After committing to the L-Mount Alliance with their new Full Frame offerings, Panasonic (and partners Sigma and Leica) have struggled to produce cost-effective native lenses to drive the growth of this new line compared to Canon’s RF mount. With all lenses of their new Lumix S line having a consistent f/1.8 aperture, they have started to remedy this issue. With the 50mm just released and a 35mm promised, it’s the Panasonic LUMIX S 85mm lens that has shipped first and I was extremely excited to get my hands on it. First Impression Made of a polycarbonate body with 9 elements and 8 blades the Lumix S f/1.8 feels light in the hand at only 12.5oz/355g. There are no frills to the design – a single AF/MF switch and a wide manual focus ring are the only controls. No lens IS but given the price bracket I didn’t expect it, and with the excellent IS built into the Lumix S-line of cameras I’m not sure it’s even required. It feels great in the hand and the lightweight (for reference, it’s half the weight of the Sigma 85mm DG DN Art f/1.4 L Mount) makes it a joy to use on both bodies I tested it on, which was the Lumix S1R and the smaller Lumix S5. Jerimiyah Dunbar / Lumix S1R with Lumix S 85mm f/1.8 Image Credit: Mark Tierney / CineD A portrait lens Since a full-frame 85mm is a standard portrait lens for both photo and video, I immediately...
Published By: CineD - Tuesday, 20 July, 2021