Foritshigh-endMicro Four Thirds
lineup,Panasonic has teamed up
withLeica,andthe resultant models
aredesignedtothehighest standards. As the
equivalenttoa 100-400mm zoom, you won’t
findanythingquitelikethis lens in Leica’s
cataloguethough.Likeothers designed for the
MicroFourThirdsmount,it’s a fraction of the
sizeofitsfull-frameequivalent. It’s so small it
caneasilyfitina smallishjacket pocket.
Witha similarcosmeticappearance to
Leica’sTLlensrangeandwith the prestigious
nameemblazonedonit,you would expect it to
bewell-made,andit is.The exterior is mainly
metal,thezoomandfocus rings are smooth
inoperation,andthesingle barrel extension
feelsfirmandsecure.It even has a hood with
a decentlockingmechanism.
FreeofanL-shapedtripod foot, which is
perhapsunnecessaryanyway on a lightweight
zoomlikethis,it hasa simple, minimalistic
look.Panasonic’sDualISstabilisation system
workswellincombination with the Lumix G9
wehadinfortesting,andit’s easily on par
withrivals,if notbetter.Autofocus is very fast
inbrightsunlight,butit will hunt when light
levelsdroporwhenusingit at close to the
minimumfocusingdistance.
Asfortheimagequality, it’s seriously sharp
attheshorterandmid-focal lengths, with low
fringinganddistortionfrom the built-in profile.
Likemosttelezooms,there’s a slight drop in
contrastandresolutionatthe longer end.Panasonicextends its Micro Four Thirds lens range with this telezoom
PRICE:£1,499/
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-
200mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS
Smallandlightweight, with effective
stabilisation, this is an incredibly versatile lens.
Image quality is excellent, particularly up to
the mid-focal lengths, but it’s not cheap.Overall
Left
Longer focal lengths
Like most telezooms, overall image
sharpness falls a little at the longer focal
lengths but it’s still pretty impressiveLeft below
Distortion
A built-in profile is used primarily to remove
pincushion distortion, and likely accounts for
thelowweightandcompactdimensionsTechnicalspecs
Manufacturer^ Panasonic
Model Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS
Web^ panasonic.com/uk
Elements/construction^ 21/15
Angle of view^ 24 to 6.2 degrees (horizontal)
Max aperture^ f/2.8-4
Min aperture^ f/22
Min focus distance^ 0.75m
Mount^ Micro Four Thirds
Filter size^ 67mm
Length^ 132mm
Diameter^ 76mm
Weight^ 655g/$1,69 8
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