Great video! i appreciate the detailed information.. i've seen many reviews and you are the first one to actually say the filter thread size. to many that might be important. Quite frankly its not important to me either but you can tell you wanted to share everything about this lens.. which i can respect
Thanks for the review. Another great lens for the M43 system. Although pricey @ $1300, I think could be really worth it if you're dedicated to the M43 system and want a high-quality prime lens and wide angle. Although older, your alternative choice of the Olympus 12mm f/2 seems almost as good and I believe still considered one of the sharpest prime lenses in the m43 system for noticeably less money... even though $800 is still not inexpensive. That $500 saved could be put into another prime lens if there's a vacancy in one's m43 lens collection or even flash if you want something else to help improve your photography. Given a choice between various mirrorless camera systems, I have to admit the equivalent offering on the Fuji X system with their 16mm f/1.4 seems to make more sense. You'll probably get better overall IQ from the larger sensor, particularly from the latest 24mp aps-c x-trans III sensor in the X-Pro2 & X-T2, and the actual focal length and same max aperture of f/1.4 should allow for even better subject isolation.. plus, the 16mm still costs less than the Pana-Leica 12mm with a $300 savings. Regardless of anyone's particular camera system choice, this new 12mm lens is undeniably a very nice wide angle prime lens offering.
of course, even though it both have fast apertures, with a relatively wide angle, you're going to need to get in close to appreciate whatever bokeh qualities it may exhibit. perhaps would make for a nice comparison video or article on your website someday.
I shoot Fuji, yet I also use a Lumix GM5. I would be welcome a comparison between the two. (Perhaps also the 14mm f/2.8, and the 10mm/12mm/15mm Voigtlander manual focus M-lenses.)
A 7 or 8mm prime (14/16mm equiv) f1.4 or f2 for micro four thirds would be fantastic. I shoot commercial architecture and this type of lens would elevate the system into another professional level. Great for astro photography too.
The Panasonic Leica 12mm f1.4: Great review, the star flare is amazing. I noticed something with the Olympus 12mm f2: it distort a bit and people will look like an elongated head alien.
Your review was fantastic and I think has inspired me to order this lens. Thus far I have only seen Mathieu's reviews on this channel - though I have seen you in the videos. Is this your review or a combination of both of you - since I did see Mathieu in the video? I have the GX 85 with the Panasonic 12 - 24 2.8, 24 - 100 2.8, and the new 100 - 400 (which is incredible). I also have two GH4s.
This is Heather's review. I only edited the video :) We tend to review products individually. Sometimes we do videos together with comparisons when we have reviewed one product each. The lens is great if you need the fast aperture for low light or astro-photography.
you don't need that fast aperture at wide angles, f2.8 is fast enough for wide angle lenses as wide angle lenses are typically aimed for landscapes photography . I would recommend Olympus pro lens 12mm f2.0 or 12-40mm f.28, These 2 lenses are much cheaper than this leica 12mm f1.4 , but without compromising on image quality .
Excellent review. It would be helpful if the optical quality of the Olympus 12mm could be compared with the Panny/Leica 12mm. Right now it seems a really stupid price to ask even for professional photographers unless they REALLY need the extra two thirds stop of light. The Olympus f2 12mm is available in the UK for less than half the price of this Leica lens.
We didn't have the two lenses side by side but you can check out this comparison at CameraLabs: www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Leica_DG_Summilux_12mm_f1-4_H-X012/
Thank you. After leaving my comment I stumbled across the written review on your website which did refer to this link. The CameraLabs review was interesting: I concluded from sample images there is very little difference in the centre of the two lenses at f4, but the Panasonic/Leica is superior at the edges and of course has one stop extra.
Thank you for the great photos. The colors and distance separation seem like a significant improvement over the 15mm 1.7 or is that an illusion? I have the PL 42.5 on a G9 and am looking for similar results. Take care
I'm can't pick between ultra wide 7-14 or this 12mm. How do those two compare? I have 12-40 f2.8 but I'm not sure if it's worth getting 12mm just for those extra stop of light. That price is expensive especially when it's not far off from metabones + 18-35 Sigma f1.8. That combo gives 25mm at f1.0 on the widest end.
I think you can do much more with the 7-14mm in terms of composition and field of view. I would recommend this 12mm 1.4 only if you really need that fast aperture (like evening events, indoor weddings, astro-photography, etc).
What are you referring to at 1:04 when you say that it only works with Panasonic Lumix bodies? The aperture ring only works with Panasonic bodies? Thanks.
