Panasonic Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 Review
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2024
- Darren Miles Photography Southwest Florida Wedding, Portrait, Family and Real Estate Photographer - http:/www.DarrenMiles.com
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CONCLUSION:
The BUILD: It’s metal from the lens mount to the lens hood, it’s incredibly solid and aesthetically pretty, it’s the best built lens that we’ve tested for the M43 system, the only real nit was the lack of weather sealing, and at nearly $1,500 we thought that was a travesty - apart from that, it’s perfect, we gave it a 9.5/10
AF SPEED AND ACCURACY: Unlike the other f/1.2 glass with AF that’s out there, the panasonic has lightening quick AF, the focus motor is silent and it’s deadly accurate - I’ve seen in some places that the AF is kinda inconsistent, but that has not been our experience with the lens, we’re nailing focus - even at f/1.2 - the overwhelming majority of the time. So for AF speed and accuracy, the 42.5 gets a perfect 10/10!
OPTICAL QUALITY / QUALITY OF RESULTS: Sharp and amazing, straight from f/1.2, you only really begin to see image quality fall off at about f/8 when diffraction sets in… the level of detail that I’m able to capture - especially when pixel peeping is pretty amazing, I have to say Panasonic has done just an outstanding job here, as optically, the 42.5 is just awesome. We have it a 9.5 for optical quality and a 10 for the quality of results
VALUE: I’d be really critical of the nearly $1,500 price tag if the pany wasn’t something special or if it didn’t deliver optically, but the fact of the matter is it delivers in nearly every critical area, build quality, AF speed and accuracy, optical quality, etc… The cup is overflowing with photographic delight, if it weren’t, we’d let you know, but such quality comes at a price, btw, did I mention this thing isn’t weather sealed? For value, we gave the Pany a 9/10
Overall: 48/50 and our editors choice award!!
THE FINAL WORD: If you’re a professional who wants to lighten his or her load and consider the M43 system, then here’s yet another lens in the growing arsenal of M43 lenses targeting professionals with amazing build, fast, accurate AF and amazing optics, lens after lens from Panasonic and Olympus are convincing more and more photographers to take a long hard look at the M43 system, the Panasonic 42.5 is another big leap towards getting DSLr die hards off the fence and into the world of M43…. 
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Great video demonstrating this wonderful lens - many thanks for making it. Loved the video at the end - superb colour and clarity.
This video is one of the reasons why I bought the leica lens. Thank you for the review!
one of the better reviews, if not the best. enjoyed it. really good video composition.
You love your work and it shows in your reviews as well as your technique ... Thanks.
What a nice thing to say, thank you!
Indeed... One of my favorites. Worth every penny IMO. Although I just compared the Lumix 1.7 and it too is pretty amazing.
Thanks for the great review. I'll be buying this lens in about 2 weeks... Can't wait! I've pretty much switched to Panasonic and have only one Canon 70D left...
Nice review and great images. Just got a GX9, my first micro four thirds camera and been looking at this lens but might be bit overkill for the GX9 !
Great review. Love this lens! Fast, sharp, great contrast and colors. Seems to have some kind of special pop that's rare.
Thanks Brian! It's a GREAT lens!!
Thanks for another impressive review . I own and LOVE the 45 f1.8 but maaaaan this is a beautiful lens.
Me too, and I agree, is the Pany worth 6x the Oly 45? I don't think so, but the Pany is no doubt a *VERY* special lens...
Fantastic review. You are so well spoken, understood and have put a fantastic, informative review of the Panasonic Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 together. I am very impressed with both your review and the lens. I have just purchased a new Voigtlander 42.5mm F/0.95 manual focus lens and a S/H Pentax SMC 50mm F/1.2 lens and am very impressed with them. Both lenses are built solid and pumps out exceptional image quality. I may need a good auto focus quality lens in my MFT kit and will go for this Panasonic Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 lens later. I mainly focus manually but with the great improvements in autofocus lenses of this quality temps me more and more to purchase one. I definitely feel that if a good AF lens helps as a tool to improve the ease of ones craft, a auto focus is worth it. Thanks for sharing this fantastic quality review. Tony Subscribed & Thumbs up!!
Great video, Josh Homme!
Lead singer of "Queens of the Stone age?" - I've heard that before, him Craig Kilborn and yup Conan O'Brien.... Sigh...
I really enjoy your videos
Your reviews are awesome, very well-structured quality contents. Would like to see your take on the Panasonic 15mm F1.7. Thanks.
