The fastest lens on the smallest MFT camera (Courtesy of Mark Baber).
Well known reviewer Lloyd Chambers is testing the Leica Nocticron and writes:
The superlative rendering style of the 42.5mm f/1.2 is evident. If there is a must-have lens for Micro Four Thirds, this is it.
I am pretty sure many 43rumors readers would love to buy the lens but I think most agree here when I say the lens is a little bit too expensive. You can get the lens for $1599 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).
193 Responses
This website asks for $249 subscription/year. That does not seem reasonable.
Panasonic asks $1600 for a Micro Four Thirds Lens… That does not seem reasonable, either! 🙂
It’s a pro lens for pros that make money with their work in professional environments. It was not designed to be a lens for hobbyists but if you appreciate the best than this is your lens.
Sounds just like something that an employee of Panasonic would say……
Sound’s like something a troll would say….
Often these user forum’s are quick to suspect an Artist or a reviewer for any association with a gear maker. His motives become suspect the moment he/she promotes a given product – (primarily due to Fanboyism). Not only is this an unfair way to judge Artists, it is also counterproductive to the consumer community who might benefit from expert input into the design and promotion of our “tools”.
Consider the contributions of people like Zack Arias working with FujiFilm promoting the X100s. Zack’s infectious personality and awesome Street Photography techniques have inspired many artists to buy Fuji to develop their style of photography. He and fellow “Pros” – could be – a blessing to manufacturers as well as users. It could be beneficial if REAL photographers were brought into the design and promotional process and not JUST the money-men?
Consider what the Artistry of Les Paul did for the Gibson Guitar Co. Les helped design and fine-tune his Signature model guitar for HIS purposes, Gibson built it – his way, Les Paul’s playing of that signature guitar inspired millions of young guitarists. The Les Paul guitar is the all-time best selling guitar and the most beloved guitar ever.
The ARTISTS – paid or not – are NOT incidental to the product development cycle; they are crucial to it.
On the other hand, a Corporate VP of Manufacturing related to me the price per square inch of a certain painting in his living room. He had NO CLUE about the painting, the artist, any interpretation/emotion . . . ONLY the money. His pride was in the fact that he could afford upwards of $100 per square inch.
Such a myopic, green-eyeshade mindset, dictating to the artistic community is ludicrous and demonstrates the folly of letting money-men make all the decisions concerning the Arts. Money-men see the world in ONE color . . .GREEN. An “Artist” can HEAR different COLORS in sounds. Attempts to categorize artists according to their wallet-worthiness will grossly misrepresent the artistic community. Most “patrons” of the Arts KNOW – that real artists are NOT loaded with money, but will spend their last dime for the tools to produce their art.
VERY FEW people who own a Stradivarius can actually play it (think wall hanging @ $1ooo/square inch). They usually find an Artist to play it,(generally someone who could NEVER afford to own a Stradivarius).
At least part of the miasma confronting the camera industry is that Artists and related experts have too little input and very short sighted, greedy money changers have too much input.
Tell it like it is.
Good to know you not associated with Panasonic!
I am associated with Panasonic but I’m not an employee. That’s a big difference.
Good to know you just regular Panasonic customer and user of their fine cameras!
Your posts sound exactly like what a shill would say.
Well, truth is Fuji charges $999 for the same lens-specs (56mm f/1.2 on 1.5x sensor). And I don’t think the Panasonic is better than it:
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=1674
Yes but the AF in video on the Fuji stinks.
Well, pros don’t use AF much in video. So the Fuji point still stands, at 600 dollars less.
Every pro I know uses AF in video when it actually works well..those that use DSLR’s for video don’t since it sux. Photographers should be shooting video like a photographer not a filmmaker. Let the filmmakers make films and photographers make photographs but with the option to shoot a bit of video with the soul of a photograph.
Sharpness is about the same (Excellent), but the Fuji has less vignetting and Chromatic Aberration. That plus a narrower Depth of Field when shot at F1/.2. The pricing on the Pana 42.5mm had me considering switching to X-Mount, if not for the X-T1’s disappointing C-AF Performance when I compared it to the E-M1. I would have switched.
Yet is it was an Olympus lens, y’all would sing it’s praises.
But the Fuji has no stabilisation and the Leica focuses closer.
Panasonic should sell lens like this only to pro-snapper like you.
It’s obviously not for you but other non-pro that can afford it will buy in spite of you.
Somebody’s upset that he’s not a pro… D-Awwwww…
Some people here have difficulty understanding sarcasm. Usually same people like you. They always stick out neck!
I know Sarcasm. Obviously, you’re not good at it. There’s a difference between sarcasm, and attacking ones character. But I know, you’re just another fanboy, dying to stay relevant. -HA.
Unfortunately, typing comments without the ability to add sarcastic or ironic tones and facial expressions is a sure formula for misunderstanding. Add emoticons! 😉
Wish that these ‘pro’ lenses would be weather sealed.
Hey Giulio you think well see some more 1.2 pro lenses from Olympus and panasonic?
Yes for sure. I meet more and more pros and weekend warriors everyday that’s using M43 to create some impressive work. It’s the start of a paradigm shift.
You are doing well meeting more and more mFT shooters considering the arse has fallen out of USA mirrorless market, down 46% last year and it was already low to start with.
Mirrorless sales accounted for about 10% of ILC sales in the USA last year. Sony seem to do at least as well as Olympus , counting all the mirrorless players mFT maybe made up about 3% of camera sales real lucky you must meet them all lol.
