# The middle lens for the Gx1.



## MacDoc

I don't know enough about video to comment.

••

Have question about a middle lens choice for my four thirds Gx1 

The short and long of it - love this little lens - just a joy to use.









Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH

and for birding the only one I can afford.









Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F/4.0-5.6 OIS Lens

Happy with both for value for 

so those are in the bag to stay.

••••

Now this is very tempting tho it blows my budget to shreds - but users just adore it.
To get the low light capability - many say this the one lens on all the time.
Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH. Micro Four Thirds Lens (HX025) for LUMIX® G Series










but this was such good value at $200 I'm wondering is the extra worth it ( yeah I know different purposes ) and I find I've got this lens on a lot and likely will even more now I have the Lx7 in my pocket as well.

Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.0-5.6 Lumix G Vario MEGA OIS 









any other middle lenses I should consider - sub $500 - I really think that 25 mm is overkill at this stage in the learning curve especially given I just bought the Lx7 to cover some middle ground


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## iMatt

If you're looking at the 25/1.4 and balking at the price, the Panasonic 20mm/f1.7 is the obvious runner-up and a really sweet little lens. Bigger than the 14mm (what isn't?) but still very small. You should be able to dig one up for around $300.

The 45-200 isn't bad for the money, but it's heavy and suffers big-time zoom creep. Also not terribly sharp at the long end. I'd look at the new 45-150 instead. Should be similar quality level, but a good deal smaller. Since you have the 100-300, you shouldn't miss the extra 50mm.


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## MacDoc

I read some reviews on the 1.7 and they seemed to indicate not enough gain over the 1.4 for the price.

I've had my eye on the 45 -150 and then sell the 45 - 200 - 
The 45-200 is heavy.
Thanks

Damn camera is tough - pulled my balaclava off and Gx1 came with it - I think it hit the wood floor on the EVF tho - seems okay - whew,

having to shoot at 1/4 pixel count - something odd with the card I borrowed









It's a Canon SDC-32M
and at full resolution on the camera I only get 2 photos storage.
Am I doing somethine wrong or is the card formatted wrong??? :baby:

Hmmm $299 for the 45-150 ...... tempted









interesting comment from someone that has both



> I'm not Andrew but, in my own testing, the 2 lenses are very close at 150mm. Having said that, I get more keepers with the 45-200mm since the extra weight makes hand holding easier.


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## Kami

MacDoc said:


> having to shoot at 1/4 pixel count - something odd with the card I borrowed
> 
> 
> It's a Canon SDC-32M
> and at full resolution on the camera I only get 2 photos storage.
> Am I doing somethine wrong or is the card formatted wrong??? :baby:
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> Macdoc, you're shooting with a 32 MB card


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## MacDoc

remind me to kill my staff.....well - figuratively

thanks - never even thought about that.  well better now than in Aus where all things are $$$


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## iMatt

MacDoc said:


> I read some reviews on the 1.7 and they seemed to indicate not enough gain over the 1.4 for the price.


The 20/1.7 pancake is a lesser lens than the 25/1.4, but make no mistake, it's an *excellent* choice if you can get a decent price on one. I paid $500 back when it was the only game in town (the 25/1.4 was still a couple years in the future) and have no regrets. Today, it's still worthwhile at around $350 IMHO, and a no-brainer if you can find one under $300 new (not sure about used prices). It suffered slow focusing on older bodies, but should work fine on yours.


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## iMatt

I don't know if these suit your purpose, but such a great deal if they do -- worth shipping to Oz if you want them. 

Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN Lens and 30mm f/2.8 EX DN Lens Kit B&H


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## MacDoc

I'm not versed enough to say if I want them tho I do love the results of the one prime lens I do have.
I cna snag them remotely and I"m still here for another 5 hours.

tell why I want them over the 14mm I have
Thanks


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## iMatt

It's probably too late, but then again this deal or something close will probably come around again, so here's my answer for future reference.

I don't think you'd want either of these "over" the 14; they'd just fill the "middle" range you were looking for. For those times when you don't want something quite as wide as the 14. 

Honestly I don't think they're really remarkable lenses, which is why they're so cheap. What little I've read and seen says they are good quality, very good value. If the focal lengths interest you, this is (was) a fantastic deal.

The 19mm is probably most interesting, as a cheap alternative to the Pana 20mm. It's a good general-purpose focal length.

The 30mm is kind of a weird length. Should be a decent lens for some portraits, as long as you aren't hellbent on achieving big-time background blur. Neither of these lenses will give you very much in that department.

$200 for the both of them.... one of those deals that tempted me even though I really have no need for them, myself. I did decide to pass, but it wasn't an automatic decision.


