I know I am contradicting myself compared to the comment I left one week ago in favor of the 14-28mm, but I end up buying the 16-35mm instead as I managed to find it at a pretty good deal. With that being said, I would like to thank you for all the amazing content that you have on the channel. I am a beginner photographer who recently got onto the Panasonic ecosystem and you have been such a help! At this point you are my go to channel for anything photography. Cheers! 🍻🍻
as always, a comprehensive review that demonstrates the relevance of each lens’ performance to practical work I really appreciate your great work, Richard, and always seek out your opinions before making purchase decisions
Another great review. It looks like a great lens. I love the 16-35 and personally I like having 35mm more that 14mm. I really don't care for 24-28mm as a focal length. I have been waiting for the fast, wide S-Pro zoom, but I don't it will be happen in the near future (or at all). This is the main reason I have been shooting Canon with Panasonic. The Canon 15-35 is fast, sharp, has IS and creates beautiful sun stars. That said, I am glad Panasonic made this lens. I think they are really focusing the quality mid-range market. The S5II, 14-28 and 20-60 is pretty killer combination and should generate sales to keep the system strong in the future.
i believe the S-Pro zoom will come and i THINK there was a fast Ultra wide angle lens on the roadmap before, which i guess would be something like 14-24 2.8 which has now disappeared. But yes it seems Panasonic has shifted the priority to the mid range market first, which i think makes a lot of sense financially. Build a bigger user base first and then move back to the top Pro end.
Thanks for this very comprehensive review! I'm looking for a lens that's wider than 20 mm, but I really find it very hard to choose one... but so far this one is my favorite.
Thanks Richard, great review! Yes, I think I will purchase this lens. I had the Lumix G 7-14mm f/4 lens for micro four thirds and loved it, great quality lens and quite compact. This new S series lens looks to be just as good if not better.
Great review. The way I see it, one cannot legitimately say "Twice the product at half the price" very often. But this is one of those instances. I would not even take the 16-35mm lens at the SAME price as the 14-28... and since they are throwing in the 14-28 free with the camera at the moment... it's a complete no brainer. What a lens.
i know a lot of you guys would want to compare with the Sigma, but sorry i don't have access to one at the moment so will have to see if i have a chance to compare them in the future. I do have a Sigma 60-600 L mount sample coming soon!
Thank you very much for your review. The 14-28mm is super interesting, especially for the price. I would like to see a review of the 14-28mm with the Sigma C 16-28mm 2.8/f. I think both lenses are very similarly priced, and it would be great to see the sigma's autofocus with the new Lumix S5ii, lose that 2mm wide-angle, but gain brightness for videos and night photos. Thank you very much for your time and dedication!
I would love to test them side by side too, unfortunately don't have access to the Sigma at the moment. But yes i will see if i can get hold of one in the near future and do some comparison
Thank you for these realistic great tests. After I saw the entire video I personally go for the 14-28mm. I also own a D800E and the 16-35mm by Nikon, so I am not forced to have all in one brand. For my future video work with an S5IIX and this 14-28mm I will have a fine set, that maybe will completed with a 50mm 1.8.
Thanks Winni! If you have the 16-35 VR for Nikon (i have one too!). then yeah it definitely makes more sense to go for the wider 14-28mm! Is this your first Panasonic?
Richard another fantastic review as usual Thanks goodness' for people like you on TH-cam!! A bought the S9 and the 20-40 because of your reviews and im soo happy that i payed close attention to your recommendations and advices. so your the man i listen to from now on soo in light of that i have a question and i think your the best person to ask. I looking at the sigma tiny 17mm f4 for filming on the S9 and i wanted to ask in your experience is the auto focus noticeable worse painting sigma with Lumix cameras? Wanted to ask you before i bought it.