Great reviews! I subscribed. How does the Leica 12mm f1.4 compare to the Olympus Pro 17mm f1.2 ? I was specifically wondering about the Bokeh quality between the two. Thanks
Hard to tell without a side by side comparison. Bokeh wise, they both do well, perhaps the Leica has something extra to offer but then the focal length is shorter so you really need to focus close to get shallow depth of field. It also suffers a lot from flares.
Thank you, I purchased the 12mm. Ultimately I use that wider focal length more. Will you be doing a review on the new Leica 25mm f1.4 Mark 2 soon? Thanks
i like the color and the style this lens does remember me my 35 mm asph leica 1.4 summilux M for leica FF, but this lens is few degree under cause cromatic aberrations and coma color and bokeh are also a bit better in the 35 mm M mount for leica (i had to said this lens shines in street and people photography lot more than for landscape), Samyang XP are better lens for that (i.e. star shots or night photos where the are stars on the corners as well landscape, but still loving the leica style which is in this lens but not in the 25 mm Leica panasonic DG summilux ¿why?, maybe the price the 25 mm cost less than half.
The 7-14mm 2.8 gives you more versatility with the composition. 12mm (24mm equivalent) is ok but at times, it can feel a bit narrow depending on the location and how much details of the sky you want to include in the shot.
for the aurora light with em5 mkii body, which lens do you recommended this 12mm f1.4 or Olympus 12mm f2 or go to ultra wide 7-14 f2.8 pro?? any suggestion?
I'm interested in a 12mm or 10mm lense that will give me the least distortion when i film giant landscapes for a movie im making - this looks great, (i want to get as close as possible to that David Lean Laurence of Arabia look) I'm also looking at Samyang or Rokinon. Any suggestions would be welcomed greatly!
The 12mm 1.4 is definitely one of the best wide angle lenses available for micro four thirds especially when it comes to sharpness across the frame and distortion. The only downside is flare. The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm is a good lens but not as sharp at the corners (although on micro four thirds it should be less of an issue since the lens is designed for APS-C). Curiosity: have you considered shooting in anamorphic format with the GH4 (available via firmware update) and anamorphic lenses. That would give you a widescreen format more similar to Lawrence of Arabia and emphasise those giant landscapes.
HI Mathieu, thank you for responding back - I would love to use an Anamorphic lense - Its way out of my budget however - Most places Ive looked at don't give much information on Anamorphic lenses - I wish there was an easier way to get into that - I've looked at a few websites I am looking to get something in the region of £300 maximum price, hence the reason why I'm considering Rokinon/Samywang due to their lower price bracket. I have an old MIniDV Canon Camcorder, Which has a built in anamporphic lense but I have no idea how to remove it and convert with a bit of tinkering - Im guessing it can be done?
A larger sensor will help you with noise ratio but to capture as many stars as possible, what you need is a fast lens because it is the larger aperture of the lens that will allow you to capture more light. The sensor converts the light into electric signal, the amount of light that he is able to capture depends on two things only: aperture and shutter speed. I've seen astrophotography images shot with a sensor even smaller than m4/3 (Sony RX10). If you look at the images in this video, they were all shot at ISO 800 which is means noise is contained even on m4/3. That is because the fast aperture allowed us to keep the ISO lower (and so to have less noise). Plus the sky was particularly bright that night considering that we took the pictures in a small town (so with light pollution as well).
Thanks for the reply :) but 20mega pixel on a m43, and 20mega pixel on a full frame are different, each FF pixel has more area able to gather light, .... a m43+12mmf/1.4 and a Full frame+24mm f/1.4 ....i really doubt they will get the quantity of stars at same ISO.....
The full frame 20MP sensor would give you less noise at the same ISO value so if we add serious post production to emphasise the stars (and the mikly way perhaps), then yes you will get a cleaner image and better details with the full frame camera. But you can do astro-photography with m4/3. We often use the live composite mode of Olympus cameras for star trails for example and you would be surprised to see how stars we were able to capture. And let's not forget that the best way to capture more stars is the same old trick: to be in a completely pitch dark location, so not the one where we were with this Pana 12mm lens :)
Ok, but aperture is not just depth of field but also exposure, so saying it's a stop faster without further details is confusing. Plus, there is a micro four thirds version for the Sigma, so it makes more sense to talk about that since this video is about a m4/3 lens anyway. P.S.: we'll have the review of the sigma 16mm online soon.
