ePhotozine reviewed the brand new and yet not shipping new Panasonic 42,5mm f/1.7 lens:
Currently, this lens is available for around £350. The closest equivalent available is the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens, which costs almost half as much at around £180. As this lens lacks optical stabilisation, it will be a harder deciding between the two lenses if you’ve a Panasonic, or other MFT camera that lacks in-body stabilisation.
As far as the performance of this lens is concerned, there is little to find fault with. Sharpness is outstanding from maximum aperture, falloff, distortion and fringing are all well controlled too.
Victor: “I borrowed the new Panasonic 42.5 F1.7 lens on the panasonic boot on professional imaging in holland. And shot this quick review of it. It is the first review online of this lens! My YT channel is just hobby so it is quite nice to be the first one with test footage of this lens! http://youtu.be/vCTnrMNFtS8”
New Panasonic lens preorders:
Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 POWER O.I.S. Lens at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.
Panasonic MACRO 30mm f/2.8 MEGA O.I.S. Lens at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.
88 Responses
The con is the price, but this is just out, and the Olympus has only just gone down to £180 (almost as if they knew this was going to be launched); I can’t remember how much it was when it was launched but it’s currently listed on the Olympus site for £280.
I think I’d be fine with paying £70 for OIS as I have a Panasonic body. The price will drop, they always do, it’s just a question of how long until it drops by £100!
Idk, $400 for a super sharp prime with panasonics best OIS seems fair.
In US they cost the same! Why that difference in EU?
Ah, don’t get upset, things are almost always twice the price in the EU, let us enjoy something being cheaper for a couple of months until the price change has filtered through everywhere.
The list prices of the Oly 45mm and the new 42.5mm f1.7 are EXACTLY THE SAME… $400.
It’s pretty disingenuous to compare the list price of a lens that’s not even shipping with the street price of a lens that’s been readily available for over 2 years and then use the price differential as a negative.
So, if they’re going to use price as a negative, how about a comparison based on the real-world performance? Image quality, autofocus speed, etc..
Of course, the review fails to mention the Voigtländer Nokton 42.5mm f0.95 as an alternative. The Nocticron is mentioned, of course.
After all that, this looks like an excellent lens.
$400 for the 45mm? Nice try…
-Says the Olympus Fanboy.
Don’t be upset. It’s a newly designed, better lens, until Olympus one-ups Panasonic.
The Panasonic 42.5mm f1.7 is including lens hood and lens storage bag :):):)
What about the Olympus 45mm f1.8 😛
No need to bag, and no need for hood as 45mm is anti-flare by nature, you don’t get it to cause flare unless you try very very hard.
No need for a bag. A hood isn’t just about flare, it is about getting most out of your lens.
this is not a very serious reply. In addition to protect the lens against raindrops and offering some degree of protection against shock , it helps almost ANY lens on backlit situations
Here, it is $329 cad
Who is selling it at the list price he cries about? Not even Olympus sells it for $400. Talk about disingenuous claims by jeffharris
Depending on how you look at it, it may not be a disingenuous claim: both lenses share the same list price at launch, therefore you can expect the Panasonic to sooner or later drop to a comparable price as that of the Olympus.
A pipedream surely, given panasonic’s track record.
That’s LIST PRICE.
Do you understand what list price means?
That’s the manufacturer’s recommended retail price.
From the horse’s web site, for the intellectually challenged…
http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/lenses/pen-omd/fixed-focal-lengths/m-zuiko-digital-ed-45mm-f1-8.html
Of course you wouldn’t (want to) pay list price for either lens.
People sure are dumb!
‘List price’ means nothing, zip, nada, zilch. Some people ARE dumb. It’s not disingenuous in any way as you claim, because it’s actually realistic of the current purchase prices. Seems like you cannot handle realistic assertions by reviewers. The bottom line is you are not getting this new lens at a price anywhere near the Zuiko.
I want to be your dealer if you don’t pay street prices but list prices!
Sample photos:
http://www.photographyblog.com/previews/panasonic_lumix_g_42_5mm_f1_7_asph_power_ois_photos/
42.5mm f1.7 vs 42.5mm f1.2 vs 45mm f1.8:
http://www.cyberphoto.se/info.php?article=pana42
Visibly better than the already excellent Olympus 45/1.8 and the stabilisation and DFD is priceless for GH4 users.
Hahaha! good one Admin! 🙂 You almost got me. A Pana lens beeing sharper than a Zuiko? Too funny;)
not little sharper, much sharper:
http://www.cyberphoto.se/bildexempel/P42517/42_17m.jpg
Shutter shock
Something as I have seen so soft 45mm at f/1.8 only when bad copy has been compared for replacing it to perfect copy.
And that Olympus costs only about 120€.
olympus body can’t solve this problem,why do not use panny body.
that CA was ugly test.
Interesting.
