The new Panasonic 14-42mm official press release.
.
The new Panasonic 14-42mm has now been officially announced. And it is certainly a nice upgrade although I imagine that not everyone was exactly looking forward for it 
Here is the official press release from Panasonic:
Panasonic is pleased to announce a new compact standard zoom lens LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 II ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. for LUMIX G based on the Micro Four Thirds System standard. LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 II ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. offers a versatile zoom range of 14-42 mm (35 mm camera equivalent: 28-84 mm) suitable for a wide range of situations from landscape to portrait. Comprising of 9 elements in 8 groups, the lens system adopts 2 aspherical lenses to achieve further reduction of both size and weight yet maintaining its high optical performance at entire zoom range. The inner focus system driven by a stepping motor assures astonishing comfort to take maximum advantage of high speed contrast AF system and in video recording.
Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) makes it easy to shoot super clear shots even at tele end or in low-lit situations by suppressing the blur caused by a hand shake.
With its minimum focus distance of 0.2 m (14-20 mm) / 0.3 m (21-42 mm) even at full zoom, the new lens provides a maximum photographic magnification of 0.17x (35 mm camera equivalent: 0.34x). 7 aperture blades consists a circular aperture diaphragm and produces an attractive smoothness in out-of-focus areas even shooting at large aperture.
The new LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 II ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. for LUMIX G is refined in its external design to offer metallic color options of black and silver to offer stylish look on the digital single lens mirrorless (DSLM) cameras of LUMIX G in shooting creative snapshots.
| Lens specs | |
|---|---|
| Lens type | Zoom lens |
| Max Format size | FourThirds |
| Focal length | 14 – 42 mm |
| Image stabilisation | Yes (Mega OIS) |
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F3.5 – F5.6 |
| Minimum aperture | F22.0 |
| Aperture ring | No |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 7 |
| Aperture notes | Circular aperture |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 9 |
| Groups | 8 |
| Special elements / coatings | 2 aspherical lenses |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.20 m (7.87″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.34 x |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Micromotor |
| Full time manual | Yes |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 110 g (0.24 lb) |
| Diameter | 56 mm (2.20″) |
| Length | 49 mm (1.93″) |
| Sealing | No |
| Colour | Black |
| Power zoom | Yes |
| Zoom lock | No |
| Filter thread | 46 mm |
| Filter notes | Does not rotate on focusing |
| Hood supplied | No |
| Hood product code | n/a |
| Tripod collar | No |
via Dpreview.
Father Jack
4 months ago |Seriously, how many slow 14-42′s do we need?
frankv
4 months ago |+1
Burnhard
4 months ago |*like*
digifan
4 months ago |Well, then it’s not for you.
I don’t mind continuous improvement, it’s what made Japan economy very strong.
Maybe you are just a gadget buyer iso a photographer. No sane person who already has a good lens would exchange that for the latest iteration the minute it came out, unless the latest has clear advantage and is worth the upgrade.
In this case it’s just a kit-lens, the first lens that people get when they buy in the system or the brand, many will upgrade to a better lens but even more probably will never buy something else. So the better the first experience the better for the manufacturer.
Chronos
4 months ago |You seem awfully over sensitive.
digifan
4 months ago |I think father jack is overly sensitive, that’s why I reacted at his post.
Who cares how many 14-42 kit lenses Pana or whatever manufacturer produces. If it’s not for you then move on. They are merely kit-lenses. I only got the 12-50mm from Olympus because at the time it was the only weather sealed lens. In the meantime I have the 12-35 and 35-100 for my OM-D. I wouldn’t blink if Olympus came with a rehashed 12-50mm. I might give it a look if it were faster AND smaller. Would I be annoyed at them, hell no, I’d like them to improve continuously. Kit-lenses are mostly the first acquaintance with the format so the better they are the more likely the buyers stay with the brand, and the more chance they will spend more resourses to develop the higher end lenses.
If people can’t see that then they have zero business sense.
SeattleDV
4 months ago |If Panasonic is going to release a half-dozen or so slow lenses in the 14-45mm range shouldn’t at least 1 of them be weather-sealed for use with the GH3? It seems like their marketing department is having problems with focus-tracking.
kesztió
4 months ago |NOT Power O.I.S.?!
Me
4 months ago |Power OIS was a piece of crap. Good to see they move back to Mega OIS.
Apart from that, I don’t see how this is “certainly a nice upgrade”…
Anonymous
4 months ago |+1
yup ,..i dont need Power/Mega OIS,.since i used 5 IBIS Axis on the OM-D,.btw,.its only [28-84] equivalent,.just use the proper technic and boost up the shutter speed,,
i dont think many people will concern to buy this lens as an Upgrade,.as this may come as a kit lens.
Milan
4 months ago |Could you elaborate on that? Why do you think that Power OIS is worse than the old Mega OIS? It is supposed to be quite better (in theory and also in practice in all tests I’ve seen). Do you have a different experience?
