Panasonic Leica 10-25 mm f/ 1.7 In-Depth Review

Panasonic Leica 10-25mm 1.7 is the fastest zoom lens from Panasonic/Leica. How is it's build quality, image quality (sharpness,vignetting,CA,flare,distortion..etc)? Could this be a great lens for videographers or vloggers? How does it compare to the Leica prime lenses and what are the pros and cons of this lens? We'll talk about all of these in this review.
My Review blog with all the comparison photos, sample photos: www.photobyrich...
Instagram: / photo_by_richard
Facebook: / photobyrichard
Music:
Intro Music - Special Thanks to LYL Music / itslylmusic
Vlogging Background Music - Special Thanks to Floyd Cribb / prodbyflo

[@prabhakarrao4922]

Kiora Richard. So nice to catch someone local (Auckland) putting up such an awesome review. Thank you very much.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Kia Ora! Prabhakar! Thanks for watching and might bump into you on street :)

[@kiwijinxter]

Thanks for this excellent review, Richard! I'm primarily a stills shooter. As someone who has prime lenses but end up being lazy about changing lenses, this is PERFECT! I'll be picking up this lens next week. Very excited. This, paired with my EM1 Mk3 is going to be perfect. Along with the superb Olympus 40-150mm 2.8 Pro and some little primes, I'm all set for all types of shooting. Appreciate your detailed review which was instrumental in my decision. Thanks!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

glad you like the review and enjoy the 10-25!! it's one of the most unique lens for m43 shooters!

[@kiwijinxter]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks totally agree with you!

[@RyanWoo]

I come here to watch about this lens, not only I got your very well informative testing and opinions and I found that you are great photographer! Those shots are very nice!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey Ryan, glad you enjoy the review and my photos too! Thank you for your kind words

[@jamielloyd8396]

I like it! Not going to replace my primes but I think it could be a nice addition when I don't want to carry many prime lenses!

[@seanmcd72]

it's HUGE

[@SashaPoberailo]

only for weddings i guess

[@mediamannaman]

Richard, thanks for your thorough review. I have watched a few reviews of this lens, but none better than this one.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you my friend. Glad you like the review :)

[@Astrotripper2000]

Very nice, thorough review. Kudos for getting it under the night sky and doing a star test. Overall, looks very impressive. As expected. Too bad it took Panasonic so long to come up with it. It really should have debuted together with GH5. I would then probably resist the temptation of a SpeedBooster and Sigma 18-35. Which proved to be a bit too heavy for my taste. This Panasonic looks much more reasonable to me. And such a nice bokeh. Glad to see Panasonic not ignoring this aspect (although generally, their Leica branded lenses do good in this regard, so nice to see this lens follows that trend).

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you astrotripper!!

[@TonyMacina]

In the same way Tokina with the 14-20 f/2 and Sigma with the classic 18-35 and 50-100 f/1.8 made APS-C viable in terms of bright aperture zooms to take on the f/2.8 full frame beasts, I think does the same for M4/3. Only half a stop difference of background blur, but lighter and with great video capabilities in the manual focus clutch and the aperture ring. Plus cheapish 10 or 12 bit options with Panasonic or BM cameras.

[@peterlemke3468]

The APSC Sigmas both were optically great but the 18-35 especially had autofocus issues on Nikon bodies. I can attest to that.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Would you want to replace your prime lenses with this Leica 10-25mm f/1.7? If you are a videographer, do you think this is the ultimate lens for your micro four thirds camera?

[@mandobaron]

Yes and yes. Thanks for the excellent review. Do you know when they will be released? I've got mine on preorder.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi baron I think release is this month? But I can't say for sure. Panasonic has told me but I am reviewing a few lenses so might have mixed up the date

[@mediamannaman]

This lens would be the primes that I do not have (except for a 30mm macro). I really would love to have this lens, but it will be hard to justify the premium cost. I shoot real estate photography mostly between 7 and 10 mm. But sometimes I do video, and sometimes I shoot stills outdoors where I don't need to go so wide, and this lens would be super.

[@SashaPoberailo]

i have 25mm and 12mm.. i've think about 10-25mm only for weddings.. but l don't shoot it now

[@casperhedegaard1627]

I am a panasonic user with gh5, g9 and gx80 and own 8-18, 12-60 leicas and the Olympus 40-150 Pro. This lens looks really sharp. Sadly the lens seems useless for video. The chromatic abberation is horrible in the scenes, where you are walking around. Look at the trees! I was hontestly tempted to buy this lens. But after watching this video, I think not! My old canon camcorder HF10 does better than this lens!

