Panasonic H-PS14042E-K Lumix G X VARIO 14-42mm F3 – Now price come down its a steal

By switching to the vario lense i can get more or less the same range of shots as i could with the standard 14-42 and g3 but now the unit is ‘pocket’ sized.

Very lightweight, flexible works well with panasonic lumix g3’s ‘ia+’ functionality -zoom button takes getting used to (positioned bottom left of lense barrel.

With several standard zoom lenses already available for micro four thirds compact system cameras, including panasonic’s own 14-45mm h-fs014045 and 14-42mm h-fs014042, this lens would have to be something special to justify its extra cost. I have mainly used this lens with a panasonic lumix dmc-gf3. This is the camera that panasonic have used in most of the advertising for this new lens. The gf3 is a small camera and seems unbalanced with a normal zoom lens. With this lens mounted, the feel is much better, not just because of its small size, but also because the h-ps14042 lens is very light weight. The lens turns on and extends to its full size quickly when the camera it is mounted to is switched on. With the camera switched on, the lens emits a continual, very quiet rumbling, though not loud enough to be picked up in video recordings. Because of its small size there are no focus or zoom rings on the lens. Instead there is a rocker button that adjusts the motorized zoom and another that, if in manual focus mode, adjusts the focus. In comparison with the motorized zoom on most compact cameras, control of the zoom on this lens is very good, with small adjustments being possible.

Makes a g5 into an amazing compact camera.

I was a little unsure about this as i already had the standard kit lens but really wanted something that was more compact. The standard lens was okay but left my g3 a little bit unbalanced. Initially i was looking at the 20mm but feel that in the real world this would give me more flexibility. Really could not believe how small this lens really is, when it arrived i thoght the box was empty. The quality of construction is really good and the picture quality is spot on. Its important to update both the firmware of both the g3 and that of the lens to get the best results as i was initially a bit disappointed. After using this lens for a bit i am really pleased with it. Still might buy the 20mm for indoor use, but if you want an alround compact zoom, then i would recommend this over the standard kit lens. Only downside is the price that is a bit steep, although i did manage to get the £60 cash back and i will put the kit lens on ebay.

The new bridge system as it is known is meant to be compact but with the standard 14-42 lens it was little smaller than dslr.

• Incredibly Small Expensive but worth it!!
• Tight package!
• Now price come down its a steal

Lens received promptly and was in pristine condition. However it was only in plain white packaging with no panasonic paperwork. It had been described as ‘new’ when i ordered it and was also described as ‘new’ on the invoice. When i was invited to review this item after purchase, it was described as ‘split’ and ‘not in original packaging’. As i spotted no indication of this when i ordered it, i am not very pleased and will not be buying again from this supplier. I have revisited the amazon website and still see no warning that this lens is not strictly ‘new’. I don’t know how i stand regarding guarantee from panasonic.

This is a very compact replacement for the standard zoom – ideal for the compact m43 bodies. When stowed it’s only the size of the panasonic pancake lenses and when you switch on the camera it bursts into life really quickly. At first it’s odd using the electronic zoom, but you soon get used to it. If you like shooting video it’s far smoother than the manual-zoom lenses you typically get as kit on the m43 range in general. When focusing on my wife’s g2 this ‘x lens’ is snappy and acquires a lock on the subject faster than the original kit lens. In terms of optical quality i personally think it’s a little better than the g2’s kit lens – it seems to have more contrast and is slightly sharper through the range, more so at the wide end. Some reviews say it’s no better than the panasonic kit zoom, so it could be i have a good copy. Despite my wife choosing the g2 instead of the more compact bodied camera she always found the kit lens protruded rather a lot and this really very compact alternative means she can transport it much more readily, so she uses the camera more. One thing to note is that if you have an olympus body there is no ability to shut off the ois image stabilisation; there isn’t a switch and panasonic control it from the camera menu. If you never use a tripod it may not be an issue and you can turn off the olympus body’s own ibis – olympus users should do this as having lens ois and camera ibis both on can affect the image quality.

