List Price: $1,299.00
Sale Price: $1,119.00
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
I've been waiting for this lens ever since I sold my Canon 17-55 f/2.8 lens a year ago. My wait started before any rumors this lens existed. I always dream for a fast constant aperture lens. It's no longer a dream. This lens is here and better than what I expected.
The build quality is great.
Size is about 3 times the Panasonic 20mm lens. It extends out more during zoom. This is one of the larger lens in the Micro Four Thirds lineup. I uploaded some pictures of the size comparison under 'customer images' above.
It weighs 305g so it's more comfortable on a camera with hand grip I'm using it on a GH2. It's also weather sealed so it should be difficult for dust and water to get in. Zoom and MF rings are well damped. There's image stabilization.
The lens comes with a lens pouch and petal lens hood.
It's a marvel to get a 24-70mm field of view with a f/2.8 into this size. It's way lighter than the 17-55mm lens from Canon and Nikon that weigh 645g and 755g respectively. Weight is the reason why I sold my Canon lens. I still love Canon's image quality, but I prefer a lighter photography setup.
Image quality is great. Sharpness is reasonably good, best at f/4. There's little discernible fringing at the wide end.
The depth of field is deeper but difference isn't that drastic, especially on the wider end.
Kit zoom lens usually start around 28mm field of view (FOV). This starts at 24mm which means you are already equipped with a useful wide lens. Minimum focal distance is 25cm.
At the long end, it's a 70mm FOV. I generally shoot around 24mm to 50mm FOV, so I'm happy my range is covered. Anything extra is useful. The focal length and f/2.8 aperture is suitable for most general purposes, such as outdoors, and indoor when it's not too dark. For night time, it's better to swap for a f/2 lens or faster.
The AF speed is silent and fast.
I shoot video often and this lens is a godsend. I usually shoot from far to get context, and near to get a close up. In an ideal situation, I need two lens (or cameras), if not I move my feet which is almost all the time because it's more convenient than swapping lens. Not having to swap lens with the 12-35mm is a huge benefit for me.
With the 3x Tele mode in GH2 during video, it gives a working focal range of 24-70 & 72-210mm. How's that for range? Video quality drops in tele mode but I still find the result quite respectable. To see a video I've made with this lens, go to Vimeo and search for "chaophraya sketchwalk" and download the 1080P video to see how the lens handles handheld video.
This lens sacrifices some shallow depth of field as compared to lens with larger apertures, such as the 25mm lens that I usually use. The difference is noticeable since there's 2 stops difference. So if you require background blur, it's still better to use lens capable of f/2 or faster. Wide angle depth of field difference is minimal though because it's already quite deep to begin with.
AF during zooming in video mode is quite accurate. I notice that the AF hunts less when you set the AF box to smallest. Even if it hunts, it's really quick to get back into focus. I use MF anyway because there's no chance of focusing on the wrong subject.
MF is focus by wire and the implementation is flawless, as usual. I always say this for Micro Four Thirds lens and camera because it is true. MF is as responsive as you can get compared to an actual manual lens.
About the price. Yes, it's expensive. I don't like comparing with the Canon and Nikon 17-55mm lens because they are not Micro Four Thirds but the Canon is cheaper and Nikon much more expensive. I want emphasize that both are more than twice as heavy and will always be.
Still, it's a lot of money to pay for the lens. I feel it's worth it considering its performance, that and the value of a good lens will always stay with it.
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