I was just on Amazon and it appears they just dropped price on the 45-200 to $199 shipped !!! I have no idea how long this may or may not last.

I have read some reviews that say with the recent firmware update, this lens is now even better than it was before.

Conversely, the reviews on the 45-175 PZ haven't been all that hot.

I ordered one...... for $199 how can a guy go wrong ??? :-)

I checked tonight and it appears Amazon is sold out at this price. Hope you got yours already. :-)

The sale must be over...cant' find it on Amazon.
Please post url if possible.
Jeff

As of right now 4-15 at 8:20PM, it is still $199 on Panasonic's Facebook Fans Only Deal Page.

I paid $249 plus shipping for mine (B&H) a few months ago and consider it worth EVERY PENNY of that price I paid.

But now it's at $199 thru May 5th there too.

Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6 G Vario MEGA O.I.S. Lens H-FS045200

Go get it. Great lens!

This would seem more of a photo lens than useful for video... Can you shoot video handheld with this range? Have you used this much for video? Do you have any (video)samples you care to share?

I have used it for video outdoors. Not everything should only be shot wide. Yes you need some form of stabilization but thats true for all video cameras when you zoom in. I know a lot of people attempt to zoom in with a traditional video camera hand held but really they shouldn't and the video will end amateur looking.

The same is true with a DSLR. Need a longer reach then you need a tripod, monopod or some kind of brace. Tripod being the best option.

The only negative I have found with the lens with video is how slow it is in terms of light sensitivity. Outdoors it is perfect but indoors it can be a bit dark. I would love for it to be faster but that is a hard thing to get on zoom lenses without spending a couple grand. Even in doors during the day with decent window light I find it to work out just fine.