Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH. Lens Review

Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 Sample Photos

Sharpness is excellent in the centre of the frame at maximum aperture | 1/400 sec | f/1.2 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	Stopping down to between f/4 and f/8 results in outstanding sharpness across the frame | 1/200 sec | f/5.6 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res
The combination of a fast maximum aperture and optical stabilisation makes this lens formidable for low light shooting. Coma distortion is also well controlled at max aperture | 1/15 sec | f/1.2 | 43.0 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Only a slight loss of contrast can be seen shooting into the light at max aperture, which is resolved by stopping down to f/2 or beyond | 1/800 sec | f/2.0 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res
1/500 sec | f/5.6 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	1/125 sec | f/8.0 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res
1/1300 sec | f/1.2 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	1/100 sec | f/5.0 | 43.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res
f/1.2 Lens Portrait JPEG (EM-5) | 1/50 sec | f/1.2 | 43.0 mm | ISO 1600 High-Res	f/1.8 Portrait JPEG (EM-5) | 1/30 sec | f/1.8 | 43.0 mm | ISO 1600 High-Res

Value For Money

At the time of writing, this lens is available for around £1340, which is a lot of money for many people to justify, even if the performance of the lens is as good as it is. As the lens has just been launched, there is a chance that the price could drop slightly, as it becomes more available. Even so, considering how well this lens performs, and the features it offers, it still doesn't seem too bad a proposition as far as value is concerned.

Alternatives include Olympus' 45mm f/1.8 lens, which costs a wallet-friendly £210. However, the maximum aperture is roughly a stop slower and this lens also lacks optical stabilisation, due to Olympus including this feature into their camera bodies.

There are a couple of more, slightly left-field alternatives also available, if you're willing to sacrifice autofocus and optical stabilisation. Voigtlander produces a 42.5mm f/0.95, which can be picked up for around £720, which seems like a bargain, especially as the maximum aperture is slightly faster. SLR Magic also offers a 50mm f/0.95 lens, which seems less of a bargain when compared to the Voigtlander, as it costs around £1000. 

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