Wide and wider: the Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro

At the same time that Panasonic announced the Lumix S5II full frame camera it also released details of a compact 14-28mm macro lens designed to go alongside it and the other S5 series cameras. The new Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro lens is relatively small for the range and type of focal lengths it offers, and is intended to team-up neatly with the existing Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 and Lumix S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Macro to provide a set of focus lengths from 14mm to 300mm in a range of low-cost and light-weight lenses.

This new lens takes in traditional 14mm, 15mm, 18mm, 20mm, 24mm and 28mm focal lengths, giving users a six-in-one solution that will cover a massive range of subject matter. These wide focal lengths are ideal for architectural work, cityscapes and landscapes, shooting interiors and small spaces, as well as dramatic portraiture with a broad environmental context. Videographers will also be able to switch between full frame and APS-C/S35 modes to extend the reach of the lens right up to 42mm – giving an almost standard focal length view in 4K resolution at high frame rates.

The lens is very lightweight in the same way that the f/1.8 series of S lenses is, and its 345g body follows much the same style. Of course it needs two rings instead of one – for focus and for the zoom – but it is easy to see how the lenses are related. Another factor that brings these lenses together is cost – all are exceptional value for money.

Working at 14mm the lens can give scenes a great sense of depth without the distortion so often seen in such wide focal lengths

While the f/1.8 lenses and the 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses use a 67mm filter thread this lens, with its extreme wideangle focal lengths, needs a broader 77mm housing for its front element. Actually the forward element is quite small too, but the 77mm thread allows us to mount filters without them appearing in the picture when the zoom is set to 14mm. Wide angle lenses like this often can’t accept filters without special adapter systems or plus-sized threads, so it’s great that this lens can use standard and commonly-found filters and accessories.

Optical excellence

Just the right amount of tension in the zoom ring allows smooth focal length changes for closing in on a subject or for opening up the scene, while less than a quarter turn of the ring takes us from one extreme of the focal range to the other – so there’s less chance of the motion jogging the camera during filming. 

An optical design that suppresses focus breathing means objects in the frame and backgrounds will remain the same size as focus shifts from the foreground to infinity, which makes more comfortable viewing in video modes and easier alignment for dramatic focus stacks in stills mode.

This pair of images demonstrates the extremely well corrected distortion users should expect from this lens. Even at the widest focal length (left) barrelling is absent, and at 28mm (right) straight lines close the edges of the frame are rendered very nicely straight

Users will also find a remarkable lack of distortion right the way through the zoom range, so straight lines close to the edges of the frame will remain straight and not bent. The vignetting that often darkens the corners of pictures taken with such wide angles is also pleasingly absent in images made with this lens.

Shot at 26mm with the Lumix S1R

As with the majority of Lumix S lenses, the behaviour of the focus ring can be customised via the camera menu system. Users can choose whether to control the speed of manual focus transitions in a linear or non-linear manner – so whether a transition from close to far needs a full turn of the ring or a quick but short rotation. The camera menu also lets us decide the degree of rotation that takes us from the closest distance to infinity – so manual focusing characteristics can be easily tailored for the type of shot required. As you’d expect, manual focus can be selected directly from the barrel of the lens, or via the focus switch on the back of the camera.

Amazing close focus

The new Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro can focus down to 15cm from the sensor at all focal lengths, making close-up photography with no special equipment very easy. At 14mm (left) focusing at this distance gives us 0.25x life-size magnification, and at 28mm (right) we get 0.5x magnification

Another remarkable aspect of this lens is its ability to focus at very close distances. The closest focus is a constant 15cm from the camera sensor. Given the length of the lens this means you’ll be able to focus on objects about 6cm from the front element. At the widest 14mm focal length setting this gives us a macro magnification of 0.25x and at 28mm 0.5x, so the lens is ideal for getting really close to the subject while still showing a broad view of the environment in which it was found.

Close focus distances are measured from the camera sensor rather than from the front of the lens. The close focus distance is 15cm and the lens is 8.98cm long – so your subject can be as close as 6cm from the front element

If you get too close and the flower or bug you are photographing touches the front element there’s no need to worry as water and oil repellent coatings make it very easy to clean. And if you get caught in a downpour it’s reassuring to know that the lens is sealed against splashes and dust.

Part of a unified series

We are used to the idea that the Lumix S series of f/1.8 primes share a common design so that their focus ring positions match across the range. Users of this new 14-28mm will be pleased to note too that the focus and zoom ring positions of this lens match those of the rings on the Lumix S 20-60mm. It just means that when you switch one lens for the other on a video rig you won’t also have to adjust the position of your follow focus gear - so this makes life a lot easier and saves time when you’re in the thick of the action.

The focus and zoom rings of the Lumix S 14-28mm and Lumix S 20-60mm match to make switching from one lens to the other easier for videographers

Versatile tool

Used upright the drama of the wide angles allows stills photographers to gain a different perspective for their subjects

The Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro is a really flexible and versatile lens that will be useful to both video and stills photographers. With its 2x zoom range and the number of traditional focal lengths it covers it will be a vital tool for many different types of work. That the lens can deliver such a dramatic angle of view for full frame users without introducing barrel distortion makes it especially useful for those shooting man-made subjects, and even for portraits in a natural environment, and that it remains sharp and bright right into the corners of the frame allows top quality images with no extra work in post-production.

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