Brock
I know I am going to make people angry with this review but hear me out. I am a professional photographer with a successful business that has led to awards for my wedding photography. Yes, those awards were won while using M43 cameras. To qualify myself, I been in the photo industry since I was 16 years old and I am now 33. I have used every mirrorless system out there and I have used them professionally and extensively. I mention this so you can all know how much experience I have. I have owned more Olympus and Panasonic lenses than I care to mention here (as well as Fuji and Sony.) I currently shoot the Oly 40-150 f2.8 pro, the Oly 25mm f1.8, the Oly 45mm f1.8, and the panaleica 15mm f1.7. I picked up the Panaleica 42.5 f1.2 because well, I needed to have the best. I loved the results from this lens. It had that wow factor M43 users long for. Last night I decided to finally put the images side by side with the Oly 45mm f1.8 because I wanted to see just how much of a difference there was between the two lenses. Here is where I am going to get creamed by all of you. I preferred the look of the Oly 45mm over the panaleica 42.5mm lens. Yes, I truly did. Yes, the 42.5mm f1.2 provided a bit more background separation than the olympus but you know what? I felt the Oly provided a more natural bokeh because the bokeh wasnt as soft as the 42.5 f1.2. Not only that, but side by side the images were just as sharp which may indicate that I won the lens lottery with my Oly 45mm f1.8. The panaleica 42.5 did provide a unique look and here is the bottom line of why I wrote this review. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who makes a living off of portraits. There is truly not enough of a justification for the difference in price. There truly isnt. Maybe if the 42.5 f1.2 were around $700 I could get that. I can get unbelievable results with both lenses and no this lens will not bring the magic that will make you a successful photographer. If you feel you need this lens then get it. However, if you know what you are doing your clients will be blown away by the results of either lens. I found myself wanting to justify the price but for me I just couldnt do it. I ended up returning the 42.5 f1.2 and I am very happy with that decision as is my wallet. I can invest the money back into my business in other ways. I hope this helps you all especially those of you starting out. I am all about quality glass, but for $250 for the Oly 45mm f1.8 (International Version) you truly cant go wrong. 3 stars because I dont think the price premium can be justified. I am ready to be eaten alive by the (Nocticron Nuts) and I mean that in a very funny and friendly way.