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## MacDoc

Thanks - I should have said "in addition" to the 14 mm as I do love that lens.

I'm going to do two things on this trip to Aus - learn the birding aspect better on the Gx1 and play with the macro on the Lx7 with a view to perhaps getting a serous macro set up for the Gx1.

Not much here in Hong KOng airport to shoot tho I suppose I could haul out the long lens and practice on some planes. 

Tht acceptable- 300 meters - and some haze and through a window










200 metres to the 747


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## iMatt

There are only two native macro options for m43, and I don't know if they will readily improve on the LX7 for macro purposes. However, both will also serve as good-to-excellent general purpose/portrait lenses. A lot of people also like to adapt old Nikon, Canon, etc. macro lenses, because many macro shooters prefer manual focus over auto anyway.

The Pana-Leica 45/2.8 macro is $700. It's surely excellent, as Leica doesn't let Panasonic use its name willy-nilly, especially on the interchangeable lenses. (There are some compacts where the Leica name is a bit of a joke.)

There is a new Olympus 60mm macro lens, going for about $500 right now. Early reviews are very positive. I actually didn't realize this lens was already available and relatively inexpensive... hmmm, might be my next lens.

Note that the Pana-Leica has OIS and the Oly doesn't. Read reviews carefully...


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## iMatt

Depending on the price, this might turn out to be a very good all-purpose lens, everything from wide angle to longish zoom:

TAMRON | News | Tamron announces the development of the company's first Micro Four Thirds high-power zoom lens, equivalent to 28-300mm in the 35mm/ full-frame format Tamron 14-150mm F/3.5-5.8 Di III VC (Model C001) with Tamron's proprietary VC (Vibra

For comparison, the Panasonic 14-140 costs $619 at B&H (and originally cost far more), weighs about 200g more than the Tamron, and is slightly slower at the wide end. I'd say if the Tamron comes in under $700 it'll be a good buy.


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## MacDoc

Yeah that looks like the perfect middle lens. Sweet size as well.
Enjoyed shooting with 100-300 yesterday but 

a) hard on the neck and hands when shooting up high into foliage.

b) tricky getting focus in foliage. Is there any way to turn off the magnified image in the manual focus mode - or tone it down....


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## iMatt

While manually focusing, jog the thumbwheel to the left and you should get a screen-within-screen instead of fullscreen view. If you're already at maximum magnification, it will take two clicks to get there. (Not sure if this works in straight MF mode, but it should. I'm basing this on AF+MF mode, which I recommend: if you aren't familiar with it, while half-pressing the shutter for AF, you turn the focus ring to finish the job with MF. If you don't have AF+MF turned on, it's buried somewhere in the setup menus.)

You can also turn off MF Assist entirely: go to the Custom Setup menu and it should be on the fourth screen. MF will still work, but without any magnification at all. 

Last tip, I would try using AF in Spot Focus mode if you aren't already. That should help you zero in on wildlife.


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## MacDoc

That Tamron looks the treat

Thanks - I never considered the jog wheel aspect....sigh....burrows into manual.
Yes that is much easy with the inner window - thanks


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## iMatt

Uh oh, the manual. I haven't seen that particular one, but based on several different Panasonic camera manuals I'm betting you're not much better off after reading it. If ever a company needed a tech writing intervention, it's that one. Could be poor translation, but the way these things are organized and explained suggests they're probably pretty bad in Japanese too.


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## MacDoc

Has that Tamron released? - might have flipped my existing 45-200 for $300


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## MacDoc

Sold my Pannie 45-200. Got $300 to spend on a replacement.

Considering this.










currently on half price ( supposedly ) at $199 - any other candidates other than the Tamron which seems not released.

Amazon.com: Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Micro ED Digital Zoom Lens (Black): Electronics

can't see if this is stabilized.

ah there is the answer



> The lack of in-lens IS is no problem as long as you couple the lens to a stabilised body


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## iMatt

You got $300 for a Panny 45-200? Wow. That one popped up (briefly) for $99 brand new recently. Edit: I guess I misread: $300 is your budget, not what you got for it, right?

For a compact, stabilized replacement check out the Panny 40-150. Should be similar quality level to the 45-200.

The Tamron is not out yet, and pricing is still not announced AFAIK. If the quality is decent and price under $500, I'll be getting one.


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## iMatt

BTW, when you're wondering if a lens is stabilized, if it's an Olympus the answer is *always* NO.

With Panasonic, all the long zooms have it, but of the primes the 45/2.8 is the only one at the moment.


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## MacDoc

I got $300 for it in Australia  
Mainly because I saved her a thousand dollars of her budget.

$449 for the Gx1 with the 14-42 AND the 14 mm pancake all in price with tax.