Mirrorless is a huge growth area. Don’t believe everything you read on the web. The mirror and flash are two parts of photography that’s going away and when they do (they will) then Canon and Nikon will have quite the task to catch up.
Yes I am very luck to work in this area of the industry but more so to be a leader. Further more, unlike other industry leaders I actually participate on sites like 43 Rumors and forums.
Individual topics are less, but still a bit expensive (for me) … if you are planning on spending lots of money it might be reasonable value, as opposed to renting and reviewing equipment yourself.
Probably I would buy it at 999 euros. Probably. I’m saving for something else..
For $999, get the Voigtländer 42.5mm. It won’t disappoint!
And the price of the Nocticron makes it a virtual bargain! 😉
If you ignore the Fuji 56mm F1.2 with AF
Who is this Lloyd Chambers?
Fastest? Not by a long long shot…
Fastest with AF for M43 and the worlds fastest with AF for video in any system I believe.
Giulio…is this your favorite lens for shooting selfies?
I only shoot selfies with f/.75 or faster and only with glass made from the rarest of earth elements polished by hand by high level german engineers.
Don’t forget to mention they use kittens for the polishing cloth.
Kittens for polishing is only for the high end stuff. 🙂
Please no more about you polishing staff with kittens.
…but why do you shoot so many selfies?…are you THAT enarmord with yourself?
It was only after modeling for Joe at SLR Lounge for the GH3 vs GH4 that I’ve taken up a career in chubby, bald men’s modeling. Think photographers make a lot of money? You should try modeling! I got a line of men’s thong swimwear coming out next month. 😉
Nope. Canon 70D will shoot autofocus video with 50mm F1.2 EF lens just fine. And in terms of DOF and high ISO this lens is equivalent to 40mm F1.0 m4/3 lens.
Sure the Canon will focus on a static object once on video. The moment that subject moves the AF will suck.
The GH4 will not only track AF with video or 7FPS it will lock onto the subjects eye.
No other camera has AF like the GH4. Canon knows this and now you know it.
“G” Thanks, for dropping by this forum to give us some of your insights into the new GH4 and the Leica Nocticron. We just don’t get much accurate info here due to the FF flamers trying to confuse people with their desperate hi-jinx.
Seems nobody can tolerate any good news from Panasonic. Keep up the good work! Please keep us informed.
Great the shill has a fan or maybe just a sockpuppet lol
Thank you for the support. What so many forget is that M43 is the system and we have two major companies innovating for bodies and many for optics. #m43ftw
must be true when a paid shill says so eh lol. We have all heard the BS claims about AF of mFT cameras before , pity reality doesn’t ever seem to measure up. Apart from run & gun shooters nearly all high end video is done with manual focus. Though the smaller the sensor the easier AF should get
There are more mid level pros wanting solid AF for video than there are high end TV and cinema productions needing the tech. Go back to your hole troll.
So, if we take the video out, it suddenly becomes an overpriced piece of glass?
Can’t take video out. Video is here to stay, its the future of photography for pros and eventually enthusiasts once they “get it”
I KNOW that’s Right!
Hmm, interesting. I agree it is here to stay, but I certainly do not see it as the future of photography. You believe photography will be superseded by video?
Video is photography at 30 frames per second or 24, 96 or otherwise. We’re maybe three generations away from cameras like the GH4 being able to shoot video using the entirety of the sensor resolution. At that point what will it matter if you shoot one frame or 96 frames per second. The data is the same.
I met with all the Panasonic dealers in Hollywood a few weeks ago to demo how I use the Lumix system and what wowed them the most was this –
Useable AF with tracking at 7FPS
Useable AF with video
16X20″ prints from video
Animated Portraits
All of the above I shot with a model and created live on the fly, taking requests. Shooting with this system is so easy and natural it’s causing a wave among pros. My hybrid photography workshop at PhotoPlus was less than 20, at WPPI a couple of weeks ago I had a packed house.
Companies like Canon and Nikon have a lot to loose by going to a good mirrorless system. Their lenses are designed for AF in stills only, they (Canon) sell 4K cameras at huge margins and more so their cinema cameras. A company like Panasonic who’s going after the pro market has nothing to loose and is putting their all into their cameras by working with pros like me.
When I first met with the engineers a bit over a year ago I asked for a future camera to have a tiltable EVF and built in camera curves…BAM the GX7. They really do listen and they are committed to changing photography.
There are some tools that are missing from the hybrid equation but companies like Flixel are working on it.
The future of photography is based on screen media and therefore media that is designed for those screens – hybrid.
Yep, interesting subject. I’d say I mostly agree, especially if you count the generations in 2 year spans each.
Nothing to lose but an o.
It great you so important to Pannasonic they create Gx7 just for you based on your input. Those feathers look pretty on you.
AHHHHHH but you have a extra “n” in Panasonic 😉
What you smoking, chief? Leave some for me.
“What will matter” is that you are stuck to a single shutter speed in video. Any frame taken in 24,30, even 60p showing motion will be blurry. Higher framerates will chew up card space and make for a really artificial looking video.
Your hype doesn’t trump common sense
Your post doesn’t make sense. Fast shutter speed looks ok in many situations. If you know you want to pull pictures without motion blur you plan accordingly. 50 fps silent is better than 5 fps with a mirror and shutter banging around if you want to get the perfect timing because it means you don’t have to get perfect timing.
