UPDATE: 14-42mm X lens for $349 at Adorama!
UPDATE: Good news folks! You can preorder the new 14-42mm X lens for $349 only at Adorama (Click here). That’s $50 less than you pay at Amazon (Click here) or BHphoto (Click here). That’s a quite good price for the new high quality lens with powerzoom and with that incredibly tiny size.
Now the only question is. When will that lens be in Stock? BH says the arrival is October but if Panasonic is going to mess it like it did with the Leica 25mm standard lens than we will have to wait at least a couple until November 
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Comment from Bob B.: ...but an expensive bird in the hand is ...- Comment from Bob B.: Plus the 20mm f1.7 is a really pretty sh...
Comment from safaridon: While 2cm sounds very small to US public...- Comment from safaridon: I guess you have never heard of a flash ...
mpgxsvcd
9 months ago |If you don’t already have a 14-42mm or 14-45mm lens then this lens makes sense if you only shoot outdoors. If you plan on shooting indoors with this lens then you might want to reconsider.
The small aperture will be all but useless for moving subjects indoors.
Bob B.
9 months ago |That is what the 20mm 1.7 is for…. This new x lens is an inexpensive, compact walk-around lens..and for the price you are getting a LOT in my book. (and I am not even a fan of walk around zooms).
Does anyone know how this x lens measures up optically to the 14-45mm Panasonic original kit lens which is a BETTER performer than the current 14-42mm???? Just curious. I own the 14-45mm…rarely use it..but the compact size of this lens has got me tempted…especially at this price. Of course…I bet the prices on the 14-45mm and the 14-42mm have dropped considerably on eBay, so I will take a beating when I go to unload mine!!!!! LOL!
How bad...
9 months ago |I’m not shooting for National Geographic.
Just how bad is the 14-42mm kit for low light and indoors? Would the relative good high ISO performance make up for it?
Or is there no question that the 20mm is a must? Still trying to decide.
frank
9 months ago |There is a difference of about 2 stops between this and the 20/1.7, and you have to make up for that in ISO as you need about 1/30 to 1/60 to stop havinf people fade because they are moving. Yesterday I shot at the IBC venue and my 20/1.7 was between ISO 400 and 1600. So when I would have used this I would have been between ISO 1600 and…. unreachable on my GF1 so picture quality would surely have suffered.
This lens is good for outdoors or indoors with lots of light. But not indoors just before sundown or so.
Bob B.
9 months ago |Plus the 20mm f1.7 is a really pretty sharp lens for money…and so small it begs to be put on the camera. Plus the lens is soooooooooooo much faster (aperture) than the kit lens (as mentioned above)..it spoils you…even with the lack of zoom.
safaridon
9 months ago |I guess you have never heard of a flash or used one on your camera? That on the samll GF3 has a guide number of 21 feet or 7 meters at base ISO 160 so the reach at say ISO 1600 should be plenty to freeze any action.
Furthermore according to the latest Popular Photography test even the GF3 with only minor tweaking of noise reduction level selected will provide good pictures with low noise and good detail up to ISO 3200.
I shoot thousands of pictures in dark conditions indoors with little light only TV on (with Kx) with a f5.6 tele lens at ISO 1600 and no flash with reasonable results for small prints and up to 1/200 sec camera speed.
Rainer
9 months ago |the other problem is that the 1.7 20mm does not have a silent autofocus. better in this case looking for the Oly 20 mm 2.0.
Bob B.
9 months ago |Oly 20mm f/2.0? Educate me..I have never heard of this lens? (maybe because it is so quiet).
Anonymous
9 months ago |And the “discount” is now gone. It was probably a mistake rather than a discount.
Conrad
9 months ago |Adorama lists it for $349,95.
A_less
9 months ago |Gf1 and gh1 owners (and i suppose g2 owners as well) must be warned before buying the lens that no firmware will come to add Display of the local length, Step zoom, Zoom resume, Selectable zoom speed. The answer i got from Panasonic is pretty clear:
In response to your email I have checked with our technical team and they have stated that unfortunately due to the firmware memory capacity of the GMC-GH1 and DMC-GF1 there is no way that these functions can be added to the cameras.