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## MacDoc

Got $300 Aus in my hand for the 45-200  - Wonder how much the Tamron will be 
That's about $320 Canadian just now.

yum











CP+ 2013 - Micro Four Thirds lenses from Tamron and Olympus: Digital Photography Review


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## iMatt

I'll be shocked if the Tamron is listed at less than $499, and won't be surprised if it's closer to $650. Don't forget, as a 14-150 it's a true wide-to-tele superzoom, very different beast than any long zoom starting at 40 or 45 mm. That usually doesn't come cheap, but Tamron is known for value so I'm holding out hope for a price around $500. Still no word, though. Here's hoping they get this thing out there in time for (Northern hemisphere) summer tourism season...


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## MacDoc

I'm willing to wait - I'm enjoying the two lenses I have.

I love the wide vistas the 14 mm produces...










yet the 100-300 will pick the eagle up on that slope across the water.










and provide some quasi macro fun. Both lenses continue to impress me.










Happy with the camera and still learning and willing to wait to get that fill in. Maybe treat myself next year to the Tamron. I love the size from the proto-type photo.

If I were to buy another prime *that works well in low light* at intermediate distance ( cityscape closeups, people, interior shots ) ....are there any bargains about?


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## iMatt

MacDoc said:


> If I were to buy another prime *that works well in low light* at intermediate distance ( cityscape closeups, people, interior shots ) ....are there any bargains about?


I'd start by taking a look at the Oly 45/1.8. Or, for a wider, more "normal" field of view, the Panasonic 20/1.7 (I don't know where you've found lukewarm reviews on this one, but whoever wrote one is on crack -- the only serious weakness is relatively slow AF, but it should be acceptable on your camera).

Or if you don't mind manual focus + aperture control, the cheapest option is to get an old fast 35 or 50 (f1.4 or 1.8) in the SLR mount of your choice plus a $20 adapter off eBay. Old Nikkors are great for this because there are tons of them around, they're virtually indestructible, and the optical quality is excellent. Some variants are also quite compact. But there are options in a bunch of other mounts.


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## MacDoc

I think the review said "why spend the extra money over the 1.4" - that was the diss.

I want very fast AF and low light performance....I'm finding the limitation on the Lx1 in low light 

What's your opinion on this lens










Amazon.com: Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Video Optimized Micro Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

Sure would love this one..










Amazon.com: Panasonic 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS Four Thirds Lens for Panasonic Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo


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## iMatt

The 20/1.7 should normally be at least $100 less than the 25/1.4 -- right now the difference is $150 at B&H ($348 vs. $499). Any fast (bright) lens will suffer slowish AF in low light; I suggest going to a camera shop and trying both, if possible. In any case, the slow focus becomes less and less of a complaint with each new generation of bodies.

The Panny 14-140 is a fine lens I'm sure, but I think the Tamron will be a better value when it comes out, and we already know the Tamron will be much lighter. That said, I would also expect the Tamron's optical quality to be a tad lower. It's a jack-of-all-trades lens, probably at a relatively low price, so you shouldn't expect perfection.

The second lens, the 14-150, is a Four Thirds lens, not Micro Four Thirds, and thus requires a ~$150 adapter. I would expect it to have dog-slow AF on any Micro Four Thirds body.

If you want a great wide-to-normal zoom for shooting indoors, you should look at the Panasonic 12-35/f2.8. But it will cost you some serious $$$, around 1200.


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## MacDoc

Tamron seems vaporware so far - what do you think of this lens??

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm f/4-5.6 ASPH/POWER O.I.S. Lens - Photo Review

available at $350 with a 3 year extended warranty from Henry's


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## iMatt

I like the PZ 45-175. It's amazingly small for such a long lens, and doesn't telescope when zooming. PZ stands for Power Zoom, so on bodies with a zoom lever you can zoom it that way, or just twist the ring on the barrel like any mechanical zoom. There were early reports of some issues with the stabilization system but I assume they've been fixed by now -- if checking reviews, be careful to note the date.

But it still isn't in the same category as the Tamron... lacks the wide end. The long delay between announcement and shipping is disappointing, but it isn't all that unusual for lenses. Several of the Panasonic lenses were announced up to a year or so before shipping.


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## MacDoc

I assume there is too much cross-over between the two to be useful.


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## iMatt

Between the Tamron and the Panny 45-175? A lens like the Tamron is certainly intended to make both kit zooms and medium-tele zooms redundant, but I guarantee it will cost more than the $350 you're seeing for the Panny. Still no pricing available, but pretty sure $600-700 is a good guess. And we know nothing about the quality of the Tamron at this point...


