Panasonic LUMIX G H-HS043K 43mm
Combining a bright f/1.7 aperture with built-in POWER O.I.S. stabilization, this 42.5mm prime delivers sharp results even in low light on Micro Four Thirds bodies. Its featherweight 130g build and 0.20x magnification make it a discreet, versatile tool that doubles as a capable close-up lens. This lens is best for street photographers and portrait shooters who prioritize a compact, stabilized setup with flattering subject separation.
Snapshot
The 30-Second Version
The Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 is a tiny portrait powerhouse with best-in-class bokeh and built-in stabilization. It's not the sharpest lens wide open, but the autofocus is fast and silent, making it a killer value for both stills and video. For around $400, it's one of the easiest recommendations in the Micro Four Thirds system.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Incredibly light and compact, you'll forget it's on the camera. 95th
- Built-in stabilization is a lifesaver for handheld video and low-light stills. 93rd
- Bokeh is smooth and creamy, way above average for a lens at this price. 92nd
- Autofocus is fast, accurate, and dead silent for video. 88th
Cons
- Not weather sealed, so be careful in rain or dust.
- Optical quality is just average, with some purple fringing wide open.
- The 37mm filter thread is an odd size if you already own a filter collection.
- Minimum focus distance is a bit long, so don't expect close-up detail shots.
What owners think
The Word on the Street
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
- Q2 2021100/100
All four reviews in Q2 2021 praise the lens for its image quality, low-light performance, bokeh, and value, with enthusiastic wording across different cameras.
- Excellent image quality and value for the price.
- Great low-light performance.
- Nice bokeh and lightweight design.
- Works well with different camera bodies (G95, BMPCC 4K).
- Q1 202183/100
Buyers praise this lens as excellent value, sharp wide open, fast to focus, and well-suited for video and low light.
- Excellent value for the price, often called unbeatable.
- Sharp wide open and fast focusing.
- Works great with BMPCC 4K and for video.
- Compact and lightweight design.
- Q4 202087/100
Buyers praised the lens as great value, fast, and sharp, though some noted image quality falls short of a higher-end Leica model.
- Great value and best price; buyers satisfied with cost-to-quality ratio.
- Fast and sharp lens, ideal for outdoor shoots.
- Good but compared unfavorably to Leica 25mm for color and detail.
- Solid design, lightweight, and focuses closer than similar lenses.
- Q3 202090/100
Buyers praise this lens for portraits, sharpness, and value. It's a versatile prime that stays on the camera, with fast autofocus and smooth manual focus.
- Excellent for portraits, sharp colors, and great value for the price.
- Lightweight, compact, and stays on the camera; good build with metal mount.
- Focus by wire is smooth but some find it basic; decoration ring and hood are cumbersome.
- Included UV filter degrades image quality; lens hood is too large.
- Q2 202088/100
Buyers praise this lens for its sharpness, image quality, and value, especially as an upgrade from kit lenses. One beginner noted limited versatility.
- Excellent sharpness and image quality for the price, especially on BMPCC 4K and Olympus cameras.
- Great value for beginners upgrading from kit lenses; low-light performance and bokeh praised.
- One beginner found the lens not very versatile, recommending a more flexible option for newcomers.
- Autofocus on Olympus E-M10 Mark II is very slow for video shooting according to one user.
- Q1 2020100/100
Buyers praised the lens for low-light performance, sharp portraits, and compact size, with all reviews giving 5 stars.
- Excellent low-light performance with crisp images
- Sharp, high-quality portraits and glamour shots
- Compact and portable, always in the bag
- Great value for the price
- Q4 201988/100
Buyers praised this lens as a compact, high-quality prime for Micro Four Thirds, ideal for portraits and everyday carry. Some found it decent but not outstanding.
- Excellent optics and compact size, often carried as a walk-around lens.
- Great upgrade from kit lens, works well with small M43 bodies.
- Some users see it as decent but not exceptional for the price.
- Award-winning lens, praised by reviewers for portrait photography.
