Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm Review: Affordable Choice

Lenses of various types are mandatory to click images of different landscapes and objects with a camera. For the Panasonic cameras, you should also use lenses from the same brand to establish a perfect combination. Before buying lenses, you must decide for which purposes you are considering purchasing a new lens.

Hopefully, the Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm review will assist you in deciding why you should choose it to be your shooting companion. In addition, you will get to know in detail about the specifications and proper usage of this lens.

What is a Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm Lens?

The LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm from Panasonic is a lens mainly compatible with the mirrorless cameras from Panasonic. It is an ASPH lens, the short form of the aspherical lens in which the surface profiles are not spherical portions. Usually, a lens with the addition of an aspheric element is vastly labeled as an ASPH lens.

It is a budget telephoto zoom lens which comes with a focal length of 45mm to 150mm. From the focal length range, it is pretty straightforward to imagine the zooming capability of this lens. This lens comes with both the focus and zoom rings in the body. The smaller ring is for focusing, and the large one is for zooming in and out.

When fully zoomed in with 150mm focal length, the lens is twice the large of its actual length of the average time with 45mm focal length.

Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm Review – In-Depth Discussion

This zoom lens is one of the commonly used ones by the Panasonic Lumix mirrorless camera owners. The LUMIA G VARIO 45-150mm is an excellent lens for beginners because of its easy functioning. You will be able to cover a vast range of distance from close to far with this telephoto zoom lens.

Now we should get going with the in-details discussion of this vastly used zoom lens:

Principal Specifications

You have already known that the lens we are talking about is a telephoto zoom lens from Panasonic LUMIX. The lens comes with the Micro Four Third System of the max format size. In this camera, the focal length starts from 45mm, but because of the crop sensor mirrorless cameras, this focal length increases.

At the same time, the maximum focal length of this lens is 150mm, which also increases because of the crop sensors. In addition, for assistance, while shooting, you will get the effective Mega OIS image stabilization system. This Optical Image Stabilization system will lessen shaking in the image and video and stabilize them.

As a result, you will be able to click images without bothering about blurring and unwanted subject movements. Furthermore, during video recording in an uneven or fast situation, the Mega OIS works perfectly to stabilize your video. The lens mounting system also comes with the Micro Four Third System.

The overall dimension of this zoom lens is 2.44 x 2.87″ / 62 x 73 mm with a weight of 200g. When using the lens with a full extension body, the lens length becomes 4.36″ / 110.8 mm. This lens comes with seven rounded diaphragm blades with a 52mm filter size in the front part.

This lens is available in only black color with no sealing available. You will find the rotary zooming method in this telephoto lens, which can be extended. But unfortunately, there is no availability of power zoom in it.

Though you will get a lens hood with the lens, no tripod collar will be available with this LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm lens.

Focal Length

The focal length determines the range that the lens can cover during image clicking or video recording. In this lens, the focal length range for you to work with is 45mm to 150mm. But the focal length is not actually 45-150mm because of the crop sensor mirrorless cameras you will use with this lens.

For example, the minimum focal length of this lens is 45mm, but the focal increases twice when you click images with it. You can only pair this lens up with the LUMIX mirrorless cameras. As all the LUMIX mirrorless cameras come with 2x crop sensors, the focal length of 45mm becomes 90mm.

On the other hand, the maximum focal length of this lens is 150mm. This maximum focal length becomes 300mm when you pair it up with the 2x LUMIX mirrorless cameras. Because of all these, the actual focal length of this LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm lens becomes 90-300mm when added with a LUMIX mirrorless camera.

Because of this focal length range, clicking images from close to far distances are simple, even sitting in the exact same place. In addition, objects from far distances will look crisp and clear because of the 150mm maximum focal length, which becomes 300mm.

At the same time, this lens will allow you to click images from a close distance because of the 45mm focal length, which is actually 90mm.

Lens Aperture and Optics

This LUMIX telephoto zoom lens provides outstanding performances during daylight because of the aperture range. The maximum aperture of this lens remains between F4-5.6, which can shoot in medium lights. But it is not that much capable of shooting in the low lights because of the lower aperture range.

At the same time, the minimum aperture is F22 which requires as much light as possible from any source close to the object. The angle of view in this lens is 27° to 8.2° with the circular aperture system. There are seven diaphragm blades present in this lens for better performance.