hi Thomas, thank you! And to answer your question, i don't have any experience with the Sigma 17mm f/4 myself, but i have the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 and i have no problem with the autofocus at all. For cameras without PDAF (e.g. S1, S5) continuous video autofocus appears to be not quite as fast/smooth with non Lumix lenses. But this seems to have changed now with the S5II/S9. While some lenses may have faster/slower AF motor, but overall there is not any noticeable difference Lumix/Sigma lenses when use on latest Lumix bodies like your S9
Definitely on my list for sharing between TL2 and FF -- either this or the 18mm f/1.8 (The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 would be the most logical, but I have the 18-50mm f/2.8 aps-c, so that overlap and the Lumixes being 100g lighter does make a difference on the sub-400g TL2)
Hi Richard, thanks for the review! Looks like a winner. One question: was the test performed on a 24 MP body, or on the S1R? As for "Am I thinking of buying a 14-28?" the answer is yes, I'd like one - particularly for hiking - but I already have several UW zooms so probably not just yet.
Thank you for awesome review! Wonder how is the vlog video stabilization of this setup compare to R6ii with 14-35 f4? Since the rf 14-35mm f4 is optical stabilized? Thanks
haha thanks for suggesting that again. I will see if I get a chance to compare that, I can't promise if i can really do that but I personally also interested to find out the difference too.
In my experience, on the 24Mp cameras the S series of lenses are excellent at just about any aperture. Now if you are going to use the high-res modes, or put them on the S1R you do need to put the lenses in their sweet spot to actually benefit from the high res. But one could also say that it is quite remarkable that these lenses offer 50+Mp of resolution at the right apertures. I can imagine that the S-Pro series lenses offer high-res detail over a larger range of their aperture, but as I don't even realy need 24Mp of resolution it would be complete overkill for me.
Thanks Richard. I think Panasonic now represents the best option for attaining ‘affordable excellence’ in photography and video. I note this lens is now being provided as a free bonus lens for the S5II plus 20-60mm kit all for AU$2834 in Dec 2023. That is equiv to US$1919, less than the S5II launch price! Very good value!
Edited: This review (including the sharpness test) was tested using a Lumix S5 and S5II. Sorry i forgot to add the camera info to the video Any of you thinking of getting the Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6? And how come my lens review is longer than 30 minutes!??
I've preordered the S5II with it - I figure that for the short term I can stick it on my first-gen S5 and run it at 50p all the time (with the crop) so it actually focuses on my face 😆 I've been doing that in my office and it works well, but the 20-60mm isn't wide enough for vlogging shots when cropped in. It'll also free up my 20-60mm for use on the S5II for regular shooting then 😁
Thanks for the review, Richard. Too bad that they don't include lens stabilization with this lens (nor with the 16-35 S Pro lens either). Using the dual IS (when using a lens with optical stabilization) really does reduce the corner warping effect when compared to using solely the five-axis IBIS. That's the main reason I still use a Canon EF 16-35 f/4 L and Sigma MC-21 adapted to my S1 and S5.
Thank you! I guess it all comes down to size/compromises. I actually want to find out how big the difference is between OIS /Dual IS vs IBIS only for wide angle lens when it comes to image warpping. Another topic i could investigate in the future
Thank you for the super detailed review. I have still not decided if I will go for this lens or the 16-28 Sigma. One thing that I am interested in, does the S5ii actually give you the hyperfocal indicator when in manual focus mode, like the S1 does? And does that indicator also appear of you use a Sigma lens?
thanks for watching. Yes itt does have the focus distance scale indicator when you are in MF mode. I think all the Lumix mirrorless cameras do that. I'm quite sure it will work with Sigma lens too but i don't have any L-mount sigma lens with me to double check that for you
Hi, is it possible to reduce the IBIS strength on the S5 II? Also, maybe you know if there is gyro data recorded to video files to be able to stabilize with "Gyroflow" ??
I prefer the 14-28mm over the 16-35mm. The 2mm more wide-angle and the Macro capabilities in combination with it's lighter design and more affordable price-tag it is the better choice for my taste. The image-quality of the 14-28mm is superb. On the other hand, for "normal photography" you're more flexible with the 16-35mm, if one needs the zoom-range 28-35mm. If I need the 35mm, I prefer the 35mm F1.8.