I loooove it! My favorite Vlog and educational video making lens. Its not too far or too close with range. Depth of field is solid but I wish it were 1.4 at least. I know, abit greedy lol. Great lens though.
Great review I had been debating all week about buying this lens. But this one did it for me. I purchased this lens earlier today and I'm in love!!!! What more could you ask for fast focusing image stabilized super fast prime!! A real gem! Keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Your welcome Darren.
Great review. Added to my wish list.
robbyboyo Thank you sir!
Great review, thanks!
+G Arfaras You're welcome!
A f ew years ago, I purchase this lens and a G9 specifically for how great it is for photos of the ocean/ shoreline compared to others. Now I am on the hunt for a similar wide or wide zoom. Maybe the 12mm or 10-25? That blue-green water color rendering that i don't know how to describe is amazing.
I'd love to see you do a review of one of the Loxia lenses.
very useful review happy to have it.
Thank you very much!
Great review. Wonder how it would stack up today (price/IQ wise) to the a6500 with the Sigma 18-35 1.8?
the lens is down to around $1100 new on ebay now, usually from Hong kong
I love your reviews Darren but I can't rightly judge the optics of your examples in compressed 1080p. Can you upload some of these reviews in 4K? Either way, I really appreciate your insight!
Fast lens review by overexposed expert. Bright job.
Very good review, but bear in mind that in the summary you repeat all you have already said before!
You're absolutely correct, my latest two reviews take out the recap to make the reviews less wordy and more to the point. Appreciate the feedback!!
thanks for your review! been waiting ever since... now next up, oly 40-150 PRO lens? cheers!
That's on the list, but talk about a lens that's darn near impossible to get...
I'll assume it's just the video, but it looks ever so slightly soft... friend just ordered this lens so I'll be able to play with it for sure. hard to compete with the sharpness and overall value of the oly 45mm f1.8. are you planning on reviewing the new 8-18mm lens?
Go Pats! If they go all the way...I'm buying this lens!
Funny thing is, at the time of that game we literally thought that both Brady's career and the Pat's season were over, who knew after that disaster in KC - a game which has been referenced a few thousand times since - that we'd be in the Superbowl... Certainly not me...
Go Patriots. Are you from New England Darren? Thinking about going to see them play Seattle at home next month.
Congrats !!!! yes Patriots !!!! loss in Kansas did not matter :) - nice review - great videos and pics - you got me sold - seems super sharp and bokeh just very nice -
I see the lens on Ebay for around $1000 -
I do have two GX7s and EM1 and EM5 and GM1 so invested big in M43 - yes the Oly 45 F1.8 is a great value - but I also like my 25mm F1.7 Pany also -
So If I can get a copy for $1000 I will be satisfied - hope I can trust getting a good copy from Hong Kong or Japan
It would be wonderful to see this lens compared to the Olympus 45mm f1.2 pro.
I'm a big fan of your reviews. Just curious what is the highest rated M43 lense you've tested? Thank you in advance!
Thank you very much - pretty sure the Olympus 12-40 and the Olympus 40-150 scored the same 48 or 49/60
Sure it's expensive but if you are a professional you can easily justify paying that much to have one of the nicest lens of the system. I had the chance to play with one in a store in Japan and the built quality alone makes you feel you are holding some sort of Holy Grale.
Hi Darren! Great views, really enjoy them. Have you had a chance to use the panny 35-100 2.8 and the Oly 50-200 (swd or non swd) ?
Simon Auger ..sorry meant reviews..not views.
Nice review. Thank you. If you had to choose, would you buy the 42.5mm 1.2 or the 75mm 1.8?
wolfywho That's a toughy... I think I would most likely go with the 75, but only because it's more conducive to the kind of shooting that I do...
Great review. What camera and lens did you use to film yourself for this review? Thanks.
John Thabiti Willis Thanks John - shot on a Canon 5D Mark iii and a 70-200 f/2.8 Mark ii lens.
Hi.
I have a GH5 and I think I´ll buy a Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. but my friend says that it works best with a metabones because of the crop factor. what do you think ?
And then your team went on to win the superbowl! My team will see you again in the playoffs! #RavensFanHere
Hi Darrem. Do you think to test Panasonic 12-35 mm and 35-100mm? Thanks.
hello, I come from China, this is a very good review, I like your presentation. I like shooting my dog running outdoor, so I consider to buy Panasonic X35-100, can you evaluate this lens?
潘弢 and the music 'open to the fall', it's so beautiful, I was moved by it.
