Panasonic launches the tiny Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 Marco O.I.S
The latest Lumix S lens is a tiny 7.1x zoom with 6.5 stops of OIS and half-size macro, in a body only fractionally bigger than the Lumix S f/1.8 series says Damien Demolder
Even though the focal range extends by 7.1x from 28-200mm, the lens itself only extends from 94mm to 140mm, so it remains quite compact the whole time
If you thought full frame lenses had to be big and heavy, think again. Panasonic has launched a 28-200mm f/4-7.1 7.1x zoom lens that will cover everything from wide open vistas to shy wildlife and it’s only eleven millimetres longer than the Lumix S f/1.8 50mm lens. In fact, it fits in perfectly with the whole Lumix S f/1.8 series as it is almost the same size, it takes the same filters and accessories and it’s made to the same design.
Not quite as small and lightweight as the current series of f/1.8 prime lenses, the new 28-200mm is not far off, and matches well with the series of compact zooms already in the Lumix line-up
The new lens joins the series of miniature zooms for the S series alongside the Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 and the Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6, each of which combines light weight and compact design with surprising macro capabilities. Videographers will also be glad to know that not only does the new 28-200mm f/4-7.1 share the same 67mm filter thread as the 20-60mm and all the other f/1.8 lenses in the series, but also it pairs very well with the 14-28mm on a gimbal. Balance your 28-200mm at the 75mm focal length setting and it will remain balanced throughout the zoom range of the lens, and you won’t need to adjust your gimbal when you switch to the 14-28mm. And with built-in Optical Image Stabilisation working with your in-camera stabilisation, you know your footage is going to be extremely smooth.
Here you can see how the new lens physically compares with lenses in the existing series. It is bigger than the 100mm and the 20-60mm lenses, but given the focal range you’d expect it to be much more so
A micro-step controller in the iris makes sure too that aperture changes are made in increments small enough that the audience won’t notice what’s happening, and jerky brightness adjustments will be avoided. The controller also ensures the changes in maximum aperture are evenly measured across the entire focal range of the lens, so we don’t hit f/7.1 as a maximum aperture until we get to the 195mm setting – and not before.
The shift in maximum aperture is evenly spread across the focal range so a reasonably wide aperture is maintained right up to the longest settings
The aperture uses 9 blades to create a nice rounded iris for the creation of attractive out-of-focus areas, and it closes down to f/32 at the 28mm end of the zoom, and f/45 at the 200mm extreme – offering really extensive depth-of-field for front-to-back focus. Four Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) elements are used in the construction to ensure best resolution throughout the zoom range, while an Ultra High Refractive (UHR) index element and an aspherical element help to keep the whole construction small and free from chromatic errors.
Like the new Lumix S 100mm f/1.8, this 28-200mm macro lens has toned down markings around the front element. You can see here how it compares to the regular text on the 20-60mm. The idea is that darker text is less likely to reflect in the surface of the subject when working close up
We have two control rings on the lens – the larger one for the zoom and the smaller one for manual focus. As with many lenses for the S series, the behaviour of manual focus ring is customisable
As it is a very small lens – generally as well as for its focal range – the new 28-200mm f/4-7.1 makes a great match for the smaller S series bodies, such as the Lumix S5llX shown above
In-lens optical stabilisation combines with in-body stabilisation to give us 6.5 stops of extra head-room when choosing shutter speeds for stills photography. For video this means we’ll get wobble-free footage even when we’re using the long end of the zoom
The lens comes with a petal lens hood that serves to protect the front element from stray light at the widest and the longest focal length settings. The hood is reversible, so clips on backwards for more compact storage
The lens will go on sale in April with a price of £899/€999.
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