Shooting the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 lens

Sometimes working for Panasonic puts me in the right place at the right time. The latest experience was in Los Angeles where we were showing a pre-production version of the Leica 15mm f/1.7 lens for Micro Four-thirds cameras. I borrowed the lens for a night to try it out and somebody casually mentioned that they needed it hand carried to Las Vegas for the WPPI show a few days later. Needless to say I volunteered.

I figured it was safest to keep it on my GX7 so off I went to shot with it for three days. This is a pre-production sample and didn’t have the final firmware. I immediately noticed the contrast and sharpness when I looked in the viewfinder and it shows in the final images. This is Leica quality.

I currently shoot with the Lumix 14mm and 20mm pancake lenses. I think the 15mm is going to replace my 14mm as soon as it’s available in late May for $599. If you’re a street photographer like me and like fast, fairly wide-angle lenses take a look at the 15mm.—Mark Toal