- Q3 201973/100
Buyers praised sharpness, low-light performance, and value, but noted autofocus noise and slow focus compared to Olympus lenses.
- Sharp images with good contrast and color, even at f/1.7.
- Autofocus is fast in good light but noisy and can struggle in low light.
- Excellent value for the price, especially for portraits and indoor use.
- Build feels plasticky and less robust than Olympus alternatives.
- Q1 201995/100
Buyers praise this lens as versatile, sharp, and excellent for low light. It is considered great value, compact, and ideal for travel and events.
- Versatile and sharp lens, excellent for low light and various conditions.
- Great value for the price, often recommended as a must-have.
- Compact and lightweight, ideal for travel and everyday carry.
- Fast and quiet autofocus, suitable for video and live events.
- Q4 201882/100
Buyers praised the lens for its sharpness, bokeh, and value. Some noted autofocus issues and poor video stabilization.
- Sharpness and bokeh quality are highly praised.
- Excellent value for the price, considered a bargain.
- Autofocus is unreliable; manual focus recommended.
- Poor video stabilization, especially on a stabilizer.
- Q3 2018100/100
Buyers rave about this lens's fast autofocus, excellent low-light performance, sharpness, and bokeh, calling it an essential micro 4/3 lens.
- Fast autofocus speed praised across multiple reviews.
- Excellent low-light performance due to f/1.7 aperture.
- Great bokeh and image sharpness noted.
- Highly recommended as a first micro 4/3 lens.
- Q2 2018100/100
Buyers praised the lens for its sharpness, fast focus, and clear image quality at a good price.
- Sharp image quality at maximum aperture
- Fast and accurate autofocus performance
- Good value for the price
- Compact and well-made design
- Q1 201887/100
Buyers praised the lens for its sharpness, compact size, and value, though some noted plastic build and focus noise.
- Great value for a fast prime lens, especially on sale.
- Sharp image quality with good bokeh and low-light performance.
- Compact and lightweight, ideal for travel and portraits.
- Focus-by-wire operation and audible clicking noise during autofocus.
- Q3 201783/100
Reviewers praise the value, low-light performance, and sharpness-for-price, though one notes softness compared to higher-end lenses.
- Great value for the price, especially on sale.
- Compact and lightweight design appreciated.
- Sharpness good for price but not top-tier; soft vs. premium lenses.
- Good low-light and portrait lens with pleasing bokeh.
Based on 102 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Sharpness is solid in the center wide open, and stopping down to f/2.8 cleans up the corners nicely. Autofocus is quick and nearly silent thanks to the stepping motor, which makes this a sneaky good lens for video work. The built-in Power O.I.S. stabilization is a real bonus, especially on older or unstabilized Panasonic bodies. Bokeh is smooth and pleasing, ranking among the best in our database. The main optical weakness is some longitudinal chromatic aberration in high-contrast scenes, but it's easy to fix in post.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Optics
| Type | Prime |
| Focal Length Min | 42 |
| Focal Length Max | 42 |
| Elements | 10 |
| Groups | 8 |
| Aspherical Elements | 1 |
Aperture
| Max Aperture | f/1.7 |
| Min Aperture | f/1.7 |
| Constant | Yes |
| Diaphragm Blades | 7 |
Build
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Format | micro-four-thirds |
| Weight | 0.1 kg / 0.3 lbs |
| Filter Thread | 37 |
AF & Stabilization
| AF Type | stepping motor |
| Stabilization | Yes |
Focus
| Min Focus Distance | 310 |
| Max Magnification | 0.20x |
vs Competition
Stacked against the Sigma 16-300mm or Tamron 18-300mm superzooms, this Panasonic is in a completely different league for portraiture. Those zooms are versatile but slow, while this prime is all about subject isolation and low-light confidence. The Meike 50mm f/1.8 is a cheaper manual-focus alternative, but you lose autofocus and stabilization. And compared to the much pricier Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.2, this f/1.7 version gets you 90% of the look for a fraction of the cost and weight.
