Panasonic Leica 12mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH First Impressions

Panasonic Leica 12mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH First Impressions:

Hey everyone!  I have some really cool stuff coming soon.  For one, I’ve been shooting with the newly released Panasonic Leica 12mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH, and I will be writing a review for it very soon.  But for now, I thought I’d give all of you a taste of what this lens has to offer, and talk about my first impressions of it.

First off, in terms of build quality, the 12mm Summilux is built like a tank.  I really have to give Panasonic credit for building lenses like this.  I love great build quality, and like their famous 42.5mm Nocticron, this is one of the best built micro four thirds lenses that I’ve come across.  Any of you tried or own the 42.5mm Nocticron?  Think of the 12mm Summilux as a smaller version of it.  While these Panasonic lenses are not made by Leica, they definitely have a Leica feel to them.  This lens is dense and solid.  There is nothing cheap about it.  I particularly love how the aperture ring clicks so solidly into position as you rotate it.  It’s really too bad that it serves no purpose on the Olympus Pen-F that I’m using it with.  As for the autofocus, it is blazingly fast.

Of course, build quality is definitely not everything when it comes to a lens.  We obviously want great optics, and so far, the 12mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH is delivering exactly what I’ve come to expect from these great Panasonic Leica lenses.  Colors are vibrant and rich, there’s great contrast, and of course, the sharpness is all there but nothing ever looks harsh.  The images have a very smooth rendering to them, and dare I say it, maybe even a slight Leica look to them.  Photos are very three dimensional.  Subjects just pop out of the page.  There’s presence and a glow in the photos.  While Leica did not build this lens, I’m sure they had some input on it.

The only main issue with the 12mm Summilux so far is the price.  As of now, the list price of the 12mm Summilux is $1,297, which means it actually costs more than the Pen-F that this lens is currently mounted to.  In comparison, the Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm f2.0, which is currently discounted by $200, comes out to $599.  That’s a huge price difference.  Now, the Panasonic is definitely built better using better materials as well, and the image quality is absolutely superb.  It also has the f1.4 aperture, and it’s weather sealed.  However, the Olympus is only one stop slower, and because of that, it’s also more compact.  A lot more.  Plus, it’s lighter, and the image quality is also excellent.

So, which one is best?  Well, that’s hard to say.  My brother in-law owns the Olympus 12mm f2.0, and he has always produced great results with it.  In my opinion, it’s one of Olympus’ best lenses.  But I have to say, I’ve always been a huge fan of the Panasonic Leica lenses with the 42.5mm Nocticron not only being my favorite Panasonic lens but also my favorite lens from the whole micro four thirds world.  Check out my review of it if you get a chance.  I love the build quality, and I absolutely love how these Panasonic Leica lenses render.

When the Panasonic Leica 12mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH was announced, my brother in-law was actually considering replacing his Olympus 12mm with it but once he tried the one I have on loan, he just couldn’t see using a lens of this size to gain just an extra stop.  But that’s him though, and for what he likes to shoot, he doesn’t always need that extra stop.  Personally, the micro four thirds stuff is so compact already that to me, the Panasonic 12mm isn’t that big.  I would have no problems using it as a daily lens. That’s what I’ve been basically doing.  In fact, it actually balances pretty nicely with the Pen-F, and just in general, the whole system feels so rugged and solid.  It almost feels like the combo was made back in the 1950s :).  I love it!

Anyway, I will keep all of you updated, and expect my review soon along with a few more surprises!  I’ll see if I can get an Olympus 12mm f2.0 in to do a comparison between these two fine lenses as well.  For now, thanks for stopping by!

The Panasonic Leica 12mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH is currently in stock at B&H Photo

The Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm f2.0 at B&H Photo in black or silver is also currently discounted by $200