Maybe you’re stuck shooting video but you don’t have to be. There’s no rules with photography anymore.
If common sense is to follow rules with creating art then I have none.
This is really excellent information, Giulio! Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate all you do for m4/3 and for Panasonic.
You are welcome here anytime, (never mind the TROLLS). 😉
Please nominal apertures are irreverent you being a shill it is no surprise you ignore equivalence
Yes, it needs the AF qualifier to be true.
Why?
Yeah, I just don’t get it. Sure f1.2 is fast. but is that small speed upgrade worth that amount of money? Maybe for someone else it is, but I’ve never found myself wishing my 20mm 1.7 would open up any more.
I just pre-ordered the GH-4. If I could afford this lens, I would probably buy the interface unit instead. Or maybe I could just buy a second GH-4.
1) if 1.7 is enough for you, great your set. I prefer as bright as possible as I shot indoors with no flash a lot
2) The lens will still be worth $1000 to $1300 in 3-5 years, the GH4 will probably be worth about $500-$700 (if that) in 3-5 years. You generally lose a lot more on camera bodies than lenses (especially high end ones).
I agree. The complaints on here are not valid at all. Any lens with f/1.2 and autofocus will be $999.99+. I also want fast lenses and this is a strong contender if the optical quality is high.
The Nikon 85mm FF equiv AOV f1.2 costs £630 , the Fuji 85mm FF equiv AOV f1.2 costs £885 the Panasonic 85mm FF equiv AOV F1.2 costs £1260 . In theory the Fuji a super lens by all reports designd for a larger sensor and with Fuji having a lot less users than mFT should cost the most .But luckly Panasonic think mFT buyers are fools, maybe they are right
Yopu assume mFT will be here in 5 yrs , gotta love an optimist
Do you have any evidence to support it won’t be around in 3-5 years? IMO, The GH4 will sell more units than the x-t1. Time will tell.
So called “FF” cameras with mirrors are the knuckle-draggers.
MFT will be fine in 5 years, but Canon & Nikon had better wake-up quick.
Sure, with DSLR sales holding 81% of world interchangeable lens camera market which Canon and Nikon basically own, meanwhile the remaining 19% { shared amongst Olympus,Panasonic,Fuji,Sony, Pentax, Canon & Nikon even have mirrorless offerings}. And all mirrorless players losing money hand over fist Canon and Nikon are not the ones who need to worry. lol
The future will indeed be minus a mirror but it sure as hell will not be mFT
We agree that the mirror is a goner. So where does that leave Canon and Nikon?
Where we don’t agree is that it’s all a zero-sum game. For instance, I don’t question that the 135 format will retain validity for some uses, sports – super-telephoto bird photography etc. Yet I also believe strongly that most ordinary people will not carry or use huge, heavy cameras.
I am completely confident that m4/3 is more than adequate for consumer video, even 4K and beyond. Moreover, the GH4 is capable of top notch photography, at least good enough to match it’s video performance.
Unlike you, I am not cheering for other formats to be de-legitimized or destroyed, as I think there is room for all players and formats. Also I believe that ergonomics will be more of a deciding factor than sensor dimensions for most people.
I wonder why Oly and Pana are losing money. Let’s see: inferior iq, inferior usability, inferior effectiveness, much higher price, slightly smaller size. It’s a mistery, I can’t work it out :):):)
It’s not just the brightness of this lens, its the overall character of how it renders. As one who’s had plenty of time with both I’d take the Nocticron over the GH4 any day. The optics can power up any M43 camera to beast mode.
hewhowethankforgx7, please explain beast mode in non-professional term.
Well it’s kinda hard over the web but when try this.
Start with the GX7 turned off. Then do the following right after you turn it on –
Up, Up
Down, Down
Left, Right
Left, Right
Fn1, Fn2
Menu/Set
Meun/Set
If all goes well you’ll hear the lion sound of Voltron. Beast mode achieved.
I’m a non-gamer and I love that reply “G”! You da’ man.
Thanks!
hewhowethankforgx7 have super humor. Whole tribe amused!
for me its not that i want it faster i want more depth of field. and that fact i need less light is a plus
43 Rumors should be embarrassed for posting this review. It is an advertisement. It cost $49 for a subscription to read it. Lloyd can keep it and everything else he sells.
Advertisement? That’s a well known reviewer. I thought you would be happy to know he finds that lens astonishing good!
Damn, some people always tries to see things from the wrong persepctive. Really, get a rest 🙂
if you read the full quote above I am not so sure about that lol sounds a bit condescending to me
“IF THERE IS A ” must-have lens for Micro Four Thirds, this is it
And I wrote that it’s porbably too expensive 🙂
That 24 year old dude charges for his blog reviews?
24 years??? He is much older 🙂
He can’t even grow a mustache!
And that is not a working man’s shirt either. Way too shiny.
Let’s not go there… 😉
[ 2FE7ADCA48ADC52F9C74AD3E29BA7D8AF ]
If you pay me $50, then I will decrypt my comment above. And I promise to use that money to buy a proper man’s shirt.
I think the key point here is “must have” for Lloyd. It’s not a must-have, certainly not at $1599, for the vast majority of us. Especially when Olympus has a very good to great 45mm 1.8 for a fraction of that price. What I think is overlooked is that you need to be a good photographer, have decent (not $1599) gear, and be very good at editing. That’s so much more important than buying a $1599 lens. But having said that I think it’s great this option exists. The more lenses the merrier.
42.5mm on GM1?!
