Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 Lens Review: The only 70-200mm-eq. lens for Micro Four Thirds hits the sweet spot
posted Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 11:43 AM EDT
Probably the most frequently-used lens in any professional photographer's bag is a 70-200mm ƒ/2.8, and Panasonic has created a product that fills this gap in its Micro Four-Thirds camera series (and Olympus's for that matter): the 35-100mm ƒ/2.8 POWER OIS LUMIX G X VARIO HD.
The lens produces an effective 70-200mm field of view, when you consider the 2x crop factor of the Micro Four-Thirds sensor; it's also equipped with all the bells and whistles, including optical image stabilization, a nano-surface coating to reduce ghosting and flaring, and a near-silent autofocus motor designed to work seamlessly with HD movie capture.
Results are impressive with this relatively-lightweight tele-zoom. Images are very sharp, even wide open, and CA and vignetting are hardly of any concern. Distortion is also extremely low. With great optical qualities, built-in optical image stabilization and a lightweight-yet-high-quality build, the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 lens seems like no-brainer for Micro Four Thirds photographers looking for a fast, telephoto zoom lens.
Head on over to SLRgear to read the full Panasonic 35-100mm ƒ/2.8 POWER OIS LUMIX G X VARIO HD review, complete with our in-depth report, final conclusion as well as our full range of test results and sample images.
The Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 lens is currently available for just shy of $1,500. You can purchase this lens from one of our trusted affiliates: Amazon, Adorama, and B&H. [Purchasing this lens, or any other product from one of our trusted affiliates helps support this site and keeps these reviews coming!]
In the meantime, check out some sample photos shot by our senior lens technician Rob Murray using the Panasonic GX1. You can view more sample photos, plus download the full-resolution files, over at our Flickr page.
