A fine part with an outstanding stabilizer

Even if later something else is said, this lens is of course 100% compatible with the Micro Four Thirds standard. And now also Olympus cameras will benefit from excellent stabilizer of the lens: Deep in the user menu you can set that the stabilizer of a prime lens gets precedence over the internal stabilizer. This is for example the E-M10 also quite advisable because the stabilizer is not as powerful as that of the M1 or M5.

Another senior criticism was that the stabilizer sometimes responded to the vibration of the closure. Then blurry photos or even ghosting emerged. Some users have therefore disabled the stabilizer out of sheer anger. This shortcoming Panasonic has however been fixed long ago by a firmware update.

One can therefore now be used with all current Micro Four Thirds cameras the stabilizer. And that's worth it! It really is truly amazing. Taking the lens for the first time in the hand, one is startled indeed about the violent rattling it (worse than any other Panasonic lens that I know of). This is the carrier of the stabilizer element. But when the lens has power, rattles nothing, and there are even at maximum focal length sharp freehand shots. I have done it even at 1/50 second! I would not have previously thought possible.

Robust part is: The other day I noticed the heavy GH2 down with telephoto lens, just the sharp grating of a stair use (I'm almost six feet tall, so the drop height was not without). Three deep notches in the filter ring testify. But both the camera and the lens will continue to work without restriction; I have made immediately clear shots at maximum focal length.

Of course you must have a be aware: The laws of optics can not override the most expensive lens. Who photographed from a ship on the horizon from the beach, only gets gray mud on the picture, regardless of whether he uses a twenty times as expensive this lens or. For the thermal air movement and especially the high humidity makes. Inland also just adds dust, so that shots over long distances can never be clear and strong colors. But in the Andes, I have so hingekriegt crisp shots over several kilometers; I could not believe it himself. However, it was cool (so little heat shimmer), the air is in 4500 meters above sea level is only half as thick and the humidity was so low that a firmly glued the tongue on the palate

A note yet: As with any telephoto zoom decreases the resolution of the lens at the long end. Since it may well be that one with a focal length of 140 mm as many details looks like with 175 mm. That's not nice, but normal, and with this objective the shrinkage is more lower than other telephoto zoom. But to about 130-150 mm (depending on the situation and aperture), the resolving power is very good.

What bothers me is the only exclusively electrical Zoom: Since I hardly movies, I'd like a change-over to mechanical zoom like the 12-50mm Olympus. Stabilizer and electric push pull together and pretty much electricity the battery holds a GH2 with this lens is only half as long as with other lenses through which both do not have. But these are trifles.