Or is it the dream of a digital back come true?
I’m not sure I’ll be buying it, but for wedding shoots/videos I’ll be renting it. I’m glad they make it.
I actually bought it and have been using it. It’s awesome.
Nice! Can I borrow it? 🙂
Looks beautiful but not only is that expensive (close to a Canon 85 f 1.2) but it’s really big, turning your MICRO-4/3rds into a BIG-RIG. Whereas the Olympus 85 1.8 is tiny and really good.
charging to read a review? laughable.
Why is this laughable. I would do it if I could. Are you envious he can do this?
envious? Nope. It’s just a bit of a cheek, who does he think he is?
You have to hold an opinion that enough people value to make it work that’s you screwed OB
ok
It’s the level of egotism involved that’s so stunning.
It must-have lens only if you need for your type work. In that case you don’t need weenie-brave tell you.
So my only real question is this…… Based off of Image Quality alone how does it compare to the $999 priced
Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1000625-REG/voigtlander_ba425m_nokton_42_5mm_f_0_95_micro.html
I expect they will be comparable, but the Nocticron has AF and OIS, which will make it a nicer lens for low-light hand-held work.
A friend of mine owns a Canon 5D Mk3 and their 85mm f/1.2 lens, so I plan on doing a low-light hand-held shoot-out between the GH4 with the Nocticron 42.5mm and the Canon 5D later this summer. I am very curious to see how these two will compare when shooting a tight portrait that is lit by a single candle flame. Should be interesting.
I think the 5d mk iii w the 85 will prevail. FF just looks better
That’s what I’m curious about, as the Nocticron has Optical Image Stabilization but the Canon lens doesn’t, so will the OIS make up for the difference in sensor format?
OIS feature should allow the Nocticron to shoot with a shutter speed at least 3 F-stops slower, which might be enough to give it parity with the Canon FF camera.
For video, the OIS should win hands down, as it smooths out all the hand-held “jitter” which the Canon FF won’t be able to do, so the GH4 footage should be very smooth, while the Canon footage will have that horrible shaky-cam look.
I will definitely post the results afterwards. ( I will try and get a Nikon D4 or D800 into the mix too, as I really want to see how these cameras compare when shooting hand-held photos and video )
That’s where you’re wrong…… FF is just a sensor size that provides a look like any other. I would actually love the 85mm on an MFT system due to it being less distorted and more telephoto.
I doubt there’s any visible distortion with this 42.5mm Nocticron lens.
I also like the 75-85mm focal length for m43 cameras, but it greatly compresses your subject, which may not be flattering when shooting a tight head shot. ( faces can appear very “flat” looking )
I shoot on stabilized systems, so IS while nice is not worth $600 too Me, neither is the Autofocus. At most this lens should have been $1200-$1300.
For $1600 I would simply not purchase this no mater how great it was, that pricing is reserved for Zoom lenses or Cinema lenses. I would rather buy the Nokton lens.
So i’t’s not worth it to you, but it might be a good investment for others.
I shoot mainly video, so I don’t mind paying this price for the OIS feature, as I know it’s very difficult to shoot smooth looking video without some form of stabilization.
I shoot video as well and if you would know that using a balanced shoulder rig, monopod, steadicam type then stabilized lenses while good are NOT that important.
Cinema lenses are not stabilized and are used for Motion Picture. Stabilized lenses are mostly for photography purposes.
I would say the Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm would be a great competition for this lens
>>>Cinema lenses are not stabilized and are used for Motion Picture.
Because the rig they are attached to is stabilized ( i.e. Stedicam, Movi, Dolly with track, Jib-arm, Crane, etc…), which is fine if you’ve got the budget and the crew.
>>>Stabilized lenses are mostly for photography purposes.
And for hand-held video shots, where you can either shoot with the camera bare, or with minimal physical stabilizers like a pistol grip or Zacuto chest-support.
Last year I had to shoot a 2 minute sequence where I followed the host of a cooking show has he wandered through a fruit-market, and I got fantastic takes using just a pistol grip on the camera and the OIS 12-35mm f/2.8 Panasonic zoom lens. For fun, I tried shooting one take with the OIS off and the footage was un-usable. Just way too shaky.
I’ve shot similar sequences with my Manfrotto FigRig, and having an OIS lens makes a huge difference in how smooth the final shot is.
Good news, you will finally learn that this lens compares to a 85mm 2.4, not 1.2, on a 24×36 sensor. Looking forward to that event!
Exposurewise it’s still f1.2. F2.4 DOF will probably make better portraits.
Maybe even get both eyes sharp 🙂
Jesus, how many times must you fantards be told about equivalence , it could not be more simple.There are only three things to remember:
1. Same effective AOV – it does this
2. Same DOF – it does not have that
3. Same total light gathering – it does not have that
As for getting both eyes sharp you can stop the FF lens down to F2.4 and get the exact same DOF, exact same effective AOV and exact same light gathering ability, you could even say that they would then be equivalent lol.
Do not worry about appearing dumb, there will be a host of fellow fantards along in a minute to tell you that the laws of physics and optics magically do not apply to mFT .Unless you look at the Nikon CX 32mm F1.2 then low and behold equivalence suddenly applies because it is even smaller than mFT
Dude I’ve been a pro photographer for 45 years, using all formats from sub-mini to 4×5. Never once did I worry about making one format look like another one. It’s just not an issue.
My fastest lens on m43 is f1.4 and I can shoot all day long and not give a f*k what a 50mm 1.4 on FF would look like.
