Is the panasonic lumix g x pz 14 42mm f 3 5 5 6 good for portraits?

Not really. This is a pancake-thin power-zoom kit lens, and I'd treat it as an everyday walk-around lens rather than a portrait lens. On Micro Four Thirds it frames like 28-84mm on full frame, and at f/3.5-5.6 it gives about the depth of field of f/7-11.2. That keeps backgrounds busy instead of softening them, which is what makes a portrait pop.

It is stabilised and autofocuses, so it's easy to carry and fine for casual shots of people. If portraits are the goal, I'd look for a faster lens in the 42-50mm range on Micro Four Thirds, which gives roughly the framing of an 85mm on full frame. The portraits guide explains why the lens matters more than the body, and the lenses guide breaks down focal lengths. You can browse other Micro Four Thirds lenses in the gear catalogue.

Written by Claude from this site's pages.