Can you please post a link of the review form where that collage is from?
http://www.cyberphoto.se/info.php?article=pana42
Thank you! 🙂
comparing their review of this to the oly 45mm the panasonic lens is significantly sharper wide open. I may be selling my 45mm as I use it mostly wide open.
The CA is definitely bad on the 42.5/1.7, there.
More noticeable than anything else, though, holy shit is the Nocticron good. Wow.
The panasonic lens has an additional element. It’s probably not there for decoration.
Still no good april fools day news/jokes.
It cant be that hard for the admin to announce somthing we all want to hear, but sounds too good to be true?
Why they don’t include the Nokton 42.5 on these comparisons? I’m yet to see a syde-by-side Nokt vs Nocti.
The Panny is only $50 more in the US which makes it sort of a no-brainer here. Better IQ, closer focus, slightly wider (which I actually prefer), built in IS for system flexibility….
Has anyone who’s tested it found it has better IQ or are you just saying that?
I have the olympus 45mm and love it. I think he’s right
Compare the charts. Someone else posted sample photos where the panasonic lens is visibly sharper. it’s from this review: http://www.cyberphoto.se/info.php?article=pana42
translated:
“ConclusionPanasonic Lumix G 42.5 / 1.7 ASPH Power OIS fills clearly his place in the line of Micro 4/3 lenses. This lens is for those who want a better lens than the Olympus 45mm but do not want to pay for Panasonic’s 42.5 / 1.2. Top class in its class.”
The only downside is the CA is worse on the panasonic lens.
CA is horrible and bokeh is butt ugly, as seen in the video.
The charts cannot be compared. The 45mm was tested on EPM1 and the 42.5 on EM5. Given this fact and how small the difference is in the charts, the 45mm may actually be sharper.
Even if the older sensor is limited by resolution it still resolves as high as the reading for f5.6 so the disparity in f1.8-f4.0 should be valid because it’s below the highest observed resolution. I would like to see a better comparison before I sell my olympus 45mm for this one.
yes,about CA most of people knew there are different software correction oly body and pan body,this problem still appear.
As a olympus fanboy I’m going to have to disagree with you. The MSRPs on these lenses is actually identical. Oly is offering a perpetual $50 off.
From what I’ve read the panasonic lens has a closer focusing distance, is significantly sharper wide open, is smaller, and has more elements. The only downside I see is that it’s a little heavier, probably due to OIS.
One thing I love about this system is the competition between oly and pan means better products at lower prices.
closer focusing distance is very import too. The m.zuiko 45mm f1.8 has bad close focusing distance.
(for photographing flowers etc.)
They’re not THAT different. I’ve gottenlots of good close up pictures with the 45mm with a cheap set of macro extention tubes like these: http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Automatic-Extension-Olympus-Panasonic/dp/B00E38CTVI/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427897552&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=micro+four+thirds+macro+extention+tubes
m.Zuiko 45mm f1.8: 50cm
Panasonic 42.5mm f1.7: 31cm
Zuiko 14-54 – 22cm…. your point?
the 14-54 is not an alternative product.
50mm f2 then… 🙂
Thats a macro lens 😉
yeah the universe implodes if you take a pottrait with it
But come on, you need a $100 adapter, the Oly ZD50 is bigger, heavy, slower, more expensive, and has much slower AF. I’m not saying it’s a bad lens, just a completely different one.
The guy is asking for alternatives for taking photos of flowers lol
You can get imported Oly 45mm for 280$ from Amazon (no warranty), so the price difference at this point is about 120$, hopefully the price of Panny will go down after a while. I’m debating if I should sell my Oly and get this lens for my GM1 for the IS, or switching to Oly body with IBIS.
Indeed it looks slightly sharper then the Olympus 45/1.8, but the “bokeh” is more diffuse on the latter. Portrait lenses don’t benefit from anything aspherical.
It doesn’t just “look” sharper, it actually is sharper if you compare MTF charts. It is also slightly faster at F1.7 vs F1.8. However, the out of focus “bokeh” does look nicer on the Olympus. CA is slightly worse on the Panasonic, but it’s still good and is correctable in software. Olympus is lighter. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing depends on you.
The CA is like x4 the Zuiko’s
more photo samples: http://www.mirrorlessons.com/2015/03/25/tps-2015-hands-on-with-the-new-panasonic-42-5mm-f1-7-and-30mm-f2-8-macro/
“Currently, this lens is available for around £350.
The closest equivalent available is the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens, which
costs almost half as much at around £180. As this lens lacks optical
stabilisation, it will be a harder deciding between the two lenses if
you’ve a Panasonic, or other MFT camera that lacks in-body
stabilisation. As far as the performance of this lens is concerned, there is
little to find fault with. Sharpness is outstanding from maximum
aperture, falloff, distortion and fringing are all well controlled too.”
—
This excerpt does not compare the new lens’s optical performance to the existing, optically rather similarly specced Oly 45/1,8.
And why? We don’t need a comparison. We need praise. Talking about users of Oly bodies especially.