Light gathering is the SAME per unit area. Which means same exposure.
Thank you! He seems to be trying to sell us lenses that won’t fit our cameras???? LOL
Just , curious how does your little story change either your posted ignorance or the reality of equivalence. All that matters is total light .Guess if you can’t pick up the fundemetals in 45yrs the ship has sailed
You sound like one of those jerks that take nothing but test “pictures”
Try getting out in the real world an actually make some photographs. If you can.
I would be more worried about how it compares to 85mm F1.8 lenses on FF with better DOF , light gathering at quarter the price of the Panasonic
Even compared to the { current} mFT best these 85mm lenses are damn good, stopped down to F2.4 they are near perfect
http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compare/Side-by-side/Olympus-MZUIKO-DIGITAL-ED-75mm-F18-on-Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-versus-Nikon-AF-S-NIKKOR-85mm-F18G-on-Nikon-D800___898_909_823_792
The old SIGMA with Olympus mount 50mm is F1.4 and it has autofocus; it is way smaller and being out of production it is sold at ridiculous prices. Ah, and it is smaller! I do not understand the persistence of putting out manual lenses for a digital tool… and asking that absurd amount of money.
The lens being discussed there is the Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f1.2 which has Auto Focus and Optical Image Stabilization built into the lens. So it is NOT a manual lens.
You may be fuming against the Voigtlander Noktons which ARE Manual lenses and yes quite pricey.
My guess is that this Pana/Leica Nocticron lens will hold it’s value better than ANY other AF – OIS lens.
Do we go to Mercedes and throw a fit because we can’t afford their products. How about Real Estate, Food, Tickets to the Super Bowl, Exotic Vacations . . . Do we throw tantrums against everything in life that costs more that we want to pay? Or is this a behavior reserved for camera products not produced by a certain manufacturer?
No…must have is “diapers for your children.”…not a two thousand dollar lens. Some of The greatest artists of our time used shit for their tools of the trade and did just fine.
‘Diapers”? . . . “shit for their tools”? . . . . Nice post.
Why not make a pinhole camera out one of those poopy dipes and become one of “The greatest artists of our time”?
He touched the nerve, didn’t he…?
Isqueezemymothersfeathers is just a paid cheerleader for Guilio…who is paid by Panasonic. You cannot see his skirt and pompoms in his avatar…but they are certainly there.
Did you just shit? Or is that yo mama?
Just saw at http://www.olympusamerica.com March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. That deserve new forum thread.
You can hype the lens all you want, it’s overpriced.
The Pana/Leica Nocticron lens is, for now, the premier lens for the m4/3 system. It will probably stay that way for as long as m4/3 is alive and well.
The money is what is suspect. The Pana/Leica Nocticron is unlikely to lose value nearly as fast as the dollars that you are using as your measure. In 1971 gasoline was $0.29 per gallon. Now gasoline is $3.50+ per gallon. . . . What changed?
If these lenses pile up in stores and do not sell, then maybe they are “overpriced” , but I don’t look for that.
That’s called inflation, which has nothing to do with the discussion. Remind me what does fuel have to do with camera lenses again?
Compared to the Fuji 56mm f1.2? The Panasonic lens is overpriced for what it is.
How is the Fuji 56mm f1.2 lens relevant to MFT users?
That’s quite a switch. You began by knocking the Pana/Leica Nocticron for it’s price, then switch gears to compare the Leica (MFT) lens to the Fuji lens which is irrelevant to micro four-thirds system.
Why mention the Fuji lens unless you expect us to dump our m4/3 cameras and lenses to move to the Fuji X-trans system so we can save $600 on a lens?
I think you can use Fuji lenses with an adapter lol should suit all the manual focus MFT fans eh Jeff lol Joking aside the point about price compared to the Fuji is very apt , mirrorless camera , F1.2 lens { obviously better DOF control and light gathering on the Fuji} .Add in a better sensor on Fuji camerasand the comparison is fair enough . It could have been worse he could have looked at an 85mm F1.8 on FF which gives better DOF control, better light gathering and costs a quarter the price .
I’m not buying your equivocations and don’t really care about the price.
I want what I want. I don’t give dip about what you want.
+1,000,000 LOL
Buy whatever you want…. I don’t care… but the hype is bullshit and the lens is overpriced (i.e $600 AF/OIS system). Super fast lenses are not “MUST HAVES” just like the horrible cat’s eye highlights you pay a hipsters stupid premium for.
Are you saying that I’m a “stupid hipster” if I buy this lens?
I just don’t understand your obsession with this. You need to get over it. The Pana-Leica 42.5mm F1.2 – is obviously NOT the lens for you. Let it GO!
Buy whatever the heck you want. I’m sure that nobody gives a rats-ass.
As to your ridiculous mention of “horrible cat’s eye highlights” – for your information, the focussed area of the picture is the “Highlights” – the Out of Focus area of the picture area is less important and certainly isn’t the point of a picture.
I would like this lens for VIDEO. When compared with cine-lenses this lens is CHEAP. Together the GH4 & Leica 42.5mm will function quite adequately as a “Poor Man’s” 4K cinema camera.
The GH4 @ $1600 + the PanaLeica 42.5mm F1.2 @ $1600 = $3200.
The BlackMagic 4K camera WITHOUT lens is $3000.
So, you see, ACTUALLY the PanaLeica lens is VERY reasonable for videographers.
