Panasonic has pulled the covers off a new telezoom built for the brand’s full-frame mirrorless cameras such as the S1 and S5. The LUMIX S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 MACRO O.I.S. features the L-mount, which means it can also be used on Leica and Sigma cameras, too.
Built round a ‘17 lens elements in 11 groups’ design that includes one UED (Ultra Extra-low Dispersion) lens and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses to combat chromatic aberration and improve image quality. The focal length of 70-300mm will prove versatile and lend itself to everything from tighter portraits to wildlife, sports and general travel photography.
The compact and lightweight lens tips the scales at just 790g and also benefits from rugged build – in fact there is dust and splash resistance to enable the lens to be used in harsh conditions and will operate in temperatures down to -10 degrees. What’s more, the fluorine coating on the front element repels water and oil and the front element features a 77mm filter thread allowing filter holders to be added to the lens.
The LUMIX S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 MACRO O.I.S. also benefits from Panasonic’s O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabiliser) technology, which combines with the IBIS in Panasonic’s S-range full-frame cameras to deliver 5.5-stops of compensation. This will prove useful in low light conditions and when the lens is used at its longest focal length and both can be factors in introducing camera shake into your frames.
Despite the longer focal length, the lens features an impressive minimum focusing distance of just 54cm and a 0.5x magnification (at 300mm), enabling the lens to fill the frame with smaller subjects. What’s more, a 11-bladed iris design will deliver impressive bokeh.
Lastly, because the LUMIX S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 MACRO O.I.S features focus shift and delivers fast, quiet focusing, the lens is also suitable for video use too. Available from May, the lens will be priced at $1249.99 / £1259.99.