[@MrTorstenSchmidt]

Thanks for your excellent review Richard!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Torsten!

[@richardsmeele]

Great delivered review Richard. Appreciate it.

[@JohnSoh]

Gear reviewers usually post very uninspired pics but some of these sample pics are amazing! They're easily the best I've seen in a lens review video! The video thumbnail could be better tho =/

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey John, thank you! Yes I always want to capture some mice photos for my reviews when time allows! Re the thumbnail, what or how could I improve?

[@kennethsmith3103]

Thanks for the excellent informative review Richard!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you for watching Kenneth!

[@bdfrankmeow]

Very impressed by the IQ of this one . It seems like some photographers, including me, might have to reconsider the main reason to be in M43 being the small size of lenses . I agree it replaces at least 2 primes in the bag but it is still much heavier and noticeable on the body . As always, it depends on what you are comparing it too and what kind of situation.

[@markshirley01]

4 primes that use - 20mm 24mm 35mm 50mm (full frame equivalent).

[@TheFaustianMan]

You are a prince of youtube reviews. The best! I am so happy I subbed to you!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Oh thank you for such kind words. And thanks for watching my video again

[@funkygentleman7370]

Can you have a look at the lens whether it makes vignettes if you use 2 filters when 10mm focal length? I am about to buy diffusion and vnd filters together.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

sorry i no longer have the lens. Already returned it to Panasonic.

[@tonymaxey2274]

Thank you for this excellent and very thorough review. I have the primes you mention and before I watched this review had thought I would not have a good use case for the 10-25. Your review along with the comments about travel as well as videography are causing me to reconsider purchasing this lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Tony! Sorry about your wallet

[@davidsyw1]

Excellent information Richard. I've listed my PL 12mm f/1.4 for sale. I have and prefer the PL 15mm f/1.7 which I find to be sharper than the PL 12mm. I don't have a 25mm prime and the PL 10-25mm zoom would fill that want. The lens is so much heavier than my other MFT lenses. The price is rather high for me, so I'm still pondering.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey David glad you like the review. It's a hard decision for sure but it's well worth the price and weight imho.

[@biawa849]

Incredible lens, thanks for sharing, Richard

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Liam!

[@phaselead_dj]

An awesome review! This lens is truly a beast.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you dj_eos!

[@LEXPIX]

Nicely done. Quite a comprehensive review.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you LEXPIX!

[@sflxn]

What caused the wobbly background when you were walking, doing the vlogging test?

[@fansofER]

sflxn ibis causes jello effect at wide focal lengths... when I use my Laowa 7.5mm/f2 for video I must disable ibis

[@TheRealRichardWong]

IBIS trying to fight the camera shake with wide angle lens.

[@MichaelSchagen]

The only thing that I could criticize this lens for might be the quality of it's bokeh. On the examples I have seen so far it appears a bit harsh, with sharp edges, therefore giving a somewhat restles background. Possibly the result of every other aspect being so highly optimized. Besides, you normally wouldn't get a wide angle if you're looking for creamy bokeh. So all in all a very impresive lens, and a very good review too btw.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Very fair comments Michael! And thank you for watching

[@GabeCuello]

I loved this video and am soo getting this lens. Question, how realistic or comfortable is holding this lens (with a G9) for Vlogging while traveling or during movement (facing environment/self)?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It is fine. It does get slightly heavy if you have to hold it for a long time. But for vlogging where you usually hold it for just a few minutes at most it is perfectly useable. MUCH MUCH BETTER than when i tried to do that with a S1 and 24-105... my arm can't hold it more than a minute haha

[@mannyva01]

hmmmm.... i am curious to see this lens on the new Olympus OM-D E-M1X..... and what results it can provide ...... hopefully you can make a video on that .....

[@pirukapekka]

Nice review, i guess aperture ring works only with panasonic bodies.. Have You tryed on some? Olymp or BM

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Raul, thank you! No I haven't try this lens on Olympus or BM body, but previous experience with Leica / olympus body suggest me the aperture ring will most likely not work

[@CamMead]

Looks like an incredible lens, great review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks you Cam!!

[@peterlemke3468]

Thanks for your detailed and informative review Richard. The lens clearly delivers though it will hurt your back pocket. From the photos l saw the accompanying lens hood appears a little dinky. A longer one would have been preferable. Does the lens take filters like the Panasonic 8-18 and would it be better for landscape use than that lens?