Is it really cheap for video when compared to the FASTER clickless and mechanically focusing Nokton? Swirly bokeh balls make the background look like a bad rendition of a Van Gogh painting, conveying an emotion that isn’t exactly neutral. Do you know how far you need to stop down to eliminate the cat’s eye?
I’ve seen plenty of AWESOME pictures from the new PanaLeica 42.5 lens. I am TOTALLY sold and am saving my money for it.
I see also that you are immune to reason and that you don’t give a flip about other’s differing views.
Sorry I wasted time with you.
Except for the hipster paywall dude that wasn’t even worth this 43 rumors writeup, absolutely NO one has explained why it’s a “Must have lens”….. whatever that means. As I said, Panasonic overpriced the lens.
f1.6
I think the disgust about catseye is born on forums where they worship the classic Leica oof rendering. My Nokton 50mm f/1.1 has it and see it as its signature. Neutral rendering is good but its even better to have the choice for moodful rendering.
isn’t it more economical to use a legacy 1.2 lens for video as most serious videographers dont use/need AF? If you do need the AF then ignore me please.
For me it’s the lens OIS that I am interested in because I would prefer not to carry a stability rig. I am not offended by AF.
Not sure what you consider a “serious videographer” but I consider myself and avid videographer.
I just had the impression that manual focus is what most serious videographers need. I do little videowork sometimes and I use the AF too during before I start filming. AF during documentary or just registrating video is acceptable, more then during movie or videoclip where everything is prepared for pull focus. If I would need an extreme fast lens for video with IS then I just rely on the IBIS from Olympus and settle for a cheaper legacy lens, I know most people despise the OMD series for not having all the specs required for a pro video shooting but I never felt the shortages of it, maybe because the IBIS makes up for it if doing handheld filming.
The Fuji is a competitor product in the same mirrorless market. If Fuji can make a 56mm f1.2 why can’t Panasonic remain price competitive?
Who says that Leica needs to compete head to head against lenses from NON-m4/3 camera or pedestrian brands like Fuji?
Isn’t it obvious that this is a forum for m4/3 users and about MFT cameras and lenses? Why does it matter what some APSc or FF lens costs?
The Pana/Leica 42.5mm f1.2 is the crown-jewel ot the M4/3 lenses. Surely it isn’t for everyone, and maybe not for you.
Here are your more rational choices:
1. Forget this lens if you can’t afford it.
2. Buy the lens and Pay the Man.
3. Switch camera systems so you can save $600 on the the Fuji 56mm lens.
I like my Panasonic m4/3 cameras & I don’t want to switch to APSc. I will never go back to “Full Frame”. I would love to have this lens for $1600 and will be happy to pay for it and proud to own it.
BTW, in all my years using cameras I could NEVER afford any Leica branded product. This is one of the CHEAPEST Leica Branded lenses I have ever seen. I further believe that this lens will retain it’s value long after people forget about that Fuji lens.
Fuji is a Miirrorless competitor to m43. Whether you think they are pedestrian or not. By comparison, the 75mm + 45mm combo is a much better buy with change to spare. The law of diminishing returns fully applies here.
You should buy that Fuji and those lenses. It might even make you happy . . . but I doubt it.
Its not a fucking Leica its a Panasonic the only Leica thing is the badge and the price tag .They simply whore out their name it is even used on Panasonic camcorders etc now do you honestly belive that Leica make camcorder lenses for Panasonic ?
F.O.A.D.
I think the fuji is a good option if you demand a modern 1.2 AF portrait lens and dont mind switching to another mirrorless system. After all, the bigger sensor from Fuji allows for even more pleasant rendering of the oof areas.The Nocticron should not have been baptized by the Leica church in order to be more competitive in price. But as a status symbol its very cool I think. And if you actually use it for people photography the right way its even more cool.
It may be simplistic thinking that the Nocticron 42.5 – f/1.2 lens is just a Panasonic lens with a Leica tag.
If we believe that Panasonic are such a great lens designers that they could produce this magnificent optic, then perhaps Panasonic doesn’t need the Leica branding . . . which implies that Panasonic is one of the world’s GREAT lens makers.
Logically this means; Panasonic is capable of producing World Class Optics without help from such famous lens makers as Leica, OR it indicates that Leica had a bigger hand in the design and development of the Nocticron than anyone wants to admit.
The Leica/Panasonic partnership has been successful at producing top quality lenses for the MFT system cameras. Can’t we all be thankful for that?
in EU is 1liter of petrol around 1,5eur ..thast equivalent 9,5 usd per gallon
I have the lens for about a week. This is a must have if you have the dough. The quality of the photos are unmatched by other m43 lens. It is heavy, expensive, but (for me) worth it.
I have some low res photos for you to see the general feel of the photos. Ignore those soccer ones, as they are out of focus. You can check sharpness from other review sites, and I just like how the photos look.
(some are taken with a different lens, so check the exif)
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5988820228297461057?authkey=CN7o3_GW1-3mfQ
(ignore the out of focus soccer)
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5990900878577756641?authkey=CLiM8NTEj5aPRA
Would I buy it again? Yes. It makes me enjoy my omd em-5 much more
I think most of the people would like to see pana 42,5 head to head to Oly45 …to justify the leica price tag
plus for m43 users would much more appreciate same as 25mm 1.4 …plastic with good picture Q. in 500eur range
Don’t forget the Nokton 0.95 for MFT
+1000!
The Voigtländer 42.5mm is a work of art in it’s own right!
