Panasonic unveils telephoto zoom lens
PANASONIC’S latest telephoto zoom lens, the Leica DG Vario- Elmarit 50-200mm f/2.8- 4.0 ASPH, is the newest in the manufacturer’s series of f/2.8- 4.0 Leica optics.
The new lens offers a zoom range of 100400mm in 35mm terms, and is being targeted towards wildlife, sports and action photographers. With a wide aperture, portrait photographers may also find the lens useful.
Compatible with both the 1.4x Teleconverter and 2.0x Teleconverter, you can extend the lens’s maximum reach to either 560mm (equivalent) or 800mm (equivalent), thus making it even more valuable for wildlife photography.
Featuring a total of 21 elements in 15 groups, the lens system consists of two Ultra Extra-low Dispersion (UED) lenses, two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) lenses and two aspherical lenses, all designed to reduce distortion and aberrations. Panasonic’s Nano Surface coating is also included to minimise ghosting and flare.
Power Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) is on hand to help combat camera shake, working in conjunction with Dual IS and Dual IS 2 when mounted on Panasonic Lumix G cameras.
With a rugged design, the lens is dustproof and splash-proof, and freezeproof down to -10°C. In addition, the lens can be used with Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras, but may not have exactly the same functionality.
The Leica DG VarioElmarit 50-200mm f/2.8- 4.0 ASPH joins the Leica 8-18mm f/2.8- 4.0 and 12- 60mm f/2.8- 4.0, meaning focal lengths from ultra-wide to telephoto are now covered by the series. It will be available to buy in metallic black, but a release date and price have yet to be revealed.