Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.2 DG OIS ASPH Nocticron

The authoritative German company Leica had a hand in the development of the lens with the long name Panasonic Lumix G Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f / 1.2 ASPH Power OIS. The lens is one of the premium lenses for Micro 4/3 cameras, offering users uncompromisingly razor sharp images and spectacular background blur when shooting wide apertures.

Razor sharpness

According to the results of testing the lens by ePhotozine, sharpness in the centre of the frame is rated "Excellent" at all apertures except f/16. At the edges, sharpness comes close to a similar assessment already from f / 1.4. The 9-blade diaphragm design allows the lens to deliver gorgeous round bokeh.

portraiture

The fractional number of focal length that appears in the characteristics of the model actually needs to be multiplied by the crop factor of Micro 4/3 cameras, which is equal to two. Those. in 35 mm equivalent it will be 85 mm. This figure is considered the reference focal length for shooting portraits, since it preserves the proportions and shapes of the model's face as much as possible.

metal case

The lens design uses a pair of aspherical elements, one lens with extra-low dispersion and another with extra-low refraction. All of them effectively fight distortion, aberrations and vignetting — none of the parasitic effects will spoil the frame with their presence. In the metal body, there was a place for a nimble and quiet autofocus drive, as well as a Power OIS image stabilizer, the effectiveness of which is estimated at gaining 4 stops of exposure when shooting handheld in low light conditions.

aperture ring

For maximum shooting convenience , the lens is equipped not only with a focus ring, but also with a separate aperture ring in 1/3 steps. However it works exclusively in conjunction with Panasonic’s “native” mirrorless cameras for the lens. And although the cost of the model cannot be called democratic at all, there is no better option for portrait shooting using a Micro 4/3 format camera.