Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH - the Low Light King?

I was lucky to have this incredible Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH Prime Lens, send to me from Panasonic New Zealand, last Friday. I discovered this Leica branded 24mm Eq wide angle beauty is not even in the NZ shops yet!  WOOHOO!!

Don't let anyone tell you this is a "small lens', it is NOT, it is solid, chunky and heavy. In Leica tradition, very well made.

It is also Panasonic's widest and BRIGHTEST 24mm Eq M43 weather-sealed, auto-focus super-wide.

Auto focus is very fast and you can switch to manual focus in a flash and oh.. you also get a clickable APERTURE RING that will make the Leica fan boy grin!

To enjoy all these features will set you back a cool NZ$2,300!

To make all those features possible and to achieve the ultra bright light collecting quality, the lens is comprised of 15 elements in 12 groups, including two aspherical lenses, two UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) glass and an ED (Extra-Low Dispersion)
element!

The weather has not been kind, I was busy trying to test the other just as expensive Panasonic Leica branded lens anyway.

The Tuesday winter weather turns sunny, but I concluded that the best way to test this 24mm Eq optics is AT NIGHT, LOW LIGHT, afterall, it is designed for that purpose, no?

So at 9.30pm, after picking up Le General from her line dancing, we did a short drive to my favourite "lens-test location", the Oversea Terminal area.

All the shots were done at F2, a stop from F1.4. Speed was between 1/15, 1/8. ISO800.

While waiting for my wife... Willis Street at night, shot through my car windscreen. F2 and 1/15.

The OST car park and a selfie, my friend was commenting that I took TWO parking lots! Ha ha ha.. the place was empty ;)

A couple walking past their million dollar seafront apartment, they were trying to avoid my lens, sorry, too late.

This was where the Oversea Terminal use to be, the apartments here cost more than a million NZ$ each.

A cyclist cycles pass the marina.

Apartments owners walking their dogs at night, rich people, rich dogs.

Finally, this was taken from the car park of my "lens-test-vista", below is the crop.

I don't know about you, but I am bloody impress by how this lens render the shadow detail at night!

Famous Last Words...

It is very easy to fall in love with this Japanese/German beauty, I love the aperture ring where I can set my desired F stops just like lenses used in my prime, I love the "night performances of this very wide lens.

Where can I find NZ$2,300?

NEXT... Summilux 12mm.. the Second Take