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Panasonic lens prices

Diane B

New member
Agree 100%. It's kind of unnecessary to have weather sealed lenses on a non-weather sealed camera IMO. Just adds addtional costs even if it's a great feature to have in general.
I agree. In all the years I've shot both film and DSLR I can't remember very many times I actually needed weather sealed camera and lens (and none of my bodies are though some of my Canon lenses are). I stick the camera in a big plastic bag if needed--usually carry one in my bags--particularly if hiking.

Diane
 

Jonas

Active member
Leica M lenses aren't weather shielded either. This seems like another thing that never used to bother anyone until it became a "feature" for some makers to advertise...
Agree 100%. It's kind of unnecessary to have weather sealed lenses on a non-weather sealed camera IMO. Just adds addtional costs even if it's a great feature to have in general.
If you don't like weather shielding as a feature in general you have to come up with better arguments:

Leica M lenses: and exactly how much electronics was there in the old M system?

Additional costs? No, it doesn't cost anything compared to the glass elements.

And yes, I have lived with plastic bags in the camera bas for many years. It doesn't mean I would like not having to do so. With the latest system of them all I would have appreciated if the lenses were weather shielded. There might be a weather shielded body down the road, no?
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
If you don't like weather shielding as a feature in general you have to come up with better arguments:

Leica M lenses: and exactly how much electronics was there in the old M system?

Additional costs? No, it doesn't cost anything compared to the glass elements.

And yes, I have lived with plastic bags in the camera bas for many years. It doesn't mean I would like not having to do so. With the latest system of them all I would have appreciated if the lenses were weather shielded. There might be a weather shielded body down the road, no?
It may not cost them much extra to manufacture the seals make make a weather sealed lens but you could be sure a weather sealed variant would cost the consumer more. Just look at the 4/3 variant of the 7-14mm. It's selling for $1750 USD. That's a $650 premium over the rumored Micro 4/3 variant. It possibly has better optics but on paper they are "identical."
 

Jonas

Active member
It may not cost them much extra to manufacture the seals make make a weather sealed lens but you could be sure a weather sealed variant would cost the consumer more. Just look at the 4/3 variant of the 7-14mm. It's selling for $1750 USD. That's a $650 premium over the rumored Micro 4/3 variant. It possibly has better optics but on paper they are "identical."
Yes, and no. Have a look at the Pentax DSLR cameras... it doesn't seem as the weather shielding cost their owners a lot of money.

OTOH Panasonic can charge USD 8 plus taxes for a rear lens cap and it is true that every penny in manufacture cost is multiplied a number of times when the prduct is up for sale.

I'm not sure about comparing the G7-14 with the ZD7-14. One of the main benefits with the µ4/3 lens mount is that wide angle lenses can be made smaller and lighter and I guess the price difference has much more to do with that than the O-rings.

The ZD7-14 seems better corrected as well. Looking at the "raw" G7-14 image it seem to lean on software correction to quite some degree.

Personally I am a bit torn when it comes to weather shielding. I don't see it as a necessity but, I wouldn't mind it. EUR 1.200 or EUR 1.250 with and without it, respectively? I would take the later.

In real life I already grabbed the ZD9-18. it is not weather shielded, works well and the price is reasonably.
 

Y.B.Hudson III

New member
if your greatest peril is spilling a Chi-tea latte on your tools...Lack of weather seals might be an acceptable risk...but silt, sand, and sleet wiLL kill your digi toys.,, beLieve me:) ... I can buy a weather seal'd P&s wide that will pass for gooD to eXceLLent on this interweb,,, for a fraction of what you folks are speculating...
 
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Brian Mosley

New member
Had a look at the UWA comparison and despite the fact the Lumix 7-14 was oversharpened (naughty!) the ZD 7-14 + G1 combination comes out on top, followed closely by the D700 + 14-24... I'm going to stick to my G1 + 4/3rds adapter + ZD 7-14 combination - at least until my E-620 arrives! :ROTFL:

Kind Regards

Brian
 

Jonas

Active member
Just to compare plastic with plastic.....
It is lucky for us that Panasonic not think they are Leica for real. That's why the xxxx Panasonic 25/1.4 is a mere USD 800 and not USD 2.400.

Yes, I love Panny prices. I'm sorry for having said they charge us too much for their stuff.

:)

--
Jonas
 

Diane B

New member
I'm not opposed to weather sealing at all and would like it for same money, but most of us don't find it a necessity. Those who do seem to pay dearly for it--in most cases. I don't know where the G1 system will go, but my original Panny m4/3rds lenses aren't weatherproof so I'm not concerned about buying a wide angle that is. Each of us has our own needs and chooses what's important--I'm for good optics, reasonable body build and will live without weather proofing--IF it will keep prices down. YMMV.

