mm, only a stop faster, not stabilized, but much worse in the corners and borders wide open. It also imparts a yellow tint to images that isn't to my liking. It's got massive CA, too. The 12-32mm is cheaper, goes wider and longer, and is simply the better lens.

Positives: the center is very sharp and bright at all apertures, looking positively great. The AF motor is smooth and quiet, much better than the 20mm f/1.7. Upon stopping down, images improve some - but the corners are never truly sharp. It's got 46mm filter threads, the same as most consumer Panasonic primes. Decent flare resistance. It looks absolutely beautiful on my black E-M5 ^_^

Negatives: Where should I start? The vignetting wide open is bad. Really bad, especially in a landscape/interior lens. Lateral CA's are absolutely out of control, and never disappear completely even when stopping down. This is much worse in the corners, compounding the low resolution, vignetting, and color shifts present there. For this FL, a very even performance across the frame, even if only achieved at f/6.3-7.1, is a must. Distortion is also an issue - panning in video mode feels unnatural and fake. Also, the color tint that the 14mm gives to images is quite yellow, but not exactly warm - I personally found it unpleasant. I believe this has to do with the extremely small design and fast-ish aperture, that led to many compromises in the optical design.

Sample images:

Three Panasonic lenses side by side: the G 25mm f/1.7 on the left (with Olympus rear cap that shaves a little bit of height), the 12-32mm, and the 14mm.

The three of them as seen from the front, and in reversed order. As you can see, the 12-32mm and the 14mm are almost the same size.

14mm wide open.

14mm at f/5.6

12-32mm wide open at 14mm

12-32mm at f/5.6 and 14mm

14mm landscape at f/6.3. Focus was placed on the old pier, center spot. If you look at the left side, you'll see that it's completely soft - this lens has pronounced left-side misalignment. The center, on the other hand, is perfectly resolved.

14mm at f/4.0

14mm at f/5.6

Disclaimer: This was tested on an Olympus OM-D E-M5. So, Sony sensor and filter stack, and no automatic CA removal. It could do better on a Panasonic body. Also, I do not consider this an unusable lens, but find it very disappointing in comparison to the 12-32mm. Wide open the 14mm is a mess, and considering its price and unambitious specs it ought to be better. Then again, maybe I won the reverse lottery and got a terrible copy that got knocked out of alignment in shipping or something. It could be bad luck, but this copy of the lens is completely unsatisfactory for me.