DxOMark have just tested the Panasonic Leica-DG 25mm f/1.4 lens for Micro Four Thirds and it does well against the Canon and Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lenses, even though this Micro Four Thirds version is not as sharp as the incredibly sharp Four Thirds version (the Panasonic Leica D 25mm f/1.4 lens).
Of course the depth of field wide open will only be similar to that at f/2.8 on these full frame lenses but otherwise performance is not too different, as they have similar light gathering and the local blurring of an f/1.4 lens, indeed the increased DOF wide open can be used to advantage for environmental portraits in low light.
Brief summary of the tests:
- sharper wide open and a f/2.0
- much less vignetting
- more distortion (1.5%) and CA but still well controlled
The full frame kits have the advantage of the benefits of a full frame sensor but when used on the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 the Panasonic lens effectively gains 5EV of 5-axis image stabilisation.
Following the earlier tests on the Olympus 12mm and 45mm lenses, this further supports the iage quality available in Micro Four Thirds without the weight size and expense of dSLR systems.
