The Panasonic Leica 9mm f1.7

[Archiver]

The Leica Summilux 9mm f1.7 is Panasonic's latest addition to the m43 lineup. It is a wonderful lens, perhaps one of the sharpest m43 lenses I own. It is small enough to balance well on smaller cameras like the GX85, and the wide aperture and wide angle makes it perfect to capture dark galleries, street scenes, and interiors. The barrel and focus ring are plastic, but it retains the look of other Panasonic Leica lenses. It will absolutely be part of my travel kit when I next travel interstate or overseas.


GX85 - These darkened halls by Archiver, on Flickr

GX85 - A wide snack by Archiver, on Flickr

GX85 - Golden Wings by Archiver, on Flickr

 

[Archiver]

GX85 - Goddess by Archiver, on Flickr

GX85 - Screens by Archiver, on Flickr

GX85 - The Robes of the Princess by Archiver, on Flickr

 

[Ko.Fe.]

PanaLeica lenses are awesome. And only Leica lenses I might be able to afford now.

 

[Archiver]

I'm impressed with this lens, although there is one thing about it. Under some conditions that I haven't figured out, the aperture blades chatter when focusing and shooting. Even when the camera is set to A and the aperture is f1.7, this can happen. Most of the time, the lens is silent, but the aperture blades chatter on occasion. Apart from that, this lens is super sharp, has excellent contrast and colour, and focuses quickly and accurately on the cameras I've tried.

 

[Archiver]

Another from the 9mm and G9. The 9mm also sees a lot of use with the GX85 as this combination is small, light and discreet, but the G9 can produce some super images.

As far as usage goes, this lens is perfect in a m43 travel kit. Next time I'm away, I'll take the 9mm with either the GX85 or G9, depending on what other gear comes along. The 18mm focal length is perfect for capturing interiors and environmental context, and the f1.7 aperture is excellent for dark situations. Other lenses for the m43 travel kit would be the Olympus 17/1.8, maybe the 25/1.8 and 45/1.8. I've used the Panasonic 12-35 for travel before, as it's a very versatile lens, but it doesn't quite have the oomph of the fast primes.

G9 - Sitting in Red by Archiver, on Flickr

 

[DownUnder]

Somewhat drifting away from the original posting by the OP, but a few random thoughts.

The Lumix lenses are also good. In 2020 I picked up a Lumix GF1 as a walkabout camera, it came my way at a bargain price and I decided to go with the flow and try to move away from my heavier Nikon and Fuji kits, so I bought the Lumix, the EVF, two lenses and a small bag of accessories, for AUD $300 (<US $200), maybe expensive to you lot in North America but I reckon good value Down Under.

The Lumix 'standard' 14-45 is a stellar performer, I also have the zoom which I believe is 45-150 but I shamefully admit I've not yet used it as I'm not tele visual. During the Covid lockdown those of us who live out of Melbourne found it difficult to go to the city (med apps excepted, there weren't many places open for us to shop in anyway) so I went to country areas (Ballarat, Ararat, Castlemaine, Bendigo) to check out the local scenes. The sharpness and colors of those Lumix lenses rally impressed me.

Obviously, those Lumix lenses may be somewhat inferior to the upmarket Leitz versions (in this I may be wrong and my cynical nature makes me say they are probably as good as the so-called German versions, but I have no proof of this so I will say no more, ha!) but they make truly wonderful images in their own right.

Since our lockdown ended and Covid has sort of moved into history (let us all hope forever), I have mostly shelved the GF1 and in fact I've thought of selling it, but its value is so low that I decided it was not really worth the aggravation of dealing with Ebay. This month I've looked at many of the photos I took with it, mostly on walks in Ballarat in Victoria (Australia) which is a most unique and interesting place to visit with a camera, and I am amazed at the quality of what the GF1 makes.

A friend has described it as "a mini Leica"which interestingly is what the late great Ernie at Camera Lane in Melbourne called my Rollei 35 in the 1980s. Sadly, I sold this camera. I now look at what Petronius here at RFF does with it, and I miss it.

I will be in southeast Asia from next month and I'm tempted to take the GF1 and the two lenses. These days I'm trying to move away from using my FF Nikon DSLRs, a D800 is heavy for me now and I prefer to travel more lightly.

