Panasonic LUMIX G Lens, 25mm, F1.7 ASPH, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, H-H025K (USA Black)

Product Information

Neither the jpg nor the raw-files of the Olympus M.ZUIKO 25mm 1:1.2 PRO show any lateral aberrations. If this is aided by the camera software, the correction is also applied to the raw files. Other features of note include an internal-focus design, with a minimum focus distance of 30cm. Like the rest of Olympus’s Pro line-up, the lens also benefits from weather-sealed construction for shooting outdoors in tough conditions. The 62mm filter thread is shared with the other F1.2 primes, and surrounded by a bayonet mount for the deep cylindrical LH-66B lens hood. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO Build and Handling Despite its large aperture, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 II ASPH. features stunningly high resolution and a descriptive performance in all areas of the image, while supporting versatile use with its 50mm (35mm camera equivalent) focal length. In addition, the renewed lens provides smooth defocus for a beautiful bokeh effect that creates even more stunning pictures. Realizing the potential of a large-aperture lens in a compact, lightweight profile, the new rugged-design LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 II ASPH. achieves both high picture quality and mobility, and takes advantage of the latest LUMIX G Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Cameras. Having passed rigorous standards to be certified with the world-renowned LEICA name, exceptionally high image quality is guaranteed.

The Olympus M.ZUIKO 25mm 1:1.2 PRO is a very sharp lens. The center sharpness is already very good at F/1.2 and stepped down it is an extremely sharp lens. Here is a 100% crop from an out-of-camera jpg: The resistance of the Olympus 25mm 1:1.2 PRO is by no means bad. For example, the Mitakon 25mm F/0.95 produces a completely different level of flares.

The OM-System M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO heralds a new chapter in the Olympus imaging story. Photo credit: Andy Westlake The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens is designed to be a compact, but high-quality zoom lens, giving a useful 24-90mm equivalent. It weighs in at just 254g, making this very light, and at 7cm long, it’s also compact. It’s smaller than the 12-40mm f/2.8 lens, whilst also offering slightly more telephoto reach. As a PRO lens it is weather-sealed, making it suitable for shooting in poor weather conditions. This entry in the feather-weight category of Micro Four Thirds lenses has been around a good while, but we re-tested it recently to see how it holds up and found ourselves summarily impressed. The Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f1.7 II, which somehow weighs about the same as a couple of boxes of matches, is a crisp, fast and punchy lens that makes for an excellent day-to-day shooter. Its equivalent focal length of 40mm makes it a natural choice for general, all-purpose photography, providing a similarly naturalistic perspective to a nifty-fifty but getting that little bit more of the scene in the frame. Above: In terms of style and controls, the 8-25mm looks like other models in the Olympus Pro series, but actually becomes the first in that range to employ a retracting barrel for a reduced size during transportation. Nor are there really any good alternatives available to Micro Four Thirds shooters in this focal range. The closest option, Panasonic's Leica 10-25mm F1.7, is of course much brighter and offers better depth-of-field control, but it's also a far less portable and much more expensive.

In terms of features, the lens is very sparse, with just a responsive manual focusing ring and no focus scale.The difference between F/1.2 and F/1.8 (the maximum aperture of most Olympus primes) is clearly visible. Olympus also makes a 'nifty fifty' similar to this one. It's a little more expensive, but it's also a bit more compact. Other options in this segment include the faster, though longer Sigma 30mm F1.4 and the higher-end Panasonic/Leica 25mm F1.4 II. However, rumours of the death of Micro Four Thirds are greatly exaggerated. The reinvention of Olympus as OM-System has breathed new life into the format, resulting in a raft of weather-proof cameras and lenses. Panasonic, meanwhile, still has a hugely popular video range in the form of its Lumix GH cameras, including the Panasonic Lumix GH6. More recently, the release of the Lumix G9 II has confirmed that Panasonic is committed to the MFT system in the long-term. In terms of features, the lens has little to offer. There is no distance scale, and therefore no DOF scale either – which is sad news for street photographers, who will not be able to use zone focusing techniques as easily as with a lens featuring a proper distance scale complete with depth-of-field markings. Above: Here’s the Olympus 8-25 on the left at 8mm f4 and the Leica 8-18 on the right at 8mm f2.8, both showing their clips with IBIS and digital stabilisation. Can you see any benefit to the brighter aperture of the Leica here?

