Welcome back! In todays episode I take you through one of my favourite kinds of videos to watch an unboxing of a new lens, as well my first impressions of the lens and what I hope to get out of it.
Full disclaimer, this post/video is not sponsored, this is not a paid promotion, I was not asked to make this video but I did receive this lens as part of collaborations with Olympus.
Basic Details
This is the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO lens which in full-frame terms is a 14-28mm. This lens’s maximum aperture is F2.8 and its minimum is F22. It sits at 4.17 inches long and 3.11 inches wide and weighs in at 1.18 pounds.
If you want more technical aspects of the lens check out Olympus’s website!
First Impressions
Size
The Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm lens is a very familiar size to the M.Zuiko 12-40mm in length and width. The lens might fit a little longer but but it’s a nice compact size.
Weight
When I first held this lens I was surprised at its weight, in that it felt heavier than what I was expecting. However, given the quality of the lens - it’s made of sturdy material that doesn’t feel “plasticy” which indicates to me that its going to age well and whether the elements well.
Zoom Feature
The M.Zuiko 7-14mm is similar to the 40-150mm in that the length of the lens doesn’t get longer when you go from it’s one focal length to the other. For example, if you zoom from 12mm to 40mm on the M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens the mid-section gets longer. On the 40-150mm F2.8 PRO it doesn’t get any longer. However, with the 7-14mm the length doesn’t get longer but the lens part does move up and down.
Lens Cap
I really love the lens cap on the 7-14mm. The lens cap goes over and snuggly fits on the lens which in my opinion makes attaching and detaching the cap much easier.
Tight Zoom
At first I was concerned about the surface area of the 7-14mm and that it was a tight zoom when holding. However, once you get it on the body it was completely fine.
Protecting the Lens
I am also concerned on how I am going to protect this lens. On my other lenses I have a screw-on UV filter, however, with the 7-14mm and the dome-shape to the lens it cannot fit a screw-on filter.
Test Photos
Of course, you have to take it for a spin and test the new lens. My first trip out with it was to Cedar Creek Park in Kelowna, BC.
The second spot I took the new lens out for a spin was Bluebird Beach along Okanagan Lake on a particularly cloudy and stormy day.
I also wanted to test it out around Downtown Kelowna. While we were walking around downtown we came across this little pig and his owner going for a walk!
What I Hope to Get out of this Lens
There is a few things I want to get out of this lens.
Creative Distortion
The first thing I hope to play and experiment with is creative distortion. It’s not new that a wide angle lens can create a sense of distortion in your images but I have been particularly drawn to the distortion it creates so I want to create and experiment with this in my outdoor nature images.
Indoor Locations
The second thing I hope to to play with is photographing indoor places. I love taking my camera to new restaurants with me but I find the 12mm on my 12-40mm F2.8 PRO isn’t enough to really get a sense of a place or environment.
Self-portraits and Filming
The last thing I hope to experiment with is taking self-portraits with a wide angle lens and filming videos with it.
I’ve only had this lens for about two weeks so I haven’t used it enough to give a full-depth review, but I wanted to give my first impressions of this lens and what I hope to get out of this lens!
Happy photographing!