Two fast lenses

Panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens photographed with a Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton Photographed with a panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens

Since the weather has been bad plus I'm pretty much up to date with my editing plus I had my testing rig set up plus I decided to dust off my Panasonic G3, I thought I would compare the Sony NEX-5n fitted with my Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton with the G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3 lens.

Panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens photographed with a Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton Photographed with a panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens

Panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens photographed with a Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton Photographed with a panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens

Panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens photographed with a Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton Photographed with a panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens

Below is a test at ISO 200 at various apertures.

Comparison between a Panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3  lens and a Sony NEX-5n fitted with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

As usual, for high-res version, click on image > flickr > Actions > view all sizes > Original.

There's actually not a huge lot to say. Both are great lenses and are very sharp. Both have some CA and fringing wide-open. The Panasonic combination has more DOF at all apertures, the Voigtlander / Sony combination has nicer bokeh. The Panasonic / Leica is cheaper. The Voigtlander is manual focus only.

Do I prefer one over the other? Both do a really good job, though it has to be said that once you add in the NEX-5n's high ISO performance, its difficult to think of a situation that combination wouldn't let you take photographs in. However if you have invested in a m4/3 system then the 25mm f/1.4 is a fine lens. Though it does have to be remembered that while its quiet on Panasonic cameras, it makes a substantial noise with its clicking aperture blades on the Olympus Pens.

Ultimately I think my preference is for the Sony / Voigtlander combination. With focus peaking on the 5n, the AF advantage of the Panasonic lens is somewhat reduced. In low light situations AF often struggles anyway and manual focusing is more accurate. The new version of the 35mm f/1.2 Nokton is a pretty substantial piece of metal however, and while I like that, others may find it a bit heavy for their taste. The Sony NEX system doesn't have a "fast standard" as yet, and the Voigtlander is an (expensive!) way to fill that gap. Its not a lens you can easily try either, since its usually only in stock at very specialist dealers. I had no opportunity to try one out before buying it. 

I'm not sure I will keep both, and it seems the Panasonic will be the one to go. I've already sold my Olympus gear. Yes the beautiful E-P3, 12mm and 45mm lenses have gone to a new home! If I am going to keep trying new stuff, then something has to be sold to pay for it. Though I loved handling and looking at the Olympus, I didn't use it very much, so I finally got round to doing what I knew I would eventually, which was sell it.

Though the Panasonic GX1 is definitely something that appeals to me, I may soon move away from m4/3. I have two NEX-5n's, the Samsung NX200 and a Sony a77 as well as the G3, and the Panasonic comes down the pecking order when I decide on a camera to take out. I've also got a NEX-7 on pre-order again so it will get pushed back even more. 

So in a way this test was a bit of a farewell to the 25mm f/1.4. To be honest I've hardly used it. I think I've only taken it out a couple of times. My desire for some kind of photographic "purity", something along the lines of "A standard lens was good enough for Cartier-Bresson, why isn't it good enough for me?" tends to get balanced out by the fact that I'm not Cartier-Bresson, never will be and I'm not sure how many pictures of canal boats, stately homes and backlit trees he took anyway!

So I'm back in one of those, "what am doing with all this gear I never use?" modes. I'm a bit bi-polar about this as you've probably noticed. One day, possibly, I may find "my camera", the one I use all the time and never look at another. True love as opposed to infatuation if you like. It may happen, it may not, and I guess if it does this blog will become somewhat less interesting to many. 

Maybe what I really need to do is open up a camera shop, but then buying and selling gear at a profit, isn't exactly my speciality! I certainly won't get on any camera manufacturers review list, since I can't think of one photographic brand I haven't insulted at one time or another. 

Still, returning to the point, as ever I would recommend you have a look at the test to see what you think about the two lenses. 

I am planning to wrap up my monster NX200 rolling review sometime soon, but I am wondering about trying a couple of the pancake lenses on it. 

So much for self-dicipline!!

Samsung NX200 review - Part 14 - Comparison between NX200 and G3

The last test I'm doing before finishing this very long review is between the NX200 fitted with the 18-55mm kit zoom lens and a Panasonic G3 fitted with the Leica branded 25mm f/1.4 m4/3 lens.

Firstly I thought it would be useful to see the difference in size between the images that these cameras produce. 

Please note:- This is not sensor size, but the actual image size. As you can see much of the 4MP difference between the two is taken up by the 3:2 as opposed to 4:3 ratio of the Samsung.

For the test I used what I consider to be just about the best m4/3 lens available currently, the 25mm f/1.4. As before the tests were carried out with the cameras mounted on a tripod, and all files were processed identically in Capture One software from raw files, using that softwares default settings. I picked 4 ISO values. The first one is at the lowest possible setting for each camera, which is ISO 100 for the Samsung and ISO 160 for the Panasonic. I do think its important to test at the best possible quality setting for each cameras sensor, which is the reason I didn't adjust the NX200 to match the G3.

These are full-size files and as usual are available at their highest resolution by clicking on them > flickr > Actions > View all sizes > Original.

ISO 100 / 160

ISO 400

ISO 1600

ISO 6400

The Samsung APS-C sized sensor advantage is visible at the two higher ISO settings. Both sensors are pretty bad at ISO 6400, but the G3 breaks up slightly more. In terms of colour balance, as is usually the case with AWB in mixed lighting, neither are correct. 

