Panasonic Redesigns and Replaces the Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8
Panasonic has announced that it has redesigned and replaced the previous Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 II ASPH with a new Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH POWER O.I.S. for the Lumix G Series Micro Four Thirds cameras.
Equivalent to a 35mm 24-70mm, the new 12-35mm f/2.8 replaces one of the company’s most well-known and best lenses and is what Panasonic says is a display of its continued commitment to the development and support of the Micro Four Thirds system. The new lens incorporates an optical image stabilizer (hence the O.I.S.) but is still compact and lightweight.
The new lens is constructed of 14 elements arranged into nine groups, which includes four aspherical elements, one ultra extra-low dispersion (UED) optic, and one ultra high refractive index (UHR) element that Panasonic says combine to achieve high optical performance.
Specifically, the company says that the glass material of the UHR lens element is newly updated with higher transmittance to achieve greater natural color reproduction. Additionally, Panasonic says that the unique nano surface coating provides effective antireflection and allows the lens to produces clear and sharp images.
The filter diameter is 58mm and the lens uses a 7-blade circular aperture diaphragm.
“Due to its thin coating with nanometer-level microstructure and an ultra-low dispersion ratio, the reflection of the entire wavelength of 380 to 780mm, including visual light range, are reduced. Together with a newly adopted light-shielding part, occurrence of ghost and flare is minimized,” the company says.
Panasonic says that the lens also features a shorter focusing distance of 0.15 meters (about 5.9 inches) at the wide end with a larger magnification ratio of 0.21x (at 17mm) compared to the original which had a 0.25-meter (about 9.8 inches) minimum focusing distance and 0.17x magnification ratio.
The company also claims that the lens has fast, smooth, and silent autofocus capability thanks to a system that allows it to work at up to 240 frames per second. Since Panasonic cameras are quite adept at video capture, the lens is also designed with a a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing and includes a micro-step aperture control for smooth exposure change.
The new Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH POWER O.I.S. will be available in February a href=”https://www.adorama.com/ipc123528.html?kbid=67085″ rel=”norewrite sponsored”>for $900.
