Panasonic LUMIX Professional 12-35mm Camera Lens G X VARIO II, F2.8 ASPH, Dual I.S. 2.0 with Power O.I.S., Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, H-HSA12035 (2017 Model, Black)

I have owned several m4/3 cameras (Panasonic and Olympus), and several lenses throughout the years. I was never quite happy with the images I was getting and couldn't justify spending so much money on a Panasonic lens.I finally decided to get this lens as it has an equivalent zoom range of a 24-70mm and constant aperture of f2.8. I was expecting slightly improved images.I was wrong! The results I got were spectacular! This has to be the sharpest lens I own. Period. Even compared to my lenses in other systems (I own Canon and Nikon full frame dslrs), this lens is truly amazing!M4/3 is a small format. It takes a lot of work to get stunning images, at least images comparable to larger formats like APS-C or FF. I can say that the images I get with this lens shooting RAW on my Panasonic GX85 give my bigger cameras a run for their money!Chances are you are reading this because you are on the fence regarding getting this lens or not. All I can say is that yes, this is an amazing lens and it is definitely worth the money.The only two drawbacks are that it is somewhat heavy, and the IS is barely noticeable. Compared to my lenses I use with my Canon and Nikon outfits, it is much lighter than my Nikon 16-35mm f4.0 and my Canon 16-35mm f4L, but it performs better than either one of those two! This Panasonic lens is comparable (in APS-C format cameras) to my Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 and my Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 DX.Had I known this lens was this good, I wouldn't have spent so much money on m4/3 primes.

Full disclosure: I'm a total photo/video amateur, and this was my first ever lens purchase. Maybe I'm easily amazed, but I haven't found any flaws to complain about with this lens. I'm mainly doing YouTube videos, so its almost entirely portrait-style talking-head kinds of videos. I was worried that the 12mm minimum focal length on a M43 sensor wouldn't be wide enough, but it's perfect for me at just over arm's length away from the camera. The widest aperture setting of f2.8 seems to be shallow enough of a depth of field for my purposes, although I have found myself occasionally wishing for an even wider aperture to improve low-light performance and allow for a lower ISO setting.Build quality is what I would expect for a lens of this cost (which was wildly expensive for me as a newbie, but apparently it's a reasonable cost relative to what some other lenses cost). It's solid, sturdy, has a hefty weight to it, the focus and zoom rings are smooth and satisfying, and the image stabilization is truly amazing to me. It makes hand-held shots look cinematic and smooth, I'm really impressed. I'm using this lens with the GH5, and together they make a pretty impressive pair.

I've not used this lens a lot yet, since it is winter and I can't travel to other places easily. I'm no expert on lens, but it is the best lens I have other than my trusty 20mm prime. It produces good pictures and I do believe the included hood helps. That's easy enough to use, since it reverses and hooks onto the lens when the lens is in the bag. So it's right there.I found that the extra stabilizer it has built in helps with low light photos. I can keep the ISO within reasonable limits and still get photos with no camera shake. The wider aperture (2.8) helps as well and I like that that stays stable no matter the magnification (12-35).Some reviews seem to mix up this lens with the 35=100 lens, its sister so to speak. I have that lens as well and will probably use it a lot this Spring. My intent on getting both is that between the two lenses I can cover all normal situations when I'm shooting architecture, or nature. I normally am not a street photographer and would not use the 12-35 lens reviewed here in that way, as it is physically large and would attract attention. Fine for architecture though since it has the wide aperture (as does the 35-100).all in all, from my perspective the 12-35 lens is an expensive purchase but well worth the expense.

I've been using this lense for a few months now. Very nice quality and image stabilization is fantastic especially when paired with the GH5 which also has image stabilization. If you want a zoom lense, look else where. If you want an all around good lense for most projects, this is it.

Speaking in general I find this lens to have better build quality and performance than your basic kit lens. Bear in mind your mileage may very depending on what camera body you put this lens on. One reviewer was very unhappy with the flaring but my experience has been good so long as I use the lens hood and don't include bright light sources directly in frame. The lens coating helps some with controlling veiling flare so long as the light source is not directly in frame. Not surprisingly the lens is not as sharp as a prime. But if you need a general purpose zoom this is a fair budget choice. The built in OIS is really meant for long hand held shots. At longer focal lengths even your heart beat and blood circulation can make the camera wobble some as you attempt to hold it still. OIS fixes this nicely. You won't notice much difference with OIS when in wider angles which is fine. The lens is not rectilinear. You will notice your straight lines tending to curve some especially in wide shots. Typically fixable in post. Overall the lens gets the job done but be sure to consult some online review sites for other opinions before any lens purchase.

I took it out of the box, felt the weight and decided it was too heavy for my needs. I didn’t even bother to try it out. Back in the box and returned. The quality was great and I’m sure someone will be happy with this lens but it’s too heavy compared to what I’ve been using on my micro 4/3 Olympus .

Super versatile lens for the GH5 , I’ve been very happy with it with both my photo and video workBefore that I was shooting with the 15 mm 1.7, but because I do a lot of shooting on a tripod, having that extra zoom is very helpful to get the framing rightOnly negative is that it’s not a small lens, so it does add a bit of extra bulk to the camera