I mentioned E mount so to emphasize the fact that the Sigma 16 1.4 will likely be mounted on an APS-C camera like the 24-MP A6500 whose pixel size is a little less than 1.33^2 larger than that of a 20-MP M43 body. Or in terms of FF, the Sigma has an equivalent FF FOV and aperture of 24mm f/2.1 and the Leica being 24mm f/2.8. I am aware that the Sigma also makes an M43 mount but it has a completely different FOV.
Severely overpriced lens as usual from panasonic just beacuse there is a stupid leica on it. The 7-14 pro or even the 12-40 pro is much sharper. The zuiko 12 f/2 is also a better buy, cheaper same sharpness, and way smaller and cheaper.
Nice to finally hear the voice of the lady who usually poses as a model. I really enjoy your reviews. Inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Great video! i appreciate the detailed information.. i've seen many reviews and you are the first one to actually say the filter thread size. to many that might be important. Quite frankly its not important to me either but you can tell you wanted to share everything about this lens.. which i can respect
Great video, I like her nice & easy style.
I can see a lot of work went into this review - you have done a good job. Thanks and God Bless.
Hi,
Just wanted to let you know that you do a very good job of reviewing gears. Thank you, and keep it up.
thanks!
Thanks for the review. Another great lens for the M43 system. Although pricey @ $1300, I think could be really worth it if you're dedicated to the M43 system and want a high-quality prime lens and wide angle.
Although older, your alternative choice of the Olympus 12mm f/2 seems almost as good and I believe still considered one of the sharpest prime lenses in the m43 system for noticeably less money... even though $800 is still not inexpensive. That $500 saved could be put into another prime lens if there's a vacancy in one's m43 lens collection or even flash if you want something else to help improve your photography.
Given a choice between various mirrorless camera systems, I have to admit the equivalent offering on the Fuji X system with their 16mm f/1.4 seems to make more sense. You'll probably get better overall IQ from the larger sensor, particularly from the latest 24mp aps-c x-trans III sensor in the X-Pro2 & X-T2, and the actual focal length and same max aperture of f/1.4 should allow for even better subject isolation.. plus, the 16mm still costs less than the Pana-Leica 12mm with a $300 savings.
Regardless of anyone's particular camera system choice, this new 12mm lens is undeniably a very nice wide angle prime lens offering.
The Fuji 16mm is a nice lens but I haven't tested for astro-photography. The bokeh is nice but you need to focus close once again.
of course, even though it both have fast apertures, with a relatively wide angle, you're going to need to get in close to appreciate whatever bokeh qualities it may exhibit. perhaps would make for a nice comparison video or article on your website someday.
I shoot Fuji, yet I also use a Lumix GM5. I would be welcome a
comparison between the two. (Perhaps also the 14mm f/2.8, and the 10mm/12mm/15mm Voigtlander manual focus M-lenses.)
A 7 or 8mm prime (14/16mm equiv) f1.4 or f2 for micro four thirds would be fantastic. I shoot commercial architecture and this type of lens would elevate the system into another professional level. Great for astro photography too.
Check out the Kowa 8.5mm
Check out the Laowa 7.5mm f/2.0. Or the Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8
The Panasonic Leica 12mm f1.4: Great review, the star flare is amazing. I noticed something with the Olympus 12mm f2: it distort a bit and people will look like an elongated head alien.
If you photograph people up close there will be distortion especially around the centre
Your review was fantastic and I think has inspired me to order this lens. Thus far I have only seen Mathieu's reviews on this channel - though I have seen you in the videos. Is this your review or a combination of both of you - since I did see Mathieu in the video? I have the GX 85 with the Panasonic 12 - 24 2.8, 24 - 100 2.8, and the new 100 - 400 (which is incredible). I also have two GH4s.
This is Heather's review. I only edited the video :) We tend to review products individually. Sometimes we do videos together with comparisons when we have reviewed one product each.
The lens is great if you need the fast aperture for low light or astro-photography.
It's a team effort! :) If you do a lot of landscapes/astrophotography/low-light work, you'll really enjoy this lens.
Thanks for the nice Video :)
Thanks for the video. It is truly a great lens.
Lovely review Mathieu. Looking at this for my GH5/GH5s.
you don't need that fast aperture at wide angles, f2.8 is fast enough for wide angle lenses as wide angle lenses are typically aimed for landscapes photography . I would recommend Olympus pro lens 12mm f2.0 or 12-40mm f.28, These 2 lenses are much cheaper than this leica 12mm f1.4 , but without compromising on image quality .