Mar
9 months ago |Samyang 7.5mm fish – much better way of spending that money
Review at Lenstip:
http://www.lenstip.com/317.1-Lens_review-Samyang_7.5_mm_f_3.5_UMC_Fish-eye_MFT_Introduction.html
Bob B.
9 months ago |Samyang is a sweet lens!!!!
jules
9 months ago |Could extremely well be a lens to consider for anyone who wants a fisheye, or at the very least an ultra wide. At 3.4/7.5mm, AF i not my biggest worry, even on FF.
As a substitute for a standard FoV kit zoom, I fail to see the value, much less the bargain.
Mar
9 months ago |Kit zoom is the worst lens you can buy for a interchangable lens camera – you can get the same thing by having a good prosumer compact.
Let alone this overpriced kit lens which cannot be zoomed quickly and accurately, nor manually focused and is only 2cm or so shorter than a collapsed Olympus kit zoom.
Mr. Reeee
9 months ago |That’s a pretty strong assessment of a lens that hasn’t been officially released yet. How long have you had yours?
You’re right about kit lenses, although they’re not really as bad as a P&S, they’re still something I wouldn’t want.
I was “forced’ to buy the GH2 with the 14-140mm kit lens, but that’s actually a really nice lens and certainly doesn’t fit the usual definition of a kit lens.
I was shooting with my GH2 and 14-140mm and with a friend’s Canon 60D with 18-135mm kit, together (switching back and forth) one day. Kids running around in water jets. The kind of thing M4/3 is supposedly crappy shooting. I must say, the GH2 kicked the 60D solidly in terms of AF speed and accuracy. I’ll not mention video quality or the poor Canon will perform seppuku out of shame.
safaridon
9 months ago |While 2cm sounds very small to US public it is actually 0.7″ long and when the two lenses are extended in shooting more the Pany pancake is more than 2″ shorter!
These terrible m4/3 kit lenses as you call them are producing up to 2560 lines of resolution on the G3 or 2270 lines on the GF3 or EP3 at base ISO good light conditions. So no you will not get those high resolution and detail with a 1/2.3″ significantly smaller sensor nor will you be able to get the longer zoom reach of the kit tele m4/3 lenses with a good prosumer compact with 1/1.6″ sensor.
JF
9 months ago |One more reason not to like powered zooms…
Kenn
9 months ago |ADMIN.
im confused? i think you skipped a word in the last sentence.. we have to wait a couple “what” until november?
are you saying we have to wait until november for the leica dg 25mm lens? if soo….. WHAT?!?!?! IMMA KILL SOMEBODY AHHHH. november???
Ben Y
9 months ago |We have to wait a couple of months until November, because it is only September right now.
Anonymous
9 months ago |ok, I’ll rephrase : I don’t foresee all that many buyers among those already having a 14-45ish kit zoom. Maybe more among those not having any.
We got that and more in common, I am not considering it.
But that’s all irrelevant : those somehow tempted by it mostly won’t have any second thought for any fisheye.
WT21
9 months ago |I cancelled my PL25 order. Missed the entire summer season, and I bought back a (used) Canon DLSR w/normal lens (35mm 2.0) for fall shooting. Not buying any more Panasonic products for a while.
Simon
9 months ago |If IQ is on par with the 14-45 lens I can very well see this as a substitute for a high-end compact camera (paired with a gf3 or e-pm1), and also helps to differentiate it from big-lens competitors like Samsung and Sony. Good move, Panasonic!
Anonymous
9 months ago |Well, if they are going to force you to buy the kit zoom with every new body at least they can upgrade it and let you sell your old ones.
oluv2002
9 months ago |You US guys are so lucky! You always complain that it takes so long for the new stuff to be in stock, like the leica 25mm, but look at it that way: We in Europe can only dream of your prices, here in Germany the x14-42 is listed at 430,- Euro. Now do the math…
Bob B.
9 months ago |…but an expensive bird in the hand is worth two (cheep) birds in the bush….No?
Pixnat
9 months ago |Wow! Cheap for a “PRO” lens….
LOL