Panasonic LUMIX G Lens, 25mm, F1.7 ASPH, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, H-H025K (USA Black)

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Matthew K - Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018

This is the first lens you need to buy after your kit lens.

If you're new to photography and filming and you're ready to move past your kit lens, then this is the first thing you should buy. With the full frame sensor equivalent of a 50mm, this lens delivers stunning portraits as well as making vlogging look professional; in fact it looks a lot like Peter Mckinnon's videos. I've posted pictures of my first outing with this lens and it did not disappoint. There's a reason why they call these types of lenses 'Nifty 50's'; they can accomplish so much. If you really want to up your photography game and start getting more professional looking shots while growing your skill set, then purchase this lens. You won't regret it.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Harry M. Shin - Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2017

Pleasantly surprised by this winner

1. Background: I've owned a number of micro 4/3 cameras and lens; currently use the Olympus EMII and EM10 with the Olympus 12-40mm 2.8 and 40-150mm 2.8. I also have the Panasonic 14mm and 35-100mm 2.8 both excellent lens. Furthermore, I've owned & /or rented the super zooms (Olympus and Panasonic and Tamron) 14-150mm and most recently (perhaps most relevant to this current lens) I've had the opportunity to rent / test the Panasonic 12-60mm 2.8-4.0 pro lens as well as the Olympus 12-100mm f4.0 pro lens. With the above info, here are my brief nonscientific observations re: this lens. 2. Size / Weight: It's light and relatively compact; excellent choice for a travel / all in one lens. 3. Image quality: this is the crazy thing, but from my observations (again completely non-scientific), I believe this lens is... sharper (in the corners) compared to the new "pro" Panasonic 12-60mm 2.8-4.0. (shooting RAW, tripod, same subject, same apeture etc...) as well as the Olympus 12-100mm. Now perhaps I received a "bad copy" of the pro lens, but I can definitely say this much cheaper lens is of equal or... better output compared to the more expensive counterparts. Now to confirm that I'm not completely insane; the "pro" lens that are better than this one are the Olympus 12-40mm 2.8 and the older Olympus 12-60mm (four thirds). 4. In summary for those wanting a relatively cheap, light / compact lens with a decent zoom range (please don't go for the super zooms because the quality is really subpar), this is definitely a winner. 5. By the way, this is one of those instances where it might be worthwhile to do your own tests because many of the online reviews have been fairly negative in re: this lens; I don't get it.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Fred Obermann - Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2017

Much better than expected!

After I hit 60 years of age, I dumped my heavy Canon equipment and switched to micro four thirds. I bought this lens because it was small, lightweight, cheap, and the equivalent of a 90-300mm zoom on a full frame 35mm camera. So, this is the lens I use for portrait and telephoto needs. With extension rings, it also does a decent job as a macro lens. Photozone.de reviewed this lens and gave it between 3 and 3.5 stars for optical quality, and 4 stars for price/performance. So optically, it's OK, not stellar. However head-shots at f5.6, (horizontal, not tight-in verticals), clearly show individual eyelashes, fine facial hair, and the tiny arteries in the sclera of the eyes. I have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of detail that this lens delivers. Given how inexpensive this lens is, and how good it is, it is an incredible bargain.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Thomas - Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018

Excellent add on lens for family trips

UPDATE July 2018 I've since replaced this lens with the 14-140 f3.5 II mostly to avoid having to swap out the 45-150 for something wider. For those considering the move to the 14-140: - The 14 lens is noticeably larger than the 45 and while still comfortable on the GX85/GX9, it borders on being a tad too big for the body. - The power stabilizer on the lens doesn't seem to impact the battery life - Focus seems to be much more reliable with the 14 vs. the 45 - so is the low light performance. Neither lens is very good indoors but 14 seems to be a bit faster as the the specs would also indicate - the hood on the 14 is much larger than the 45 so you'll need to consider than when putting it in your camera bag so, if you like the zoom range and size/weight of the 45-150 - perhaps you got it as a kit lens - but are frustrated at having to switch lenses for wider shots, then look over at the 14-140. It costs more, is a bit larger but you'll love not having to worry about having the right lens on the camera - at least while outside in good light. -------------- end update - Got this in a bundle with the GX85 for our trip overseas. Glad I had it for the trip to compliment the kit 12-32 lens. Looking back at the 5000+ pics we took by far most of them were via this lens and it was lots of fun using it. I'm not a photographer and don't do sports or wildlife, just wanted something to capture our little one and my wife during our trip. what I liked about it: - it fits the GX85 rather nicely and gives you an additional place to hold the camera while shooting since the grip on that particular body isn't very large. - with the zoom you're able to catch people in more natural and candid expressions vs if you had to get up close and stick a camera to their face. I was able to snap pics of our little one playing and carrying on that I would never be able to do if she saw me trying. - you get a good amount of background blur. you don't really get any bokeh where the background turns into soft circles but you are able to make your portrait pictures pop quite a bit by hiding some of the background. - it works reasonably well in the dark. - the included hood helps protect the lens when you're walking about with the camera hanging around your neck. Some things to consider: - as it starts at 45mm, you can't really take a group photo with any kind of wide or tall background unless you step way back - as you zoom your picture will get darker so don't expect to be able to zoom into your subject and blur the background when it starts to get dark outside. - you may find that you're going to miss some photo opportunities if you're not willing or able to change lenses for a wider shot. We ended up using our phones for the wider group shots. If i had to buy my first lens for the camera i'd probably pick up the 14-140mm vs. this one since with that you don't really have to deal with changing lenses or miss any photos. But if I already had a kit lens - as our GX85 did - then I can't imagine not having this lens as an option during family photo opportunities.