Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. (H-FS45150)

This Panasonic telephoto zoom spans 45–150mm on Micro Four Thirds cameras. The long end makes distant subjects its natural territory. Children on a sports field, birds in the park, or performers on a stage all suit 150mm. At 45mm it works for tighter portraits and candids.

The lens dates from 2012, so it is an older design. Its main trade-off is light gathering, because the maximum aperture shrinks as you zoom toward 150mm. The light build makes it easy to carry as a second lens alongside a standard zoom.

At 7.1 oz (200 g) and 2.87 in (73 mm) long, it adds little weight to a small Micro Four Thirds body. A screw-in filter attaches directly to the 52mm front thread, and any polariser or ND filter must match that size.

The two ends of the zoom serve different framing decisions. At 45mm the lens continues naturally from the long end of a standard zoom, so the step up feels familiar when a subject comes closer. At 150mm it makes distant subjects larger, from wildlife to architectural detail across a street. A rotary zoom ring adjusts framing by hand.

The maximum aperture changes as you zoom. It opens to f/4 at 45mm and closes to f/5.6 at 150mm. In daylight this costs little. In dim rooms or at dusk, you will need higher ISO settings or slower shutter speeds. Seven aperture blades shape the rendering of out-of-focus highlights behind a subject.

The small aperture also limits background blur at the short end. At 150mm the longer focal length still softens a background enough for a portrait subject to stand out. The effect is strongest with the subject close and the background far behind.

Closest focusing distance is 3 ft (90 cm). That suits head-and-shoulder portraits and animals that stay wary of people. You can also shoot across a garden path without crowding the subject.

MEGA O.I.S. is the main feature here. It steadies the camera for handheld shots, helping most at 150mm, where small movements show more in the frame. It counters camera shake, not subject motion, so a running player still needs a fast shutter speed.

Because the stabilisation sits in the lens, it also works on camera bodies without stabilisation of their own. Beyond that, the feature list is short. There is no weather sealing, so keep rain and spray off the barrel during outdoor shooting. There is no zoom lock to hold the barrel at a chosen focal length.

The features specification scores 15 out of 100 on this page.

Two aspherical elements use specially shaped surfaces to help correct optical faults, including distortion and spherical aberration. That helps where straight edges matter, such as a fence line behind a portrait subject. One low-dispersion element helps reduce chromatic aberration, which shows as coloured fringes along high-contrast edges like branches against a bright sky at the long end.