Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 Full Review

The new Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 is a fast standard lens for the Micro Four Thirds system with a very low price. Is this lens a great bargain or just a cheap lens with too many compromises?

The Build of the Panasonic 25mm F1.7

The Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 is rather big compared to other MFT lenses. It is only a little smaller than the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 and it is significantly longer than the Olympus 25mm F1.8. But overall the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is still a compact lens.The lens mount is made of metal, but the rest of the lenses exterior is made of plastic. However once mounted to the camera the build quality of the Lumix 25mm 1.7 seems alright. The focus ring of the lens is also well damped.
The Panasonic G 25mm F1.7 has a 46mm filter thread and it comes with the lens hood supplied.

Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 mounted on an OM-D E-M5II

Autofocus

The autofocus of the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 is fast and quiet. It is not completely silent, but quiet enough that the noises should not bother anyone in most situations.

Transmission and Vignetting

The Lumix 25mm 1.7 has a fast F-stop of F/1.7, however sometimes the F-number differs from the real light transmission (T-stop). This is why I made some comparison pictures with the SLR Magic 12mm T/1.6. This was far from a scientific test and because of the different focal lengths you have to take these results with a grain of salt. However it seems that Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 does not have a significant difference between it’s F-stop and the T-stop wide open.
There is some vignetting visible in the raw files, but it is nothing drastic. Also it is auto corrected in the JPG-files and is easily corrected when converting the RAW-files.

Distortion and Flares

The RAW-images of the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 show a slight amount of barrel distortion. However most of the time you will not notice it. It is also auto-corrected if you shot JPG and most raw converters also auto-correct it.

Eine leicht tonnenförmige Verzeichnung in den RAWs.
The Lumix 25mm 1.7 suffers from slight barrel distortion in the RAW files.

I had little chance to test the flare resistance of the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 due to the weather. So most of my tests have been with artificial light. That being said, it seems that the Lumix 25m 1.7 is pretty resistant to flares even without the lenshood.

Flares @ F/1.7
Flares @ F/1.7, there are just slight purple shadows.

Chromatic Aberrations

There are two kinds of chromatic aberrations. There are longitudinal aberrations which appear at the transition between sharp and unsharp. The other type are lateral aberrations which appear in areas of high contrast especially at the corners.
The worst lateral aberrations you can get is a slight purple fringing in extreme cases, but it is already corrected in the JPG-files and should not be a problem for most raw converters.

CAs bei F/1.7; 100% Ausschnitt
CAs of the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; 100% Crop

Longitudinal aberrations are quite common with fast lenses. The strong longitudinal aberrations were my only complaint about the Olympus 25mm F1.8. The Panasonic 25mm F1.7 also suffers from longitudinal aberrations. While I did not do a comparison, it seems they might be a little better controlled in the Panasonic lens.

Farbquerfehler
Longitudinal aberrations of the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7

Sharpness of the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7

To test the sharpness of Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 I compared it to the Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm F3.5-5.6.
For this test I mounted my OM-D on a tripod and released the shutter via the Olympus app on my phone. The camera was set to electronic shutter, IS off and ISO 200. To reduce the risk of error because of shake further, I always took two pictures. I also took separate pictures for the image border to make sure it is perfectly in focus. All images where shot in RAW and exported to JPG with DxO Optics Pro and the setting “No corrections”, which means they are less sharp than out-of-camera JPGs would be. All images are of course 100% crops.

Image Center
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Bildmitte, 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Image Center, 100% Crop
Panasonic 14-140mm @ 25mm, F/5.6; Bildmitte, 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 14-140mm @ 25mm, F/5.6; Image Center; 100% Crop
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/5.6; Bildmitte, 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/5.6; Image Center; 100% Crop

The Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is at F/1.7 already as sharp as the Panasonic 14-140mm at F/5.6. Also stepped down to F/5.6 the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is noticeably sharper.

Image Border
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Bildrand; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Image Border; 100% Crop
Panasonic 14-140mm @ 25mm, F/5.6; Bildrand; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 14-140mm @ 25mm, F/5.6; Image Border; 100% Crop
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/5.6; Bildrand; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/5.6; Image Border; 100% Crop

The result at the image border is a little worse. While images at F/1.7 are still useable they show some softness and are not as good as the corners of the images of the 14-140mm (@F/5.6). The good news is that once the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is also stopped down  to F/5.6 it is again sharper than the Panasonic 14-140mm.

