PANASONIC LUMIX Professional 25mm Camera Lens G, F1.7 ASPH, Dual I.S. 2.0 with Power O.I.S., Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, H-H025K (Black)

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After I hit 60 years of age, I dumped my heavy Canon equipment and switched to micro four thirds. I bought this lens because it was small, lightweight, cheap, and the equivalent of a 90-300mm zoom on a full frame 35mm camera. So, this is the lens I use for portrait and telephoto needs. With extension rings, it also does a decent job as a macro lens. Photozone.de reviewed this lens and gave it between 3 and 3.5 stars for optical quality, and 4 stars for price/performance. So optically, its OK, not stellar. However head-shots at f5.6, (horizontal, not tight-in verticals), clearly show individual eyelashes, fine facial hair, and the tiny arteries in the sclera of the eyes. I have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of detail that this lens delivers. Given how inexpensive this lens is, and how good it is, it is an incredible bargain.

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1. Background: Ive owned a number of micro 4/3 cameras and lens; currently use the Olympus EMII and EM10 with the Olympus 12-40mm 2.8 and 40-150mm 2.8. I also have the Panasonic 14mm and 35-100mm 2.8 both excellent lens. Furthermore, Ive owned & /or rented the super zooms (Olympus and Panasonic and Tamron) 14-150mm and most recently (perhaps most relevant to this current lens) Ive had the opportunity to rent / test the Panasonic 12-60mm 2.8-4.0 pro lens as well as the Olympus 12-100mm f4.0 pro lens. With the above info, here are my brief nonscientific observations re: this lens. 2. Size / Weight: Its light and relatively compact; excellent choice for a travel / all in one lens. 3. Image quality: this is the crazy thing, but from my observations (again completely non-scientific), I believe this lens is... sharper (in the corners) compared to the new "pro" Panasonic 12-60mm 2.8-4.0. (shooting RAW, tripod, same subject, same apeture etc...) as well as the Olympus 12-100mm. Now perhaps I received a "bad copy" of the pro lens, but I can definitely say this much cheaper lens is of equal or... better output compared to the more expensive counterparts. Now to confirm that Im not completely insane; the "pro" lens that are better than this one are the Olympus 12-40mm 2.8 and the older Olympus 12-60mm (four thirds). 4. In summary for those wanting a relatively cheap, light / compact lens with a decent zoom range (please dont go for the super zooms because the quality is really subpar), this is definitely a winner. 5. By the way, this is one of those instances where it might be worthwhile to do your own tests because many of the online reviews have been fairly negative in re: this lens; I dont get it.

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I purchased this lens soon after its release and have been extremely pleased with it. I use it on my Panasonic Lumix GX7 and have had it "glued" to the camera since it arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago. I wanted a zoom lens that covered a wide to mid-tele range that I could use outside in daylight hours and this one ticks all the boxes. Prior to the release of the lens there was an online review which indicated that the lens was soft, but I see no softness, in fact the images Ive been getting with it are all quite sharp. Let me note, however, that I am not going to be using this lens in dark conditions (I have the PL 25 1.4 for that), nor am I using it to take photos of brick walls or color charts, but as long as I keep the aperture around 4-5.6 I cannot see much difference between this lens and the more expensive, faster Lumix and Leica lenses I have. Also, several friends have noted how "nice" the images I have taken using the lens look to them. It is rapidly becoming my favorite, "do-it-all" lens and I really cant say anything bad about it. If youve a m43 camera you should check this one out.

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If youre new to photography and filming and youre ready to move past your kit lens, then this is the first thing you should buy. With the full frame sensor equivalent of a 50mm, this lens delivers stunning portraits as well as making vlogging look professional; in fact it looks a lot like Peter Mckinnons videos. Ive posted pictures of my first outing with this lens and it did not disappoint. Theres a reason why they call these types of lenses Nifty 50s; they can accomplish so much. If you really want to up your photography game and start getting more professional looking shots while growing your skill set, then purchase this lens. You wont regret it.

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UPDATE July 2018 Ive since replaced this lens with the 14-140 f3.5 II mostly to avoid having to swap out the 45-150 for something wider. For those considering the move to the 14-140: - The 14 lens is noticeably larger than the 45 and while still comfortable on the GX85/GX9, it borders on being a tad too big for the body. - The power stabilizer on the lens doesnt seem to impact the battery life - Focus seems to be much more reliable with the 14 vs. the 45 - so is the low light performance. Neither lens is very good indoors but 14 seems to be a bit faster as the the specs would also indicate - the hood on the 14 is much larger than the 45 so youll need to consider than when putting it in your camera bag so, if you like the zoom range and size/weight of the 45-150 - perhaps you got it as a kit lens - but are frustrated at having to switch lenses for wider shots, then look over at the 14-140. It costs more, is a bit larger but youll love not having to worry about having the right lens on the camera - at least while outside in good light. -------------- end update - Got this in a bundle with the GX85 for our trip overseas. Glad I had it for the trip to compliment the kit 12-32 lens. Looking back at the 5000+ pics we took by far most of them were via this lens and it was lots of fun using it. Im not a photographer and dont do sports or wildlife, just wanted something to capture our little one and my wife during our trip. what I liked about it: - it fits the GX85 rather nicely and gives you an additional place to hold the camera while shooting since the grip on that particular body isnt very large. - with the zoom youre able to catch people in more natural and candid expressions vs if you had to get up close and stick a camera to their face. I was able to snap pics of our little one playing and carrying on that I would never be able to do if she saw me trying. - you get a good amount of background blur. you dont really get any bokeh where the background turns into soft circles but you are able to make your portrait pictures pop quite a bit by hiding some of the background. - it works reasonably well in the dark. - the included hood helps protect the lens when youre walking about with the camera hanging around your neck. Some things to consider: - as it starts at 45mm, you cant really take a group photo with any kind of wide or tall background unless you step way back - as you zoom your picture will get darker so dont expect to be able to zoom into your subject and blur the background when it starts to get dark outside. - you may find that youre going to miss some photo opportunities if youre not willing or able to change lenses for a wider shot. We ended up using our phones for the wider group shots. If i had to buy my first lens for the camera id probably pick up the 14-140mm vs. this one since with that you dont really have to deal with changing lenses or miss any photos. But if I already had a kit lens - as our GX85 did - then I cant imagine not having this lens as an option during family photo opportunities.

