Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. Lens

Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. Lens Summary

Designed for LUMIX G Series cameras with a Micro Four Thirds mount, the updated Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. Lens is a fast aperture wide to standard zoom. Despite weighing just 306g, this compact MFT lens includes optical image stabilisation (O.I.S.) along with a wide constant aperture, which is suited to a huge variety of shooting situations. Whether you capture landscapes or naturally lit portraits in low light, this is an excellent lens from Panasonic’s holy trinity of fast f/2.8 lenses.

This updated model passes stringent Leica standards, with an advanced optical design, which includes six special elements to achieve excellent optical performance throughout the zoom range, with even more natural colour reproduction.

Panasonic has added their own unique Nano Surface Coating, a shorter focusing distance of 0.15m at the wide angle end and smooth, silent operation to work with high-speed shooting, even with the sensor drive at a maximum 240 fps. You can also capture professional quality video recording with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 lens, thanks to a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing and silent, high-speed focusing.

Key Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm Lens Features

• Redesigned micro four thirds zoom with a full-frame equivalent 24-70mm focal range
• Bright, constant aperture throughout the zoom range
• Effective optical stabilisation
• Leica compliant optical design which renders excellent results
• Ideal for high speed stills and professional quality video recording
• Fast and silent AF along with suppressed focus breathing
• Reduced flare and ghost from Nano Surface Coating
• Close minimum focus distance of just 15cm (at the wide end)
• Rugged dust and splash-resistant design
• Compact 58mm filter thread

Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. Lens in More Detail

Leica quality results

Panasonic has ensured the updated zoom lens passes Leica’s stringent optical standards. The optical design is made from 14 elements in 9 groups (including 4 aspherical lenses, 1 UED lens and 1 UHR lens), in order to achieve high optical performance. The Glass material of the UHR lens element has been updated for higher transmittance, which achieves even more natural colour reproduction for stills and video.

Panasonic has also added their unique Nano Surface Coating, which provides effective anti-reflection coating for crystal clear images. By applying a thin coating with nanometer-level microstructure the lens features an ultra-low dispersion ratio. This ensures the entire 380-780 mm wavelength reflection, including visual light range are reduced. Together with a newly adopted light-shielding element, ghost and flare is effectively minimised.

Ultra compact and lightweight zoom design

The Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. Lens has been designed to ensure users always bring it along to every shoot. It weighs a mere 306g and includes a compact 58mm thread to add cost-effective ND filters, a polariser and any other lens filters required. The barrel measures 73.8mm long, providing discreet capabilities when capturing street photography, portraits, weddings and during other situations where discretion is desirable.

Smooth, silent and high speed for stills and video

The updated 12-35mm lens from Panasonic is capable of smooth, silent operation. It works with your Micro four thirds camera’s high-speed, high-precision contrast AF system, even when the sensor drive is set at a maximum 240 fps.

The zoom also excels in video recording performance, with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing, which was a fatal problem of interchangeable lenses designed for stills photography. This mechanism works together with the micro-step aperture control for smooth exposure change, in order to achieve professional quality video recording.

Effective optical image stabilisation and close focusing

Combining with the camera’s Body I.S. and the lens’ O.I.S., Dual I.S. 2 provides effective hand-shake correction, ensuring this lens excels even in extremely low light situations.

The LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT 12-35mm / F2.8 ASPH. / POWER O.I.S. also features a shorter focusing distance of 0.15m (at wide-end), with a larger magnification ratio of 0.21x (at 17mm). This is compared with the conventional LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm / F2.8 II ASPH. which offers 0.25m focusing distance and 0.17x of magnification ratio.

Updated lens design

The external design of Panasonic’s lens has been refined to be worthy of its Leica name. With a compact size and light weight, the LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT 12-35mm / F2.8 ASPH. / POWER O.I.S. features stunning mobility which the Micro Four Thirds system boasts.

The rugged dust/splash-resistant* design withstands harsh conditions, even at -10C for exceptionally versatile use. The filter diameter is 58mm, and the lens includes a 7-blade circular aperture diaphragm.

What’s in the box

• Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH Power O.I.S. Lens for Micro Four Thirds mount
• Lens cap
• Lens rear cap
• Lens hood
• Lens storage bag