TheCameraStoreTV team tried to answer a simple question. Is the tiny Panasonic GM1 really a better camera to use than a proper high end compact camera? Watch the video to get their answer!
Reminder: You can find the new Gariz GM1 leather case in [shoplink 43805 ebay]Black or Brown on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
SLRgear (Click here) posted the full Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 lens review and writes:
All in all, the Panasonic 42.5mm ƒ/1.2 ASPH POWER OIS Leica DG NOCTICRON is a phenomenal lens; one of the best we’ve ever tested. It’s definitely not your everyday pocket prime (the $1,600 price tag can attest to that) but I can definitely see this being the go-to lens for wedding, portrait and studio shooters, as well as concert photographers who need a fast-focusing, artistic lens with excellent bokeh and low-light capabilities all while producing stunningly sharp photos.
You can also see more image samples at Photographyblog and at at Sulanto Blog.
In USA the lens can be preordered at Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). In UK at Wexphotographic (Click here)
12-32mm vs 20mm size comparison. Image courtesy: ePhotozine.
SLRgear (Click here) tested the Panasonic 12-32mm lens. And their conclusions are pretty positive:
The new Panasonic 12-32mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 ASPH MEGA O.I.S. Lumix G Vario lens is a stellar companion to the tiny GM1. It produces excellent, sharp photos at all focal lengths, even wide open, and has minimal distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration. And while the lack of a dedicated focus ring is a little disappointing, as manual focusing using the touch screen is a little slow and awkward, overall there’s not much to complain about with this lens. The Panasonic 12-32mm is the perfect match for the powerful and pocketable GM1 thanks to stellar optics and a super-lightweight, ultra-compact design.
You can buy the lens separately from the GM1 at Amazon (Click here).
GM1 kit store list:
In US at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
In Europe at Amazon Germany, Wex Germany, Amazon UK, Fotohanskeuzekamp, Cyberphoto Sweden and Wex UK.
The lens resolution chart (Source: Lenstip)
Lenstip (Click here) is the first site posting a full Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 lens test. These are some of their key findings:
– The tested stabilization efficiency is about 3.5 EV (which is a good result says Lenstip).
– The resolution at medium aperture is almost as high as the best lens of the class, the Nokton 25mm f/0.95 (80 lines per mm vs 82 lines per mm)
– At f/1.2 aperture the center performance is said to be “brilliant” and on par with the Voigtlander 0.95/25 and the Olympus 1.8/75.
– At f/1.2 the corner performance is “positive”
– Chromatic Aberration is present at wide apertures while the lateral chromatic aberration and spherical aberration are well corrected.
– Negligible distortion
– The lens corrects the coma in a splendid way. The astigmatism is not a problem either.
– Bokeh is pleasing and at f/2.5 the bokeh effect is very similar
– at f/1.2 aperture the lens shows a very strong vignetting (-2.23 EV)
– it has a good resistance against ghosting and flares.
– Autofocus is fast and very accurate
Overall the only big negative is the high vignetting at f/1.2 aperture. That said I would have loved to see a comparison between the Nocticron and the 42,5mm Voigtlander to see who delivers the best image at f/1.2 aperture! Maybe some reviewer is reading this and will make a comparison for us :)
Image courtesy: ePhotozine.
Just try to forget the high price tag of the lens and watch these image samples posted at CameraLabs (Click here) and Dpreview (Click here). Great lens…no doubt! And now back to the price talk: UK readers can preorder the lens at Wexphotographic (Click here) and US readers at BHphoto (Click here). Damn, if it would be $500 less Panasonic would sell 3-4 times more of them and make more money….don’t you think so?
P.S.: Dpreview also posted a set of images from the Panasonic stand. You can see the next new lenses, the 35-100mm and 15mm Leica.
Depth of field and sharpness are excellent at f/1.2 (Image on top via Quesabesde).
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Our spanish friends over at Quesabesde (translation here) posted a first test of the new lens with RAW files available for download. Their first conclusion is rather positive:
The level of detail and resolution achieved this Nocticron is very high even at maximum aperture. If the center of the image resolution is spectacular the corner performance does not disappoint. The aberrations are well controlled, the reflections do not seem a problem for optics. Vignetting is evident at f/1.2 and disappears at f/2.0. OIS is very effective.
I have little doubt that this is an extraordinary performer. it could even beat the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 in terms of optical performance and the Panasonic also has OIS and likely faster AF. Well, that’s the good side of the story. The biggest limit of the lens is the likely the price: $1,699 (here at BHphoto) is quite a lot, but you obviously get the best of all MFT lenses. So the question to you is:
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A Pentaxforum user (Click here) had the luck to get and test the new Panasonic Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 lens. Many image samples and aperture tests can be seen on his Flickr page (Click here). He writes:
It’s quite large and heavy. I’d say the barrel is larger around than the 75, and it’s definitely a bit heavier. The whole thing is made of metal, and there’s an actual aperture ring with nice click-stops (though it doesn’t appear to function with my OM-D). The hood is super long, and also made of metal.
AF is pretty quick and very accurate. Bokeh is great for m43. Seems very sharp wide open, though there’s a loss of contrast. Some green LoCA, but nothing major.
Also confirmed that the aperture ring works on Panasonic bodies, but not Olympus. I assume this can be fixed with a firmware update.
Still no word about price and exact release date but it’s easy to guess that Panasonic will finally release it at the CP+ show in February.
