Panasonic LUMIX G 42 5mm F1 7 ASPH POWER OIS Review | 54 Data compared

The Panasonic LUMIX G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens, rated "Highly Recommended" by ePHOTOzine, offers exceptional portability and sharpness. It features fast, quiet autofocus, built-in Optical Image Stabilisation, and a lightweight, durable metal construction, ideal for portraiture. However, the lens exhibits noticeable vignetting at f/1.7, lacks a physical OIS switch, and faces stiff competition regarding its price point, particularly against the Olympus 45mm f/1.8, according to the review.

The Focus Review Panasonic 42.5 mm f/1.7 evaluates this Micro Four Thirds lens as an exceptional intermediate portrait choice. It occupies a strategic sweet spot between the ultra-premium Panasonic f/1.2 Nocticron and the budget-friendly Olympus 45 mm f/1.8. Tested on an Olympus OM-D E-M1, the reviewer highlights its ultra-fast, silent autofocus, great center sharpness at wide apertures, and virtually non-existent vignetting. The optical construction includes eight elements in eight groups to optimize color and reduce chromatic aberration, yielding a smooth background blur that competes well with much pricier alternatives. The review explicitly highlights several performance pros and cons for prospective buyers: Pros Ideal Portrait focal length with a bright f/1.7 aperture Built-in optical image stabilization (POWER O.I.S.) for low-light shots Lightweight and compact metal body design with smooth electronic manual focusing Attractive price-to-quality ratio outperforming the cheaper Cons Highly sensitive to lens flare and ghosting under bright backlighting conditions Visible 1.7% barrel distortion in RAW files when using uncorrected third-party converters Slightly lower corner sharpness at wide-open apertures until stopped down to f/4

The Panasonic Lumix 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH POWER O.I.S. lens is a lightweight, metal-bodied portrait prime that balances compactness with impressive image quality. Testing shows very good sharpness wide open at f/1.7, virtually absent vignetting, and smooth, rounded bokeh rendering when background distance is sufficient. Key highlights include its exceptional optical image stabilization (allowing sharp hand-held shots down to 1/5s) and its short 31cm close-focusing distance, which grants distinct flexibility for tight headshots and detail framing. On the downside, the lens exhibits less pleasant bokeh with harsh edges when the background sits closer to the subject. Minor chromatic aberration and purple fringing are also present in high-contrast or artificial low-light settings, though they are easily corrected in post-production. Furthermore, continuous autofocus speed noticeably drops during video recording, making manual focus a better alternative. Finally, because it costs roughly $100 to $150 more than its direct competitor—the Olympus 45mm f/1.8—it is primarily recommended for Panasonic users who specifically require the lens-based optical stabilization.

The Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH Power OIS is a compact, lightweight medium telephoto lens designed for the Micro-Four-Thirds (MFT) system, providing a 90mm full-frame equivalent field of view and an f/3.4 equivalent depth of field. Weighing just 130g and measuring 55x50mm, it features a robust metal body, a very precise focus-by-wire manual ring, and an incredibly small 37mm filter diameter. Performance highlights include a swift, noiseless autofocus mechanism and an integrated Power OIS stabilizer that delivers roughly 3 f-stops of stabilization, which extends further on Dual-IS supported Panasonic cameras. Additionally, Panasonic showcases great attention to detail by including both a barrel-shaped lens hood and a dedicated decoration ring to hide the filter thread when the hood is not in use. The lens presents a highly appealing mix of pros and cons for MFT photographers. On the positive side, its major strengths are its highly unmatched portable package size, low weight, budget-friendly street price (often under its 399 EUR/USD MSRP), and a close minimum focusing distance of 0.31m with a 1:5 maximum magnification. However, its primary drawbacks include a...

The Les deux pieds dehors review of the Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 OIS lens highlights its excellent blend of a lightweight, compact, all-metal construction with very good image quality. Key advantages include a fast, accurate autofocus system, effective POWER O.I.S. for handheld shooting, and a bright aperture producing pleasant bokeh, making it an excellent, portable portrait lens. Les However, the review points out notable drawbacks, including strong vignetting at f/1.7, noticeable coma, and purple fringing, alongside significant focus breathing for video. Handling concerns include the lack of physical switches, non-functional stabilization on Olympus bodies, and a less-than-ideal manual focus ring, leading to the conclusion that it is a good, but not superior, alternative to the Olympus 45mm f/1.8.

The Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 is a highly versatile Micro Four Thirds prime lens that delivers an 85mm equivalent focal length, making it ideal for portrait photography. In terms of advantages, the lens boasts outstanding optical quality with remarkable center sharpness even at its widest aperture, beautiful bokeh, and excellent low-light performance. Its physical design is extremely lightweight (130g) and compact, featuring a durable metal mount, a smooth manual focus ring, and built-in Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, it offers an incredibly useful 0.31-meter minimum focusing distance for close-up shots and snappy, near-silent autofocus during still photography. On the downside, the reviewer notes that the lens struggles with video autofocus performance, occasionally losing moving subjects at f/1.7, though this is partially attributed to older contrast-detection tracking systems. Videographers will also have to contend with noticeable focus breathing, where the framing visibly zooms in and out when shifting focus between minimum distance and infinity. Overall, while it has a couple of quirks for video work, its strong photo capabilities and affordable used-market value make it a fantastic portrait option.

The Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f1.7 is a highly recommended, compact short telephoto prime lens for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless bodies, providing an 85mm equivalent field of view that is ideal for portraiture. In direct comparison to its main rival, the popular Olympus 45mm f1.8, the Lumix lens sets itself apart by including built-in optical image stabilization. This addition is highly advantageous for stabilizing the image on older or lower-end Panasonic camera bodies that lack sensor-shift stabilization. Testing showed that the lens focuses exceptionally fast and quietly, and it boasts a remarkably close minimum focusing distance of 31cm. This close-up performance effectively doubles the reproduction capability of the Olympus rival, allowing the lens to comfortably pull double-duty for casual macro photography. However, the lens does exhibit a few optical compromises when compared side-by-side with its competition. While it delivers excellent sharpness in the corners at large apertures, its out-of-focus background rendering (bokeh) is slightly busier and more defined than the smoother blur of the Olympus lens. Additionally, a subtle heptagonal shape remains visible in point sources of light even when...

The LensTip review of the Panasonic G 42.5 mm f/1.7 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. concludes that this lens is a highly successful, reasonably priced portrait tool for the Micro Four Thirds system. The lens delivers sensational sharpness in the frame center and exceptional resolution at the edges, even when shooting wide open at the maximum f/1.7 aperture. Optically, it excels by maintaining low longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberrations, slight astigmatism, minimal coma, and a highly efficient built-in image stabilization system. Furthermore, the reviewer praised its compact yet solid casing, fast and silent autofocus mechanism, and pleasing bokeh quality for rendering out-of-focus areas smoothly. LensTip.com On the downside, the review notes that the lens is not completely without flaws, pointing out some optical issues connected to spherical aberration. Testers also found that it produces a noticeable amount of barrel distortion in RAW files (measuring at -1.09%), alongside a heavier light loss (vignetting) at the corners at maximum relative aperture compared to its main rival, the Olympus 45mm f/1.8. Additionally, its performance against bright light was ranked lower than the Olympus counterpart, exhibiting...