Just a conversation starter.
Name a piece of gear from Lumix brand that you would recommend.
I will start with the 42.5mm 1.7, Most photographers should consider this unless they want the f 1.2 version
it also has IS
Hope we can have positive responses in this thread.
The 14-140 II is a great all around lens. Relatively compact and light. Sharp enough in the entire range with IS that works good for video. I use it on G7 and I'm very happy with it. Did several backpacking trips - the camera and lens combo weights around 700g.
I also have the cheap 25mm/1.7 which I like a lot for indoor shots without flash. It is perfect for taking to family gatherings and parties.
For portraits I use the YI 42.5mm f/1.8 which I got dirt cheap. Surprisingly that lens produces very nice results.
Another vote on 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 (mk-I or mk-II). Its versatile zoom range which can reduce a lot of lens swapping, sharp, good contrast, only 265g in weight... It might cost a little more than the O 14-150, but the better performance, not to mention IS for non IBIS GF/G100, DUAL IS for GXs and DUAL IS 2 for Gs & GHs, it is a no brainer for Panny bodies.
Source: Extract from DXOMark
For ultra portability the 70g 12-32 f/3.5-5.6 should be it. Low cost, toiny such that will never be a burden to carry it as spare, reasonably sharp...
For a little longer reaching, the 12-60 f/3.5-5.6. Never under estimate this low cost lens. As per the lab test by OpticalLimit, it is actually not very bad vs its bigger brother the PL12-60 /2.8-4, even can hold a good position vs the highly recommended 12-100 f/4 or the 12-45 f/4:
Source: Extract from OpticalLimit
My analysis on 12-60 vs PL12-60, O12-100 & O12-45 is as below:
Source: OpticalLimit
For the longer end, the 45-150 f/4-5.6 should also be a good option among its class:
Source: DXOMark
The low cost Panny M43 lenses of my choices.
I love three lenses from Panasonic:
1.) 7-14mm f4
2.) 12-35mm f2.8
3.) 35-100mm f2.8
They cover a large focal range and are all top quality.
I have only two native lenses, kit 12-32 and 20/1.7 II . Both are great and cheap. I mostly shoot with the prime, makes my GX80 a poor mans GRIIIX. Slow to focus, but gets the job done.
A shot I took 2h ago:
(@ f/1.7, ISO 200, 1/4000s)
I stated M4/3 with Panasonic bodies but switched to Olympus when the OM-D E-M1 was released. I have always had a mixture of Panasonic and Olympus lenses. I currently have two Panasonic lenses - the 20mm f/1.7 and the PL100-400mm.
I bought the 20mm f/1.7 very early on and for many years it was my go to low light lens. I didn't find the slow focusing and lack of IS a problem, and I love its small size. However, since I acquired a 12-40mm f/2.8, I don't use the 20mm f/1.7 very much. However, it is still in my camera bag most of the time for the occasional very low light situation and as part of my emergency backup plan if the 12-40mm gets damaged.
I really like the PL100-400mm. I use it for almost all my wildlife photography and, if I lost it, I would buy another one rather than the Olympus 100-400mm equivalent. A very nice lens.
Other Panasonic lenses that, as an Olympus shooter, I have thought about: the 12-32mm for its tiny size and the 200mm f/2.8.
Well I have 12-35/35-100 f2.8 - V1, and PL8-18,12-60, 100-400mm. Very good lenses. I also have oly 9-18, 75-300II, Rok 7.5 FE, Pany 35-100 f4/5.6 and a Pany 14mm with the GWC1 (makes it about 10mm when compared to the Pl8-18 or Oly 9-18 mm), all good to very good lenses IMHO. Hard to buy a bad M43 native lens.
That being said one can pickup a used pany 12-35/35-100 v1 combo darn cheap and the results are very good, even for video. Use them on my Gh6 at times and really PRo level stuff.
Yeah, I love 'em both. So well suited to walkabout use, and sharpness well beyond what you'd expect from the size and price. The much maligned 20/1.7 is an excellent choice for evening street scenes.