Sure it is if only I could get a FF lens that would shoot 85mm at F1.8 and weigh around 300g AF would be nice , pity the do not make such a thing lol
extreme fast lenses are mostly popular in the shallow dof department and show their advantage there at their peak. If you are not into that kind of photography you prob dont need such lens as the price is too high to justify. I have seen pictures taken with this Nocticron of multiple people or family together and I was thinking why you would need such lens for such scenario. Better give it to me for making pics of juicy models, the subject isolation makes them even more pop out.
(envyous guy talking here with a serious hole in his pocket)
Beautiful photos! The Nocticron lens is certainly an outstanding piece of glass. I Want one too.
I like the photos of the 2 girls in the living room. The girls are perfectly focused while the background is soft.
Lol 1500 euro for a big 85mm 2.4 M43 lens…..M43 people are getting crazy. Put that on the so called flagship EM-1 and there go’s 3000 euro for a M43 combo. There is really something wrong with the people who buy this kind of stuff to get point an shoot quality.
1.2 stays 1.2. You mean DOF? I have a 85mm/1.8 on FF and usually shoot it at 2.8 for portraits, but for flowers and other stuff I like to have the shallow DOF and use it often. However I would like to have a smaller minimum focus distance than the 85cm-100cm, 85 primes usually have on FF. Here the Pana-Leica is great, focusing at 50cm.
Other reviews comparing both Fuji and Pana:
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_leica_dg_nocticron_42_5mm_f1_2_asph_review/
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/fujifilm_xf_56mm_f1_2_review/
I have the impression the Panasonic is slightly sharper in the corners.
It’s too expensive for me right now (even the 1000Euro Fuji would be too expensive for me, if you think that I got a Nikon D610 and 85mm1.8 for 1300Euro+400Euro, for less than the Em1+Pana or Xt1+56mm lens and still sufficiently compact for me. For the travel part I use m43.
People who post like this are so weird. A person who never tried a lens before shouldn’t be talking. Also, this person apparently knows nothing about photography from what he/she just wrote.
Just a TROLL. Same thing every day.
Canon or Nikon FF + 85mm F1.8 < 2000. M43 toy camera + Lumicron (whatevr it's called) 3000 LOL LOL. Go on sukkers.
Seizure is back…
Playing his/hers/it’s rusty old saw.
Jeff, You spend your money on over sized overpriced manual focus lenses chasing what exactly ? If it is shallow DOF you love or just light gathering.,FF lenses of the same effective aperture { DOF, AOV and total light gathering} are typically cheaper, and there are no shortage of options. The excellent Sigma 35mm F1.4 gives you the same DOF, AOV and total light gathering as a 17.5mm F0.7 on mFT.
The Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 costs £800 with no AF and giving the DOF control and light gathering ability of a 35mm F1.9 on FF.The Canon 35mm F2 with IS built in is only £440 with full AF etc yet weighs 200g less than the Voigtlander and yes it is an excellent performer.
Even if we go down the F1.2 is F1.2 route { its not lol} the Fuji 56mm F1.2 an excellent lens by all accounts is £400 cheaper than the Panasonic .And the Fuji is designed for a larger sensor , Fuji seems to be a much smaller mirrorless player than mFT so they do not have the advantage of economies of scale.If Fuji ever upgrades its video performance I will instantly be out of mFT. Even Nikon with its unsuccessful mirrorless range managed to produce an 85mm FF AOV F1.2 lens at exactly half the price of the Panasonic.
As for Viezevure or whoever ignoring his childish abuses he does have a point . The new Fuji X-T1 + 56mm F1.2 is £564 cheaper than the E-M1 + Panasonic F1.2 with a notably better sensor. I am happy to pay higher prices for something that gives a clear advantage over lesser priced rivals, but fact is you can get more image quality, better DOF control for less money. mFT now has only one advantage size and weight { which is quickly reduced if you need a bag of over sized manual focus lenses to try and compete}. I like my Panasonic GH3 for video but the stills on mFT are simply not moving forward , they are well behind the APS competition from Sony,Nikon,Pentax, and Fuji and to add insult to this we get to pay more.
For me it is about options. Yes the Leica is more expensive than other lenses delivering similar DOF on FF. Still f1.2 is what determines your shutter speed and enables you to use lower ISO. Don’t forget that your ISO needs to be changed on FF, too, to get the same exposure. You don’t need to buy it, there are other options (even using Metabones + all 1.8 Nikon lenses to give you 1.2 equivalent lenses with an APSC crop factor is an option. Manual, but thats not a problem using an OMD).
I don’t know why it is so difficult to comprehend that every sensor has advantages and disadvantages. m43s crop factor lets allow you to have much smaller tele lenses (look at pana 35-100 or the new upcoming 300mm/4 and compare that to a FF 600mm lens). OTOH it’s more difficult to get SHALLOW DOF, you need to invest much more to achieve that and this makes things expensive (like it is very expensive in size weight and prize to have a 70-200 or 600mm lens on FF). But DOF control has two sides. It’s not always desired to have this shallow DOF. Usually you want not only the eye to be in focus in a portrait. And sometimes it’s advantageous to be able to use a lower f-stop and higher shutter speed or lower ISO for the same picture. Don’t forget diffraction, too. The stills are not lacking behind APSC. I had a D7100, one very good APSC and before that a D7000. Looking at the pictures I didn’t see (and friends, clients, etc., too) a large difference, to the contrary. I bought a FF with fast primes for creative stuff, just for the fun of it. If I were shooting shallow DOF ONLY, I would use a FF only, of course. As to Fuji, still no decent RAW converter, 3×3 pixel interpolation reduces details/produce false details. The difference between APSC and m43 is not that large as I thought in the past.
