Panasonic's Lumix G Vario 14 - 45mm f/3.5 - 5.6 ASPH / MEGA O.I.S. Micro Four Thirds Lens is a standard zoom lens designed specifically for Micro Four Thirds System cameras. Its zoom range of 14 - 45mm (28 - 90mm in 35mm equivalent) is a good choice for a variety of subjects including landscapes and portraits. It has 1 Aspherical lens element which minimizes distortion at all focal lengths. Plus, it supports Panasonic's contrast AF system for accurate and fast image capture. Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S. Optical Image Stabilizer helps keep photos sharp when your camera is handheld and in low light situations. It also has 7 aperture blades which deliver smooth-looking out-of-focus areas of your photos. This lens has a compact size of 2.36" (60mm) and weighs only 6.88 oz (195 g).
As others have noted, this
lens in a
Panasonic G camera produces fantastic detail that, in my experience, beats entry level DSLRs and even some midlevel ones. My G1 with this lens, when shooting landscapes, captures as much micro-detail detail as my Canon T2i with a 50mm prime, and with less distortion at the edges. A lot of it is that the
camera and lens were developed for each other; the G1's processor actually corrects the soft spots in the lens. But regardless, it's excellent glass and really a steal at this price. As others have also noted, the G-series is not going to compete with the big DSLRs for sports/action/wildlife. But if what you do mostly is street shooting in decent light, the output from this lens on a G-series
Panasonic is hard to beat unless you're spending multiple thousands of dollars for full frame DSLRs and top shelf lenses.
This lens is a gem. I would compare it to the classic Nikon 28-105mm lens that I've been using for years with my slr... except it's much smaller. While the newer
Panasonic 14-42 is available for less, I made a special effort to buy this lens instead of the newer one. The lens is very sharp, has very good built in image stabilization, and comes with a plastic lens hood. It is very small and lightweight, although compared to the 20mm pancake I normally use, it does feel a little awkward on my GF1. The 3.2x zoom range is not extreme, which is a good thing in my opinion, as it does not seem to make any compromises throughout the zoom range. In 35mm terms, this is equivalent to a 28 - 90mm lens. It is wide enough for decent landscapes, and long enough to get you into the classic portrait range. I'm not a heavy video shooter, but this lens is very quiet when focusing in video mode, so it shouldn't get picked up by the mic.
To sum up... this is a great travel
lens. It's not great for low light, but if you want to carry a single
lens for a trip... this is the one. Classic
lenses tend to retain their value, and this lens is holding up well on the used market... something to consider if you ever plan on selling your gear.
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