Haha dang I just bought a Sigma 16-28 for real estate photography. Oh well…might have to grab this one too. Really hope Panasonic comes out with a 100-600mm range soon.
haha it's always like that isn't it! Re a Panasonic 100-600, it's not listed on the roadmap at all so we might have to wait a while. But Sigma has just announced a new 60-600 lens and I should be reviewing it (L-mount version) as soon as I get my hands on a sample
Seems like an odd lens release choice to me. The 16-35 f4 can be found used for only a couple hundred dollars more than this and I think it would be worth it for the constant aperture unless you really really need that extra 2mm on the wide end, but that seems like a niche use case. Sigma also just came out with their 16-28mm which is a more compelling choice for the f2.8. I think I would have rather seen a smaller 50mm f1.4 or a new compact telephoto zoom like a 70-150mm or a 50-100mm. If they wanted to do another wide angle a 14-24mm f2.8 would have been a nice choice to give an alternative to the older Sigma 14-24mm. I'm usually really excited for new Lumix lenses but I think this one is a skip for me.
Well, I returned a Sigma 16-28 in preference to a pre-order for the 14-28. For me (doing mostly landscapes), the wider FOV and proper weather sealing is more important than the f2.8.
I know this is NOT relevant to your subject at this time, and I apologize for the intrusion. I would be appreciative if you could confirm to me that the newly released S 5 II is unable to shoot AAL I ?
Friend, it's a big mistake to turn on the correction, because Raw vidio shoots with the correction turned off! And this is very important! YOU ARE LOOKING NOT ONLY BY PHOTOGRAPHERS!
hi ggdfgg dfgdffgfddg, I do think about the videographer and that's also a reason why i choose to have correction on. Because I feel at the moment, still only a very low percentage of videographers would shoot video in RAW. Most videographers shoot either in-camera file or prores 422 so they would have the profile correction applied automatically.
@@ggdfggdfgdffgfddg34 oh yes in-camera video RAW is the future. I really hope Nikon would win the patent war against RED, it's great for Nikon, great for the videographers and great for the industry. Nobody likes to attach an external recorder just to record RAW :/
I know I am contradicting myself compared to the comment I left one week ago in favor of the 14-28mm, but I end up buying the 16-35mm instead as I managed to find it at a pretty good deal. With that being said, I would like to thank you for all the amazing content that you have on the channel. I am a beginner photographer who recently got onto the Panasonic ecosystem and you have been such a help! At this point you are my go to channel for anything photography. Cheers! 🍻🍻
Boyko oh thank you so much! I will have a lot more Panasonic and other photography contents coming in 2024!
as always, a comprehensive review that demonstrates the relevance of each lens’ performance to practical work
I really appreciate your great work, Richard, and always seek out your opinions before making purchase decisions
thank you Ismaeel!
That was a really comprehensive, meaningful comparison, especially the backlight behavior and the sun stars, thanks for the effort!
Thank you for watching multiple of my reviews!
An amazing review. Thank you for the amount of work and effort put into it!
Thank you Anton!
So much work for such a small focal length :D Thank you Richard for that great review!
I thought it would be a quick review. I don't know why it end up being such a long video 😹
Thanks Richard. Great review. I've got one on pre-order. Based on your review, I won't be cancelling it!!
Enjoy your 14-28! Unfortunately I have to return my sample soon
Great! I have been looking forward to this review.
Hope you enjoy it!
Excellent review as always, Richard!
Thank you for all the effort you put into producing your top-notch reviews.
All the best.
Thank you so much!
Another great review. It looks like a great lens. I love the 16-35 and personally I like having 35mm more that 14mm. I really don't care for 24-28mm as a focal length. I have been waiting for the fast, wide S-Pro zoom, but I don't it will be happen in the near future (or at all). This is the main reason I have been shooting Canon with Panasonic. The Canon 15-35 is fast, sharp, has IS and creates beautiful sun stars. That said, I am glad Panasonic made this lens. I think they are really focusing the quality mid-range market. The S5II, 14-28 and 20-60 is pretty killer combination and should generate sales to keep the system strong in the future.
i believe the S-Pro zoom will come and i THINK there was a fast Ultra wide angle lens on the roadmap before, which i guess would be something like 14-24 2.8 which has now disappeared. But yes it seems Panasonic has shifted the priority to the mid range market first, which i think makes a lot of sense financially. Build a bigger user base first and then move back to the top Pro end.
