Whenever it is necessary to pixel peep to find relevant differences, it means that the lenses perform in a very similar manner. This is the case with these two wide-angle zooms. As a member of the Olympus Pro line-up, the 7-14mm f2.8 is also weather-sealed and features the company’s ZERO coating. It joins the existing 12-40mm f2.8 Pro and 40-150mm f2.8 Pro to deliver an equivalent range of 14mm to 300mm with a constant f2.8 focal ratio and full weather-proofing. The 7-14mm f2.8 Pro was also announced alongside a fourth Pro lens, the M Zuiko Digital 8mm f1.8 Fisheye, the World’s brightest fisheye lens which I’m reviewing at the same time.

With the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO wide open at f/2.8, you can see some noticeable light fall-off in the corners. Stopping down helps, although to completely get rid of this phenomenon, you will need to use an f-stop of f/5.6 or smaller. There's also mild barrel distortion apparent at 7mm.I used Imatest to evaluate the 7-14mm's performance when paired with the 16-megapixel OM-D E-M1. At 7mm f/2.8 the lens scores 2,463 lines per picture height on a center-weighted test. Thats' better than the 1,800 lines we want to see at a minimum. Image quality is even through most of the frame, but the outer third portion is weaker, though it still shows better than 1,900 lines. Image quality is basically the same as the aperture is narrowed through f/5.6. At f/8 the edges improve, scoring just shy of 2,200 lines. Diffraction is a minor issue at f/11, but the lens still shows 2,384 lines. At f/16 there's a more noticeable drop (1,983 lines), and you should avoid using f/22 as the sharpness decreases drastically to 1,383 lines. The Olympus 7-14mm has a constant focal ratio of f2.8, making it a stop faster than the Lumix G 7-14mm across the entire focal range. This allows you to shoot at half the sensitivity or double the shutter speed under the same lighting conditions. It also allows you to achieve slightly shallower depth of field effects, although at ultra wide focal lengths, this will always be a minimal effect unless you’re shooting at very close range. Speaking of which, the closest focusing distance on the Olympus 7-14mm f2.8 is 20cm for a maximum magnification of 0.12x versus 25cm on the Lumix G 7-14mm, which in turn can deliver 0.08x magnification; so the Olympus lets you focus a little closer and reproduce subjects a little larger. The manual focus experience is good on both lenses as well, though you probably won’t feel the need to switch over to MF all that often unless you are doing astrophotography. Both rings offer a good resistance and the ribbed design makes them easy to grab onto. Feels great, looks great, works great – all in a lens that is reasonably priced. Well done Olympus yet again!

The build quality of the M.Zuiko is certainly up there with the big boys as well. The lens body is made of metal, everything is tightly assembled, weather sealed and the control rings operate smoothly. Typical for such extreme lenses, you have to live without front filters simply because the massive front element is bulb-shaped. However, the vulnerable front element is not without protection because the there's a built-in petal-shaped lens hood which is deep enough to shield it from most accidents at least. The inner lens tube moves a little when zooming through the focal length range but the physical length remains constant due to the deep lens hood. Similar to the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 ED, Olympus implemented a focus clutch mechanism which allows you to switch between AF and manual focusing. The lens is also dust- and splash-proof. All this said, were I faced with the decision myself, I’d probably choose the Pana-Leica for three main reasons.

Conclusion

As you zoom in beyond 10mm, the Pana-Leica lens once again takes a small lead, providing a little more sharpness at all aperture values.

Stabilisation is another major selling point for Micro Four Thirds: Olympus pioneered body-based stabilisation (which shifts the sensor) and has long built it into every body. Panasonic more recently adopted sensor-shift technology and now offers it on most new Lumix G bodies apart from the cheapest ones. Both will stabilize any lens you attach, even if the lens doesn’t have optical stabilisation. Panasonic does however sell many lenses with optical stabilisation, partly to support older Lumix G cameras without built-in stabilisation, but also to work alongside newer bodies which do have built-in stabilisation to improve the result.I haven’t noticed any relevant barrel distortion. The only distortion worth talking about is of course perspective distortion, which is the main characteristic of this type of lens. It can be of great use for architectural shots depending on how well the perspective distortion is contained. Some of it is tolerable but if distortion becomes too invasive, it can also be unpleasant. I can only give it 4*s not because the quality isn't there but because it kind of defeats the m43 philosophy of lightweight and portable The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk II used for this test is a good match for the lens, offering good balance, fast auto focus, and full environmental seals. The Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO lens itself is very well built, fully living up to the PRO designation that Olympus have given it. Manufacturer description: The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO is the ideal lens for wide-angle shooting needs in any condition. This premium lens includes weather sealing in 11 locations, enabling use in rain and snow, or even on the beach, where other lenses may not be able to withstand ocean spray or dust penetration. At 534 grams, or just under 19 ounces, the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO is about 45 percent lighter than similar competitor products, eliminating heavy equipment that may slow the user down. This is going to look familiar to some of you, mainly because it's virtually the same words I used for handling on my review of the 12-100mm f/4 Pro lens! Yes, Olympus is making the Pro lenses so much the same, that sometimes handling turns out to be identical.

Like most of the Olympus lenses (with the exception of a few such as relatively new Olympus M.ZUIKO PRO 300mm f/4), the 7-14mm f.2.8 it not stabilised. This is taken care of with the In-Body stabilisation offered by the Olympus OM-D range of cameras. As such if you’re a Panasonic shooter and you don’t have stabilisation in your camera, this lens could be less appealing to you than Panasonic’s own. With this 7mm shot I used the OM-D E-M5 Mark II’s keystone correction to correct converging verticals First is the robust metal construction that is fully dust, splash and freeze resistant down to -10 °C. When paired with a weather-sealed body such as the Panasonic Lumix GH5 or Olympus OM-D E-M1 II, you can venture out into even the most challenging weather conditions without worrying about damaging your gear. If you’re after a new lens to extend your reach, then there’s no shortage of telephoto zooms available. At the budget-end and designed to complement a kit zoom, I’d suggest either the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f4-5.6 or the Panasonic Lumix G 45-150mm f4-5.6 OIS. These are two of the most affordable lenses in the catalogue and ideal partners for a basic kit zoom on a budget body; if you have a Panasonic body without stabilisation, go for the Lumix G 45-150mm model which has optical stabilisation. If you’d like even longer reach without breaking the bank, I’d recommend the Panasonic Lumix G 100-300mm f4-5.6 II OIS that takes you to 600mm equivalent coverage at a relatively affordable price.If you prefer something a little wider, perhaps for street photography, I can also highly recommend a 17mm prime or thereabouts and again there’s lots of options, albeit at a higher price than the 25mm above; I’m going to suggest either the Panasonic Leica DG 15mm f1.7 or the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.8, both in a similar ballpark price-wise; I personally prefer the Leica, but love the more compact size of the Olympus when mounted on a smaller body. Tipping the scales at 534 grams and measuring 105mm in length and 78mm in diameter, the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 25mm f/1.8 is a substantial zoom lens, but given the constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, that's perhaps no surprise. Like other Olympus M.Zuiko Pro lenses, the Olympus 7-14mm is very fast to autofocus, taking well under a second to slew from minimum to infinity focus. It features Olympus' MSC ("Movie & Still Compatible") electrical focusing mechanism, for full-time AF in both stills and video that's also very quiet so as not to introduce focusing noises in video recordings. The MSC system does away with a geared system for mechanically moving the lens elements when focusing, which can cause unwanted noise. Instead, it uses a linear motor drive system for fast, quiet actuation.