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HomeCamera AccessoriesLensesPanasonic 45-200mm Lens |
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|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review:
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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent lens with latest firmware Oct 14, 2009
I have five lenses for my G1, but this is my favorite. Overall, it's quite sharp and produces images with an excellent feel to them, particularly for such a comparatively low price.
Initial test reports indicated noticeable softness at 160-200mm, but this appears to have been fixed. One possibility is that the latest firmware may have improved the autofocusing at long focal lengths. This has not been verified by Panasonic, but many owners of new or updated copies of the lens are routinely getting sharper images at 200mm than the early test reports would indicate, so it seems to be the best guess at the moment.
It's important to have realistic expectations for long lenses. If you've never shot with a really long lens on an SLR, it's easy to assume that such a cute little lens will be just as easy to hand hold as its 14-45mm brandmate. It isn't.
At 200mm, it has the same long reach and very narrow angle of view as a 400mm lens on a full frame 35mm. I still have one of those from my film days, and it's 13 inches long, heavy, and almost impossible to hand hold! This Panasonic lens at 200mm is subject to the same laws of physics and optics as those old 400mm bazookas, even though it is so much smaller and lighter.
The optical image stabilization is superb, so you CAN hand hold it in good light, but you need to be well-braced and use good technique, and there's no point in even trying to hand hold it at 200mm at very low shutter speeds. (When I'm shooting at 200mm, I increase the ISO if necessary to make sure my shutter speed is at least 1/125, and I really prefer 1/250 or faster.)
If you've never shot a long tele before, consider using a tripod, turning OIS off, and touching up the autofocus results manually to nail the exact part of the image that you want to be the sharpest. Either that or try to get closer to your subject - sharp hand held shots at 100-150mm are much easier to get.
In summary, this lens is an exceptional value and the zoom range is great for a wide range of subjects, from portraits to wildlife. If you treat it with respect at the long end, you'll get many great pictures with it.
 An average telephoto lens for micro 4/3 Oct 05, 2009
This telephoto lens is just an above average performer. It is light and does its basic job well.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Fun and friendly Sep 05, 2009
I purchased this lens soon after I bought the Lumix G1 camera. The camera came with a 14-45mm lens but I wanted an alternative for portraits and animal photography. The 45-200mm Lumix G Vario fit my needs well and I was not disappointed when I mounted it to the G1 body. The images are crisp and clear with no peripheral distortion. I especially enjoy the lens housed Optical Image Stabilization system. I really thought an in-camera OIS was the better system, until I tried the G1 lens line-up. In addition to the OIS the lens also contains the aperture mechanism. Using the camera preview function the lens stops down to the set f/stop value and allows true depth-of-field preview. Overall I find this lens an invaluable addition to my camera kit. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone doing more than simple snap shots. To top off the attraction it is made by Leica and the exquisite fit and finish really shows, not to mention sharp high resolution images. Reviewed by Tim Frazer
1 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Difficulties with stability and focus Aug 31, 2009
The lens doesn't keep still enough to produce sharply focused images at maximum magnification, other than with a very fast shutter speed. I'd normally prefer to have aperture priority, but that isn't a constantly realistic option if you're hand-holding the camera.
In addition, the manual focus preview screen looks horrible, because you are given a very large preview that typically shakes around far too much until you press down the shutter button to hold it. Often the wrong area of the picture is selected for preview and it then takes ages to find the intended subject for the photograph. Subject to these limitations, the lens is certainly capable of good results and as everyone else has commented, it is very light and compact, which are big advantages. I haven't downloaded any firmware updates yet and won't do so until I'm fully familiar with the lens.
Overall, I can't rate the lens very highly and I did not consider it to be particularly good value for money either. But maybe I've not seen the best of it yet.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Nice lens for the price Jul 18, 2009
The lens is first and foremost, small. So if you bought the G1 for the quality of its image vs the size then you will be pleased with the extended capability this lens brings to the G1.
If size was never an issue then this lens will disappoint somewhere along the line as there are better sharper (bulkier) lens out there.
I am very happy with this purchase but it is by no means my primary lens, which unfortunately will remain the kit 110mm for the foreseeable future.
Love the size and quality and I am sure if the G1 suited your requirements then this lens will too.
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