In the summing up to all this I will say I would happily have bought Lumix Leica lenses if I could afford them. The 9mm would be 18mm in '35' terms which is rather 'wide' for me, a 14 (= 28mm) is my preferred lens. So I will make do with my Lumix 14-45.

 

[Archiver]

Somewhat drifting away from the original posting by the OP, but a few random thoughts.

The Lumix lenses are also good. In 2020 I picked up a Lumix GF1 as a walkabout camera, it came my way at a bargain price and I decided to go with the flow and try to move away from my heavier Nikon and Fuji kits, so I bought the Lumix, the EVF, two lenses and a small bag of accessories, for AUD $300 (<US $200), maybe expensive to you lot in North America but I reckon good value Down Under.

When micro four thirds was announced in 2009, there seemed to be a lot of promise. A small camera with interchangeable lenses and a fairly large sensor, able to be carried anywhere, and able to do just about anything a DSLR could. It took a few years, but the Olympus E-M5 was the camera that tipped me into that system, and I have fully enjoyed it ever since. The GF1 you bought is exactly the kind of camera that micro four thirds promised in the initial announcement.

The Lumix 'standard' 14-45 is a stellar performer, I also have the zoom which I believe is 45-150 but I shamefully admit I've not yet used it as I'm not tele visual. During the Covid lockdown those of us who live out of Melbourne found it difficult to go to the city (med apps excepted, there weren't many places open for us to shop in anyway) so I went to country areas (Ballarat, Ararat, Castlemaine, Bendigo) to check out the local scenes. The sharpness and colors of those Lumix lenses rally impressed me.

Obviously, those Lumix lenses may be somewhat inferior to the upmarket Leitz versions (in this I may be wrong and my cynical nature makes me say they are probably as good as the so-called German versions, but I have no proof of this so I will say no more, ha!) but they make truly wonderful images in their own right.

From what I understand, the Leica branded Panasonic lenses are not designed by Leica, but they have to meet certain standards to bear the Leica name. Panasonic has had a long history of collaboration with Leica. I wouldn't say that the Leica branded lenses are the optical equivalents of their German counterparts - a lot of testing suggests that the Sigma designed Olympus f1.2 Pro primes are as good as, perhaps better than the equivalent Panasonic Leica lenses - but overall they are very good quality, and worth buying if you can get them at a good price. Being a skinflint, I don't buy anything at retail if I can help it!

Olympus makes superb little lenses which would go perfectly with your GF1. The 17mm f1.8, 25mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 have excellent image quality, and it at some stage in the future your budget allows for one, grab it.

I will again be in southeast Asia from next month and I'm tempted to take the GF1 and the two lenses. These days I'm trying to move away from using my FF Nikon DSLRs and my (too many) lenses as the kit is heavy and at my age I prefer to travel more lightly.

In the summing up to all this I will say I would happily have bought Lumix Leica lenses if I could afford them. The 9mm would be 18mm in '35' terms which has long been my favorite lens to use. But realistically I will make do with my Lumix 14-45.

The 9mm is on my GX85 more often than not, usually coupled with the Olympus 17/1.8 for a more natural focal length. In a month I'll be at a a cousin's wedding, and my kit will be:

Panasonic S5 with 50mm f1.8
Leica M9 with Distagon 35
Panasonic GX85 in a small shoulder bag with 9mm and 45mm f1.2 Pro

The full frame bodies are light enough to be carried without too much issue, and the GX85 with 9 will do all the wide angle work I could want. To be honest, I could probably shoot my cousin's wedding with just the GX85 and a few fast lenses, but I prefer the convenience of another body or two with fast primes.

 

[Archiver]

On the weekend, I was away for a birthday, and took the time to go to a few places like the Museum of Australian Democracy, at Old Parliament House in Canberra. The walkaround kit was the GX85 with Olympus 17/1.8 and Panasonic 9/1.7, and the Leica M9 with Distagon 35. In gallery spaces, I used the GX85 with 9mm the most, as it was able to capture wide expanses of exhibits and rooms very easily. I was very impressed with the image quality of the 9mm, very sharp and not much distortion. The sharpness is way better than my copy of the Olympus 12mm f2, and I might check out a Panasonic Leica 15mm f1.7 to be a slightly wider companion to the 9mm.