Please review Panasonic 24-105mm and compare with Sigma 28-70mm
hi there, thanks for the suggestion
35:17 Will there be a day when the twitching problem behind the wide-angle screen can be completely solved.
You mean the image warpping effect? Maybe? Will have to wait and see.
Thanks for this very comprehensive review! I'm looking for a lens that's wider than 20 mm, but I really find it very hard to choose one... but so far this one is my favorite.
Glad this review was helpful!
I think this will be great lens for real estate photography and videography. Thank you for the fantastic detailed review.
Great review many thanks
This lens look so good!! This was the range that I would use when I had m43!
Thanks Richard, great review! Yes, I think I will purchase this lens. I had the Lumix G 7-14mm f/4 lens for micro four thirds and loved it, great quality lens and quite compact. This new S series lens looks to be just as good if not better.
Thanks Peter! Yes the Lumix G 7-14 is a great little ultra wide angle lens, i think you will enjoy this lens as well
Great review.
The way I see it, one cannot legitimately say "Twice the product at half the price" very often. But this is one of those instances. I would not even take the 16-35mm lens at the SAME price as the 14-28... and since they are throwing in the 14-28 free with the camera at the moment... it's a complete no brainer. What a lens.
the "free" 14-28 is indeed an awesome deal!
Panasonic S 14-28 4-5.6 vs Sigma 16-28 2.8 DG DN - Can you do comparison on this tow lenses ?!
i know a lot of you guys would want to compare with the Sigma, but sorry i don't have access to one at the moment so will have to see if i have a chance to compare them in the future.
I do have a Sigma 60-600 L mount sample coming soon!
Thanks for the reply, I will look forward to it... The next reviews... Regards
Thank you very much for your review. The 14-28mm is super interesting, especially for the price. I would like to see a review of the 14-28mm with the Sigma C 16-28mm 2.8/f. I think both lenses are very similarly priced, and it would be great to see the sigma's autofocus with the new Lumix S5ii, lose that 2mm wide-angle, but gain brightness for videos and night photos.
Thank you very much for your time and dedication!
I would love to test them side by side too, unfortunately don't have access to the Sigma at the moment. But yes i will see if i can get hold of one in the near future and do some comparison
Thanks for a GREAT review. You are a Master!!!
I appreciate that!
Excelllent review, thanks for the work you do.
thanks for watching! :)
Very useful video thank you
Thank you for these realistic great tests. After I saw the entire video I personally go for the 14-28mm.
I also own a D800E and the 16-35mm by Nikon, so I am not forced to have all in one brand.
For my future video work with an S5IIX and this 14-28mm I will have a fine set, that maybe will completed with a 50mm 1.8.
Thanks Winni! If you have the 16-35 VR for Nikon (i have one too!). then yeah it definitely makes more sense to go for the wider 14-28mm! Is this your first Panasonic?
Love your vids on S series and S5ii thanks!!!
thanks M J!
Richard another fantastic review as usual
Thanks goodness' for people like you on TH-cam!!
A bought the S9 and the 20-40 because of your reviews and im soo happy that i payed close attention to your recommendations and advices.
so your the man i listen to from now on soo in light of that i have a question and i think your the best person to ask.
