Panasonic 14-42mm lens, not too shabby!

[Jeff Harper]

I just want to comment on this lens, it's great! Well, for specific circumstances anyway. It's focuses so easily, auto white balance is spot on, at least outdoors, it's really a fun lens.

I got a new GH2 yesterday, and had got the kit, just because I wanted to try the lens. I wish all my lenses worked so well with the camera. I have an outdoor wedding this week, a low budget affair, and will use this lens wherever I can just to save myself work.

With a ND filter, or at least a polarizer to cut down on light outdoors, it could be very useful in sunny conditions.

Fast Canon lenses are great for low light, etc and for sharp images under all conditions, but focusing just takes all of your time. This lens is much more forgiving.

The new 25mm F/1.4 is definitely on my list as a result. Granted, it will not autofocus as well, being an F/1.4, but it will be a great compliment to my camera bag.

[Chip Thome]

Congratulations on your purchase !!!

The 14-42 isn't a bad lens. I don't think Panasonic has made a "bad" one yet for m4/3. I have had a couple I wasn't crazy about, but only because my use didn't fit what they were designed for.

I got 14-45s and sold my 14-42s mostly because the 14-45s had been made available to me and I liked the manual switch for OIS for my GH1s. But the size of both is so nice for a walkaround compared to a 14-140.

[Norm Rehm]

[QUOTE=
The new 25mm F/1.4 is definitely on my list as a result. Granted, it will not autofocus as well, being an F/1.4, but it will be a great compliment to my camera bag.[/QUOTE]

Jeff why to you say the 25mm F1.4 will not focus as well? I tryed the Olymbus 12mm f2 in a dimly lit room at the camera store and it seemed to focus well.

Norm

[Jeff Harper]

Norm, I was talking about the auto focus, and maybe I am wrong, I hope so. My uneducated reasoning was based on two things: my experience with the 20mm f/1.7 which hunts like crazy when in continous focus, and on the fact that fast lenses like f/1.4 have a very shallow depth of field, which is why I suspect the 20mm hunts so much.

At f/1.4 I simply expect the same issue, where every time something in the foreground or background moves, etc,that oftentimes the camera will not be able to distinguish and will hunt. I am still new to the world of prime lenses, etc, but that is just my expectation. I might have it all wrong.

F/2.0 is fast also, but not nearly the same as f/1.4.

[Corey Graham]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I just want to comment on this lens, it's great! Well, for specific circumstances anyway. It's focuses so easily, auto white balance is spot on, at least outdoors, it's really a fun lens.

...

With a ND filter, or at least a polarizer to cut down on light outdoors, it could be very useful in sunny conditions.

I think this lens generally gets a bad rap because of its aperture. I happen to love it -- under the right conditions. You certainly can't use it for dark churches or when receptions get dark, but with the right amount of light, it's killer.

And I love using it outdoors. On a sunny day I'll use both an ND and polarizer, and the images are incredible. I recently shot stills and video on the lake, and the results blew me away.

The autofocus is fast and quiet, and the OIS is very useful. Great lens!