What I wasn't expecting was that the Samsung 18-55mm kit lens is slightly sharper throughout all the images. I can't really imagine that it is a better lens, so maybe this gives further credence to my theory that the NX200 has a pretty weak anti-aliasing filter. That would also explain the fact that the NX200 has slightly more luminance noise on the lower ISO pictures. This does tend to get "smoothed out" with stronger AA filters.

Again, its a real "you pays your money, you makes your choice" scenario here. If you want slightly better high ISO performance, then the Samsung has better results, but I'd never use either of these cameras anyway if I was doing a lot of low light work. The Sony NEX-5n is a much better camera for that.

Both camera / sensor / lens combinations turn in excellent performances at the lower ISO settings and both produce files capable of very large high quality reproduction. In my line of work every pixel I can get my hands on helps the commercial potential of my pictures, but if thats not a concern for you then either system is capable of top quality results. It is of course worth noting that you have a greatly expanded lens choice with m4/3, though I must say that to my eyes, neither Panasonic or Olympus have come up with a kit lens / sensor combination that produces such good results as the 18-55mm does with the NX200.

Panasonic G3 Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton review - Conclusion

Sony NEX-5n Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

Panasonic G3 Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

My tests and use of this lens have proved to me that it is a very good lens indeed. Its very fast and very useable at f/1.2, and as such is incredibly useful in low light situations. However I have mixed feelings about its use as an all-round lens on the systems I tested it with. For my NEX-5n, it is quite simply stunning and in combination with that camera provides a top quality standard lens capable of extraordinary results at all apertures. It is also simple to use. However it must be remembered that this is an expensive lens, and that expenditure has to be justified.

Because of the limited nature of the NEX lens range at the moment, it will fill in a gap for me. A very fast standard lens is something that I will find a lot of uses for, especially since it also produces such sharp results at f/5.6 > f/11, the apertures I use the most. On m4/3 its not so useful for me. Partly because of the focal length it gives on that system and partly because there is already a top-class lens that fulfills the "fast standard lens" function on that system. Namely the 25mm f/1.4 Panasonic Leica, which of course has AF and is about half the price of the Voigtlander.

For my review of that lens see:- http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/search/label/Panasonic%2025mm%20f%2F1.4%20m4%2F3%20lens%20review

As I said at the beginning, I am unable to give any opinion as to how this lens might perform on a Leica, since I no longer have my M9. I would imagine it would perform very well indeed, but if you are interested in that, I suggest that you search out a seperate review. I would provide a link myself but I don't know of one. If anyone has a link that they know of, then if you put it in the comments section below I'll add it to the post.

Panasonic G3 Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton on Panasonic G3

Panasonic G3 Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

Some samples at f/1.2.

The following are samples at f/8. These are jpgs. straight out of the camera. To view full-size high resolution file, click on the image through to flickr > Actions > View all sizes > Original

Below is a test at ISO 100, showing the different apertures. As usual this is tripod mounted and all of the images are processed in Adobe Camera Raw using the default settings. Large high-resolution version available by clicking on image > flickr > Actions > View all sizes > Original.

Once again the images are very sharp, though they don't look as sharp to me as those from the Sony NEX-5n. There is also a slight magenta cast on the images. 

I'm unsure as to how useful this lens is on m4/3. There are some good fast alternatives available, and I don't see this lens as being any improvement on the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4. On the NEX it fills in a gap, and works as a "standard lens". On m4/3 it becomes a 70mm f/1.2 35mm / FF equivalent, and that isn't particularly something I would use a lot.

I haven't tried it on my Olympus E-P3 because of the problems of using manual focus lenses on that camera. It is very fiddly, opening the lens up, enlarging a section of the image, focusing and then returning it to the whole frame, and re-selecting the aperture. The G3 is  easier in this regard, but again the NEX-5n is so good for this that any other camera suffers by comparison.

So I can't really see myself using the 35mm f/1.2 on m4/3 much, aside from video use, when it could be very useful indeed, and easier to use.

m4/3 does William Shakespeare

Back in those dim distant days when I was still shooting m4/3 (about 2 weeks ago) I was in Stratford-upon-Avon. The centre for all things Shakespearean. Falstaff Kebab House, Cordelia Cabs, Puck Pizzas etc. Its actually quite a feat to take a picture without a connection to the bard. 

Panasonic G3 14-42mm

 

Panasonic G3 45-175mm X lens

 

Panasonic G3 14-42mm

 

Panasonic G3 14-42mm

 

Panasonic G3 45-175mm X lens

 

Panasonic G3 14-42mm

 

Panasonic G3 14-42mm

 

Posted to show that the 3 cameras and 5 lenses I still own and use from Olympus and Panasonic haven't been "retired" just yet.

"Real World" with the Panasonic 45-175mm X lens

After being part of threads on Dpreview attempting to unravel the problems of the Panasonic 45-175mm X lens and its image stabilisation "inconsistencies",

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=39579895

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=39565888

it was nice to go out and take some pictures with it. I had the OIS turned off, so wasn't encountering any problems and it performed really well.

All pictures - Panasonic G3 Lumix 45-175mm X lens