This is a recreation of the office of Bob Hawke, Prime Minister of Australia in the 80s. He proclaimed that during his term, no child will live in poverty. Big promises that weren't exactly fulfilled.

GX85 - The Office of Bob by Archiver, on Flickr

 

[Rick Waldroup]

Somewhat drifting away from the original posting by the OP, but a few random thoughts.

The Lumix lenses are also good. In 2020 I picked up a Lumix GF1 as a walkabout camera, it came my way at a bargain price and I decided to go with the flow and try to move away from my heavier Nikon and Fuji kits, so I bought the Lumix, the EVF, two lenses and a small bag of accessories, for AUD $300 (<US $200), maybe expensive to you lot in North America but I reckon good value Down Under.

The Lumix 'standard' 14-45 is a stellar performer, I also have the zoom which I believe is 45-150 but I shamefully admit I've not yet used it as I'm not tele visual. During the Covid lockdown those of us who live out of Melbourne found it difficult to go to the city (med apps excepted, there weren't many places open for us to shop in anyway) so I went to country areas (Ballarat, Ararat, Castlemaine, Bendigo) to check out the local scenes. The sharpness and colors of those Lumix lenses rally impressed me.

Obviously, those Lumix lenses may be somewhat inferior to the upmarket Leitz versions (in this I may be wrong and my cynical nature makes me say they are probably as good as the so-called German versions, but I have no proof of this so I will say no more, ha!) but they make truly wonderful images in their own right.

Since our lockdown ended and Covid has sort of moved into history (let us all hope forever), I have mostly shelved the GF1 and in fact I've thought of selling it, but its value is so low that I decided it was not really worth the aggravation of dealing with Ebay. This month I've looked at many of the photos I took with it, mostly on walks in Ballarat in Victoria (Australia) which is a most unique and interesting place to visit with a camera, and I am amazed at the quality of what the GF1 makes.

A friend has described it as "a mini Leica"which interestingly is what the late great Ernie at Camera Lane in Melbourne called my Rollei 35 in the 1980s.Sadly, I sold this camera. I now look at what Petronius here at RFF does with it, and I miss it.

I will again be in southeast Asia from next month and I'm tempted to take the GF1 and the two lenses. These days I'm trying to move away from using my FF Nikon DSLRs and my (too many) lenses as the kit is heavy and at my age I prefer to travel more lightly.

In the summing up to all this I will say I would happily have bought Lumix Leica lenses if I could afford them. The 9mm would be 18mm in '35' terms which has long been my favorite lens to use. But realistically I will make do with my Lumix 14-45.

Along with a couple of GX9 cameras, I own three GF1 bodies and still shoot them today. They are quirky but beautiful little cameras that are a bit limited by today's standards, but I still enjoy shooting with them. I mainly use them with the Pana/Leica 25mm and 15mm lenses. I also shoot the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 lens which is super sharp and contrasty. I just ordered the 9mm and I can't wait to get it. It should be a lot of fun.

 

[Archiver]

Along with a couple of GX9 cameras, I own three GF1 bodies and still shoot them today. They are quirky but beautiful little cameras that are a bit limited by today's standards, but I still enjoy shooting with them. I mainly use them with the Pana/Leica 25mm and 15mm lenses. I also shoot the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 lens which is super sharp and contrasty. I just ordered the 9mm and I can't wait to get it. It should be a lot of fun.

Congrats on your upcoming 9mm, I'm sure you'll love it. I've never tried a GF1, but I have a GM1, which was one of my most used casual cameras for quite a while. Paired with the Olympus 25mm f1.8, it is very compact and punches way about its weight.

 

[Archiver]

Another GX85 + 9mm photo, this time at the National Gallery of Victoria. The 9mm is perfectly suited to gallery shooting, capturing huge expanses of gallery space and architectural lines.

Next month, I'll be on one of my annual City photowalks; I've taken many cameras and combinations on these annual walks, including the compact Panasonic LX7 and Sigma DP1, the tiny Panasonic GM1 + Olympus 25mm, the Leica M9 with Elmarit 28 and Summicron 50, the Ricoh GR with 21mm adapter. Last year, it was the GX85 + 9mm and 25mm, as I bought the 9mm that day and started shooting with it immediately. This year, it will most likely be the Panasonic G9 with 9mm and Olympus 17mm.

GX85 - Ascending Angles by Archiver, on Flickr