Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 Asph review – Verdict

With its fine optics and robust metal construction, there’s a lot to like about the Summilux 12mm f/1.4 Asph. Its fast maximum aperture should please Micro Four Thirds users who like to shoot in low light, while its robust dust and splash-proof construction will appeal to landscape photographers who need a lens that can perform outdoors in less than perfect weather conditions. Likewise, its fast and silent autofocus will be a benefit for wideangle documentary shooting.

There are a couple of small concerns, though. For example, the manual-focus ring isn’t especially tactile, and while the aperture ring is really nice to have, it’s disappointing that it still won’t work on Olympus cameras. But the biggest stumbling block is the price – £1,199 feels like an awful lot to pay for this lens, especially when Fujifilm’s similarly fine 16mm f/1.4 costs two-thirds of the price. However, Micro Four Thirds users willing to stump up the cash are unlikely to be disappointed by the lens’s performance.