big (and little) deals!

 After a time of relative quiet, some big changes are coming to the kit!

from dpreview forums

Big Zoom: I recently picked up a 14-140 Lumix and it serves me well. Problem is, it's not sealed against splash/dust unlike the version IIb (mine is f/3.5-5.6 so it's a IIa). The 12-60 is sealed but cannot do much in the tele department.

I'd really like a 25-125mm lens (50-250 equiv) but nobody's doing that with the popularity of wider abilities on the 14-1x0 design.

So I looked into swapping for either a IIb Lumix or the sealed Olympus equivalent, the 14-150∙II f/4-5.6, and found a forum seller with the m.Zuiko. Dumping the freed-up zooms to a dealer was worth about that asking price, so I initiated a swap. Image at right shows m.Zuiko 14-150 (ver. 1 w/no seals) and Lumix 14-140 (ver. IIb with seals).

I also offered a couple of primes to lower my purchase price - and things got interesting!

I've been dealing with the 30/35mm 'problem' (owning one of each) so offering the excellent TTArtisans 35/1.4 was sad but would not have a big impact on the kit. I also own their 7.5mm and 17mm so I have plenty of other TTArt fun in hand! 

My other 'problem' is forgetting that I own the Samyang 12mm f/2 - every time I list lenses I forget that and need to add it later, so I offered that as well. Yes, we should all have such lens-surplus problems.. oh right, we almost all in fact do have that problem!

So it turned out the seller likes new primes, and offered the 14-150 for two of my TTAs (7.5 + 35) and the Samyang 12. 

Straight up - wow.

Six lenses depart tomorrow (including the 45-150 Lumix), one will arrive soon.

Time again for a different kit! 

1. The 14-150 will be different in use, as it has no IS inside and zooms in reverse to my expectations. However, its direction will match my old 75-300 ZD lens, so both zooms will match! The seals will be nice, and more recent Lumix bodies have IS inside just like Olympus - so no 'problem' here.
2. Primes will still have good spacing, but less curb appeal: pixco 8/3.8, TTA 17/1.4, Oly 30/3.5 macro, Zonlai 50/1.4 and adapted telephoto primes. I'll miss the 2½ stops the 35/1.4 provided over the macro, and some day I'll find the right wide prime - perhaps that nice Laowa 10mm?
3. .. and cash to pay earlier deals and other debts.

Little zoom - I won a low-bid offer for a m.Zuiko 9-18mm zoom. That was a surprise! This replaces the 7.5 and 12mm lenses, though it doesn't replace f/2 as an aperture setting :√( oh well. Most of the time this will be an excellent option for trips where wide is important; it definitely allows the 14-150 to do well with no regrets. Some day the laowa 10/2 will go here instead, but this was a bargain and that's what I need.

Update - the 14-150 is quite nice, but not quite paid for, as the 14-140 was rejected by the buyer. Its front element isn't.. ideal. Once it reaches me I'll decide the best way forward. The optical results from the Lumix were fine by me, but they weren't scrutinized all that much. The 9-18 also has some perfection issues with its front element, but images don't suffer much to my eye. The joy of low prices accrue to those who don't demand perfection!