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Reviews (1)
Sep 16, 2015
Great Value requires demands high quality and this lens delivers both
2 of 4 found this helpful It is easy to purchase a more expensive lens. It is difficult to pick one that delivers a higher value than the Panasonic LUmix G Vario H 45mm to 200mm.
The lens uses a micro four thirds format which was pioneered by Panasonic and Olympus. The micro four thirds (MFT) format allows this lens to be more compact and lighter than I would expect from such a large zoom range. This lens comes in under 400 grams.
If you're unfamiliar with the MFT format, you may not know that (compared to a 35mm) the effective zoom of this lens is actually 90mm to 400mm.
I've only had the lens on my camera for a few recordings to date, so I can't say that I've run it through its paces. I can say that the optical image stabilization works well. The lens has allowed me to shoot some good video and delivered some stills that really surprised me at this price point.
The autofocus is fairly quick. The manual focus is especially good for videos as it moves smoothly and in small enough increments to make it feel like a cine lens. It is possible to get a good focus throughout nearly the entire zoom range.
The build quality is significantly higher than might be expected for this price point. There is quite a bit of plastic in the mix, but in my opinion its used in places where the use of a less expensive material do not detract from the operation or life expectancy of the lens.
I rated this lens 4 stars because clearly there are better lenses to be had. That said, I don't think you're likely to find a better overall value or a more budget friendly offering. If I were rating this on value alone, I'd easily have given it 5 stars.
Thanks
Joe (MediaCrib)