Not to offend you, but maybe you need some glasses.
Pictures viewed at 100% are not important for me (and I estimate for 90% of the rest, I use it only to check the focus) as most people don’t print at all or if so, they print smaller than poster size. 95% of my pictures taken with FF or m43 are almost indistinguishably when printed no larger than A4. As a professional doing fine arts, that’s of course a different story. I leave you to your obsession.
I think so too that most people who want to keep iso low in order to have cleaner output dont print and just view them onscreen. But even if you print a high iso photo in large format; the you need to stay at a distance in order to view the whole picture. IMO are fast lenses most effective for shallow dof style photographers(like me) as there is no worthy alternative doing it in post on the pc. On the other hand high iso is a good alternative for low light, so in this case you really dont need an extreme fast lens. This is my opinion ofcourse, i know others thing vice versa. But we all thing mostly from the way we shoot or just have a very subjective opinion.
Sure, I bought my Voigtländers. They’re really tough to steal! 😉
Why do people immediately assume that using fast lenses is all about DoF? Shallow DoF is usually more of an annoyance than anything else. Besides, it’s really over used these days. For one thing, it’s about light gathering ability… keeping ISOs low and shutter speeds high in available, and usually, low light.
I also prefer manual lenses to electronic lenses. If you’ve ever handled and used one of the Noktons, or any other Voigtländer lense, they’re beautifully and solidly made, with creamy smooth focus. VERY nice to use. I really don’t see them as particularly big or heavy, especially when coupled with a 10 oz. camera like my GX7.
Mainly, I’ve never had any desire to lug around a full-frame 135 format camera in their current massive form. Maybe one day Nikon will get their shit together and produce one or I could trust Sony not to abandon yet another format.
So you can only get point and shoot quality out of this combo Viezevure… good job others with perhaps more experience can get a lot better quality than that out of it.
I would really like this lens; I think the lens itself is good value -but the $1000 Leica badge glued to the front is overpriced. If you need a great stabilized portrait lens at that price buy a OMD EM5 and a Zuiko 45mm F1.8 for less still money and you have it with cash in the bank! enough bokeh!
Where M43 lenses area a bit weak is lack of stabilisation on fast primes: I know this is really not needed for photos but M43 needs this for advantage over larger sensors and for video it is very useful and video is where M43 clearly rules over the larger sensors! Sony Nex E has limited lenses but you can get 10-18mm OSS, 18-105mm OSS 16-50mm OSS 35mm F1.8 OSS 50mm F1.8 OSS they have the right idea -pity they seem more focussed on full frame things right now.
Explain it the way you like. Leica badge or not, the PL42.5 is worth $1600. Thats the current retail price and thats all there is to it. This lens is reportedly built like a tank with complex elements and great performance wide open. To account $1000 of the value to the red dot is an opinion I will politely not share with you. In any events, should it sell well enough according to Panasonic’s target numbers -not to the opinion of any blogger out there- then its not too expensive.
I’d love it too. Its too expensive for me, but its not as if I was the only audience of Panasonic.
Do you guys have to log-in to the diglloyd blog to view anything?
I’m quite fine with the lens & still feel the Nocticron can be created even better especially in bokeh compare with the great 75mm F1.8 .
I have to praise Olympus for creating this great piece of glass .
Instead of standard 135mm ( 35mm FF equ ) , Olympus do it in 150mm , knowing that m4/3 sensor is smaller , need further FL to have great bokeh .
It might not suitable for all portrait shooters but the theory of the lens is
right . Pana should look into this .
Leica is special: http://newcameranews.com/2014/03/15/leicanalysis-what-makes-a-leica-photo-special/
+1000
Yes, this lens is expensive. In the 4/3 days Panasonic also made a Pana/Lieca DG Summilux 25mm. It was also expensive at nearly $900. However, I still use it on m43 E-M1 with the MMF-3 because there is no other 25mm I rather use and with the firmware updates it focuses like it was always made for m43.
They are expensive but perform to expectations for their price.
Fuji vs. Pana head o head:
http://admiringlight.com/blog/fuji-56mm-f1-2-vs-panasonic-leica-42-5mm-f1-2-nocticron/
“I think most agree here when I say the lens is a little bit too expensive. You can get the lens for $1599”
A little bit? I think it is understatement of the century. 🙂
$1,599.00 will always get attention. However, think of the $900.00 Nikon 32.5 1.2 for the 1 series. It makes this Lumix/Leica seem like a steal.
I see you are a master of maths lol I think you will find that the Panasonic is $700 more expensive than the Nikon , and worse still the Fuji 56mm is also cheaper than the Panasonic. If you think the Nikon is over priced { so do I } then the Panasonic is daylight robbery lol
i cant enter his pages too except that flower photo. Is he really using the nocticron with that small camera? Because it pretends too much phallus symbol that way lol.
Shut up and give him money for his opinions.
OMD EM-5 42.5mm F1.2 vs A7 with Nikon 85mm F1.8
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5991395117185615409?authkey=CKKewZ3Zj4yw2wE
JPEG convert from RAW with minimal adjustments
Derrick Pang should have gone outside with it and try to make interesting photos instead of this lol.