Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Nocticron H-NS043 43mm

Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Nocticron H-NS043 43mm

Panasonic
55 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony
92 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Nocticron H-NS043 43mm

72 out of 100 low confidence 5 reviews

The lens is praised for its sharpness, portrait capabilities, and video performance, with users loving the f1.2 aperture and build quality. However, one verified reviewer reported severe autofocus issues on Panasonic cameras, calling the lens unusable for autofocus. The mixed feedback on autofocus reliability and close-focus distance are the main drawbacks.

Pros
  • Excellent sharpness at f1.2
  • Great for portraits and video
  • Solid build quality
  • Aperture ring feature
  • Good value when discounted
Cons
  • Severe autofocus issues on Panasonic
  • Unreliable autofocus for portraits
  • Heavy lens for walk-around use
  • Close-focus distance limited to 1.6ft
  • Potential quality control issues with refurbished units
👍 Image quality 4
🤔 Autofocus reliability 2
👍 Build quality 2
👍 Portrait performance 3
👍 Video performance 2
👎 Weight 1

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

82 out of 100 high confidence 117 reviews

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
  • Effective optical image stabilization
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
  • Not ideal for low light photography
  • Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
  • Some copies may have quality control issues
  • Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
👍 Image quality 35
👍 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👎 Vignetting 6
👎 Low light performance 10
👍 Zoom range 25

Scores

Budget
Panasonic
57
Sony
96
Street
Panasonic
64
Sony
89
Portrait
Panasonic
59
Sony
89
Travel
Panasonic
48
Sony
89
Wildlife Sports
Panasonic
57
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Panasonic
68
Sony
82
Landscape
Panasonic
53
Sony
76
Professional
Panasonic
64
Sony
74
Macro
Panasonic
54
Sony
68

Specifications

Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Nocticron H-NS043 43mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typeprimezoom
Focal Length Min42 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max42 mm135 mm
Elements1416
Groups1112
Aspherical Elements2★1
ED Elements12★
CoatingNano Surface Coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/16f/3.5
Min Aperturef/1.23.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades9★7
Build
MountMicro Four ThirdsSony E
Formatmicro-four-thirdsAPS-C★
Weather Sealed✗✗
Weight0.43 kg0.33 kg★
Filter Thread67 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF Typestepping motorLinear motor★
Stabilization✓✓
Focus
Min Focus Distance500 mm450 mm★
Max Magnification0.1x0.29x★

Pros & Cons

Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Nocticron H-NS043 43mm

  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Strong optical (80th percentile)80th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (79th percentile)
  • Below average user sentiment (17th percentile)17th %ile
  • Below average macro (28th percentile)
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong aperture (83rd percentile)83rd %ile

Verdict

★ Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Scores 92 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 6 of 21 specs.

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports