The aspherical elements have been produced at ultra-high precision to minimize the onion-ring effect by using mould processed at a tolerance of 1/100,000th of a millimetre. One of these elements are positioned just behind the aperture ring to control spherical aberration while softening the back blur. The other aspherical element is placed at the back, closer to the lens mount, to control rays of light to achieve edge-to-edge sharpness. The focusing lens group generously features eight elements including one aspherical element and two ED elements to achieve advanced image-resolving performance across the entire focusing range. Axial chromatic aberration is minimized to create soft and beautiful bokeh with subdued colour tones. This has enhanced the quality of bokeh, which is a characteristic of large-aperture lenses used on a large-format sensor. High refractive elements that suppress aberration fluctuation, typically used in cinema camera lenses, are used as the front element and also in the focusing group to reduce aberration. This controls spherical aberration and reduces performance shifts that occur with the movement of the focusing group to maintain advanced image-resolving performance regardless of focusing positions.

The lens has a normal focal length of 55mm (equivalent to 44mm in the 35mm film format), making it highly versatile in all shooting situations. Users can enjoy the full appeal of the large-format sensor in genres ranging from casual day-to-day snapshots to street photography that captures how the main subject relates to the background, taking full advantage of the large maximum aperture of F1.7.

The GF 55mm F1.7 R WR uses a DC motor that precisely controls the focusing group containing the aperture unit and eight elements that provide advanced image-resolving performance and beautiful bokeh. The motor allows the lens to autofocus on the subject quickly and accurately, even when shooting with a shallow depth-of-field, to ensure users capture decisive photo opportunities.

The lens barrel is weather-sealed in nine places to ensure dust and weather resistance, and the ability to operate at temperatures as low as -10℃. This means users can enjoy the lens with peace of mind to take photos outdoors in light rain or in dusty outdoor places. The use of ultra-high-precision aspherical elements and optimized lens design mean this lens only weighs 780g and measures 99.3mm in length despite being a larger-aperture large-format lens with the maximum aperture of F1.7. This reduces users’ strains in walking around with the lens mounted on a camera, adding an extra sense of mobility as a standard walkaround lens.