Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 Lens Review – Versatile and Impressive!

Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 Lens Review: A Versatile and Impressive Prime Lens

Welcome to my review of the Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 prime lens for Micro Four Thirds.  This review is not sponsored.  I purchased this lens myself on the used market and have found it to be a great value lens if you need a compact prime lens with sharp image quality.  I picked this up on the used market for only 199 Australian Dollars, which is less than half the retail price.  All of the samples were shot using the Panasonic LUMIX GH6 M43 camera.

About this LensPanasonic 42.5mm f/1.7

The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens is a prime lens designed for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras.  Offering a 35mm equivalent focal length of 85mm, it is a popular choice for portrait photographers due to its ideal focal length and wide aperture.  This detailed review will explore the optical quality, build quality, autofocus performance, and overall user experience of the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens.

 

Optical Quality:

The optical quality of the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens is truly remarkable.  With a fast maximum aperture of f/1.7, it excels in low-light situations, allowing for exceptional subject separation and beautiful bokeh.  The lens consists of nine elements in eight groups, including two aspherical elements that effectively reduce spherical and chromatic aberrations, resulting in images with excellent clarity, contrast, and sharpness across the frame.

At its widest aperture, the lens delivers impressive sharpness in the center.  As you stop down, the sharpness extends to the edges of the frame, making it suitable for a wide range of photographic applications.  The lens also maintains excellent contrast, even in challenging lighting conditions, producing images with vibrant colors and great overall tonal range.  The 42.5mm f1.7 lens has an aperture range of f1.7 – f22, allowing it to work in almost any situation with full control of the depth of field. 

 

Build Quality:

The build quality of the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens is solid and reliable.  The lens barrel is constructed from high-quality materials, providing a premium feel in hand.  It features a metal mount that ensures a secure connection to the camera body.  The lens is also lightweight, making it convenient for handheld shooting and carrying it for extended periods without causing fatigue.

The lens incorporates a smooth and well-damped manual focus ring, enabling precise manual focusing when desired.  It also features a robust autofocus mechanism that is quick, accurate, and virtually silent, making it suitable for still photography and video recording.

Panasonic Lumix 42.5mm f1.7 G Video Review

Check out my full video review of the 42.5mm f1.7 for Micro Four Thirds.

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Ergonomics and Handling:

The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens has a compact form factor, perfectly matching the compact nature of Micro Four Thirds cameras.  Its small size and lightweight design make it an ideal choice for photographers who value portability and want to keep their gear kit lightweight during outdoor shoots or traveling.

 

Minimum Focus

Additionally, the lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.31m (1 foot), enabling close-up shots with pleasing background blur, contributing to the lens’s versatility.  This minimum focusing distance and magnification is excellent and some of the most impressive things about this lens. 

 

Performance:

In terms of performance, the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens excels in various shooting scenarios.  Its fast aperture enables low-light shooting and creative depth-of-field control, making it well-suited for portrait photography   The focal length of 42.5mm (85mm equivalent) produces a positive perspective and excellent subject isolation, resulting in professional-looking portraits with a pleasing background blur.

Photographic Autofocus

The lens’s autofocus system is snappy and accurate, making it suitable for capturing fast-moving subjects.  Whether photographing a portrait session or an event, the lens delivers consistently sharp results, ensuring you don’t miss any crucial moments.

Video Autofocus

The only real letdown of this lens is the video autofocus performance.  While it’s usable, it’s not great.  This is probably more of an issue with Panasonic’s DFD autofocus technology over the lens itself.  Panasonic uses a depth-from-defocus contrast detection system that is great for photography but not for video.  Sadly, even the GH6 has issues pulling focus at f1.7 without losing a subject.  It should be fine for seated headshots, but it’s not great for moving subjects. 

 

Focus Breathing

Another slight knock on the 42.5mm lens is it does suffer from some focus breathing.  While focus breathing is not an issue for photographers, it can distract video.  Focus breathing is where the frame appears to zoom in and out when pulling focus from minimum to infinity focus.  For a lens this small, I would expect some focus breathing; at least to me, it’s not a deal-breaker. 

Chromatic Aberration and Vignetting

Furthermore, the lens exhibits minimal distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting, commonly found in lenses of this focal length.  This characteristic ensures that the final images require minimal post-processing and retain their natural look straight from the camera.

 

Lens and Camera Compatability

The Panasonic 42.5mm f1.7 lens has a Micro Four Thirds Mount.  This mount allows it to work with many cameras and brands on the market.  Some of the cameras this is compatible with are the Panasonic G line.  This includes the G7, G85, G90, G95, GH5, GH6 and more. 

Olympus also uses the Micro Four Thirds mount so that this lens will be fully compatible with cameras like the OM-1, EM-1 MKII, MKII, and more.  Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K cameras also have the same lens mount and will be fully compatible. 

Conclusion:

The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens is a fantastic prime option for Micro Four Thirds users, particularly portrait photographers.  Its optical quality, with excellent sharpness, contrast, and beautiful bokeh, combined with the fast f/1.7 aperture, allows for stunning image results in various shooting conditions.

The solid build quality, lightweight design, and reliable autofocus make it a pleasure for still photography and videography.  If you are looking for a versatile prime lens with outstanding performance, the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens should undoubtedly be at the top of your consideration list.

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Official Lumix G 42.5mm f1.7 Specifications