Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit ASPH Power OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens

The Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit ASPH Power OIS is a large-aperture wide zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 24-70 mm) for the Micro Four Thirds LUMIX G Series. Achieving large aperture and integration of O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabiliser) in a compact size, lightweight profile, the lens covers virtually any shooting situation. This lens is a redesigned replacement of the LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 II ASPH., one of Panasonic’s Holy Trinity of LUMIX G Micro Four Thirds lenses, that has passed a stringent optical standard of LEICA.

The 12-35mm f2.8 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit lens is comprised of fourteen lens elements in nine groups including four aspherical lenses, one UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lens and one UHR (Ultra High Refractive Index) to achieve high optical performance. The Glass material of the UHR lens element has been updated to that of higher transmittance to achieve even more natural colour reproduction. Panasonic’s unique Nano Surface Coating provides effective antireflection coating that assures clear description. By applying thin coating with nanometer-level microstructure that features an ultra-low dispersion ratio, the reflection of the entire wavelength of 380-780 mm including visual light range are reduced. Together with a newly adopted light-shielding part, occurrence of ghost and flare is minimised.

For more versatile use, the 12-35mm f2.8 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit lens features shorter focusing distance of 0.15m (at the wide-end) with a larger magnification ratio of 0.21x (at 17mm), compared with the conventional LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm F2.8 II ASPH. with 0.25m of focusing distance and 0.17x of magnification ratio.

The 12-35mm f2.8 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit lens is capable of smooth, silent operation to work with the camera’s high-speed, high-precision contrast AF system with the sensor drive at a maximum 240 fps. It also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing, which was a fatal problem of all interchangeable lenses designed for still image photography. This mechanism and the micro-step aperture control for smooth exposure change achieve professional quality video recording. Combining with the camera’s Body I.S. and the lens’ O.I.S., Dual I.S. 2 provides effective hand-shake correction.

The external design has been refined to be worthy of its LEICA name. With its approximately 306 g compact size and light weight, the 12-35mm f2.8 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit lens features stunning mobility that Micro Four Thirds system boasts. The rugged dust/splash-resistant design withstands use under harsh conditions even at 10 degrees below zero for high mobility. The filter diameter is 58 mm, with a 7-blade circular aperture diaphragm.