I purchased this because the price was attractive and I wanted to add a fast portrait lens to my micro four-thirds camera bag. This lens is an excellent value; the images are sharp and clear even at the widest aperture. The autofocus performance is fast and accurate.

The lens is wonderful and it came on time as expected ... but ... the hood on the lens didn't fit the lens - and I didn't realize that the vendor I purchased this from is in Japan so I'm guessing getting a replacement or returning it has about as much chance me winning the lottery.

excellent bit of extra distance; good quality glass for a reasonable price. carry this one and the 20mm with my gx80.

I was really excited when I saw the annoucement of this lens. Finally some competition to Olympus's 45mm 1.8 lens but with an huge added bonus, Image Stabilization! This was a surprise as this has similar features to Panasonic's most expensive lens, the 42.5mm F1.2 O.I.S but for 1/4 of the price.

"after reading the following i shouldn't need to say anything about this lens! in the usa: image resources ranks this lens as,""a lens of distinction"" in its list of best prime lenses of 2015 with the following comments, ""image quality is fantastic with tack-sharp IQ across the entire frame.

This lens is an absolute gem - super sharp, OIS, small, light - a bargain short telephoto prime with decent close focus abilities. Optically, it's excellent and my sample tests the same as SLR gear's review so it seems build quality might be reliable too, although the clanky rattle of the OIS when...

SLR Gear review is dead on; It's a great lens

No aperture ring; OIS mechanism rattles when powered off

A tiny, stabilized prime that renders beautifully.

Sharpness; stabilization; size and weight

Noisy diaphragm occasionally

This is absolutely great portrait and low light lens. It is a really great addition to several Panasonic zooms that I own. The lens is great for portraits, gives nice bokeh and wonderful separation of the subject and background. Very nice and fast focusing in difficult lighting conditions.

Compact; Easy to use; Exceeded expectations; nice appreture beautiful bokeh

It is the first time I buy lenses for my camera, and I did not know which one to choose. After buying this product I realized that this lenses keeps the picture quality and it is perfectly adaptable to my camera. Thank you Panasonic for creating such lenses!!

The Panasonic LUMIX G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. is a very good portrait prime lens, offering a fast maximum aperture with effective image stabilisation in a tiny yet solidly-built package.