I purchased this lens, two weeks ago, for my lumix g2 as it was basically the same as the kit 14-42mm lens but in a much more compact package. It is very small (about the same depth as the 20mm and 14mm prime lenses) and also very light. This lens has made my g2 much more compact, even more portable than it already was and much more likely to be used day-to-day. The pictures it takes seem to be as good as the original kit lens (to my eyes). I should say though that the lens cap could be lost more easily as it is much smaller than the one on the kit lens. Also usage of the little lever for the zoom action may obscure the af assist lamp on the g2 (the placement of the af assist lamp may vary on other models) if you don’t remember to move your fingers before taking a shot. Overall i’m impressed and look forward to seeing what other lenses appear in this family.

I like it for its compact size and good quality of picture, perfect for capturing children indoor but required light room.

This saying goes for both lenses and camera. I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, but it’s true. ‘the best one, is the one you use all the time’. Lets face it, that’s the reason we came to 4/3rds in the first place. I’ve had full frame, medium format, the lot. But like a lot of other people, i got sick of carrying about 3 kilos round my neck. Especially in hot, humid cities like kuala lumpur, denang, delhi ect. I’m not boasting, but yeah i’ve travelled well. And the same with lenses obviously.

Features of Panasonic H-PS14042E-K Lumix G X VARIO 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Lightweight Standard Zoom Lens

• Make sure this fits
  by entering your model number.
• New Premium Lens Brand “X” From LUMIX G Micro System
• The World’s First Digital Interchangeable Power Zoom Lens
• Outstanding Compactness and High Image Quality by Lens Construction
• Nano Surface Coating Technology for Dramatic Reduction of Ghost and Flare
• Light Speed AF and Shortened Shutter Time Lag
• POWER O.I.S.

Make sure this fits
by entering your model number.

It makes my panasonic g6 so much more portable – i have replaced the normal 14-42mm lens that came with the camera. Surprisingly it feels like it weighs almost as much, but (when shut) is a lot shorter. Purists may argue that the power zoom is not as precise as a hand-operated one, but i feel this is a price worth paying.

This lens replaced the 20mm lens that came with the camera, it’s a joy to use, and the results are excellent.

It’s pretty close to a standard lens, representing the 35mm equivalent of 28-84mm so it is great to find this in such a small lightweight lens. I bought this to save weight and bulk while travelling, but it seems to have the additional advantage of power zoom on my g6 body and even on my old g1, i can use power zoom on the g1 with the lever on the lens itself. I marvel how such a small and lightweight lens can contain motors for zoom, focus and power ois, but it does. If you use your lumix g for video, then this is ideal as the motors are quiet, and the power zoom and focus are best for reducing shake that seems inevitable when struggling with lens rings. You can’t fit a lens hood to it, but the nano coating is reported to reduce flare even directly into the sun. It’s great after carrying heavy lenses to have a combination (g6 and this) that is light and can virtually fit into a pocket. I haven’t had it long, but i can see this becoming one of my favourite lenses.

Having purchased a lumix g5 camera i wanted a lens that would take advantage of the cameras auto facilities,the lens has so far meet or bettered my wishes.

Tiny and prefect for use with the small panasonic camera. It is however far from cheap when compared with an slr lens and i’m not 100% sure how long the drive motor would last with heavy use.

Good product, prompt delivery.

New Premium Lens Brand “X” From LUMIX G Micro System

At original price it was hard to justify. Now you can get the lens for £199 or less or i found it on a gf5 for £265 from wilkinson cameras. Despite the picky comments about the lens from the reviewers who blow the picture up to poster size then complain its actually perfectly good for day most peoples day to day photography and the convenience of the size is superb. I use it on my gh2 as well as the stunning little gf5 and very pleased with sharpness and speed of focus.

I would recommend this lens to replace the 14-42mm kit lens. Very quick response when camera switched on and when zooming or focusing.

In my opionion it’s a bit expensive, but worth the money.

