Picked up the 14mm yesterday.
The lens is very small. The AF is very fast even in low light. It's on a GF1 with the smallest AF target.
It is quiet with virtually no noise at all.
I'll post some photos later but it's a great lens for the format.

all GF1 14mm









Shooter

Ive seen it, it makes the GF1 body look small, and thats quite something. It is smaller than the 17mm and about half the 20mm

Getting close to truly pocketable territory.

Lisa's right. It's very small. Very sharp, nice contrast minor viginettys...... nothing to complain about.
You can't believe how fast the camera focuses. I am testing in a very non-scientific way the speed against the 5D.
It's faster with this lens.... I know, who cares, I don't but it's fast. It is also very very quiet... not a sound....
get it.... you'll love it....

Paul, Happy New Year to you my brother..... I miss you dude....
shooter

That looks like a great lens! Great photo too!

Streetshooter, did you try the 14mm on a Olympus E-P1/2? Has anyone?

Great sample photographs,
I have enough 28mm's, though none for my G1,
I like the close focus. a nice feature of m4/3 lenses.

And how does it perform in low light conditions in comparison to the 20mm ?

Quote from: Streetshooter on January 10, 2011, 05:46:18 PM

Quote from: traveler_101 on January 10, 2011, 03:26:18 PM

Streetshooter, did you try the 14mm on a Olympus E-P1/2? Has anyone?

I have not but my friend has. It works the same way on the Pens. You would think the camera was a 5D the way it focuses.
In fact, it's faster than my 5D...did I say that?
The 14 & the 20 make the perfect combo. There's enough of a spread that makes it work well.

Wait, let me get this straight... are you saying that an e-P1/2 will focus as fast as a 5D with the 14mm lens attached?

Streetshooter... after rereading my original statement, I am worried that it came across wrong.  I meant no disrespect... in all honesty, I was excited by what I read and wanted to confirm that I was reading it correctly!

I am tempted by it, even though I don't need it and I gravitate toward MF lenses. Still it is an attractive option on a Pen--small, fast to focus and with an EFL of 28mm it is the classic wide angle view. Nonetheless, I am a bit surprised by the near universal praise of the lens in this thread. I seem to recall that when this lens was announced there was a lot of griping about the EFL--"I wish it were at least a 12mm"--and the lack of speed on the lens (2.5 isn't it?--which seems fast enough to me). Inevitably comments followed about waiting until Olympus releases its 12mm (supposed to be this year, I think?), all the while expressing doubt that it would be fast enough.

Ok, in drawing these comments from memory I may be confusing the source--perhaps they came from another camera discussion board I participate in, but I am not making it up. Anyway, my question--how many people are either definitely going to buy the 14 or are seriously considering it in the next six months? Lets get a count.

Unless I switch to another format (x100 or m8.2) or lose my job, I will be seriously considering it.  I was planning on going with the x100, but I really like the idea of changing lenses.  The only thing I really wish my e-P1 had was a viewfinder... the LCD screen is getting annoying to use.  Anyone interested in a used e-P1?

Hi Javarob

If you'll permit my saying so, your wishes and wants seem a bit similar to mine. You wished for a RF-type camera; you wanted something stylish, a tool that fits your hands. This led you to the E-P1 and now maybe you wish for something more, a real RF camera.

In my case, even before I bought the E-P1, I fantasied A LOT about the Leica M-9, full 35mm digital camera. Unfortunately, it is way, way beyond what I can afford. The M-8 is pretty damned pricey as well . . . and there are some problems with digital Leicas. After reading this-- http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92384 --and similar threads I began to realize that a RF is really about simplicity (and a certain philosophy/technique of shooting). Just as soon as it becomes digital, the RF becomes a different camera and starts to move along the same path of ever increasing complexity that DSLRs have undergone. A RF is really a rather simple FILM camera . . . so I got one, for around $225--a Voigtlander Bessa-T, based on the design of a 1950 (ca.) Leica-iii. The Bessa is a fully mechanical camera, with separate rangefinder and viewfinder; the only concession to electronics is a TTL light meter indicator lamp on the body of the camera that has five settings. I just shot my first roll of film in years.

The Fuji x100 is as you say a fixed lens camera. It looks like a RF, but really isn't. It has an ocular/electronic viewfinder . . . what is that? . . . anyway, it doesn't seem clear to me. It'll probably be a good camera, and if you bought it, it would be useful to spend six months shooting continuously with a single focal length. That's classic photography school training (which I wish I had had). You really learn to anticipate what the lens will see. But, hey, you can do the same thing with the E-P1 and the 17mm/2.8 or the Panasonic 20mm/1.7. Just keep one of them on the camera.

About viewfinder and the E-P1. When I shoot with the Panasonic 20mm, I frame with the VF-1 Olympus's ocular snap-on viewfinder. It is an excellent bright-line VF, which like a RF shows more than what the camera sees--part of the RF philosophy, actually. Otherwise with longer lenses I use the LCD screen. It is somewhat limiting (difficult under certain light conditions), but I don't regret it. I simply decided that paying $500 more for the E-P2 wasn't worth it because I really detest the aesthetics of the EVF snap-on. If you want a EVF, my advice is to wait and see what the E-P3 looks like. Rumors abound that it will have a built-in EVF. Keep your E-P1. It will be a collectable camera someday.

Sorry, old age moment....or a momentary lapse of reason....

The 14 on the GF1 focuses very fast. It's like my 5D. I can't say the same for the Pens as I don't have them anymore. My buddy says it's about the same.
With the smallest AF target on the GF1, even in low light, the lens focuses very fast....
shooter

I didn't mean it like that, traveler... man, I hate when I come across as arrogant.  I was simply pointing out my time as a pro to explain that I already did the "classic photo training" in the form of 6 months of shleping gear for an RIT grad. And all I know is what I like... not so sure about knowing more than anyone else, especially when it comes to the technical aspects of photography.

I find 35mm to be very versatile, as much of what I do is photo documentary work.  I really like working with primes, and often I will go out with only one.  The purpose of this is to force myself to find the angles that work with that lens and the scene... this in turn forces my creative mind to work harder.  Zooms tend to take away my creative edge.

And I know exactly what you mean regarding aesthetics and functionality coming together... hence my dream to own a Leica.

I just purchased a G1, so we will see how that goes... I'm going to hang on to the e-p1, though.  Not sure I can give up the camera that I took the very first pictures of my son with.