Hey Darran, thanks for the review! Quick question for you. Does this lens make a notable amount of noise while focusing? I tried one with my GH4 and it seemed to make some very unpleasant noises. (OIS off) I'd almost describe it as grindy/motor sound. For a lens in this price range i would figure it should be pretty smooth. My cheap 45-200 lens is nearly silent. (although much slower)
If you're able to shed any light on this, it'd help me out a lot. Thanks!
I definitely did not hear anything in the way of noises, sounds like you may have had a defective copy of the lens.
How does this lens behave on a Olympus body like the Em5 Mii?
Thank you for the great video.
Hans Lewinnek Thank you! Should work GREAT!
How does it stack up against all other FF f/1.4 or f/1.8, or Fuji's 56 f/1.2 The Leica's bokeh rendering has to be extraordinary to charge this high price.
Hi, for hobbyists like me this is a holy grail lens :-), thanks for reviewing it. Just curious were you able to test this on OMD body ? DXO lab tests show 18um of CA (which is not out of line when compared to FF same league lenses such as Zeiss etc.) on E-M1. I am guessing it must be fairly easy to remove the kind of CA which happens on E-M1 ?
Gagan Grewal Most of the shots were on the EM-1, I didn't notice a ton of CAs with it, but they're really easy to fix in Lightroom.
I really liked it when I tried it for 30 days, I just couldn't afford it.
It's a bitter pill to swallow, but maaaaan its a great lens :-)
Dave Dugdale - you need to sell a few more guides lol
[IMO] an outstanding alternative is Panasonic's, Lumix 42.5 f1.7 (w/ power OIS).
no its a huge difference between these 2 lenses and thats the reason why it costs more as the double of the price
Pretty sure it does have weather proofing?
the piano music was awesome
Cool! I'll let Wayne know!
How is this for manual focusing during video recording?
For equivalent DOF on M4/3 compared to FF you double the aperture number.
Ex: 1.4 becomes 2.8, f16 becomes f32 f2.8 becomes f5.6 etc.
No it does not. A crop sensor crops part of the image of a 35mm camera. mFT takes a quarter of the image in a 4:3 ratio, the DOF stays the same . If I take a photo on OM-2n with my 35mm F2 then I grab my OM-D a 35mm lens will crop a quarter of that image. I want the same image I have to play about to capture that image including the DOF - distance to subject/focus distance, focal length, aperture
Hi Darren, just realised you haven't got a review of 42.5/1.7 :-) I am thinking of buying it. Nocticron was too big and heavy for me and Olympus 45 didn't excite me. Do you have any plans of looking at this one? Thanks
It looks bigger than it is. Most of that is lens hood.
Mahesh Gogtay It's not heavy at all for me aleast
A very informative review. Though been trying to fine the music from Wayne linen jr. Not possible. Any ideas
Wayne isn't published, he's a good friend of mine with a passion for songwriting and composing, PM me if you'd like to reach out to him.
Thankyou Darren for your reply. It would be interesting to know if Wayne does not publish. Would he maybe like to sell me some recordings. Sorry for being a bit dim lol. What does pm mean. I would also like to ask you. Now you have tested the Panasonic. And Olympus 1.2 . Which one would you consider to have the most pop. Looking at both your reviews. The Panasonic seems to pop more. Though utube does not give the best example. I love portrait work. And mostly use Nikon full frame with 85mm f1.4. but have got some very nice results with omd-m1. And 12x40 f2.8. and 45mm f1.8. I want to purchase a f1.2 . But have held off because of the Nikon. But like you. I love some of the very sharp results you can get with Olympus set up.
anybody know what is that quick release clamp did he using?
does it works well with the gh4 autofocus?
Great video, I think this might be my next investment! Would you happen to know the name of the piano song during the demo reel?
+Bryan Pope I would... It's called "Open to the Fall" by Wayne Leinen Jr....
Hi Darren, how did you come by this? I've been googling "open to the fall" and wayne leinen and not coming up with much. I wanted to get hold of the score for it (and the music itself too).
Very good presentation - however the David Thorpe offering of the same product is a balanced offer with 10 out of 10 quality must be one of the best ever RUclips reports. It is concise and meaningful far more focused on the subject.
yes, David Thorpe's video reviews are top top notch and can tell he's used the lens in question in a proper full manner ,also he's fully into M43
Panasonic bodies don't have stabilization built in? Maybe not back then... they sure do now, and it's great.
In terms of image quality, would you rather shoot a portrait with the Nocticron on a m4/3 system or the Canon 85mm f/1.2 on a full frame body?