Thank you
Excellent video, thank you
Goo looking lens and camera is also very well made. Going to make a purchase soon
More heather’s reviews!!
Excellent review. It would be helpful if the optical quality of the Olympus 12mm could be compared with the Panny/Leica 12mm. Right now it seems a really stupid price to ask even for professional photographers unless they REALLY need the extra two thirds stop of light. The Olympus f2 12mm is available in the UK for less than half the price of this Leica lens.
We didn't have the two lenses side by side but you can check out this comparison at CameraLabs:
www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Leica_DG_Summilux_12mm_f1-4_H-X012/
Thank you. After leaving my comment I stumbled across the written review on your website which did refer to this link. The CameraLabs review was interesting: I concluded from sample images there is very little difference in the centre of the two lenses at f4, but the Panasonic/Leica is superior at the edges and of course has one stop extra.
This is a wonderful review, thank you!
Thank you for the great photos. The colors and distance separation seem like a significant improvement over the 15mm 1.7 or is that an illusion? I have the PL 42.5 on a G9 and am looking for similar results. Take care
Hmm, honestly I'm not sure, I would have to put the two lenses side by side to check that.
the dynamic duo...
Nice lens, nice review
I'm can't pick between ultra wide 7-14 or this 12mm. How do those two compare? I have 12-40 f2.8 but I'm not sure if it's worth getting 12mm just for those extra stop of light. That price is expensive especially when it's not far off from metabones + 18-35 Sigma f1.8. That combo gives 25mm at f1.0 on the widest end.
I think you can do much more with the 7-14mm in terms of composition and field of view. I would recommend this 12mm 1.4 only if you really need that fast aperture (like evening events, indoor weddings, astro-photography, etc).
What are you referring to at 1:04 when you say that it only works with Panasonic Lumix bodies? The aperture ring only works with Panasonic bodies? Thanks.
Yes it only works on Panasonic bodies. With Olympus bodies you have to use the normal dial on the camera.
Thank you! Looking forward to your in-depth review of the Sony a6500. Best.
Great reviews! I subscribed. How does the Leica 12mm f1.4 compare to the Olympus Pro 17mm f1.2 ? I was specifically wondering about the Bokeh quality between the two. Thanks
Hard to tell without a side by side comparison. Bokeh wise, they both do well, perhaps the Leica has something extra to offer but then the focal length is shorter so you really need to focus close to get shallow depth of field. It also suffers a lot from flares.
Thank you, I purchased the 12mm. Ultimately I use that wider focal length more.
Will you be doing a review on the new Leica 25mm f1.4 Mark 2 soon? Thanks
i like the color and the style this lens does remember me my 35 mm asph leica 1.4 summilux M for leica FF, but this lens is few degree under cause cromatic aberrations and coma color and bokeh are also a bit better in the 35 mm M mount for leica (i had to said this lens shines in street and people photography lot more than for landscape), Samyang XP are better lens for that (i.e. star shots or night photos where the are stars on the corners as well landscape, but still loving the leica style which is in this lens but not in the 25 mm Leica panasonic DG summilux ¿why?, maybe the price the 25 mm cost less than half.
Does anyone know what the T-stop of this lens is?
nice video
have a question i want to buy this lens for astrophotography you think is a good idea or 7-14 f2.8 zuiko pro is better? thanks
The 7-14mm 2.8 gives you more versatility with the composition. 12mm (24mm equivalent) is ok but at times, it can feel a bit narrow depending on the location and how much details of the sky you want to include in the shot.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons interesting point a thinking about this very thanks
No offence but i prefer heater in video ;-) great review!
me too! ;)
for the aurora light with em5 mkii body, which lens do you recommended this 12mm f1.4 or Olympus 12mm f2 or go to ultra wide 7-14 f2.8 pro?? any suggestion?
+Suwapach Pikasit I would choose the 7-14mm pro because you have more room for composition.
I'm interested in a 12mm or 10mm lense that will give me the least distortion when i film giant landscapes for a movie im making - this looks great, (i want to get as close as possible to that David Lean Laurence of Arabia look) I'm also looking at Samyang or Rokinon. Any suggestions would be welcomed greatly!
Which camera will you use?