[@anthonyjames7106]

Good job Richard... Do you know if this lens works well on the BMPCC 4k in regards to auto focus? Been looking for a fast wide zoom for the P4K and this could fit the bill nicely.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Anthony, sorry haven't try it with the BMPCC 4k so can't answer this question. If it works well with other lenses then I would assume it work well as well?

[@anthonyjames7106]

@@TheRealRichardWong No worries... Had a few issues with some lenses not working correctly with the P4Ks very basic auto focus system... I will check it out myself when I get a chance. Cheers.

[@jonlaidonlie]

what focus mode were you on during your vlog test? thanks!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

From memory just the face detection mode that's what I usually use for vlogging test

[@jonlaidonlie]

@@TheRealRichardWong ty!

[@jonlaidonlie]

@@TheRealRichardWong looking to replace 8-18, 15/1.7, and 25/1.7 with this lens, it was helpful!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Glad it helps! yes i think it would be great lens to replace all your three lenses. You do lose 8-9mm but gains a lot other advantages

[@TeaJayPhotography]

Great review as always!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

thank you Tea Jay!

[@vehicleztv]

I didn't notice any vingetting in the footage like you showed on the grey card but I was watching on a phone and maybe didn't notice it. You said it was noticeable are did I misunderstand

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes there is some quite noticeable vignetting from f/1.7 up to around f/2.8. can other people see that in my example?

[@peterlemke3468]

@@TheRealRichardWong Yes the vignetting was clearly visible even on my mobile screen.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Peter. Sometimes screens a bit tricky when checking image quality, I noticed there are times I see some artifacts clearly on one screen but not on another. So want to make sure my MacBook screen is not too crazy

[@snippephotography1913]

i tryed this lens last week on my GX8 its a great lens for the bigger m4/3 camera's the GX8 is the smallest body to use this lens, the gx8 is not a lightweight body its realy nice for the 10-25 on a g9 or gh body this is the one you need.

[@eirjordan337]

i definitely dismissed this lens at first, but now it does seem to make a lot of sense. I think I might sell the 8-18 for this one...along with most of the primes too... not to mention the 25mm F1.4 I HATE that lens hood...so it actually takes up a lot of space...

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I don't mind the 25 1.4 lens hood it looks nice ;) but I get what you mean its not reversible and make the lens a lot bigger

[@Astrotripper2000]

About that distortion. What software did you use to convert the raw file? I own the Leica 12mm and it suffers from severe barrel distortion that is clearly visible if not corrected. And I know that because I use a third party raw developer and had to make my own lens profile for it as the lens was not supported by it. And the photos you show are definitely distortion corrected.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi astrotripper, I used lightroom to convert with all the correction turned off. I also turned off all the correction (the one I know of anyway) settings in camera too in case some camera bake those into the raw file. So not too sure.

[@truevilmeow]

@@TheRealRichardWong MFT lenses have forced correction profiles in Adobe products, MFT is simply too small to not distort at such wide angles.

[@slothlovechunk]

@@truevilmeowthis doesn't look very small

[@Astrotripper2000]

@@TheRealRichardWong Like truevilmeow mentioned, you cannot turn off distortion corrections for MFT lenses in Lightroom (and some others). And the corrections are not baked into the raw file. The image data is always uncorrected*. The correction matrix is stored in the EXIF inside the raw file and this is the information that is used by Lightroom to correct the distortion. Some other software use their own lens profiles (DxO being one of the commercial ones) and allows you to control the corrections. I use open source Darktable to process my raw files and it uses open source Lensfun library and gives you full control over the process. This also allows you to use your own lens profiles. *Note that for some bizarre reason, shading compensation function on Olympus cameras actually applies vignetting correction to the raw data. Creating pretty nasty artifacts in some cases. And making third party lens profiles useless (unless they can account for the baked in correction). It's a really nasty surprise for raw shooters.

[@alantay9409]

Excellent review. Fair and honest. Thank you.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Alan!!

[@abbaab4562]

Please, Richard, could you please test and let us know whether this lens is parfocal or not?? Thank you in advance

[@Biosynchro]

That's a very good question!

[@abbaab4562]

Karim Ghantous , and for those who are wondering the answer of this question, please take a look at Golden Liang's review at 9:52 or The Hybrid Shooter's review at 5:59

[@ubarhd1]

Very informative video thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching :)

[@marc6652]

Thanks for sharing. The disadvantage with this zoom lens is that you carry the weight all the time. For travel I use a 12-40 Olympus, more versatile, much lighter and cheaper than the 10-25. And for street photography I have a 25mm f:1,4 Panasonic, not bad but not amazing, so I wonder if I'll not replace it by the 30 f:1,4 Sigma witch is better in many way. At the end, I don't know who is this zoom lens for.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

If you only need one focal length , prime is lighter and smaller. But a lot of people carry 2,3 or 4 primes, the zoom will be lighter, take less space and you don't have to change lenses all the time :)

[@markshirley01]

So you don't do any interior work or architecture. The 10 (20mm full frame) will take care of this.

