[Lumix Magazine Editorial Department] We Tried Out the LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO
Hello, everyone. This is the Lumix Magazine Editorial Department.
Have you had a chance to read the post we shared the other day, "This is the Optical Design Department_Sixth Edition [LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO]"?
This article features sample shots taken by our editorial staff using the lenses profiled in "This Is the Optical Design Department", along with the staff's impressions of the lenses.
This is our review of the LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO.
First Impressions
Trying the LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO on the S5II
Here's how it looks mounted on the S5II. It's similar in size to the F1.8 series. Although the 14-28 mm is a bit bigger, they take up about the same space in a camera bag.
From left to right: 85 mm F1.8, 28-200 mm F4-7.1, 14-28 mm F4-5.6 and smartphone (approximately 6 inches). Although all the lenses are similar in size, the 14-28 mm has a lens diameter of 77 mm.
I use a 31-litre WANDRD backpack. Even when I pack the S5II with the 14–28 mm lens attached and the 28–200 mm lens in the inner compartments, there is still plenty of space left. This setup offers a wide range of focal lengths while saving space.
The lens has a total length of approximately 89.8 mm, measured from the front to the reference plane of the lens mount, and weighs around 345 g, excluding the lens hood and front and rear lens caps. Compared to other lenses with equivalent focal lengths and maximum aperture values, this lens feels relatively light and compact.
Shooting with the LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO
I'm using the S5II.
F9 SS 1/320 ISO 100 14 mm
F6.3 SS 1/160 ISO 100 14 mm
First, I took some test shots near my home. Scenes I see every day look quite different shot at 14 mm ultra-wide: the sky stretches out wide, and things like poles get that perspective distortion that looks really cool. It's fun to shoot subjects as silhouettes against the evening sky.
F5.6 SS 1/60 ISO 125 28 mm
F7.1 SS 1/200 ISO 100 28 mm
Next, I tried some morning snapshots while travelling. Zooming in to 28 mm, I could snap away with the same sense of distance as my usual snapshot camera, which I really appreciated.
F6.3 SS 1/160 ISO 100 28 mm
What's more, this lens can shoot at half-macro magnification at its telephoto end. After taking the aforementioned photo that morning, I left the 14-28 mm lens attached without swapping to a different one. During breakfast, I spotted some beautiful light and water droplets on the table, so I zoomed in and took a photo. Although it is a wide-angle zoom lens, it is surprisingly versatile.
It allows close focusing down to 15 cm across the entire zoom range, and at the 28 mm telephoto end, you get half-macro with a maximum magnification of 0.5x. Alongside the dynamic expression unique to ultra-wide-angle lenses, which incorporate the background, it enables macro photography that makes the most of bokeh.
F8 SS 1/400 ISO 100 14 mm
Of course, it's also great for landscapes. If you were to express the human field of vision as a focal length, it's said to be around 35 mm full-frame equivalent (though that's just one theory). It certainly feels like it captures a wider view than the naked eye can see. The weather was gorgeous that day, so I shot vertically to get more sky in the frame. You can feel the depth: the rocks at my feet, the plains, the road running through the mountains, the ridgeline, and the sky.
F4 SS 1/60 ISO 640 14 mm
Photo style: Monochrome
I also tried shooting with one of the monochrome Photo Styles built into LUMIX. Maybe because there's so much information in a wide-angle shot, monochrome works well.
F4 SS 1/80 ISO 100 14 mm
Photo style: Monochrome
F4 SS 1/80 ISO 100 14 mm
Photo style: Monochrome
At the 14 mm wide end, getting right in close with macro gives you this much background blur. Here's what the ball bokeh looks like.
Left: F4 SS 1/60 ISO 640 14 mm
Right: F5.6 SS 1/60 ISO 1000 28 mm
Photo style: Monochrome
The image remained sharp at both the wide-angle and telephoto ends.
F8 SS 1/400 ISO 100 14 mm
Photo style: L. Monochrome
A versatile lens for capturing everything from close-ups to dynamic landscapes
As I mainly take snapshots and portraits, I must admit that I was initially unsure about the ultra-wide 14 mm focal length. I couldn't think of many uses for it other than landscape photographers capturing dynamic natural scenery or cityscapes.
However, when I actually used the LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO lens, I discovered just how versatile it is. It can capture everything from landscapes and snapshots to a glass on a table.
I believe this is largely due to its macro capability.
Being able to shoot in macro mode means you can blur the background even when you're very close up with the wide-angle end. The telephoto end, meanwhile, allows you to isolate subjects such as water droplets on a glass.
This is precisely why I found this ultra-wide-angle zoom lens so user-friendly.
In the previous article, I tried out the F1.8 series. The wide-angle LUMIX S 18 mm F1.8 is a fast lens, so it's great for shooting the Milky Way or night scenes at low ISO. However, I also feel it might be a bit too wide to cover every subject with just that one lens.
The LUMIX S 14-28 mm F4-5.6 MACRO isn't as fast as the F1.8 series, but it's highly versatile. And with the S5II's high-ISO performance, noise isn't much of a concern even when you push the ISO, making it a lens that can handle all sorts of conditions.
It's easy to see why the developer of the LUMIX S 28-200 mm F4-7.1 MACRO O.I.S. recommended pairing the 28-200 mm lens with the 14-28 mm lens. Indeed, with these two lenses, you'd certainly never be stuck while travelling.
I'd love to hear how you're using yours, so let me know in the replies or quote posts on X!
That's all for this article. We'll see you next time!
