Panasonic LUMIX G X Vario Power Zoom Lens, 45-175MM, F4.0-5.6 ASPH, MIRRORLESS Micro Four Thirds, Power Optical I.S, H-PS45175K (USA Black)

I've been using this lens for the last couple of months with Olympus E-PM1 to great success. Very sharp wide open at all focal lengths even for distant objects. I have not experienced any OIS issues others have been reporting. OIS is disabled on Olympus bodies so I wouldn't know anyway. The lens is light and compact (46mm filter thread), the zooming is internal so the lens does not extend. Power zoom feature (optional) is very useful for video and also for stills. I find it very precise and superior to manual zooming. I use power zoom exclusively with this lens. The pace of zooming is control by how hard you tilt the toggle conveniently located on the left. Image quality is superb. Great color, contrast and sharpness across all focal lengths wide open, no need to stop down (it doesn't get visibly better anyway). My experience is in agreement with many reviews which said that the lens is optimized for wide open shooting. This is important because it is not a bright lens and one would have to watch the shutter speed so using apertures as large as possible is recommended. Compared to Olympus 40-150mm (I used to own one), Panasonic 45-175mm is better in every way: - Better optics. The lens is sharper especially for shooting at a distance (you would need to stop down Oly 40-150 to f8 to get acceptable corner to corner sharpness, plus Oly is not that sharp at full zoom) - Has noticeably better contrast and color - Slightly faster AF especially at full zoom but more so in lower light (tested on same body). The AF is significantly faster during video (C-AF) vs Oly 40-150mm (same E-PM1 body) - Internal zoom (IMO, all zooms should be like this, we're in 2012) - Power zooming (invaluable for video). Yet regular manual zoom is still there - Useful additional zoom range (175mm vs 150mm) - The lens is supposedly a little longer than Oly 40-150mm but it feels smaller due to much smaller filter thread (46mm vs 58mm) and feels much smaller in actual use due to internal zooming (Oly feels gigantic when extends and easily overwhelms small m43 cameras) - MUCH better build quality, rubberized zoom/MF ring, solid metal mount, made in Japan - Comes with a very nice and compact reversible hood, pinch lens cap (perfect for use with the hood) and a lens pouch

I have just gotten into micro 4/3. I was impressed by the reviews of newer micro 4/3 bodies. I am an old 35mm user and I previously had an E-volt 410 which I really liked. But I wanted something smaller and that would capture video. There are some great point and shoots. But I wanted faster focus, crisp and fast shooting, and to have access to a wide variety of lenses and creative control. I also wanted something that took good video. But I also wanted to go light and compact. So here is why in my opinion someone wanting a telephoto for their m43 should consider this over the 45-200. Light and compact. That had to be one of the reasons you went for m43. This weighs I believe 210 grams compared to 380. It is also remarkably compact. It takes astounding video. Probably you went m43 to also have good video capabilities. I watched many YouTube videos of the 45-175 in action compared to the 45-200. You can see a definite edge to the 45-175. It focuses faster when zooming in and out and is a much smoother zoom. The video quality is also professional quality. Well I can say outside I have gotten the best video I have ever shot from cameras and even stand alone camcorders. Panasonic calls these lenses 'HD' and they were designed with pictures AND video in mind. And it shows. Pictures are incredibly detailed and vibrant. I am using a DMC-G3 and outside there is a very fast focus. It locks quickly. I haven't noticed the problems of double images. This lens was shipped with firmware 1.1 so maybe that is why. I was concerned about that but ultimately even if it had been an issue I think the positives and the 95% of the time when it probably would not have been an issue were okay with me. There is good bokeh. I have uploaded a pic of leaves taken the day I got the lens on intelligent auto on the G3. I think pretty impressive. Is the lens perfect? No. Indoors it can hunt for focus and the video is good indoors but not superb like the outdoors. But I did not intend this to be my indoor lens. Don't get me wrong I have taken many good pictures and videos indoors trying out the abilities of the lens, it is just better suited to outdoors. Overall given how light and compact it is, the excellent picture results, and the even better outdoor video, I highly recommend this lens. I feel like I am getting a lens for the next 5 to 10 years of m43 use. I personally like taking video. Maybe because I have a 2.5 year old. So spending a little more for a nano-coated much more compact lens was worth it. Check out the YouTube videos. If video and picture quality is important as well as size and weight this is the definite zoom lens you should get for your m43.

Great lens and excellent service

Me anime a comprar este objetivo para agregar un telefoto más largo a mi equipo sin gastar tanto, y vaya sorpresa, es un gran lente, si bien es relativamente obscuro por su apertura, en condiciones de buena luz es increíble, el foco tiene muy buena velocidad y no obstante es muy pequeño y ligero para un 350mm equivalente. El único contra que le veo quizá es que su construcción se siente frágil, pero no creo que nadie en su sano juicio compre las cosas para estarlas tirando contra la pared ja! Recomendado si tu presupuesto es limitado, habría que comparar con la versión de Olympus a ver que tal.