Panasonic LUMIX G MACRO LENS, 30MM, F2.8 ASPH, MIRRORLESS MICRO FOUR THIRDS, MEGA OPTICAL I.S, H-HS030 (USA BLACK)

I ordered this lens a month or more ago, and it came yesterday, so this is not a long term use review. I have put it through its paces though and can give an opinion. If you want a lens that you can use to take pictures of tiny jumping spiders that are so detailed you can see the hairs on their bodies and all of their eyes; this is not the lens for you. If you want a macro lens for getting better close up shots of flowers and small objects, and that you can use without a tripod then this lens deserves a look. This is probably not the best lens for butterflies and other larger insects though unless you find some that don't mind having the lens pushed rather close to them. On my GX7 set for auto white balance colors are rendered accurately in daylight and with an external diffused flash attached to the camera.I do have various close up filters and extension tubes that can be used for macro photography, and enjoy using them, but this is much more convenient as it can focus both close and far away. The instruction sheet says because of the focus range is from around four inches to infinity the lens may focus slower than some. It might, but so far focus speed has been fine.ProsStabilizedSimpleEasy manual focusAccurate color renderingShort focal length allows for hand held macro photographyConNo included lens hood. Which may not matter for macro work but would be nice for general use. A screw in hood will work I'm sure.Edit: the pictures I attached did not stick for some reason. Sorry. They looked nice. As will yours.

Even though it's a macro lens. I think it's great lens for both landscape and close-up. Images come out clear & crisp. Most importantly, the OIS feature of Panasonic lens makes all the difference in the world if you're also using a Panasonic body. (My sample images here were taken with a Lumix DC-G95)

great lens for taking pictures of jewelry def worth the upfront investment. it even works with the autofocus on the camera if i click the button to take a picture it automatically focuses. better for close pictures but no complaints so far

Another excellent lens from Panasonic. If not equal, it is very close to the sharpness of the 20 1.7 with much faster focus. On the GX7 it grabs quickly with no hunting, even at very close macro. Color and contrast are rich. Build is impressive for its cost. Stabilization is very effective hand-holding up close. The only disappointment is the lens cap can not be fitted with a shade threaded on. Not a biggie for me as I use shades for physical protection on all of my lenses.

I had considered buying the Panasonic 30mm f2.8 macro lens earlier, but since I already had several lenses that worked very well with various two-element achromatic close-up lenses attached, I hesitated at the original price. When the price briefly dipped considerably, I eagerly bought this rather nifty little macro lens. My first impression was that it was very good - but the first sample I got was slightly softer left to right in the frame, with a lower right corner that was a bit soft even at mid stops, so I returned it for an exchange. The second sample of this lens was well-aligned and very good to the corners even wide open at f2.8 (this is unusual...). Additionally, this lens has unusually low out-of-focus CA, something VERY desirable with a macro lens. Also, this lens is very good with infrared photography, which most lenses are not. As others have mentioned, as a result of having a short focal-length (for a macro lens), when focused nearly or at 1:1 (with a 17.3x13mm field coverage at 1:1), the front of the lens is VERY close to subjects! All things considered, at full retail price, this lens is a good buy, and at the price I paid, I consider this lens to be one of those lucky "steals"...! Highly recommended!More lens reviews (with samples) are here: http://www.david-ruether-photography.com/MFT-Lenses.htm--DR

I'm not a pro but I've been taking fine looking macro shots with this lens. And I record YT video of small things and the image quality seems great to me. I hope I never drop it...

I've been using a 40 year old 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor and a stack of adapters on my MFT cameras while waiting for a lower priced macro lens to come out. When I saw this one for under $300 and read the reviews, I decided to quit waiting and buy it. As you can see from the photos below, I'm still getting used to how this lens focuses, and controlling the depth of field, but overall I'm very pleased with it. Sharpness and contrast are excellent for a camera in this price range, and you can get larger than 1:1 images if you get close enough. The autofocus has problems locking on to a small object that's some distance in front of a background, but you can use manual focusing to get around that. All the photos below were shot hand held, so you can expect sharper images and better control of focus if you use a tripod.At 30mm, the effective focal length is close to that of my trusty old Micro-Nikkor, which is to say it's good if you can get very close to your subject. I'd really like a longer focal length, both to be able to get close ups of subjects that are farther away and for the reduced aberrations that come with increased focal length (Nikon's sharpest lens was the 105 Micro--Nikkor). I image that eventually I'll save my pennies and buy the Olympus or the Leica/Panasonic, but for now I'm very happy with the results I'm getting from this lens.

Lense Wouldn't focus . So I returned it to seller. They denied ever receiving it. Now I'm out 400. Truly Sub par service