Mathieu Gasquet hi thank you for responding - I'm using a LUMIX GH4
The 12mm 1.4 is definitely one of the best wide angle lenses available for micro four thirds especially when it comes to sharpness across the frame and distortion. The only downside is flare. The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm is a good lens but not as sharp at the corners (although on micro four thirds it should be less of an issue since the lens is designed for APS-C).
Curiosity: have you considered shooting in anamorphic format with the GH4 (available via firmware update) and anamorphic lenses. That would give you a widescreen format more similar to Lawrence of Arabia and emphasise those giant landscapes.
HI Mathieu, thank you for responding back - I would love to use an Anamorphic lense - Its way out of my budget however - Most places Ive looked at don't give much information on Anamorphic lenses - I wish there was an easier way to get into that - I've looked at a few websites I am looking to get something in the region of £300 maximum price, hence the reason why I'm considering Rokinon/Samywang due to their lower price bracket. I have an old MIniDV Canon Camcorder, Which has a built in anamporphic lense but I have no idea how to remove it and convert with a bit of tinkering - Im guessing it can be done?
I don't think you can adapt the anamorphic lens of your camcorder.
I wanna love this lens, but no IS at this price point seems ridiculous.
hello, how you can do astrophotography? since the m43 pixels are so small, they are less likely able to catch the light than a full frame.....
A larger sensor will help you with noise ratio but to capture as many stars as possible, what you need is a fast lens because it is the larger aperture of the lens that will allow you to capture more light. The sensor converts the light into electric signal, the amount of light that he is able to capture depends on two things only: aperture and shutter speed.
I've seen astrophotography images shot with a sensor even smaller than m4/3 (Sony RX10). If you look at the images in this video, they were all shot at ISO 800 which is means noise is contained even on m4/3. That is because the fast aperture allowed us to keep the ISO lower (and so to have less noise). Plus the sky was particularly bright that night considering that we took the pictures in a small town (so with light pollution as well).
Thanks for the reply :) but 20mega pixel on a m43, and 20mega pixel on a full frame are different, each FF pixel has more area able to gather light, .... a m43+12mmf/1.4 and a Full frame+24mm f/1.4 ....i really doubt they will get the quantity of stars at same ISO.....
The full frame 20MP sensor would give you less noise at the same ISO value so if we add serious post production to emphasise the stars (and the mikly way perhaps), then yes you will get a cleaner image and better details with the full frame camera. But you can do astro-photography with m4/3.
We often use the live composite mode of Olympus cameras for star trails for example and you would be surprised to see how stars we were able to capture. And let's not forget that the best way to capture more stars is the same old trick: to be in a completely pitch dark location, so not the one where we were with this Pana 12mm lens :)
ok, thanks for this conversation :) i stop the comments for now. Great video as always.
How about comparing it with summilux 15 1.7 ? Is it worth extra 600$ =) ?
The 15 1.7 is a stunning lens, so if you don't mind the narrower field of view, I would say you can spare $600.
Thanx
Thank you for the review. FYI: The Japanese word is pronounced Bow-Keh not Bow-Kay.
not gonna work on olympus?
Yes it works fine on Olympus micro four thirds cameras.
Save money - get the Samyang 12mm
I love shooting video with this lens. Check out my channel to see the latest shoot with the GX85 and this lens.
Severely overpriced. The Sigma 16 1.4 E mount is only 1/3 of the price and a stop faster.
why a stop faster?
It's mounted on an APS-C body so the equivalent DOF in M43 is about f/1.05.
Ok, but aperture is not just depth of field but also exposure, so saying it's a stop faster without further details is confusing. Plus, there is a micro four thirds version for the Sigma, so it makes more sense to talk about that since this video is about a m4/3 lens anyway.
P.S.: we'll have the review of the sigma 16mm online soon.
I mentioned E mount so to emphasize the fact that the Sigma 16 1.4 will likely be mounted on an APS-C camera like the 24-MP A6500 whose pixel size is a little less than 1.33^2 larger than that of a 20-MP M43 body. Or in terms of FF, the Sigma has an equivalent FF FOV and aperture of 24mm f/2.1 and the Leica being 24mm f/2.8. I am aware that the Sigma also makes an M43 mount but it has a completely different FOV.
Severely overpriced lens as usual from panasonic just beacuse there is a stupid leica on it. The 7-14 pro or even the 12-40 pro is much sharper. The zuiko 12 f/2 is also a better buy, cheaper same sharpness, and way smaller and cheaper.
Good review but you cannot be Mathieu Gasquet because he's a frech male! 🤷♂️
Great video. Thank you.