I looking at the sigma tiny 17mm f4 for filming on the S9 and i wanted to ask in your experience is the auto focus noticeable worse painting sigma with Lumix cameras? Wanted to ask you before i bought it.
hi Thomas, thank you! And to answer your question, i don't have any experience with the Sigma 17mm f/4 myself, but i have the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 and i have no problem with the autofocus at all. For cameras without PDAF (e.g. S1, S5) continuous video autofocus appears to be not quite as fast/smooth with non Lumix lenses. But this seems to have changed now with the S5II/S9. While some lenses may have faster/slower AF motor, but overall there is not any noticeable difference Lumix/Sigma lenses when use on latest Lumix bodies like your S9
Thanks for the extensive review! This 14-28 is soo good for the price that it's difficult to justify the price of 16-35mm.
it's also smaller and lighter too, which is something very important IMO but not apparent when reading/watching a review.
Very interesting video. The problem is half the time I don´t know if you are using the 14-28 or the 16-35...
@@joseangel4428 hello there, you can check the text description and see which lens I used to take each of the sample photo or video
@@TheRealRichardWong Thank you Richard
Definitely on my list for sharing between TL2 and FF -- either this or the 18mm f/1.8 (The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 would be the most logical, but I have the 18-50mm f/2.8 aps-c, so that overlap and the Lumixes being 100g lighter does make a difference on the sub-400g TL2)
Great review, Richard. Thanks! I'd be curious to know how well this lens does on the more demanding sensor of the S1R.
I'm curious too!
Hi Richard, thanks for the review! Looks like a winner. One question: was the test performed on a 24 MP body, or on the S1R? As for "Am I thinking of buying a 14-28?" the answer is yes, I'd like one - particularly for hiking - but I already have several UW zooms so probably not just yet.
oh my bad. i usually print the camera name when doing resolution related tests but i forgot this time! I tested it with a 24MP body. (S5)
Thank you for awesome review! Wonder how is the vlog video stabilization of this setup compare to R6ii with 14-35 f4? Since the rf 14-35mm f4 is optical stabilized? Thanks
haha thanks for suggesting that again. I will see if I get a chance to compare that, I can't promise if i can really do that but I personally also interested to find out the difference too.
Does anyone know how this lens is for shooting infrared photos? Any central hotspot?
In my experience, on the 24Mp cameras the S series of lenses are excellent at just about any aperture. Now if you are going to use the high-res modes, or put them on the S1R you do need to put the lenses in their sweet spot to actually benefit from the high res. But one could also say that it is quite remarkable that these lenses offer 50+Mp of resolution at the right apertures. I can imagine that the S-Pro series lenses offer high-res detail over a larger range of their aperture, but as I don't even realy need 24Mp of resolution it would be complete overkill for me.
yes I agree, all the S series lenses are very good for the 24MP cameras.
But remember, increasing the resolution of the lens OR the sensor will deliver a higher resolution result overall.
Thanks Richard. I think Panasonic now represents the best option for attaining ‘affordable excellence’ in photography and video.
I note this lens is now being provided as a free bonus lens for the S5II plus 20-60mm kit all for AU$2834 in Dec 2023. That is equiv to US$1919, less than the S5II launch price! Very good value!
That's fantastic value for money
@@TheRealRichardWong It is amazing value and creates a dilemma for those also interested in the G9II which is advertised for around AU$2600 body only!
the G9II is like brand new so price is still a bit high. Eventually for those who can wait, the price will most likely come down a bit.
@@TheRealRichardWong I agree!
Edited: This review (including the sharpness test) was tested using a Lumix S5 and S5II. Sorry i forgot to add the camera info to the video
Any of you thinking of getting the Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6? And how come my lens review is longer than 30 minutes!??
I've preordered the S5II with it - I figure that for the short term I can stick it on my first-gen S5 and run it at 50p all the time (with the crop) so it actually focuses on my face 😆 I've been doing that in my office and it works well, but the 20-60mm isn't wide enough for vlogging shots when cropped in. It'll also free up my 20-60mm for use on the S5II for regular shooting then 😁
Yep - it's pre-ordered (and paid for!).
Thanks for the review, Richard. Too bad that they don't include lens stabilization with this lens (nor with the 16-35 S Pro lens either). Using the dual IS (when using a lens with optical stabilization) really does reduce the corner warping effect when compared to using solely the five-axis IBIS. That's the main reason I still use a Canon EF 16-35 f/4 L and Sigma MC-21 adapted to my S1 and S5.