My most used lens is the 12-60mm F 3.5 kit lens. It is highly affordable & gives good results, as do most Panasonic lenses. The main issue that most people have is missed focus. It pays to use the focus ring to display the magnified image which can then be fine-tuned if necessary.
I find that 14mm is too wide for a lot of my WA photos & much prefer 12mm.
Any perceived softness can be corrected by using the excellent Topaz Sharpen or Denoise plugins, just try not to overdo their use.
The G9 with the 12-60 Lumix as a kit; what a great value! IMO, of course.
As a relatively low-cost portrait lens, I use the Sigma 56mm f1.4, which has a nice background separation for an M43 system and is quite sharp and small enough.
PS It's not a Lumix, but deserves to be mentioned. My second general-purpose prime is the PL 25mm f1.4II.
I love my 14-140 II which I use on my G9 and would absolutely recommend it also. For travelling it’s a brilliant all-rounder 😊
Panasonic has some really great compact lenses. My recommendations are:
They also have many other great options like the 35-100mm, 50-200mm, 200mm/2.8 but I see these being used less frequently than my picks in 1-4 above. I didn’t include the excellent 14-140mm due to personal preference for zooms to start at 12mm where possible.
My all-time favorite M4/3 lens is the Pan-Leica 15mm 1.7 and it never comes of my GX85. I will never part with it. Shoot B+W lowlight shots and you will be hooked.
Good thread!
I am getting a 20mm f1.7 ii in a couple of weeks. How do you rate the focus speed of the gen 2?
I didn't notice any major difference from the Gen 1. Still takes a second or so for focus; a lens for considered shots, not instant action.
Which doesn't matter much to me, because I very rarely do split-second shots :), but a definite issue if you want to shoot action.
Even so, one of my absolute favorite M4/3 lenses in general, alongside the 15/1.7. Both of them have vivid, rich (for lack of a better description) color, combined with rendering capable of capturing very very narrow tonal variations - the kind of thing that gives depth to clouds, gloss to still water, or volume to the sheen of a well-waxed car fender.
And a few pics with the 15/1.7, my other favorite Panny lens. (Note that the EXIF will say DJI; DJI bundled it with some of their drone cameras, and put their name in the lens firmware, but it's still the PanLeica Summilux; they just covered the aperture ring with a shrink-fit tube.)
(Same shoot as one of the 20/1.7 pics above)
I use Pana-Leica 12-60 and 100-400mm lenses on my GH5M2. I also used the 50-200 for a few weeks.
The 12-60 has not performed as well as expected in low light. It does well in good light. My go to lens for low light situations has been the Olympus 40-150/2.8 PRO (I know your question was about Panasonic gear!)
My favorite of the three Panasonic lenses used so far is the 100-400mm. I returned the 50-200 to get this one.
Thanks
The 12-35 lives on my gx9 while the PL100-400 now seems to live on the OM-1.
I had the 35-100 but I rarely used it so it was traded.
I also have the 25 f/1.7 (I always end up with a "normal" 50mm for whatever mount I have - so far: m4/3, APS-C and FF).
20mmf/1.7, both versions. The 20mm offers a very convenient Fov suitable fir casual portraiture, street photography, food and (some) product photography.
The pancake form factor is simply great especially when pairing this lens with small bodies like the ep series or gx series.
Optically it is almost flawless and has a very likeable rendering with some 3d pop (as many like to refer to)
Haven't had a Lumix or Panasonic Leica lens that's disappointed me yet. And I've got a few. Not gotten rid of one yet. From the PL 9mm, Lumix 14mm f2.5, PL 15mm, Lumix 20mm, Lumix & Panasonic Leica 25mm's, PL 8-18mm, they're all fabulous I think. Even the humble PZ 45-175 punches above its weight. The Lumix 12-32mm is a marvel for its size, weight & pricing, the Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 is another gem. The PL 50-200 is brilliant, you just can't go wrong. Well, I haven't yet.