| Spec | Panasonic LUMIX G H-HS043K 43mm | Nikon NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8 | Tamron Di III 28-75mm f/2.8 VXD G2 | Sigma Contemporary 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN | Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM | Sony FE SEL2070G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focal Length | 42mm | 17-28mm | 28-75mm | 10-18mm | 28-70mm | 20-70mm |
| Max Aperture | f/1.7 | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | f/22 | f/4 |
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds | Nikon Z | Sony E | Sony E | Canon RF | Sony E |
| Stabilization | true | false | false | false | true | false |
| Weather Sealed | false | true | true | true | true | true |
| Weight (g) | 130 | 450 | 540 | 260 | 495 | 488 |
| AF Type | stepping motor | Stepping Motor | VXD | Autofocus | STM | Autofocus |
| Lens Type | prime | zoom | zoom | zoom | zoom | zoom |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | AF | Bokeh | Build | Macro | Optical | Aperture | Versatility | Social Proof | Stabilization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panasonic LUMIX G H-HS043K 43mm | 87 | 92.4 | 92.7 | 37 | 47.4 | 95.2 | 33.6 | 87.9 | 83.2 |
| Nikon NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8 Compare | 87 | 88.1 | 73.6 | 86.3 | 87 | 85.8 | 68.1 | 64.6 | 38 |
| Tamron Di III 28-75mm f/2.8 VXD G2 Compare | 54.6 | 88.1 | 67.2 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 85.8 | 78.2 | 83.1 | 38 |
| Sigma Contemporary 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Compare | 54.6 | 83.5 | 87.3 | 93.3 | 81.6 | 85.8 | 69.1 | 68.8 | 38 |
| Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM Compare | 87 | 25.9 | 70.2 | 80.4 | 85 | 22.6 | 77.2 | 87.9 | 98.5 |
| Sony FE SEL2070G Compare | 54.6 | 80.2 | 70.8 | 51.1 | 93.1 | 69.9 | 84.2 | 91.7 | 38 |
Price
Value & Pricing
Pricing on this lens is all over the map depending on where you look, with a spread of over $83,000 across vendors, which is clearly some bad data in the mix. In the real world, you can snag it for around $400, and at that price it's a steal. You're getting stabilized, fast-aperture portrait glass that punches well above its weight. If you find it for under $350 used, just buy it.
Newegg 1 offer From $398
Amazon 1 offer From $448
Adorama 1 offer From $448
Price History
Read more
Overview
Panasonic's 42.5mm f/1.7 is one of those lenses that just makes sense on Micro Four Thirds. It's tiny, weighs next to nothing, and gives you an 85mm equivalent field of view that's basically perfect for portraits. The f/1.7 aperture isn't the fastest in the lineup, but it's wide enough to blur backgrounds nicely and keep your ISO down indoors.
Common Questions
Q: Does this lens work on Olympus cameras?
Yes, it uses the standard Micro Four Thirds mount and works perfectly on Olympus bodies, though you may want to disable either the lens or body stabilization to avoid conflicts.
Q: Is the f/1.7 aperture enough for good background blur?
Absolutely. The 85mm equivalent focal length combined with f/1.7 creates very pleasing subject separation, and our bokeh score puts it in the top 9% of all lenses we've tested.
Q: Can I use this for video work?
It's actually one of the better MFT lenses for video thanks to the nearly silent stepping motor autofocus and built-in Power O.I.S. stabilization, which helps smooth out handheld footage.
Who Should Skip This
Landscape shooters should look elsewhere, this focal length is too tight and the optical performance at infinity isn't anything special. If you need weather sealing for outdoor adventure work, this lens will leave you nervous in bad conditions. And macro enthusiasts will find the minimum focus distance frustratingly long.
Verdict
If you shoot Micro Four Thirds and want a dedicated portrait lens that won't break your back or your bank account, this is it. It's a no-brainer for anyone stepping up from a kit zoom and wanting that blurred-background look. Video shooters on a budget will also love the silent AF and stabilization.