Thank you! I guess it all comes down to size/compromises. I actually want to find out how big the difference is between OIS /Dual IS vs IBIS only for wide angle lens when it comes to image warpping. Another topic i could investigate in the future
How are the sunburst on this lens in your opinion?
hi there, i discussed about it from 15:05 . But overall i dont really like it.
Thank you for the super detailed review. I have still not decided if I will go for this lens or the 16-28 Sigma.
One thing that I am interested in, does the S5ii actually give you the hyperfocal indicator when in manual focus mode, like the S1 does? And does that indicator also appear of you use a Sigma lens?
thanks for watching. Yes itt does have the focus distance scale indicator when you are in MF mode. I think all the Lumix mirrorless cameras do that. I'm quite sure it will work with Sigma lens too but i don't have any L-mount sigma lens with me to double check that for you
@Richard Wong, that's great news. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi, is it possible to reduce the IBIS strength on the S5 II? Also, maybe you know if there is gyro data recorded to video files to be able to stabilize with "Gyroflow" ??
Not that i'm aware of
I prefer the 14-28mm over the 16-35mm. The 2mm more wide-angle and the Macro capabilities in combination with it's lighter design and more affordable price-tag it is the better choice for my taste. The image-quality of the 14-28mm is superb.
On the other hand, for "normal photography" you're more flexible with the 16-35mm, if one needs the zoom-range 28-35mm.
If I need the 35mm, I prefer the 35mm F1.8.
Haha dang I just bought a Sigma 16-28 for real estate photography. Oh well…might have to grab this one too.
Really hope Panasonic comes out with a 100-600mm range soon.
haha it's always like that isn't it! Re a Panasonic 100-600, it's not listed on the roadmap at all so we might have to wait a while. But Sigma has just announced a new 60-600 lens and I should be reviewing it (L-mount version) as soon as I get my hands on a sample
@@TheRealRichardWong Absolutely. That sounds great, looking forward to your review Richard!
Seems like an odd lens release choice to me. The 16-35 f4 can be found used for only a couple hundred dollars more than this and I think it would be worth it for the constant aperture unless you really really need that extra 2mm on the wide end, but that seems like a niche use case. Sigma also just came out with their 16-28mm which is a more compelling choice for the f2.8. I think I would have rather seen a smaller 50mm f1.4 or a new compact telephoto zoom like a 70-150mm or a 50-100mm. If they wanted to do another wide angle a 14-24mm f2.8 would have been a nice choice to give an alternative to the older Sigma 14-24mm. I'm usually really excited for new Lumix lenses but I think this one is a skip for me.
Well, I returned a Sigma 16-28 in preference to a pre-order for the 14-28. For me (doing mostly landscapes), the wider FOV and proper weather sealing is more important than the f2.8.
I know this is NOT relevant to your subject at this time, and I apologize for the intrusion. I would be appreciative if you could confirm to me that the newly released S 5 II is unable to shoot AAL I ?
Correct, you need to go for the s5iix for that
Maybe.
Friend, it's a big mistake to turn on the correction, because Raw vidio shoots with the correction turned off! And this is very important! YOU ARE LOOKING NOT ONLY BY PHOTOGRAPHERS!
hi ggdfgg dfgdffgfddg, I do think about the videographer and that's also a reason why i choose to have correction on. Because I feel at the moment, still only a very low percentage of videographers would shoot video in RAW. Most videographers shoot either in-camera file or prores 422 so they would have the profile correction applied automatically.
@@TheRealRichardWong n-Raw of nikon its future!
@@ggdfggdfgdffgfddg34 oh yes in-camera video RAW is the future. I really hope Nikon would win the patent war against RED, it's great for Nikon, great for the videographers and great for the industry. Nobody likes to attach an external recorder just to record RAW :/
Vignetting is pretty disappointing. The distortion too. Neither seem compelling honestly.
My left eye sees a better image quality....
d i ffraction, not "die"fraction