I'm new to photography (and this board ) and I think that GF2 would be a good way to dip my toe into the water. So right now I'm trying to decide between which lens to get bundled with the GF2 the 14mm pancake lens or the 14-42mm standard lens. I'm purchasing it for a trip out to Europe for the winter.
So I'll be using it for landscape, cityscape and closer up people watching. Right now I have the 14-42mm and am giving the 14-42mm a test run but since I can't find a pancake lens I would like to get thoughts on what its like not being able to zoom and whether that would actually be such a big deal. Also, if there is any way to give me a simulation with the 14-42mm by setting the focal length to something similar to what the pancake would give me. Not sure exactly what that would be comparable to.
I'm quite happy with a fixed lens and old fashioned foot zoom most of the time and it does make the camera/lens unit a lot smaller. A fixed 14mm (28mm equivalent) does seem a bit wide though, is there any alternative (17mm say). That would be 34mm equivalent which is a great all round standard lens on full frame.
My G1 normally has the 20mm f1.7 on it and I have barely used the kit zoom since I bought the 20mm.
I agree, a fast prime is much more valuable to me than a slow zoom. However, I would prefer a longer prime... the m.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 would be my ideal choice. The 25mm range is also nice though... such as the Leica 25mm f/1.4, Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95, or Lumix 25mm f/1.7.
I guess since you're bundling it with the GF-2 though, that you don't have much choice except the 14mm f/2.5. Not unless you get the GF-1 instead for the 20mm f/1.7.
|I used the 14mm f/2.5 pancake on the GF3 I was given to try and I ended up loving the combination. It also doesn't wast the size advantage of the GF2/3 like a bigger lens would.
From having a 14-45mm I practically only use it at 14mm, so much so that I'm thinking of swapping it for the 14mm prime, It's too slow at any of the longer focal lengths to really be very useful so I don't think I'll miss the zoom, 9 times out of 10 when I do want to zoom in on something 45mm is too short anyway.
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Bodies:
Panny GH1 + OM2-SP + Pentax ME & LX
Lenses:
Lumix G 14-45mm, OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8, OM Zuiko 24mm f2.8, OM Vivitar 135mm f2.8, SMC-M 40mm f2.8, SMC-M 50mm f1.7, PKA Vivitar 19mm F3.8, Konica AR 40mm f1.8, MD Rokkor 45mm F2, Teleplus 2x Macro converter OM+MD My New Blog: Dark & Industrial Photography & my Flickr
I'm leaning towards the 14mm right now because of the size and also price differential of the lenses by themselves. Right now I see the 14-42mm for $180 at Amazon (I'm guessing I'd be able to knock off a few dollars if I went used) and the 14mm is going for around $300. What do you all think about me going with 14mm for now and possibly (obviously after using the 14mm for a bit) getting the 14-42mm for my trip and then selling that for a lens that can zoom more.
I also have been looking at this blog m43photo.blogspot[.]com as it seems to compare what I'm looking at and what I might possibly want later.
Thank you all for the quick responses you guys rock! Also forgive me if I get any terms mixed up I'm new to this
I'm leaning towards the 14mm right now because of the size and also price differential of the lenses by themselves. Right now I see the 14-42mm for $180 at Amazon (I'm guessing I'd be able to knock off a few dollars if I went used) and the 14mm is going for around $300. What do you all think about me going with 14mm for now and possibly (obviously after using the 14mm for a bit) getting the 14-42mm for my trip and then selling that for a lens that can zoom more.
I would get the 14mm prime now, but forget the 14-42mm zoom. Just save up your money and get a decent fast zoom, or another lens which will fill a specific need such as wide, telephoto, or macro. You don't need a slow standard zoom when you have a fast prime. Just step forward a few big steps with your 14mm f/2.5, and you will get a similar FOV to the 42mm zoom. A super-tele on the other hand, you could not duplicate so easily with your feet.
) and I think that GF2 would be a good way to dip my toe into the water. So right now I'm trying to decide between which lens to get bundled with the GF2 the 14mm pancake lens or the 14-42mm standard lens. I'm purchasing it for a trip out to Europe for the winter. 
The 25mm range is also nice though... such as the Leica 25mm f/1.4, Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95, or Lumix 25mm f/1.7.
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