2016-02-17T19:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
good for what it is!
I am with the reviewer who said this lens gets a bad rap. I've been shooting pictures since the state of the art was the "match needle" TTL metering. I still have all those lenses and have tried shooting pictures with an adapter on a G6. And I have to say, this cheap, kind of plasticky kit lens give me better quality than most of that older glass.
Theodore
Originally posted at
2015-11-17T19:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
Best kit lens ever
This lens gets a bad rap. If you know its limits and use it properly it can deliver sharp photos with gorgeous color rendition. And it's tiny and light. A great match with my G5 and it's gone everywhere with me.
KR7
Originally posted at
2015-11-16T19:00:00
Rated 1 out of 5
Inexpensive, but still not worth the price
This is a "kit lens" that takes mediocre photos, with dismal contrast, meager sharpness, and poor construction quality. After one year's use, I have been consistently disappointed with the picture quality, and wonder why I have stubbornly held on to it for so long.... Oh... I know! It's because I've read reviews that praise it as a hidden gem, and that it is a great value. So I thought maybe I was being too critical. Also, I've been paralyzed with indecision what to buy to replace it.
The pictures from this lens consistently lack any sort of "pop". It's rather slow (max f/3.5 at wide angle), so I'm often pushing the ISO limits (also at the sacrifice of picture quality) in moderate light settings. Vignetting IS a problem when zoomed, speaking of which, the manual zoom does not function smoothly. I shoot very few videos, but if you try zooming while shooting, you are certain to get shaking when you try to zoom past the points where it sticks. I was so convinced the one that shipped with the camera must be defective, I sent it back to Panasonic for service, and was sent a new one to replace it. I was excited to try the replacement, but it was no better.
I just don't understand the marketing strategy here. Why would someone bother to carry a camera and lens of this size and weight, when you can get photos of comparable quality on a typical camera phone or point-and-shoot that could slip easily into your shirt pocket? MORE IMPORTANT however, is that I would have been better off if I never had this lens, because I've lost out on many good pictures as a result. In other words, I wish the camera kit had been more expensive, but shipped with a better quality lens. I can understand it might just serve as a "loss leader" to get you started on the camera itself and on the Panasonic lens system, but frankly, I think it creates a bad impression.
TreeDoctor
Originally posted at
2013-09-03T20:00:00
Rated 1 out of 5
Lumix 14-42 Review
Purchased this product mostly for shooting video. If used for stills I would say that it would be fine, however for shooting video this lens is terrible. It hunts for focus constantly going in and out of focus. The only way to use this lens is in manual mode where your subject never moves. This lens is a disappointment and completely unacceptable for a kit lens. That being said, I do have Panasonic lenses that I think are excellent this however is not one.
David
Originally posted at
2013-06-23T21:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
Lumix Lens
Easy to use and creates great sharp images.
creyes
2012-02-16T19:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
Good enough
I don't know anything about cameras. Just getting started in it all with the Panasonic GF3. It seems ok though.
hotdog779
2012-01-01T19:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
fairly good
I use it as freely shooting. It is good for the picture, but the optical zoom in is below my expectation
lami
2012-01-01T19:00:00
Rated 5 out of 5
A lens worth to have
A good lens that makes GF3 much more convenient to use!
Leon R.
