Testbench
LENS TEST
Panasonic has made a startlingly small and lightweight full-frame macro lens, but are there any compromises? Andy Westlake digs into the finest details
Panasonic has been making full-frame mirrorless for just as long as Canon and Nikon, having been a founding member of the L-Mount Alliance in 2018. While it initially struggled for market traction, its Lumix S5II and S5IIX cameras have provided considerable impetus to the system.
Now the firm has launched another eye-catching product – the implausibly compact Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro.
Designed for shooting closeups, this is, by a considerable margin, the smallest and lightest lens of its type. It’s just 8.2cm long and weighs less than 300g, which means it’s exactly the same size as Panasonic’s highly regarded f/1.8 primes, and very similar in weight. In contrast, its closest L-mount competitor, the Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro, measures 13.4cm and 715g, which is pretty typical for its class.
Despite its tiny size, the Lumix 100mm is still capable of life-size magnification – in other words, filling the frame with a subject measuring 36 x 24mm. Its 100mm short-telephoto focal length means it can also double up as a handy portrait lens.
Unsurprisingly, the Lumix lens is more expensive than the Sigma, at £1,000 compared to £699. But that’s not dissimilar to other camera makers’ equivalent optics; for example, the Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is £1,049. Everything points to you getting a fully fledged macro lens, but in a package that’s less than half the usual weight and two-thirds of the size.
So what is the catch?
Features
Panasonic has employed an optical design with 13 elements in 11 groups, including three aspherical elements, two made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, and one from ultra-low dispersion (ED) glass. Together, these are designed to maintain sharpness from corner to corner while suppressing colour fringing. The aperture diaphragm is formed of nine curved blades which maintain a rounded shape at larger openings, with the aim of delivering attractive bokeh.
Autofocus is handled by a new ‘dual phase linear motor’, which Panasonic says is a key factor in its compact design. At 1:1 magnification, the minimum focus distance is just 20.4cm, which is shorter than comparable lenses. This results in an unusually close working distance between the front of the lens and the subject of about 10cm. That’s not necessarily a good thing; it means you
