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Reviews (4)
17 December 2021
Like A Diamond - Small And Desireable
The two power zooms by Panasonic are the most underrated lenses in their lens lineup. Especially this 45-175mm PZ is super sharp and wonderfully lightweight meaning it can be carried all day while hiking yet has a tele equivalent of 350mm which is amazing. The 14-42mm is not as sharp at its widest point compared to the 45-175, but it sharpens up as zooming in and the tele end has excellent sharpness. Those who test sharpness usually use the default widest setting and as a result often do not appreciate just how sharp this lens gets at its longer focal lengths from standard to short tele.
I bought the silver version. Normally I don’t like silver lenses, but in this case the silver is contrasted with black and dark grey elements that make it a very handsome and distinctive lens. The only downside of the lens is the slower f3.5 fastest aperture, but a faster aperture would have added weight and size and for me the actual aperture range is the perfect choice to create such a small lens.
The most under-appreciated feature of the lens is the power zoom. While we can rotate the zoom ring manually, a power zoom is able to get smooth zooms that are very difficult to achieve by hand and it adds a professional touch to footage. To get very slow controlled zooms just use a small pressure on the lever, and to get super slow zoom, shoot in a higher frame rate and then slow it down in post.
This 14-42mm PZ also has a lever for power focusing. I do not find this as satisfying to use as the power zoom, but with practice it can produce some excellent smooth focus pulls. I think I would have preferred a manual focus ring but others may like the power focus more than I do. However it does work and when using it a magification window appears in the view finder to make it easier to nail the focus.
Also under-appreciated is the little known conversion lenses Panasonic makes for the power zooms. There is a wide angle converter, a fisheye, and a macro converter. The wides are best used on the 14-42mm PZ although they will fit both lenses. The macro likewise is useful for both lenses, but I like macro on the tele rather than the wider zoom, or if on the wider zoom, it is best at the tele end of its zoom range.
The wide conversion lens on the 14-42mm (28-84mm equiv) turns it into a 11-33mm (22-66mm equiv) lens which is a really useful wide range and without distortion. The Fisheye conversion lens goes wider, obviously, but introduces distortion.
These conversion lenses really expand the usefulness of these power zooms without adding more than a few grams to the weight. It is possible to take only this tiny 14-42mm PZ, and the 3 conversion lenses and be able to photograph 99% of everything you might want to photograph in the street or on a hike.
I bought my lenses used. They are very durable and so long as there is no scratches or fungus on the lenses, buying used can represent excellent value. Prices are more reasonable than for lenses that are more better known lenses. Conversion lenses can be bought later, when the budget allows.
I love both power zooms, but this wider zoom is the one I use the most. Sharp, especially at its long end, light, and useful, especially when hiking and travelling.
06 April 2016
Great Film Camera with Great Lens
2 of 2 found this helpful The Pentax MX feels great in the hand and because of its all-mechanical construction they work as good today as when first made. The Pentax-M series of cameras all had the same body shape but different features. They were the smallest full frame SLR's ever made and are a similar size to a Sony A7 mirrorless. The MX is unique in that it is the only one of the M series with a fully mechanical shutter. It is the same silk shutter as used on older Pentax cameras and had legendary reliability. When the ME was introduced in 1976 it was fully automatic. There was such a negative reaction to the lack of manual controls that the ME-Super was introduced with manual plus aperture priority auto, and the fully manual MX. The MX is very highly regarded by Pentax film camera users and commands a premium in the used market compared to the other M series Pentax cameras as a result.
There were four 50mm lenses for this camera, f2, f1.7, f1.4, and f1.2. All were good but the 1.4 stands out as my favorite. It has high speed and sharpness built into a Leica-like small size. All of these lenses have beautiful industrial design and feel good in use. It should be remembered that film lenses are not as sharp as modern digital era designs but the rendering is in many ways superior to the sharper newer lenses. Bokeh is delicious and these lenses create beautiful images. It needs to be pointed out, however, is that the high optical qualities of these lenses is partially due to the use of thorium glass elements, which are slightly radioactive. The levels of radiation are low enough to be indistinguishable from background radiation at about a meter but is easily detected at the surface of the glass. The use of this type of glass was common in the mid 20th century and is found in lenses from a wide variety of manufacturers, including Kodak.
The MX in use is a sweet camera. The split prism focusing screen makes manual focus very easy, and is far easier to get accurate focus than on modern DSLR's. A great feature of this camera is the self timer lever when pushed toward the lens gives depth of field preview. Light metering is basic but works. The MX has a little lens on the front of the pentaprism that sees the aperture reading on the lens and displays the number at the top of the viewfinder. It works very well and requires zero electronics so is always reliable no matter how old the camera gets.
For those who appreciate a well built camera that is film only and manual only, the Pentax MX is an excellent choice.
16 May 2016
A Wonderful Lens
The 25 f2 Zeiss has a stellar reputation amongst those who use it. I have to agree that it is a wonderful lens. Different manufacturers have family characteristics with their lenses. The Zeiss character is incredible coatings and choice of special glass types that give exceptional color saturation and high contrast that is often described as the 'Zeiss pop'. This lens is full of Zeiss character and it is at its best in the landscape. It is a more natural field of view than the extreme of the 15mm and therefore more useful. I say that despite having the attitude that when I pass away no one will ever be able to pry my 15 from my hands and I will need to be buried with it.
The 25 f2 is relatively small and is easy to carry on the camera. It is sharp and renders in a very pleasing way. Build quality is superb. Too few manufacturers pay attention to the aesthetics of using a lens. Zeiss does, and using a Zeiss lens gives a great deal of pleasure in addition to the quality of the images. Of course you need to be comfortable with using manual focus and this lens is at its best when used on a Sony A7 series camera. Focus magnification makes manual focus a breeze. For A7 series cameras it is great to have the aperture ring that is on the Nikon version of this lens. I use a Commlite adapter because it has full electronic connection with Nikon mount lenses. It is relatively expensive, but you get what you pay for in terms of lens and optical quality, and so I would say it is good value despite the price point, and it is very easy to recommend this wonderful lens.