Lumix 25mm 1.7 Close to Infinity
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Bildmitte; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Image Center; 100% Crop
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/4.5; Bildmitte; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/4.5; Image Center; 100% Crop
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Bildrand; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; Image Border; 100% Crop
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/4.5; Bildrand; 100% Ausschnitt
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 @ F/4.5; Image Border; 100% Crop

This handheld shot with focus close to infinity shows nicely that at F/1.7 the center is already sharp and the borders are useable but softer than stepped down. These images also show the amount of CAs the Lumix 25mm 1.7 might exhibit at the corners.

Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 Sharpness Conclusion

In real world shooting there is nothing wrong with the sharpness of the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7. The comparison with the Panasonic 14-140mm is also positive. The Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is useable wide open and stopped down it is shaper than a zoom lens. Taking its price into consideration, this is a good result.

Close Focusing and Macro

The Panasonic 25mm can focus as close as 9.84″ (25 cm), which is identical to the Olympus 25mm F1.8 and a little closer than the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 is able to. While this is close enough for most cases it does not allow real macro pictures.

The Bokeh of the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7

Whether you like the bokeh of a lens or not is to a strong degree a matter of individual taste.

Panasonic 25mm F1.7 Bokeh @ F/1.7
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 Bokeh @ F/1.7
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 Bokeh @ F/5.6
Panasonic 25mm F1.7 Bokeh @ F/5.6

The highlights in the bokeh are circular wide open as well as stepped down, but they look a bit better wide open.
There are also rare cases of onion rings in the highlights.

Panasonic 25mm F1.7 Onion Rings

Overall in my opinion the bokeh of the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is not exceptional but still pleasant.

Low Light Capabilities of the Lumix 25mm 1.7

Because of the fast aperture of F/1.7 the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 is well suited for taking pictures and videos indoors without flash or on lit streets at night.

F/1.7; 1/30; ISO 200
Panasonic 25mm 1.7 @ F/1.7; 1/30; ISO 200
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; 1/40; ISO 1250
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 @ F/1.7; 1/40; ISO 1250

Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 – Conclusion

There are a few things that one might criticize about the Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7:
Owners of Panasonic cameras would have liked image stabilization, but to be fair, even the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 does not have OIS.
The lens is made mostly of plastic, while the similar priced Sigma Art 60mm DN 2.8 is made of metal. But the plastic build does not affect the picture quality and is therefore a minor flaw.
Of course it would have been nice if the corners were sharper wide open, but the images are useable and the center performance is already good at F/1.7.

So what is the conclusion? If you already own the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 or the Olympus 25mm F1.8 you can ignore the new Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7. But if you do not own a 25mm lens I highly recommend that you buy the Panasonic 25mm F1.7.
Because it is so inexpensive it is a great bargain and I am sure in the future this will be the first prime lens many new Micro Four Thirds users will buy.

The Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 is available at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and also  .

Alternatives to the Panasonic 25mm F1.7

If you are looking for a faster 25mm lens with autofocus, there is only the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm F1.4. It is available at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and  
If you are willing to use a manual lens, then there are various F/0.95 lenses. The most well known of these is the Voigtlander Nokton 25/0.95, which is available at amazon.com and  
A cheaper F/0.95 option is the new ZY Optics Mitakon 25mm F/0.95, which is  


4 Gedanken zu „Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 Full Review

  1. Danke für dein ausführliches Review Jan! Es gibt sehr wenig Reviews zu diesem Objektiv im Netz. Die Beispielbilder waren sehr hilfreich. Vielleicht kannst du mir bei meiner ersten Objektiventscheidung helfen?

    Ich möchte mir meine erste Kamera kaufen (Olympus M10) und mir wurde oft empfohlen das Photographieren mit einer Festbrennweite (35/50 KB) zu erlernen.

    Da mein Budget begrenzt ist, kann ich mir nur ein Objektiv leisten. Jedoch sind die Objektive wirklich teuer und ich möchte in Zukunft nicht doppelt kaufen.

    Ich suche ein Immerdrauf/Allrounder Objektiv (klar hab nur ein Objektiv für min. halbes Jahr). Besonders Akt- und abstrakte Photographie ist mir wichtig bei schwachem Licht.

    Welches Objektiv würdest du empfehlen? Panasonic 25mm 1.7 für 200€ oder Olympus 25mm 1.8 für 270€? Beide haben eine niedrige Blendenzahl, doch ist die Olympus von der Bildqualität besser? Die bessere Verarbeitung ist mir bewusst.