In all honesty, if the G1 was in the price range of the 5DII or the Nikon equivalent I feel reasonably sure I wouldn't have added it to my gear. I really like it, enjoy shooting with it, but at this stage in its development I would feel a bit queasy putting so much money into a system that's just building. For the time being I'd rather keep my lens choices in the 'reasonable' range.

Diane
 

Jonas

Active member
I'm not opposed to weather sealing at all and would like it for same money (...) will live without weather proofing--IF it will keep prices down. YMMV.

In all honesty, if the G1 was in the price range of the 5DII or the Nikon equivalent (...) For the time being I'd rather keep my lens choices in the 'reasonable' range.
I shouldn't have brought up the weather sealing thing. I did it as Lisa (wherever she went...) claimed the lens to be a "pro" lens at a reasonable price. I can't argue for weather shielding as a necessity and for the moment I don't own a single weather shielded lens.

My problem is rather the Panasonic prices are a bit on the high side. At the same time we don't know where the system will go. If µ4/3 develops into a big system with both advanced (pro? :) ) and cheap P&S type models I will start to wonder why my G7-14 isn't weather shielded. That would be if I had been interested in it from start and bought it of course. If Panasonic charge me top dollars I want all the features, not only small and badly corrected lenses leaning on software correction. Small is good but not everything.

I don't think anyone would have bought a G1 costing as much as a FF camera... and as you I prefer lenses in the 'reasonable' range. That's why I bought the ZD9-18 and reported about my findings (as I know you know I did...).

Now I feel as I'm just repeating myself and don't think I'll post more on the matter. What I am doing, basically, is venting my stinki'n opinion which it is that the Panny prices are too high for what they deliver.
 

Diane B

New member
I understand Jonas. Guess I was doing the equivalent in some ways. No, no one would have bought the G1 costing as much as a FF, but the lenses are creeping up there. I paid $1100 for my 45 T/S and $1400 for my 24-70L (I had one of the first so paid an early adopter price but it is good). I'm just not willing to pay comparable prices for lenses for my G1 *smile*. I guess that's what I'm trying to say--the body/14-45 cost me $530. I don't want to pay $1400 for a lens for the camera at this point (though I admit I've put an expensive lens on my used 400D LOL)--maybe in the future as the format matures.

Lisa was on the dpreview forum and was involved in a lot of threads but she may have been banned--at least she disappeared. I understood that she was primarily interested in the video ability of the GH1.

BTW--I was reasonably sure I had seen a 7-14 f/4 in a video last night--the poster was shooting a gold GH1 with 14-140 on it sitting beside a 7-14 f/4 box--but I surely can't find it this morning--so now I wonder if I was dreaming LOL. I believe it was a video. I know there have been several with various lenses--but I was particularly interested to see that lens used. Looks as though many people in Japan preordered or got into the stores immediately to buy those GH1s.

Diane
 

Terry

New member
Diane, I saw it as well but it was a still photo on flickr. I think the link was on DPReview. I'm on my iPhone so can't post a link until we get new software with cut and paste (finally!!)
 

Diane B

New member
Diane, I saw it as well but it was a still photo on flickr. I think the link was on DPReview. I'm on my iPhone so can't post a link until we get new software with cut and paste (finally!!)
Terri, I found it--but now I remember that I was a bit confused about its upload date
http://www.flickr.com/photos/audioblog/3401828287/sizes/l/ since it was 3/31/09 I'm wondering if he was a beta tester for Olympus since it appears that he has had a GH1 since March (or earlier). I noticed that he had TZ7 shots with a prototype also--and he is in France, so he didn't buy it in Japan yesterday morning LOL. Still--its in a box so that means it must be available--soon at least.

Diane
 

Brian Mosley

New member
Oh heck, I wish you hadn't posted that link Diane... those lenses look too cute on the GH1. This is going to be expensive! :salute: :ROTFL:

What a killer travel kit!

Kind Regards

Brian
 

Diane B

New member
and--on a gold and red GH1 also LOL. AND--taken with a G1--so he's well covered in the m4/3rds department.

Diane
 

Jonas

Active member
or this one?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/564518-REG/Olympus_261058_Zoom_Super_Wide_Angle.html

OK, I know, I shouldn't say anything more. But then again, a 1000 dollar plus lens and not getting a focusing scale... ;)

Interestingly the seller (a good seller btw) also has the Panasonic 25/1.4 and sells it for USD 1050. That is quite a bit over the B+H list price. I wonder if that is a special case or if the G7-14 will go down in price?
 

monza

Active member
The 9-18 is a slower lens, and not as wide. Surely these must be factors, so this really isn't a direct comparison. Add $150 for the 4/3 adapter, too.

That said, I'd probably buy the 9-18, as that would be plenty wide for me, as infrequently as I would use the lens.

The Pana 7-14 should go down over time; what was the 9-18 selling for a day after it was introduced, anyone know?
 
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