Because of the aperture range, it is not a great performer in lower lighting conditions. But with proper lighting during the day or enough light during the night, the performance of this budget telephoto zoom lens will blow your mind.

There are twelve elements present in this entry-level budget zoom lens for LUMIX mirrorless cameras. These twelve elements are divided into nine different groups. This lens is a combination of 2 aspherical lenses and 1 UHR lens to build a complete and top-notch performing lens.

Lens Focus

Focusing of a lens is one of the most important parts, no matter which type of lens you are using. The minimum focusing of this lens is 0.90m, which is equivalent to 35.43 inches. In addition, you will get manual and autofocus systems in this lens, which are necessary for proper indoor and outdoor shooting.

In the beginning period, the presence of autofocus system will assist you a lot. This technology automatically detects the object and focus on it. If you want to focus on the background and make the subject from the foreground blur, that is also possible with autofocus technology.

When you become quite familiar with your camera and lens, you can adjust the focusing as well. It is possible through the manual focusing technology, which can be done by rotating the small circular ring situated at the starting of the lens. It is situated just above the zooming in and out ring.

But you must avoid rotating this ribbon while the lens is on autofocus mode. The presence of the stepper motor makes this lens more friendly for beginner users. If you want, you can use this lens with your LUMIX mirrorless camera with full-time manual focusing. But in this focusing sector, there are some drawbacks as well.

You won’t find the Distance scaling technology like the high budget lenses in this LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm lens from Panasonic. Along with that, this zoom lens also lacks the availability of the DoF scaling technology.

Compatible Accessories

Along with this zoom lens, you will require some more accessories to make the lens fully efficient. You will require these accessories to ensure the safety of your zoom lens as well. Let’s see the necessary accessories you will need to pair up with your lens:

UV and Clear Filters

Your lens will have to face the direct sunlight during the outdoor shoot. The UV rays from the sunlight are hazardous for the lens body, and the light source can cause lens flares. To protect your lens and camera from UV rays, it is crucial to use UV and clear filters with your lens.

Polarizing Filters

The polarizing filters generally control reflections in your LUMIX G VARIO lens. With this lens, you can also make clouds pop effect into the images by using a polarizing filter.

Filter Kits

You will get some of the filter accessories in a filter kit package in one space. Because of it, the overall expenses will be a lot lesser than the situation when you buy these in single pieces.

Lens Hoods

For outdoor shooting, lens hoods are a must to use for lens safety. By utilizing these lens hoods, you will be able to prevent flare and glare during the shoot under direct sunlight.

Lens Caps

While shooting outdoors, you will have to use a bag to keep the camera and lenses when not capturing images. Even whenever you are not using the lens, you always keep the lens cap on to prevent unwanted situations. Thus, your lens will last a bit longer without having any stains in the glass.

Extension Tubes

Sometimes, your camera may not be suitable for this LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm lens. But you can use an extension tube or lens adapter to pair up with your camera with this lens.

FAQs

Can I use the Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm lens in rainy weather conditions?

As an entry-level budget telephoto zoom lens, it doesn’t come with weather sealing protection. That’s why it won’t be a good idea to use this lens during the rainy weather as it won’t survive there. So, try using a rain protector whenever you shoot during the rainy season.

Is it possible to use both autofocus and manual focus in this telephoto lens?

Both the autofocus and manual focus technology are present in this zoom lens. You can use both these focusing technology based on your requirement. When you are new to cameras and lenses, autofocus technology will assist you in a significant way with automatic object focusing.

You can also use manual focusing technology when you become familiar with your camera and lenses. Then you can modify and customize the object and background focusing based on your necessity.

What is the highest focal length of this 45-150mm telephoto zoom lens from Panasonic LUMIX?

From the lens name, you may think the highest focal length of this lens is 150mm. But it is not like that as the camera sensors are mostly 2x crop sensors. So, as a result, the minimum focal length of this lens becomes 90mm, and the maximum focal length is 300mm.

Final Thoughts

As a beginner, you should work with the basic zoom and prime lenses to sharpen your hand. However, if you are Panasonic or Olympus camera user, you should purchase lenses from the Panasonic brand. Going through the Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm review will make it easier for you to reach a decision.

You will also be able to acquire crucial information about the specs and usage of this telephoto lens. So, it will make your decision-making comparatively less hassle about whether to go for this lens or not.