Great little compact lens for my panasonic g6, wouldn’t be without it, always on my camera as first choice lens.

This lens reduces the size of any of the pentax cameras and makes them nearly pocketable. As this lens is power driven it’s great for zooming in and out when filming.

 this review offers no assessment of lens performance, just pictures of closed and open appearance on a gx7. The lens was packaged by panasonic and sold by amazon. Attached is a hoya 37 mm uv/c digital hmc screw-in filter. Hanging from the camera eyelets are a pair of self-made straps with side-release buckles for easy attachment/release of a shoulder strap or a hand strap.

The World’s First Digital Interchangeable Power Zoom Lens

The lens arrived on time, in good condition and seems to work properly. However, there isn’t any manufacturer’s warranty or any other literatures. I have bought a new item but there is no way of knowing if this is a pre-owned object and if there is any issue at a later date, there is no proof that i could used to claim on the warranty of the manufacturer.

I needed a gf3 body with motorised zoom lens for video, and the total size had to be small enough to go in a trouser pocket. This lens was the only candidate and it *just about* qualifies as far as size is concerned. No complaints really about the video quality, although i am unable to find the supposedly-existing ‘low-light’ scene mode in the gf3 but that’s another story. The video is noticeably better than that from the tz7 which i used previously. The only problem with this lens is that the shroud covering the focus and zoom buttons is made from the nastiest flimsiest thinnest piece of plastic you have ever seen. When i got the lens i was a bit dubious how well it would stand up to knocks and bumps and sure enough when i dropped the camera from about two feet onto a wooden floor the plastic piece snapped off. The impact was not that great and the lens and camera still work perfectly. The lens cosmetically now looks pretty dreadful with visible wires and solder tags. A nice lens for photographic purposes but for the money it should have far better build quality. If you buy this lens you can almost be certain you are going to lose that piece the first time it takes even the smallest knock.

I have bought this item to replace the standard kit lens that came with my g3 as it’s too bulky, and it (this lens) works like a charm. I love the compact design and the zoom and focus rockers as it makes adjusting very easy and more accurate than most rings.

I was very excited when i heard about this lens as size wise it is much much smaller that the standard 14-42mm lens and so had the potential to greatly reduce the footprint of my g3 walkaround combo. When i received it i would say size wise it is about the same as the 20mm 1. 7 and you will have seen in pictures and videos extends when in use. The build quality is good with a metal mount and everything feels solid although it has a bit of a rattle which i think is something to do with the image stabaliser mechanism. The 45-175mm x lens makes the same sounds. Lots of people have talked about the image quality as the x lenses are supposed to be the premium panasonic lenses but to be honest i have not really noticed much difference from the standard kit lens in real world use. The camera has a motorised zoom which is great for videos and works brilliantly on the g3 camera but it does takes a little getting used to. At present the price is a little high, i luckily got it at a reduced price through the lumix lifestyle website but i would have to give it serious consideration if i was having to buy it at its current price. I would say the main attraction and appeal of this lens to me is the savings in size over its cheaper alternative but it does help in making some of the 4/3 cameras fall into the roughly pocketable category.

I bought this to replace the standard kit lens. Whilst i have not had much opportunity to use it, i think it will be excellent. The camera (a g3) will be much less bulky to carry.

I use this with my g3 body and i have a superb compact camera that i can fit in a pocket (admittedly a large pocket in a loose jacket or ‘combat pants’). This makes the camera more portable than the larger standard 14-45 lens.

I used to have a few pancake lens with my old pentax dslr (traded in for gx1) and i always like pancake lens as they are much more portable than normal lens. I wouldn’t say this lens delivers stunning images edge to edge as the size and construction do compensate iq but way more than acceptable when considering the size of the lens. I would recommend to buy the tele and wide conversion lens with it as they are easy to carry around, too :-).

Outstanding Compactness and High Image Quality by Lens Construction

Nano Surface Coating Technology for Dramatic Reduction of Ghost and Flare

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