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## MacDoc

Waaaaah - I want this lens.!!!! Panasonic Leica Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH

Full Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4 review at Photozone | 43 Rumors



> Surprise November 23, 2011
> By Russell S. Lewis
> 
> I have to confess I was surprised to find that this "Leica branded" lens really behaves as a Leica lens, producing the same tack-sharpness I used to get from the Summicron on my M4, but also producing that mysterious Leica quality that gets imparted to the image, and which even my finest Nikon lenses don't deliver. I was even more surprised to find this happening on a micro four-thirds body. This lens is a jewel. It's a bit nose-heavy on a micro four-thirds body, but not enough to be a problem. It turns a micro four-thirds body into an almost perfect street camera.


mine mine mine..... my camera - that lens.....too sweet :tup: 










Could I get away with this as the middle lens? The 100-300 is pretty good even as a quasi-macro but this one has the light gathering I'd like.

Yikes ....amazing reviews
Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 Leica DG Summilux Aspherical Lens for Micro 4/3 System Reviews | Buzzillions.com

If the 100-300 can do this at 3-4 meters or so I'm thinking the Leica would make it pop with the better low light performance and crisp glass










true?


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## iMatt

True... except at 3-4 metres the bird won't fill nearly as much of the frame. 25mm is more of a general purpose lens, especially good for street and waist-up portraits. If you still have the kit lens you should make some test shots at 25mm to see if the Pana-Leica is really long enough for your needs. 

If you want something longer and good in low light, start saving your loonies for the Oly 75/1.8. That one will get you nice and close at 3-4 metres. (But no stabilization, as always with Oly.) 

I think there is also a fast Panasonic tele prime coming within the next 6 months or so. Not sure of length, somewhere around 100 or 150 mm. That one should have stabilization.


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## MacDoc

this one is not for birding - I'm happy with the 100-300 - even at 3 meters it works fine - I want something low light.
Maybe use the kit lens for intermediate for now - that tele-prime sound good as well.

How much better is the 14-45 Pannie versus the kit 14-42 - any idea?


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## iMatt

IMO the legend of the 14-45 is a bit overblown. It's certainly very good, but I'm not so sure it's worth trading in a 14-42 + $$ for one.

To complicate matters, it seems Panasonic has a new version of its 14-140 on the way. The leaked info doesn't include price or weight, but it does mention a smaller filter thread, which probably means they've shaved off some weight.


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## iMatt

Well, the new Panasonic 14-140 is announced. Launch price in the USA (at B&H, anyway) is $700, which is the same as the current street price of the old version. If the street price settles in under $600, it should be a good deal. About the same weight as the Tamron, same aperture specs. It will take someone more knowledgeable to compare detailed specs and tell us whether the Panny is a rebadged Tamron.

Panasonic develops Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH. Power OIS: Digital Photography Review

If ever you're not sure whether you're looking at the old or the new version, the fastest way to tell is that the old version starts at f4.0 and the new at f3.5.


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## MacDoc

Still noodling the Leica - they are new $499 in the US and light gathering seems superb.


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## MacDoc

Interestine exercise

This with the Lx7 in macro mode



Took these with the Gx1 and the long lens.


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## iMatt

A long lens can be good for pseudo-macro, but I don't think your LX7 was focused right where you wanted it, or maybe there was some camera shake. Should be much sharper -- even my crappy Pentax waterproof can do better. When focusing very close, just a little bit of shake can ruin the shot, and OIS can only do so much. Try a) upping the shutter speed; b) stopping down for more depth of focus; c) boosting ISO if a) and b) leave you without a viable exposure; and d) using a tripod.

Another fun macro experiment is close-up filters. These look like convex filters and typically come in stacked sets of three. I found some ancient ones for $10 that happened to be the same thread size as the 20/1.7. The results were creamy, hazy, dreamy, with a small sharp zone in the centre of the frame and plenty of vignetting on the corners. Not for serious macro work, and not extremely powerful, but fun anyway.


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## MacDoc

I was leaning out the window and was hard to tell how close with the Lx7 so not that surprised - also was using the LCD not the EVF


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## MacDoc

Tired of waiting - snagged this LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm for $175 ( at least I think I got it )


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## Niteshooter

Nice price, B&H is still $299.


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## MacDoc

Yeah in hand and he had the receipt from Henry's - weird but he wants to stay with Primes. My gain.

Hey nice photos too under low light - about 12 feet away










and 2 feet


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## MacDoc

Hmmm - the 45 -150 takes nice shots but not finding it as useful so far. Great to handle tho. - sooo light

But I think I want that Leica to fill underneath it.


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## MacDoc

Pretty pleased with these from the 45-150...not sure which crop to use

( I used the Clarity on this and happy with the results. Going to put it up on Pixoto as Pink Popcorn.










or


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