Honestly, not to cop out, I could live with either - really. But if I HAD to choose, probably the M43, lesser weight, easier to carry around, faster focus...
Darren Miles Thanks!
You very right in all aspects of this lens and like you said for a price and that's the question? Would you spend £1000 for this lens to put on a micro 4/3 camera for a wedding? If you do that you're very bold .
For certain aspects of a wedding - i.e. getting ready, and portraits - but for the action of a wedding... not 100% sure...
Darren Miles so therefor I don't see the reason of spending so much money on a such a great lens in less you'll gonna make some money with it.
that is such an odd comment. I don't shot photography to make money. I simply want good lenses. This is a very good lens. I'd buy it for that reason alone, regardless of whether I make a penny/pence or not on this lens.
Lance Guilin My man that means your loaded with money just to pay that price which is a good thing don't get me wrong. I am poorer so I can't really afford that price in less I can make that money back if you get my drift.
I'm slumming it with the Lumix 42.5, maybe not as good as the Leica 42.5 but hey the Lumix is a good lens
LFC markeb So I’ve heard, I need to put that one on my list.
OLY PANA know how to balance on the optical quality and volume.
But some lens price is unacceptable Even if I know they are good.
I have a 45 F1.8, its image quality and the prices awesome.
No doubt, it's a great lens!! Especially for the money!
What camera and lens was this video filmed with? Nice Bokah at 4: 00
dinthisane Canon 5D3 with the 70-200mm f/2.8 Mark ii
What is brand of tripod?
gx7 has built in stabilizator.
Nice review!! Now I have to rob the bank! ;-)
its cost higher than most of M4/3 cameras out there lol
so do a lot of FF lenses for Canon Nikon Leica Pentax Hasslblad etc etc
but its worth the price when you compare with other lenses at the same price this lens is a beast its f1.2 and has power O.I.S autofocus ect and its the best lens for shooting video cinematic things and portraits :)
why You don't mention its had "Leica" brand...?
When will I see a 5 out of 10?
It's good, but not sure it's $1300 better than the 45 F1.8. Good review though.
is this a Joke? xD
Steve F The sigma 30mm f1.4 is just as sharp and is only $340!!!
what tripod are u using.? what brand.? I would love to buy..let me know..thx u
+Cucu Setiawan Manfrotto...
darren: which is sharper......the 75 or this one?
+Fly with me The 75 - just barely.
The Notcticron is definitely sharper. Test results back that up. It is the sharpest MFT lens. The 75mm is a really nice lens and close in sharpness. A bit less useful than the 42.5mm Nocticron--which I use often. My favorite lens by far.
I lika the Leica..
Joshe Homme selling me on lens's
B-Regs Productions I also thought they looked the same.
Bought the 45mm 1.8 for now, this one is too pricey for a beginner photographer) Maybe sometime in future, if I win a lottery :)
The Oly 45mm is such an epic little lens, love that piece of glass! The Pany is in another league, but that doesn't mean it'll necessarily take better photos.
Darren Miles Mine should arrive tomorrow. I'm sure its good enough for me, i'm really excited to try that focus length on my EM1)
me want
It's a little/big piece of awesome!
"they got Shellacked'! :)
Logjam5 Did they ever :-)
sabber..lechz.Nächstes Jahr..ganz bestimmt=)
Philipp Hofmann ya ya!!
Deeply irritating lens. I would never go so small on sensor size as m4/3, so this lens is out of the question. Meanwhile, at around the time this lens came out, so did the Fuji 56mm f/1.2, for my system. I was rejoicing at the huge aperture and sharpness wide-open magically combined with good bokeh; a combo that used to be impossible. One of those few lenses of such quality and reputation, you can just enjoy handling the lens; not even taking pics. ....Until I saw the 42.5's bokeh and sharpness. This lens is some kind of black magic. Not only sharper but practically STF bokeh. I can't dump on the 56mm, but there's no point taking it out to admire any longer. Having said all that, the 42.5mm does have a LoCa problem, which for pro purposes is a problem as it's hard to fix in post and there's no in-camera autofix.
Sorry, but you can't give a lens that isn't weather-sealed a 9.5/10 for build quality. That's totally unacceptable at this price point I know you reviewed this back in 2014, but now that Olympus has released its 45mm f1.2 that IS weather sealed for less money than this, it should be considered a major knock on this lens.
Good review but you are so repetitive with the same information
Agreed - I recently changed the format of the reviews based on this consistent feedback... The newer reviews are shorter and information isn't repeated nearly as often. Thanks for the feedback.
sounds like he's saying panty...