In any case, it’s really strange that Panasonic still uses it’s very old Mega OIS when all compact camera and modern m4/3 lenses have moved to Power OIS.
Pat
4 months ago |I think you are confused, Power OIS is (in my experience) MILES better than Mega OIS.
Anentropic
4 months ago |Do you mean Power Zoom?
How exactly is Power OIS worse?
Anonymous
4 months ago |I hope its optically better than the 14-45mm,.I wish it the Old new version of 14-50mm F2.8,.like the 43 version
kasteel
4 months ago |I don’t know why Pana need to build another low speed lens……it seems like they spend all money in hi ISO systems, so they haven’t money to do a new and fast zoom.
ha
4 months ago |G/GF/GX series will always have at least one slow kit lens, just to keep initial price tag low.
digifan
4 months ago |Because like with cars, people want progress.
You know the VW Golf? Would you still want to drive in the first iteration?
Leo C
4 months ago |less glasses,
guess it targets on cost (price) down instead of optical quality?
dharma_carlos
4 months ago |There’s a review of this new lens by dslrmagazine.com:
http://www.dslrmagazine.com/pruebas/pruebas-tecnicas/zoom-estandar-de-panasonic-minusculo-y-bonito.html
DonTom
4 months ago |@dharma_carlos…Thank you!
-doesn’t have internal zoom, but only extends about 5mm or so
-mount is chromed plastic, not metal
-everything else is there that was hoped for
Not a lens I’ll go out and buy, probably not better optically than the original 14-45….but still, a decent improvement on the earlier 14-42, and I would probably keep it as a kit lens if it came with a camera I wanted.
kit
4 months ago |from the pic on the website, it looks like a metal mount.
If it’s optically better than 14-45mm, then I’ll get one.
if it’s optically no diff from the current 14-42mm, I’ll still see it as a upgrade for new camera buyer that came with a kit.
neon123
4 months ago |Inner focus, smaller, what looks like a metal mount, and hopefully ability to mount the wideangle / fisheye / macro converters. I want one.
fan_guo_lai_xiang_xiang
4 months ago |It’s tiny compared to the old (non-X) version! Not bad at all.
Hard2Xplain
4 months ago |Okay, move along, now do the updated version 20 f1.7.
Anonymous
4 months ago |The 14-45mm was the best medium range kit zoom they will ever make. Everything after that lens is just marketing hype.
ha
4 months ago |Panasonic has MFT charts up:
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/g_vario_14_42_a.html
Looks like the long end degraded a bit
pizza4D
4 months ago |According to Panasonic’s German press release, it’s going to be available in March and will cost € 250. If I remember correctly, that’s the same price as the 14-45 and about double the price of the original 14-42. The press release also says that the old 14-42 is to stay available as well, that’s pretty strange. I wonder whether will there be three kit lens options now – 14-42, 14-42 PZ and 14-42 II? Though, if the 14-42 PZ really becomes discontinued, will they make a newer one? Or maybe Panasonic no longer wants a kit zoom to be part of their X lenses premium product line.
digifan
4 months ago |I checked and the 14-42mm is €199 new here in the Netherlands. Though you can get cheaper if the have a sale.
pizza4D
4 months ago |It seems to be the same design as the 14-42 PZ version, but without a collapsing housing:
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/img/g_x_vario_14_42/l_construction.gif
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/img/g_vario_14_42_a/l_construction.gif
The minimum focus distance of 0.2 m (14-20 mm) / 0.3 m (21-42 mm) is also the same as the PZ lens.
So it’s not like Panasonic developed a new lens design, they just reused the design of the PZ lens in a less expensive package.
Pat
4 months ago |wait…it doesn’t even come with Power OIS? it gets by with the older Mega OIS only, I would have thought they would be phasing that out. Guess not.
Hojk
4 months ago |Yes – TAMRON introduced a new super zoom for MFT: 14-150 F3.5-5.8!
Finally the last black spots on the lens map are enlightened!
http://www.tamron.eu/de/news/lesen/data/tamron-announces-the-development-of-the-companys-first-micro-four-thirds-high-power-zoom-lens.html
Don Pope
4 months ago |Dude really, why are you here? All you do is insult people. Go away please.
digifan
4 months ago |Dude I still have some Canon gear which is for sale, but I nowadays own Olympus and Panasonic gear. Sometimes I rent Nikon stuff too. I shoot with camera’s for a living, I really don’t care what the ultimate best piece of apparatus is, but the output of the gear should fulfill the expectations of my customers. I have to carry it and use it so I pick the best for me.
Go spew you vomit somewhere else.
digifan
4 months ago |Well, if you want to call me a fanboy go ahead.
But if you would read my comment above I give a balanced view of why new (in this case) kit-lens iterations are welcome. That has nothing to do with being a fanboy.
Due to your reaction I think it’s clear that you are a fanboy for sure, just clearly not a m43 one.