The operation ensures aperture changes are smooth when recording so there are no unnecessary jumps in exposure and silent operation for optimum audio quality. This past fall, Panasonic made several announcements in advance of Photokina, but one that flew under the radar a bit was the addition of a very compact 35-100mm f/4-5. The inner lens barrel, which extends when put into shooting position, and extends further when zooming towards 100mm, is made of plastic. At the 35mm end of the zoom range, the lens has a diagonal angle of view of 34°, equivalent to that of a 70mm lens in a 35mm system.

I read some reviews and I saw the product photos online of course, but when I opened the small box and took the petite lens out of its plastic packaging, I was totally amazed by how small and lightweight this lens really is. In this case we see corners which are a half-stop darker than the center; at any other setting, corner shading is negligible. designed in stunningly compact metallic profile with retractable structure despite a lens with this versatile focal distance of 35-100 mm (Equivalent to 70-200 mm on a 35mm camera).Stopping down further doesn't provide any noticeable further gains, due to diffraction limiting showing up at ƒ/11. Here fringing exceeds a pixel width, which may become visible along high contrast edges if images are printed at large sizes, or harsh crops are taken from the edges of the frame.

Take a look at our sample photos to see the effect, prominent mostly in the corners and on areas of high contrast. With an optical design of 18 elements in 13 groups (1 UED lens, 2 ED lenses), the Panasonic LEICA 35-100mm f2. If one is looking for a really small, sharp, telephoto lens, for a modest investment, this is a good option. With care, the stabilisation system allows sharp shots to be taken just over half the time at 1/15sec at 100mm, which is roughly three stops slower than the usual rule of thumb would allow.

That 3 lens set exemplifies what is great about the M4/3 system – it gives me a 28-200mm range and an ultrasharp fast “standard lens” – together that covers ? The lens system comprises 18 elements in 13 groups including 1 UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lens and 2 ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) lenses. In addition to the silent operation, the smooth zoom operation allows for change of focal length with ease without compromising the situation and lighting. For those of you looking for a lightweight kit, you might want to consider this little gem very seriously.