NZ Scott
Veteran Member
The Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 received much praise for its sharpness and "Leica look" upon its release in 2011.
I attempted to buy one the next year, but was deterred by the infamous rattlesnake noise made by this lens's rapidly-adjusting aperture blades on my Olympus E-P3 camera. The price was also pretty horrendous (like most lenses associated with the Leica name).
However, when the chance arrived to buy a second-hand one for NZD $325 (USD $225) earlier this year, I couldn't resist.
The lens's build quality is below average for a premium lens. It is mostly made of plastic and is not weather-sealed. The focus ring is nicely damped. The lens hood is a dog, as it cannot be reversed. However, Panasonic must be praised for including a hood, as many Olympus lenses are supplied without them.
The rattlesnaking noise does not occur on my Panasonic bodies (GM5 and G85).
Focusing is snappy on the Panasonic bodies, although this is the case for most of my m43 lenses.
I took some test shots at various apertures to check for decentring. The lens is not decentred, but it is pretty soft in the corners wide-open. This improves upon stopping down, but never quite reaches the consistency of my Olympus MZ 25/1.8. On the positive side, it is a little sharper than the mediocre output of the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 that I briefly owned earlier this year.
One of the lens's strengths is its bokeh:
Colours are pleasing on my Panasonic bodies.
The lens has been criticised in other reviews for producing flare, although this has not matched my experience. Optical aberrations in general seem to be well controlled.
The lens "renders" nicely in terms of how I feel subjectively about its output. I rate it ahead of my Olympus MZ 12/2.0, equal to the Olympus MZ 25/1.8 and perhaps a little behind my other Olympus f/1.8 primes (17mm and 45mm).
I've been shooting the lens professionally and have been happy with the results.
On the whole, this is a very good lens that is perhaps a little over-rated at its price point because of the Leica name and as a hangover from the initial gush of enthusiasm upon its release.
I intend to keep the lens as my main low-light prime for the G85, but will not be selling the Olympus MZ 25/1.8 as the cheaper lens is just as good optically, if not better, and pairs more easily with smaller cameras such as my GM5.
Normally, my reviews are accompanied by several photographs. In this case, most of my sample images were shot professionally and for that reason I cannot post them on a public forum.
Good:
- Bright f/1.4 aperture
- Nice bokeh
- Manageable size
Bad:
- Terrible lens hood
- No weather sealing
- Average sharpness
- Expensive
S
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My Flickr stream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottkmacleod/
I attempted to buy one the next year, but was deterred by the infamous rattlesnake noise made by this lens's rapidly-adjusting aperture blades on my Olympus E-P3 camera. The price was also pretty horrendous (like most lenses associated with the Leica name).
However, when the chance arrived to buy a second-hand one for NZD $325 (USD $225) earlier this year, I couldn't resist.
The lens's build quality is below average for a premium lens. It is mostly made of plastic and is not weather-sealed. The focus ring is nicely damped. The lens hood is a dog, as it cannot be reversed. However, Panasonic must be praised for including a hood, as many Olympus lenses are supplied without them.
The rattlesnaking noise does not occur on my Panasonic bodies (GM5 and G85).
Focusing is snappy on the Panasonic bodies, although this is the case for most of my m43 lenses.
I took some test shots at various apertures to check for decentring. The lens is not decentred, but it is pretty soft in the corners wide-open. This improves upon stopping down, but never quite reaches the consistency of my Olympus MZ 25/1.8. On the positive side, it is a little sharper than the mediocre output of the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 that I briefly owned earlier this year.
One of the lens's strengths is its bokeh:
Colours are pleasing on my Panasonic bodies.
The lens has been criticised in other reviews for producing flare, although this has not matched my experience. Optical aberrations in general seem to be well controlled.
The lens "renders" nicely in terms of how I feel subjectively about its output. I rate it ahead of my Olympus MZ 12/2.0, equal to the Olympus MZ 25/1.8 and perhaps a little behind my other Olympus f/1.8 primes (17mm and 45mm).
I've been shooting the lens professionally and have been happy with the results.
On the whole, this is a very good lens that is perhaps a little over-rated at its price point because of the Leica name and as a hangover from the initial gush of enthusiasm upon its release.
I intend to keep the lens as my main low-light prime for the G85, but will not be selling the Olympus MZ 25/1.8 as the cheaper lens is just as good optically, if not better, and pairs more easily with smaller cameras such as my GM5.
Normally, my reviews are accompanied by several photographs. In this case, most of my sample images were shot professionally and for that reason I cannot post them on a public forum.
Good:
- Bright f/1.4 aperture
- Nice bokeh
- Manageable size
Bad:
- Terrible lens hood
- No weather sealing
- Average sharpness
- Expensive
S
--
-------------------------------
My Flickr stream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottkmacleod/
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