I think every photographer who loves prime lenses knows that three lenses are often all they need. Each brand has so many of them — so which ones do you get? Luckily, you’re reading an article from the photography publication that has reviewed the most lenses in the real-world. And some of our favorites are from LUMIX. If you’re going to pick three lenses, we think you should pick these.
This piece is presented in partnership with Panasonic LUMIX. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the products in this post already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key lenses to choose from.
Why You Should Trust Us
The Phoblographer has been doing real-world photography gear tests longer than any other photography publication currently run. We also have the largest database of real-world lens reviews, amongst other things like straps, camera bags, lights, accessories, and more. Here’s why that matters:
- AI Can’t Do This Job: These days, other publications do roundups, sometimes using generative AI. That’s the same as a person researching products and then making a decision without actually trying it. All of our reviews and guides are written not just by humans but by working photographers — not AI. Computers don’t use cameras, so why would you trust AI to recommend cameras for you?
- Research and Practical Experience: Here at the Phoblographer, humans consult on what roundups to do with guidance from an editor. Then, a human goes through our database of reviews and selects the best products based on our own internal research. The human creating the roundup has practical experience with photography gear and will apply their knowledge of what’s best to the already human-based experience provided in our reviews.
- We Block AI Bots: The Phoblographer blocks indexing bots from reading our site, so what’s here can only be read here.
How We Test and Choose the Best Three Lenses for LUMIX
- The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
- If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others.
- In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like depending on how they shoot.
Lumix 26mm f8: For the Street Photographer
The LUMIX 26mm f8 is an incredible lens that forces the photographer to think more about the scenes they’re shooting. And for that, we’re absolutely in love with it. We live in a world where companies want AI to think for us, but lenses like this organically make us create images that are authentically human.
In our review, we state:
To understand this lens, you have to understand film photography. The incredible street photographer Daniel Arnold quotes someone else when he says that film is a conversation with failure and digital is a conversation with success. But this lens is a conversation with learning how to make the most of your failures. Some of the images will be soft due to various things. Sometimes it might be shutter blur while at other times the focus will just be off. But are you willing to admit that your work doesn’t always have to be so incredibly sharp?
Lumix S 35mm f1.8: For Everything, Really
The LUMIX S 35mm f1.8 has quickly become one of our favorite lenses. The field of view, autofocus speed, image quality, and weather resistance are some of the best things about it. Plus, it’s lightweight and a lens that you want to bring with you everywhere. The best thing to do with it is to use Real Time LUT and find some classic film presets, then overexpose the scene by just a little bit the way you would with film. Mix that with a warm white balance, and honestly, you might not even need to edit your photos.
In our review, we state:
With the ability to focus up to 0.8 feet away, the Panasonic S 35mm f1.8 offers pretty reliable performance. It rarely missed while shooting landscapes. On action coming towards the lens, it missed a shot or two but was consistent with what I would expect from a wide-angle lens mounted on the S5.
Lumix S 50mm f1.8: For Candids
The LUMIX S 50mm f1.8 is what we reach for over the company’s very good 50mm f1.4 LUMIX S PRO. We choose this because it’s lighter, fast to focus, and much more affordable. To be honest, we think it’s one of the best nifty 50 lenses on the market.
In our review we state:
Of course, this is a nifty 50. So it’s easy to use. Put the Panasonic 50mm f1.8 S on any L-mount camera, and it should perform very well. There’s a focusing switch on one side. So, make sure you don’t accidentally hit this. But in all my time using the lens, that didn’t happen.
Lumix S 85mm f1.8: For the Portrait Photographer
The LUMIX S 85mm f1.8 is known for being one of the sharpest lenses that the L-mount alliance makes. But it’s not only great for portraits because of that. It’s also wonderful for candids, sports, wildlife applications in some situations, and product photography.
In our review, we state:
The Panasonic 85mm f1.8 has nine aperture blades and a beautiful, creamy bokeh. For what it’s worth, I really like it. I think most photographers will really like it for the price point. Is there better bokeh? Yes, but not for this price point.
Picking the Right One For You
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Can you live without the best quality?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.