    1. Hallo Kevin,

      zuerst die kurze Antwort:
      Wenn es deine erste Kamera ist und du ernsthaft in die Fotografie einsteigen möchtest, ist meine Empfehlung eine gebrauchte OM-D (entweder E-M10 I oder E-M5 I) und das Panasonic 25mm F1.7.
      Das Olympus 25mm 1.8 ist auc ein tolles Objektiv und für den „Cashback Preis“ von 270 machst du damit nichts falsch, aber die optische Leistung des Panasonic ist völlig ausreichend und es macht Sinn die 70 – 90 € Preisunterschied lieber für was anderes zu sparen. Du wirst da auch nicht doppelt kaufen, ein anderes 25mm macht nur Sinn, wenn es deutlich lichtstärker ist.

      Jetzt die Lange Antwort:
      Zuerst zum Objektiv dann zur Kamera:
      Eine Festbrennweite im Bereich 17 – 25mm (das ist das Kleinbildäquivalent 34mm – 50mm von dem du sprachst) ist tatsächlich die beste Wahl. Da du sagtest, es geht dir um Aufnahmen bei schwachem Licht, fällt alles mit einer Lichtstärke von weniger als F/2, schonmal raus. DA du schreibst, dass du nicht viel Geld ausgeben kannst, fallen das Olympus 17mm 1.8 und das Panasonic-Leica 25mm 1.4 auch raus. Es bleiben also drei Objektive übrig: Panasonic 20mm 1.7, Olympus 25mm 1.8 und das Panasonic 25mm 1.7.
      Alle drei sind als „immerdrauf“ Objektive geeignet. Alle drei haben eine gute Bildqualität und du wirst in der Praxis keinen Unterschied merken. Lass dich nicht von Leuten verunsichern, die in der 100% Ansicht nach den kleinen Unterschieden suchen. Gerade als Anfänger sind alle drei Objektive toll und die Qualität deiner Fotos hängt von dir und nicht den Objektiven ab. Das Panasonic 25mm 1.7 bekommst du neu vom Fachhändler schon für 180 € (Hier der Link.)
      Damit sparst du gegenüber dem Olympus 25mm 90 € und gegenüber dem Panasonic 20mm 100 € (selbst gebraucht wären die beiden teurer), dieses Geld kannst du nutzen, um auf ein weiteres OBjektiv zu sparen.
      Das sehr gute Olympus 45mm 1.8 gibt es dank des Sofort-Cashbacks z.B. gerade schon für rund 200 € (z. B. bei Amazon). Nimmst du das Panasonic 25mm statt des Olympus, hast du also schon die Hälfte des Geldes für ein Portrait-/Teleobjektiv zusammen.

      Jetzt noch zur Kamera:
      Die OM-Ds – egal ob E-M10 oder E-M5 – sind eine tolle Wahl. Alles Bedienelemente, die du brauchst, und super Bildqualität, damit kannst du lange glücklich sein. Neu ist die günstigste gerade die E-M10, diese kostet aktuell 470 € (bzw. 420 falls du den 50 Gutschen für Zubehör nutzen möchtest). Da viele Leute gerade auf die ANchfolgemodelle umrüsten, sind die Gebrauchtpreise für die OM-Ds jedoch total im Keller. Bei Ebay kriegst du sowohl die E-M10 als auch die E-M5 mit etwas Glück unter 300 €, definitiv jedoch für 350. Klar musst du hier etwas aufpassen, dass die Kamera keine Macken hat, aber mit dem Paypal Käuferschutz bist du ja abgesichert. Du kannst hier also nochmal 70 – 200 € sparen.
      Die Einsparungen die du bei der Kamera und dem Objektiv gemacht hast, können dir also dein zweites Objektiv direkt finanzieren. Gerade für die Aktfotografie bietet das Olympus 45mm nochmal andere Möglichkeiten. Langfristig fehlt die dann nur noch ein Weitinkelobjektiv und du bist perfekt ausgestattet!

      Ich hoffe, das war halbwegs hilfreich!

      Grüße,
      Jan

  2. Panasonic has adopted its usual approach of correcting distortion in software, and in practical use you’ll have to go out of your way to get anything other than perfectly square images. Likewise, vignetting is too low to be noticeable in most real-world use. Some green and magenta fringing can be visible in out-of-focus areas of the frame at larger apertures, but it’s not overly distracting. If you use the lens on older Olympus bodies that can’t correct lateral chromatic aberration, you’ll also see minor green and magenta fringing towards the edges of the frame, but again it’s not very objectionable.

    1. Hello,
      you are right. However, for my test I only used raw files, and exported them with the „DxO Optics Pro“ setting „no corrections“. Therefore, there are no corrections applied, neither by the camera nor by the raw developer.

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