Features:

  • NANO SURFACE COATING: Professional, high-quality LUMIX G camera lens optics with Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating to reduce unwanted ghosting and flaring for crystal-clear pictures (8 Elements in 7 Groups, [1 UHR lens and 2 aspherical lenses])
  • HIGH-PRECISION, HIGH-SPEED AF: High-speed, high-precision Contrast AF system when mounted on a LUMIX G series camera; Stepping motor makes focusing action smooth and near silent for use in video and photo recording
  • STABLE OPTICAL PERFORMANCE: Compact lens maintains stable optical performance even at wide F-stops and provides a beautiful bokeh background defocus effect for exceptionally creative imaging
  • FAST STANDARD LENS: Versatile, fast standard 25mm focal length lens (35mm camera equivalent: 50mm) is perfect for low-light, high-quality photography with a bright, maximum F1.7 aperture (minimum aperture F22)
  • SEVEN APERTURE BLADE CONSTRUCTION: The lens’ seven aperture blades produce an attractive smoothness in out-of-focus areas, even when shooting at large aperture.Closest Focusing Distance:0.25m / 0.82ft
Great Lens

Easily a 5 star review. The lens hood fits great and is reversible. If you're 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 weren't 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 don't 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 didn't have stabilization, but have found that my videos are still about as smooth. My only complaint with this lens is that the autofocus doesn't seem to react as quickly when recording video on the Lumix G85.

Terrific lens

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.

This just just an excellent lens. Something to keep in mind if you're ...

This just just an excellent lens. Something to keep in mind if you're shooting video with a Panasonic camera, however: You'll want to make liberal use of manual focus. Fast aperture settings will confuse the heck out of Panasonic's contrast-based autofocus system when you're shooting video. Works great for photos, though!

... lens soon after its release and have been extremely pleased with it

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 I've 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 can't say anything bad about it. If you've a m43 camera you should check this one out.

This is the first lens you need to buy after your kit lens.

If you're new to photography and filming and you're 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 Mckinnon's videos. I've posted pictures of my first outing with this lens and it did not disappoint. There's a reason why they call these types of lenses 'Nifty 50's'; 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 won't regret it.

Finally an affordable nifty fifty for Micro Four Thirds!

=== 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, it's 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 it's wide and silky focus ring.

Excellent add on lens for family trips

UPDATE July 2018 I've 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 doesn't 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 you'll 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 you'll 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. I'm not a photographer and don't 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 isn't very large. - with the zoom you're 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 don't 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 you're walking about with the camera hanging around your neck. Some things to consider: - as it starts at 45mm, you can't 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 don't expect to be able to zoom into your subject and blur the background when it starts to get dark outside. - you may find that you're going to miss some photo opportunities if you're 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 i'd probably pick up the 14-140mm vs. this one since with that you don't 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 can't imagine not having this lens as an option during family photo opportunities.

Pleasantly surprised by this winner

1. Background: I've 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, I've owned & /or rented the super zooms (Olympus and Panasonic and Tamron) 14-150mm and most recently (perhaps most relevant to this current lens) I've 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: It's 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 I'm 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 don't 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 don't get it.

No brainer for its price point.

Worth every penny for what it is. I am just getting started in photography and videography. I am definitely not an expert and I won't comprehensively review everything about this lens. For example, I haven't used its autofocus at all because I frankly don't 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 I'm 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 can't get super close. I'm also noticing that there is no way I'm going to get away with using this for video if it isn't 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 don't even think it will be usable with outside, mechanical stabilization like a steadicam. When it's 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 you're 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 isn't great for every situation and I don't even think it's going to be a great, take all comers lens that can do every job. But for its price and intended use it's a no brainer.

Much better than expected!

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, it's 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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