Good cheap lens for beginners or those saving for a better one
In addition to this lens, I have the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 and the Panasonic 100-300mm f4-5.6 (Since there wasn't a better super zoom lens on the market that will autofocus). I use these lenses with my Panasonic GH4 mostly for car racing, but also some occasional landscapes, portraits and pet photos. I really want the Panasonic 35-100m f/2.8, but after dropping a lot of cash on a new camera body ($1500) and two nice lenses ($1000 + $500); another $1000 wasn't a wise choice right away. So I got this lens to hold me over until Christmas, a birthday or something else comes along that will allow me to justify spending that much money on one lens (I will then sell this lens to recoup the majority of what I spent on it).
I love my Panasonic setup and haven't really had any issues with this lens while shooting landscapes, which is pretty much all I've used it for so far. I did use it at the track, but stuck mostly to my 100-300mm f/4-5.6 lens because of limited access. (It was the best superzoom on the market that autofocuses.)
It does autofocus very quickly and zooms smoothly. The primary focal lengths are clearly marked and easy to match up because the zoom is so smooth and accurate. There's no roughness, it's easy to change focal lengths but it also stays out pretty well. Obviously it will probably have some zoom creep if you leave it angled downwards like any zoom lens would, but otherwise it feels solid and like it's good quality. It focused on both fast moving race cars and landscapes while driving on the freeway.
For what this lens is, it's really nice. I haven't really used it much, but I was amazed at how much nicer it is than my previous Canon lenses. The Canon lenses were on the low end of the price scale, but were actually the same amount of money or more when I bought them as these were. I suppose not needing so much material allows manufacturers to put nicer quality glass and parts in to relatively cheap lenses. The weight and price differences between my old Canon setup and my new Panasonic kit is the reason I switched to micro 4/3 in the first place. I realized I could buy everything (camera body, lenses, flash, accessories) for way less than the cost of one lens, and what completely sold me was how small and light everything is. My whole kit weighs less than that one lens too, and I would also need a much bigger, heavier and more expensive lens in addition to that to really get anywhere near the amount of zoom I need. (That one is over $11k for anyone wondering and it weighs 8 pounds.) I am a small woman and I have a lot of chronic pain and problems because of a bad car accident several years ago, so even a 1 pound lens is too much sometimes.
Anyways, back to the lens. I love how small, light and cheap this lens is. It's not the absolute best quality lens you can get, but it's also super cheap (especially when purchased used) and surprisingly nice for the price. The inescapable fact of micro 4/3 is that the aperture of any lens is affected by the crop factor of the format and when you get a lens that has a rather limited speed (speed is another way of talking about aperture) to begin with, it really affects things, especially when you want a nice bokeh effect. For the type of photography I do, the trade off is worth it; but it really, really makes the more expensive lenses that much more necessary for those who use manual or semi-manual modes.
That being said, if you do a lot of landscape photography, group photos, or are just a broke beginner, this is a great starting lens. It's certainly much better than the Canon lenses I used before changing systems. This lens is very capable of getting very decent pictures while you're saving for the more expensive one or just learning and the fact that you can choose between black and silver is a bonus. I personally really enjoy having a silver lens in my kit. It stands out nicely and makes it even easier to switch lenses without having to really look at them first.
As for the rating I gave this, I was debating whether to give this four stars since it really won't measure up to the better quality lenses or five stars because it is much better than one would expect considering the price and spec differences. I ultimately decided it deserves five stars because you really can't expect a lens that's under $300 to compare to one that's $1k. It deserves five stars because it's that good for the price.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
