While the lens has a fair degree of barrel distortion in its optical design (which is to be expected, as the M43 system prioritizes compact size), distortion is fully corrected for, digitally, in the camera's JPEGs and/or in your Raw converter.

It does well in all aspects of our studio tests, and produces fine images in a wide range of situations while also focusing quickly, silently and decisively.Still, at 100%, you can certainly spot some purple and green fringing in the out-of-focus regions on the left side of this image, in the vines and stems. One reason it was popular then was that all cameras came standard with a 50mm because it could be made fast and cheap and therefore mass produced. According to DxOMark, this lens isn’t as sharp as its predecessor, and we sort of feel the same way. Still, a while ago there appeared a second version of this venerable lens, which we have now tested.

which balances perfectly with the hood attached but the lens has ( broadly known and reported) decentering issue. According to Panasonic, the use of 2 aspherical lenses ensures that chromatic aberration is minimized. I would be surprised if people could tell a lens is 50lp/ih shaper in isolation and possibly even with side by side testing. I suppose it can blur backgrounds better, but then again the FL is not what I would use for blurring.ASPH was announced earlier this month as the natural companion to the compact Lumix DMC-GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera, alongside a Leica-branded 45mm F2. If you’re happy to live with this (focus is also slow for photographers), then you’re rewarded with a take anywhere pancake lens that can change a smaller Micro Four Thirds camera into a pocketable camera you want to take with you everywhere you go. And I was not the only one experiencing this, there is at least one YouTube video explaining the issue.