[@BarryMaskell]

No brainer really $679 - 25mm f1.4 (200g) $649 - 15mm f1.7 (115g) $1,599 - 12mm f1.2 (335g) $1,379 - 8-18 f2.8 (315g) ----------- $4,306 vs $2,799 for the 10-25mm 985g vs 690 g 4 lenses vs 1 lens OR 25mm + 15mm + 12mm $2,927 (650g) - 3 lenses

[@ClevelandTerry]

Barry Maskell your prices are a little high but yes, still a no brained, but I have all those lenses so it’s a little harder.

[@BarryMaskell]

Cleveland Terry Bowens Terry sorry that’s Aussie dollars from one of the camera stores on line

[@ClevelandTerry]

Barry Maskell oh, got it! :-)

[@truevilmeow]

Did you stabilize this footage? The vlog test makes me feel pretty sick with all the shake/pulsing in the background. Looks like the ibis is fighting the lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hi there, no i didn't stablise the footage in post.

[@MichaelSchagen]

IBIS never works well in combination with wide angle lenses. These lenses stretch and warp the corners. When the sensor then also starts to shift, tilt and pan due to IBIS, it gives strange unnatural looking effects. In theory they could correct some of it digitally in camera but I suspect they don't do this or only very limited. Possibly it is too complicated to do properly real-time. When shooting this wide you might also want to try turning IBIS off. The remaining motion which shouldn't be much anyway will look more natural and be less distracting.

[@KwasnikPictures]

That's a beast! Bokeh looks great too!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes it's a BEASTTTTTT!

[@hankroest6836]

17:20 "You don't have to use a Speedbooster in between which would degrade the image quality quite a bit..." You think they degrade the IQ? I have heard the opposite (from more reliable sources).

[@skysne]

just bought the sigma + viltrox, I'm really disappointed (Autofocus, Sharpness, Vignetting ). haven't tried the metabones yet.

[@ulriklindroth2796]

Very nyce i will be getting one soon....

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Enjoy! I am sure you will love it

[@matthewmockovic]

Nice one Richard

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Matthew!

[@aviza12]

How does this lens compare with the 8-18 leica lens?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I haven't done direct comparison, but it's a constant f/1.7 so it's more than 1-2 stop faster than the 8-18.

[@aviza12]

@@TheRealRichardWong Technically speaking, that's true. But I couldn't find any side by side sharpness comparison of these lenses!

[@TravelsByTrike]

Thanks, Richard! Cool review and lens - thanks for doing this. I recently purchased the G95 and don't have any primes. For 6 months of the year I go on a cycling trip somewhere in world and would love to travel with just 2 lenses. This 10-25mm lens would be a big purchase, a lot more than the G95 camera, but do you think it would be an efficient lens for travel? I also bought the 50-200mm and was thinking to travel with only these 2 lenses. The 10-25mm and 50-200mm are both weather-sealed but quite heavy lenses and I'm worried they will be too much for walking around lenses. But, I suppose, you either carry the weight on the camera or in a bag hanging on your back. Do you think I could get away with traveling with just these 2 lenses? Thanks again and keep up the good work. I always trust your reviews.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I think 10-25 + 50-200mm should cover 99% of travel photo. I can imagine there maybe some photos you need wider than 10mm. But you can always do multi-shot then stitch them in post, or use the panorama feature.

[@artistjoh]

The aperture ring is definitely video Iris focused. Perfect for exposure control in changing light. But for stills it would be better to set the ring to A and control aperture from the camera body. As a videographer I think this lens is perfect. 10-25mm is an ideal range. For vlogging it would work best with the Olympus E-M1 III for the great AF and brilliant 7 stop stabilisation.

[@uhu4677]

I really wish, they would make a 10-25mm with just f2.8. Or that they'd make more constant aperture zoom lenses in general. There are not many for MFT sadly.

[@andrenj1970]

Rysiek dobra robota:)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you!