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Worth every penny for what it is. I am just getting started in photography and videography. I am definitely not an expert and I wont comprehensively review everything about this lens. For example, I havent used its autofocus at all because I frankly dont care about it. I bought this lens for video - I had the idea that it would be good for medium to close shots, especially when the subject is to be isolated from the rest of their environment. Now that I have it on my camera and Im taking some still shots, it is great for what I wanted, or at least for the medium shots. It seems to have a fairly long minimum focusing distance so you cant get super close. Im also noticing that there is no way Im going to get away with using this for video if it isnt on a tripod. Without any stabilization at all on a Lumix G7 body, you practically need it on a tripod just to take still photos. I dont even think it will be usable with outside, mechanical stabilization like a steadicam. When its wide open at f1.7, it is so, so easy to lock down focus on your subject and blur out EVERYTHING else. It is really perfect for focusing on one thing in a scene, which will lend itself well to some creative shots. Of course, in order to get outdoor, daylight shots at f1.7, you will need an ND filter. At higher f stops, you can get very sharp pictures across the whole frame, as long as youre not too close to anything. Overall, this lens is unbeatable as a normal focal length prime at its price. It outperforms its dollar amount easily. It isnt great for every situation and I dont even think its going to be a great, take all comers lens that can do every job. But for its price and intended use its a no brainer.

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=== Notes === - This is an initial review after using the lens for about 3 hours. The camera body used was Olympus OM-D E-M10. - I do not have a copy of 25mm f/1.4 lens to compare this one against - I will keep my written review on optical to minimal as it can be very subjective and I am not the most qualified individual to do so by any means - Instead I will focus on highlighting product design, constructions, and features - For those of you who wants to see some actual photos taken with the lens, I have uploaded full resolution shots to the link below [...] === Pros === - Excellent price point : ~$150 brand new - Light weight : measured 152 grams with both the hood and the lens cap on - Silky wide focus ring : the focus ring is very wide and well dampened with no wiggling. It makes no noise when turning. In my opinion better than Olympus 45mm f/1.8 - Lens hood included : the hood can be mounted backwards when not in use. It is made of solid plastic with inner coatings and threads. - Good flare control : no noticeable flaring even without the lens hood on although I have only tested indoors - Good edge-to-edge sharpness : this lens in my view is sharp across the frame even at wide open === Cons === - Long minimum focus distance : measured to be approximately 16cm - Some chromatic aberration seen at lower f stops : stepping down approximately 3 stops makes it reasonably controlled. This may be a non-issue with Panasonic bodies. - AF overshoots sometimes : this is nothing major but I find the lens to be overshooting a little bit during AF when paired with my OM-D E-M10. This may be a non-issue with Panasonic bodies. === Summary === This 25mm f/1.8 lens is very well designed and put together - striking a good balance between solid construction and light weight portability. Even though minimum focus distance is a bit disappointing, its bright aperture of f/1.7 can deliver good subject isolation. This lens is a solid buy at the current price point of ~$150. Personally, this would make an excellent companion lens to heavier and much bulkier zooms such as Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 or Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8. I have sold Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 and Olympus 17mm f/2.8 when I got my 12-40mm f/2.8. However, this one will have keep its own spot in my bag as a cheap but solid "nifty fifty" along with Olympus 45mm f/1.8. I can also see this lens performing well for videography in manual focus - primarily due to its wide and silky focus ring.

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Easily a 5 star review. The lens hood fits great and is reversible. If youre having trouble figuring it out you have to first remove the small ring with the line on it and expose the threads, then attach the hood. It just screws on. I am using it on the Panasonic G85 and with the kit lens I found that my images werent very sharp indoors. With this thing you can lower the aperture so it makes for much sharper pictures in low light. The most obvious drawback is that you dont have a zoom, so you need to physically move the camera forward and back to get stuff into frame. I was a little hesitant because this lens didnt have stabilization, but have found that my videos are still about as smooth. My only complaint with this lens is that the autofocus doesnt seem to react as quickly when recording video on the Lumix G85.

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Super fast, super sharp lens. Perfect match for the G7. I have quite a few lenses, but this is one of the few I never leave home without.

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Having long since promised myself Id get a fast prime (with autofocus) after a few years of using a converted Canon FD lens, I was torn between the 25mm f1.7 and the Leica f1.4. I decided that discretion is the better part of my wallet and went with the f1.7 and I have to say it was a great choice. While it hasnt fully replaced my 50mm 1.8 as my favorite lens, I do find myself with the Lumix 25mm f1.7 on my camera more often. After a few months of use I can say definitively that Ive capture many shots that I suspect I would have missed with the manual focus lens. If you want to know if its a good lens or not, all you have to do is see how often you can find it used and for what price. When I went shopping most stores didnt have one used or, if they did, for a few bucks less than new. That should tell you something. When people buy it, they hold onto it.

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