Utterly amazing results, but takes some getting used to

I bought this lens after seeing a friend's amazing portraits taken with it, checking samples on Flickr, and reading the praise it has received in online reviews. I also wanted to get some great shots of my baby daughter while she was still an infant, and getting in too close distracts her too much - she stops doing whatever makes the image worth taking Also, I did some concert photography for a band and found myself having to get in too close because my brightest/fastest lens was not a zoom.

I could go on about how sharp it is and how good the build quality is, but every review does this. I could not tell you much about optics as I'm just not qualified. I do love the fast focussing and the bokeh is stunning, but all in all I'm simply very pleased with the results, and I hope to take this lens out to shoot concerts soon.

What is both good and challenging about this lens is the brightness (by this I mean ƒ-stop speed) and the range.

I took it out on a bright day to shoot HDR but since my Lumix only goes to shutter speed 4000, conditions were just too bright at ƒ 1.7 - I had to go and buy a Neutral Density 4 filter to stop it down!

The other challenge is the 75 mm range (130 mm in FF terms) - for a photographer who is used to 20-40 mm lenses (40-80mm), I have to train my ability to see potential shots earlier. I find myself seeing a great image, only to discover I have to walk way back in order to take it - or discovering that I'll need to switch lenses to my 20mm Lumix ƒ 1.7. I basically have to start looking much further ahead for a good shot, because by the time I see it I'm too close to get it in frame.

I only wish they'd included a lens-hood as standard, and with this price-tag they should have!