[@andrenj1970]

@@TheRealRichardWong did you understand what I wrote Rich or get google translator etc;)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Google translate haha I do have a few good friends who speak polish

[@andrenj1970]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thank You Richard, first I saw you months ago on 43rumors, your videos are getting better and more detailed that's what most of us expect:) God Bless check out my site too please: fineartamerica.com/profiles/andre-vernacchia.html?tab=artwork&page=5

[@strongereveryday2302]

Wish I could afford it...

[@ryankwan1934]

So. Damn. Tempted. It's on sale for $1,700 in Canada, but I already have the 12-100 f/4. Uuuuugh.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Very different lens though one is f/1.7 and one is f/4

[@ryankwan1934]

@@TheRealRichardWong Oh, I know, but I already have the 12 f2, 15 f1.7, 20 f1.7 and 25 f1.4. For what it's worth, I pulled the trigger on it and will be selling a few primes over the holidays.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@ryankwan1934 I think you will be happy with your decision.

[@SashaPoberailo]

it's huge!!!!

[@frankfeng2701]

Wide angle lenses are usually cheaper on FF. You can pick up a 17-40L new for $500.

[@rebw9800]

But the 17-40L has quite plasticky build quality, isn't that sharp at all, has bad focus breathing, and no dedicated focus ring..etc While this Leica seems to be as solid and perfect as you can possibly see

[@theeventguru]

If only they had put stabalisation in the lens this would have been the best lens with nothing missing in it.

[@andrenj1970]

I also have a wish to see this lens to compare to my and other's people work horse: olympus 12-40 f2.8, mostly the image quality, yes we lose the 80mm here but gain the wide angle of 20mm from 24 and the aperture from 2.8 to 1.l7 wow. Also wanna get the new coming up olympus 150-400mm lens:) please check out my webosite: fineartamerica.com/profiles/andre-vernacchia.html?tab=artwork&page=5

[@rarjay3965]

Thanks for the useful review. Pronounced D’CLICK’t not D-CLICK-ED :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for the feedback!!!

[@nerdMike]

Finally a fast zoom.. But.. Why not a 12-35 F 1.7, a bit short and expensive this lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I think maybe because they want to do something a bit different for videographers as well as photographers? Personally I love the extra 2mm on wide end more than the 10 mm on Tele end. What do you guys think?

[@JeremyHalterman]

I would have much preferred a 12-35 f/1.7, and while I don’t know much about the physics of lenses, I wonder if that narrower focal length range would have made OIS feasible as in the 12-35 f/2.8. That said, I hope they add a 25-50 f/1.7 or even f/1.7-2.8 to close the gap between this and the 50-200 f/2.8-4.

[@kaizen9986]

Panasonic we need 17.5-75mm f2.8-f4

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Even if it's a huge lens? :)

[@MyWuffi]

Once upon a time ... there was a tangible advantage in size of the m43 system over any other system. Today however m43 has become a preposterous system composed of ridiculous cameras (omd em1x) and crazy lenses both at an outrageous price point. No wonder so many people predict the death of m43.

[@finnillson4808]

Somehow it has changed? Nah, man. Best IBIS, world class video features, size and weight advantage (even with this “big” lens). Compare it to a 16-35 f2.8 full frame lens. If you don’t like this lens there are all those other lenses still around when micro 43 wasn’t “ridiculous”. Your argument doesn’t hold any weight.

[@rebw9800]

The bigger camera and lenses just an extersion of the product range as the product line starting to become very mature. There are still small lenses and small camera, people are complaining Panasonic make the GX9 too small and prefer the larger GX8. The Leica 12mm, 15mm are all very small.

[@A1Bokeh]

Just don’t buy this lens or those cameras. Duh stop whining

[@MichaelSchagen]

That is because there are always people comparing the output from the m43 system with output from ff systems and then complain they are different. But if you want ff results, you need ff size and weight glass even if you then put it on a m43 body. You can't cheat with the physics. If you want ff results all the time, you are better off with a full frame system. If you generally want m43 results (great ibis, great video with little rolling shutter, less power consumption etc and good enough stills for many applications with small lenses and bodies) and ff results occasionally, m43 gives you the option to have both. Just pick the right lens (and body) for the job. edit: To be honest, Sony has shown that you can also have small ff bodies, and slow FF lenses can generally also be a lot smaller than their faster FF alternatives. So for me, the only true benefit of m43 compared to ff is video. It is not without reason that professional videocamera's have always had smaller sensors in bigger bodies then professional stills camera's and that hasn't changed. Again, physics.

[@BarryMaskell]

Sold my Nikon FF - my back has thanked me ever since and I no longer need big hands and biceps to operate it and abuse from the public has been reduced significantly