Hi Gary! I have debated with myself with this lens. At the moment I might be leaning more towards the 9mm f1.7 which I could switch out with the 15mm f1.7 I already have to approximate the same focal lengths. But the 15 Leica is not weather sealed.... Some super pictures that you took on South Island and shared with us!
It is really a nice lens for surprisingly a lot of different use cases Chad. The focal length and the features provided in this lens really makes it handy for both travel and landscape photography.
One of the benefits I find worth mentioning of the Pana Leica 8-18mm over the OMS 8-25mm is the not extending zoom of the 8-18mm. Which makes it at least on paper a better weather resistant lens. Mirrorlesscomparison has a very extensive comparison between these two. I decided after some doubts to stick with the Pana Leica and not trade it in for an OMS 8-25mm.
I've been using that lens for over five years now and it's great for a variety of uses, from street to architecture to special effects (and obviously, for landscape as you show). It's also tough, as I've dropped it (even on concrete--I had to file the mount flange--yikes!) and it continues to work. I'd definitely recommend getting the hood to avoid the minimal flare and give you a bit of extra protection from water droplets on the front element when you use it in rain/snow). Yes, it would be nice to have constant aperture, but look at how huge/heavy (and more expensive) the 10-25 is! As great as the Leica 8-18 is, I found situations where I wanted an even wider AoV, so I got the Laowa 6mm f/2.0 Zero-D. That's an amazing lens (122° AoV, rectilinear, and near-zero minimum focussing distance) and it takes filters!
Gary, great review of the 8-18mm. Thanks. I struggle with composing interesting photos below 12mm (MFT). I do like how you use the 8-18mm for environmental portraiture.
Thank you for the kind words John. I think with ultra wide angle focal length, you do really need a strong foreground of interest, otherwise the image will look bland. Hope this helps!
Makasih kak. Kalau butuh fleksibel bisa zoom, 8-18mm kak, kalau ada lensa lain sehingga tidak perlu zoom, 9mm kak. Saya pribadi karena punya Laowa 7.5mm f2 jadi belum butuh Leica 9mm f1.7
Laowa 6mm should be really great. I imagine it would feel similar to the 7.5mm that I have, but with wider focal length. I personally prefer AF lenses, even for wide angle lenses, since I got some mis-focused shots with my Laowa 7.5mm, but if you don't mind manual focus lens then the 6mm is quite a great option!
1. Leica sharpness
2. Fast enough aperture
3. Light
4. Weather sealed
5. Landscape to street to kind of portrait
This lens sounds like winning!
Hi Gary! I have debated with myself with this lens. At the moment I might be leaning more towards the 9mm f1.7 which I could switch out with the 15mm f1.7 I already have to approximate the same focal lengths. But the 15 Leica is not weather sealed....
Some super pictures that you took on South Island and shared with us!
It is really a nice lens for surprisingly a lot of different use cases Chad. The focal length and the features provided in this lens really makes it handy for both travel and landscape photography.
Hello Joe, the 9mm is quite a nice lens, if I don't have the Laowa 7.5mm then I would probably get the PL 9mm f1.7. Thank you for the kind words Joe!
If only it was a constant f2.8 and a bit wider.
One of the benefits I find worth mentioning of the Pana Leica 8-18mm over the OMS 8-25mm is the not extending zoom of the 8-18mm. Which makes it at least on paper a better weather resistant lens. Mirrorlesscomparison has a very extensive comparison between these two. I decided after some doubts to stick with the Pana Leica and not trade it in for an OMS 8-25mm.
Thank you for sharing an important point about the PL8-18, I didn't know the OMS 8-25 extends when zoomed.
I've been using that lens for over five years now and it's great for a variety of uses, from street to architecture to special effects (and obviously, for landscape as you show). It's also tough, as I've dropped it (even on concrete--I had to file the mount flange--yikes!) and it continues to work. I'd definitely recommend getting the hood to avoid the minimal flare and give you a bit of extra protection from water droplets on the front element when you use it in rain/snow). Yes, it would be nice to have constant aperture, but look at how huge/heavy (and more expensive) the 10-25 is!
As great as the Leica 8-18 is, I found situations where I wanted an even wider AoV, so I got the Laowa 6mm f/2.0 Zero-D. That's an amazing lens (122° AoV, rectilinear, and near-zero minimum focussing distance) and it takes filters!
Thanks for sharing! It is definitely a very reliable lens 😁
Gary, great review of the 8-18mm. Thanks. I struggle with composing interesting photos below 12mm (MFT). I do like how you use the 8-18mm for environmental portraiture.
Thank you for the kind words John. I think with ultra wide angle focal length, you do really need a strong foreground of interest, otherwise the image will look bland. Hope this helps!
Keren review nya 👍 saran donk untuk photography lebih baik Leica 8-18 f2.8-4 atau 9 mm f1.7 ? Trims
Makasih kak. Kalau butuh fleksibel bisa zoom, 8-18mm kak, kalau ada lensa lain sehingga tidak perlu zoom, 9mm kak. Saya pribadi karena punya Laowa 7.5mm f2 jadi belum butuh Leica 9mm f1.7
For real estate shooters, Laowa 7.5mm or Leica 8-18mm?
Great review, currently torn between this and the laowa 6mm. Any thoughts on the laowa 6mm?
Laowa 6mm should be really great. I imagine it would feel similar to the 7.5mm that I have, but with wider focal length. I personally prefer AF lenses, even for wide angle lenses, since I got some mis-focused shots with my Laowa 7.5mm, but if you don't mind manual focus lens then the 6mm is quite a great option!
It is a good lens indeed, but I prefer the fixed 9mm Panasonic Leica for it's smaller size and brighter aperture.
It's a great gimbal lens, but hardly wide enough for photos. I prefer 7 mm.
@@GrenlandUnderVannThe Loawa 6mm f2 is even better if you want wide.
It's hard to replace my Olympus 7-14 mm f2.8. I wish Panasonic could extend their f1.7 zoom series with a Leica 6-12 mm f1.7.
PanLeica 7-12mm f1.7 will be really awesome! I would definitely want that!