Indeed the f/1.2 Pro lenses aren’t just optimised for sharpness, they’re also specifically designed to deliver what the company calls ‘feathered bokeh’. While this sounds like an incomprehensible buzzword, it refers to an effect whereby blur circles in out-of-focus regions of the image fade in intensity towards the edges, which provides a particularly attractive look. Olympus claims to have achieved this effect by careful control of spherical aberration. Above: Now for the long-end of each lens, and this time I’m showing you the field of view of the Leica 8-18 at 18mm, with the coverage of the Olympus 8-25 at 25mm represented by the outer edge of the red frame. So while 25mm reaches standard coverage, the 18mm stays in wide-angle territory. So by taking you from ultra-wide angle to standard coverage, the Olympus 8-25mm delivers the broadest range of the three lenses here, making it the most flexible, and for many people, a practical general purpose option. Autofocus is, in the grand scheme of things, very accurate, regardless of whereabouts in the frame the focus area is positioned. However, during the course of my testing I came across a slight catch; the lens’s plane of sharp focus shifts forwards fractionally on stopping down, which is a symptom of residual spherical aberration. Because Micro Four Thirds cameras normally focus with the aperture set wide open, this can result in the edge being taken off the sharpness when you’re shooting at f/2.8, particularly with close-up subjects. However, while this effect was easily measurable in our studio testing of the lens, it’s not something many users are likely to notice during normal shooting. Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph – Image qualityAnnounced in June 2011, the 25mm f1.4 became the second Leica-branded lens from Panasonic for the Micro Four Thirds system. Like the 45mm f2.8 macro lens before it, this means Leica designs the optics and Panasonic carries out the manufacturing under approval in Japan. Above: Moving out to the corner and again the longer focal length of the Leica on the right means I’m showing a different part of the pier, but from roughly the same part of the entire frame. With the Leica wide-open to f1.7, there’s quite obvious darkening in the corners due to vignetting. This mostly disappears by f2.8 and at f4 the lens benefits from a mild boost in corner sharpness. I found it improved more at f5.6, but didn’t benefit if I was focused in the corner rather than the middle. Above: Switching to the corner crops shows the Leica taking a lead in sharpness, albeit with greater darkening in the corners on the Leica due to vignetting at f1.7. Close the Leica to f2.8 and this darkening becomes greatly reduced and there’s also a minor boost in sharpness that by f4 has become crisper overall than the Olympus at the same aperture. If you want to get extreme close-up images, this is a hell of a lens to do it with. The equivalent focal length of 180mm and the 2x macro magnification make it exceptionally powerful for filling the frame with tiny subjects. To get something anywhere approaching that in a full-frame system, you’d require a much heavier, and significantly more expensive lens.

Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc. In the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH lens, Panasonic employed a diaphragm with 7 rounded blades, which has resulted in fairly nice bokeh, at least in our opinion. However, recognising that bokeh evaluation is subjective, we have provided a few examples for your perusal. This lens arrived at our review desk at a similar time to the 21mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC CS, and we were sceptical as to whether it could deliver the same kind of ultra-impressive image quality. We needn’t have feared – the Samyang 50mm f/1.2 UMC CS is absolutely sublime, producing stunning results at its shallowest depth of field with that f/1.2 aperture. For MFT portrait shooters, it’s an ideal choice, as long as you don’t mind putting in the work of manually focusing. Pros Regarding design, build quality and features the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 25mm 1:1.2 PRO is similar to the other Olympus Pro lenses. The build quality is very good as the lens barrel is made of metal. The lens hood is made of plastic but is high quality regardless.And while it's technically not a macro lens, the Olympus 8-25mm also delivers surprisingly well on the maximum magnification front. The minimum focusing distance throughout its zoom range is just 23cm (9.1") from the image sensor, which translates to a minimum subject distance of just 7cm (2.8") or so from the front element of the lens.