Interesting. In the US and Canada, the two lenses are priced the exact same, at $399. The Olympus goes on sale frequently because it’s an old lens, but if you were buying a new lens at full price, the Oly would be a surprising choice given the obvious benefits of the Panasonic.
Who agrees that we should ban the term ‘fanboy’ and all it’s variations?
Just curious. I’m pretty sure nobody on here is a ‘boy’.
Just because someone is a fanboy doesn’t mean he is wrong. It should not be used as an argument, much less as an ad hominem attack, but lets face it: fanboysm is rampant and it is unfortunately a useful information complement to suspect when to take any bold statements with a grain of salt.
(edit) in this very thread, there is someone I won’t name, who systematically look down on the Panasonic lens any way he can. Maybe he is right, but it is very hard for me to believe that he is being intellectually impartial and at some point, it has to be taken into account.
Let me re-phrase.
The term ‘fanboy’ and its variations are childish.
tiny sensor m43 is childish…
I think we should just ban fanboys instead.
R.I.P Oly.
Until they leap frog Panasonic..
It has been back and forth for years 😉
How is it RIP Oly? The review says they don’t see many people buying the Panasonic over the Olympus unless OIS is really worth paying an extra $200.
How it’s not R.I.P? MFD alone worth the extra $$$.
I would have instantly paid extra 300$ for a little bit closer MDF on my Oly 75 f1.8, so much times i wished if could get just a little bith closer to subject (flowers), and still be abble to focus with it.
For “many people” kit lens is the only lens they need and will buy in thir entire life.
But if you are interested in photography little bit more, and looking for a versatile tool that will fullfill your needs, with no compromises, the choice is obvious Panny 42.5 f1.7.
I value close focusing distance and you obviously do too. To me, the Panasonic gets the not. Not everyone thinks the same and that’s an important nuance.
Also, the Olympus 45 had no alternative until now. The Nocticron is not really an alternative, not at that price-quality range. I mean, I have grown accustomed to read so many talk backs about satisfied users, it’s not as if all of the sudden all those 1.8/45 have become deprecated.
No no not deprecated 🙂
Still a good lens, just panny is little better 🙂
And so R. I. P. Oly? Better in some aspects, not all of them. Btw I’m a pana user.
Seriously? Just based on a few sample images? Look… I’m a huge fan of Panasonic, love their cameras and optics, and I think Olympus has serious QC issues… but GTFO
Can i have a look at your amazing backyard flower shots?
Sure 🙂
https://500px.com/photo/102106569/olympus-digital-camera-by-kutsarov?from=user_library
this is like a F4 90mm lens on full-frame… definitely not a good lens for portrait.
Whaaa…? What focal length do you shoot your portraits?
Your comment is complete rubbish.
what f4 do you compare ,that 1.2/1.7/1.8 ,do not stupid multiply ratio guy,
i know you weak on mathematics ,photographer was not scientist ,and they make mad formula, ha ha that a joke,f constant such as 2 can not convert to f 4 on FF because no one stupid use f2 micro four thirds on FF sensor.
Normally I don’t answer those troll baits, but I’ll say this. f4 90mm on 35mm crop is actually be too shallow DoF, unless shooting at a significant distance where you might want a longer lens. Off course, if you consider dreamy blurred ears to be good portraits, the questions is not about gear anymore, but I don’t want to get into that. To each his own.
If I shoot portraits with a 43 crop, I like f2.8-4 / 45mm
As a motion picture shooter on the GX7 and EM5II, one of my favorite lenses is the Oly 45mm @f2.2. I just really like what it gives me; especially at that price point.
I love stills and video on my Gx7 with the Oly 45 as well, but having the lens stabilized for video would be a huge improvement. Definitely getting this lens.
But for stills only, you cant beat deal the Oly is, usually 200 bucks.
Most of my video shot with that oly 45mm lens is stabilized.
Sure it is.
My GX7 stabilizer is called a tripod.
Or I’m using the lens with the EM5II…thus, most of my video footage is stabilized.
Victor’s video shot with the GH4 and the stabilized 42.5mm is outstanding for what essentially looks like a simple out of the camera edit. Much better than even the heavily edited EM5ii mash ups.
nice video by Victor …seems like good lens
the AF on GH3 video is cool …I still cant figure out how to do good video with E-M10 …can I have such AF during recording too?
Is the lens plastic?
Nice lens! Improvement on sharpness on an already very sharp 45mm is impressive. I suspect that the difference could be due to sample variation, and the Olympus 45mm is known for that. Not sure about the Panasonic 42.5mm though. Too bad that the 42.5mm’s bokeh is worse, which is probably more important than ultimate sharpness for portraits. So, this lens is the obvious choice for Panasonic users and for flower shooters. Others will found the cheaper Olympus lens a clearly better deal, and especially if they want smoother bokeh portraits.
Begging for a comparison between the 42.5 and the beloved 45 😀