Lumix G vario 7-14mm

18.17 | Label: Lumix G vario 7-14mm

The Lumix G Vario 7-14mm F4 ASPH was the third lens Panasonic announced for its fledgling Micro Four Thirds system, back in March 2009. It certainly created a significant buzz on release, with the company taking advantage of the short back focus of the mirrorless mount to deliver a lens whose compact size belies its dramatically wide 114º angle of view and constant F4 maximum aperture. The 7-14mm is far and away the smallest zoom currently available to offer such a wide angle of view; compared to the Olympus equivalent for Four Thirds DSLRs its dimensions are shrunk by at least 20% each way, and it's just 40% of the weight.
Like all other zooms this wide, the 7-14mm F4 features a distinctive design, with a bulbous front element and an integrated hood to protect that large expanse of glass against stray light. The compact barrel houses no fewer than 16 pieces of glass, arranged into 12 groups, and including two aspherical and 4 extra-low dispersion glass elements to combat aberrations. However a side-effect of that large dome of glass at the front is that there's no facility to attach filters to the lens.
The 7-14mm is small and impressively spec'ed, but this does come at an eye-watering price: its $1000 tag is significantly higher than any APS-C wide zoom, and not so far off the Nikon 14-24mm F2.8, which not only covers a full frame sensor but is also a stop faster. It's also a lot more than Olympus's Micro Four Thirds wideangle - the tiny M Zuiko Digital 9-18mm F4-5.6 - which we praised for its combination of decent optics and remarkable compactness. So what extra does the Panasonic offer that might tempt you to spend all that money?
Headline features

Super-wideangle zoom range (14-28mm equivalent)
Compact design
F4 constant maximum aperture
Micro Four Thirds mount for Olympus and Panasonic cameras

Angle of view
The pictures below illustrate the focal length range:

7mm (14mm equivalent)	14mm (28mm equivalent)

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm F4 ASPH specifications

Price	• US: $1000 • UK: £1090
Manufacturer's code	H-FE007014
Date introduced	March 2009
Maximum format size	Micro Four Thirds
Focal length	7-14mm
35mm equivalent focal length	14-28mm
Diagonal Angle of view	114º - 75º
Maximum aperture	F4
Minimum aperture	F22
Lens Construction	• 16 elements / 12 groups • 4 ED glass element • 2 aspherical elements
Number of diaphragm blades	7, rounded
Minimum focus	0.25m
Maximum magnification	0.08x
AF motor type	Micro Motor
Focus method	Internal
Image stabilization	via camera body where available
Filter thread	• No filter thread
Supplied accessories*	• Front and rear caps
Weight	300 g (10.6 oz)
Dimensions	70 mm diameter x 83 mm length (2.8 x 3.3 in)
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds