Leica D 14-50mm coverage with Lumix DMC L1
14-50mm at 14mm, f8 (28mm equivalent)		14-50mm at 50mm, f8 (100mm equivalent)

Leica D 14-50mm image stabilisation

The D 14-50mm is not only Leica’s first lens designed for a digital SLR, but also its first with optical stabilisation. Developed with Panasonic, this is branded on the lens as Mega Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and is powered by a dedicated Panasonic Venus Engine processor. This operates 4000 times per second to detect and counteract any motion, and Panasonic claims up to three stops of compensation is possible.

The lens itself has a single switch to enable or disable OIS, but if mounted on the Lumix L1 (or Digilux 3) body, you have the additional choice of two different operating modes from the Recording menu. These match the OIS modes of existing Panasonic compacts and all-in-ones like the FZ8 and FZ50.

OIS Mode 1 applies stabilisation constantly which means you see the effect through the viewfinder – this can aid composition, especially at longer focal lengths. OIS Mode 2 only applies the stabilisation as you take the picture, which is potentially more effective since the system’s starting from a central position; the downside is you won’t see the effect as you compose the image. Once again this choice of OIS modes is only available when the Leica D 14-50mm is used on the Panasonic Lumix L1 or Digilux 3; if you attach it to any other Four Thirds DSLR, such as the Olympus E-410, it’ll either be always on or off as set by the switch on the side.

To compare real-life performance we shot the same scene with the Olympus E-400 using its kit 14-42mm ED lens and the Leica 14-50mm lens within a few moments of each other.

The E-400 was set to its best quality SHQ JPEG mode, Auto White Balance, Digital ESP Metering, the default Vivid Picture Mode and its lowest 100 ISO sensitivity.

The focal length of each lens was adjusted to deliver an identical field of view, and the aperture of each was set to f8. In our resolution tests with both lenses, the best results were achieved at this aperture.

Despite the significant price difference between the two lenses tested here, the crops below show remarkably similar levels of detail and optical correction. The most obvious difference can be seen in the first crop, taken from the far left side of the image, where the Leica result is noticeably sharper. This can be seen across the roof tiles and surrounding foliage. The result from the Zuiko Digital 14-42mm kit lens is visibly softer, losing the ultimate detail that’s present on the Leica sample. Beyond this though, the results on this particular image are very similar.

To see how the Leica lens performs on the Panasonic L1 against the Nikon D80, check out our Pansasonic Lumix L1 review, and to see it against both the Olympus E-400 and the Canon EOS 400D / XTi, check out our Olympus E-400 review. In the meantime though, this page shows the latest Zuiko Digital 14-42mm ED kit lens stands up well against premium lenses when it comes to day-to-day outdoor shots at f8. It’s a good result for the E-400, E-410 and E-510 bundles.

The crops are taken from the original images, saved as High Quality JPEGs in Photoshop CS2 and presented here at 100%. Each number represents 100 lines per picture height (lpph), so a figure of 20 means a resolution of 2000 lpph.

The best overall result for the Leica lens here was with it mounted on the Olympus E-410 where it delivered an impressive 2200 lpph of horizontal and vertical resolution. This is fractionally above what you’d get with the E-410’s ED 14-42mm kit lens, and we believe close to the E-410’s maximum resolving power.

It’s also interesting to see the E-410 delivering a slightly better result with the Leica lens than it did mounted on the E-400. Both bodies share 10 megapixel resolution, but employ different sensors, and the result here backs up the figures in our E-410 review where it also scored slightly higher than its predecessor when fitted with the same kit lens.

Either way, the results here illustrate the Leica D 14-50mm lens is capable of bringing out the best of the latest Four Thirds bodies.

The cameras used for testing each lens were set to their best quality JPEG and default image tone and sharpening settings. The crops are taken from the extreme lower left corner of the chart and presented here at 100%.

The Leica D 14-50mm exhibits a little fringing in the extreme corners at wide angle and some light fall-off at its full f2.8 aperture, but the results are still quite sharp, especially compared to the older Zuiko Digital 14-45mm kit lens at 14mm f3.5.

Zoom into telephoto and the Leica D 14-50mm performs very well in the corners even with the aperture wide open. It is noticeably sharper than the latest Zuiko Digital kit lens when fully opened, where it also has the advantage of being over one stop brighter. A great result here for the Leica lens.

Note: crop details taken from the same chart which appear smaller here are due to them being captured with lower resolution cameras and / or a lens which couldn’t focus as close to the chart. In each case though, the crop still represents the extreme left corner of each camera’s frame.

All four lenses below exhibit purple fringing at wide angle, and much less when zoomed-in to their telephoto end, although the Leica D arguably shows less than the others – and remember it also has a faster focal ratio.

To measure and compare the Leica D 14-50mm’s macro performance we photographed a custom chart using it and a number of rival lenses.

Each camera was positioned at a distance and set to a focal length which delivered the maximum possible reproduction.

The dark lines are 10mm apart and the result is not cropped. Smaller areas are preferred in this test. The image left was taken with the Leica D 14-50mm.

Like most DSLR lenses, the greatest macro reproduction was achieved with the lens zoomed-in to telephoto. There the Leica D 14-50mm captured an area measuring 108x80mm, which is comfortably beaten by both Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm kit lens and the latest Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm. So the Leica D 14-50mm isn’t particularly ideal for large reproductions of small subjects. If you want superior macro performance on a Four Thirds body, you should consider the Olympus Zuiko Digital 50mm.

		To measure and compare the Leica D 14-50mm’s geometric distortion we photographed a test chart consisting of a grid pattern, using it and a number of rival lenses. Here are the results for each lens at its shortest focal length. The images were analysed with Imatest using 5th Order line calculation and the full areas presented here at a reduced resolution.
14-50mm at 14mm f8 Distortion: 2.80% barrel

Olympus ZD ED 14-42mm with Olympus E-400		Olympus ZD 14-45mm with Olympus E-500		Canon EF-S 18-55mm with Canon 400D / XTi
14-42mm at 14mm f8 Distortion: 2.97% barrel		14-45mm at 14mm f8 Distortion: 3.28% barrel		18-55mm EF-S at 18mm f8 Distortion: 3.35% barrel

Leica D 14-50mm telephoto geometry comparison

		To measure and compare the Leica D 14-50mm’s geometric distortion we photographed a test chart consisting of a grid pattern, using it and a number of rival lenses. Here are the results for each lens at its longest focal length. The images were analysed with Imatest using 5th Order line calculation and the full areas presented here at a reduced resolution.
14-50mm at 50mm f8 Distortion: 0.14% barrel

Olympus ZD ED 14-42mm with Olympus E-400		Olympus ZD 14-45mm with Olympus E-500		Canon EF-S 18-55mm with Canon 400D / XTi
14-42mm at 42mm f8 Distortion: 0.21% barrel		14-45mm at 45mm f8 Distortion: 0.48% pincushion		18-55mm EF-S at 55mm f8 Distortion: 0.389% pincushion

		To measure and compare the Leica D 14-50mm’s vignetting and light fall-off we photographed a white target with a highly diffused custom filter using it and a number of rival lenses. Here are the results for each lens set to its widest focal length, with the aperture fully open and the focus set to infinity. The images were analysed with Imatest and the full areas presented here at a reduced resolution. Bigger percentages are better.
14-50mm at 14mm f2.8 Mean corner fall-off: 66%

Olympus ZD ED 14-42mm with Olympus E-400		Olympus ZD 14-45mm with Olympus E-500		Canon EF-S 18-55mm with Canon 400D / XTi
14-42mm at 14mm f3.5 Mean corner fall-off: 63.6%		14-45mm at 14mm f3.5 Mean corner fall-off: 74.1%		18-55mm EF-S at 18mm f3.5 Mean corner fall-off: 68.8%

Leica D 14-50mm telephoto uniformity comparison

		To measure and compare the Leica D 14-50mm’s vignetting and light fall-off we photographed a white target with a highly diffused custom filter using it and a number of rival lenses. Here are the results for each lens set to its longest focal length, with the aperture fully open and the focus set to infinity. The images were analysed with Imatest and the full areas presented here at a reduced resolution. Bigger percentages are better.
14-50mm at 50mm f3.5 Mean corner fall-off: 72.5%

Olympus ZD ED 14-42mm with Olympus E-400		Olympus ZD 14-45mm with Olympus E-500		Canon EF-S 18-55mm with Canon 400D / XTi
14-42mm at 42mm f5.6 Mean corner fall-off: 85.7%		14-45mm at 45mm f5.6 Mean corner fall-off: 71.3%		18-55mm EF-S at 55mm f5.6 Mean corner fall-off: 83.8%