Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm f/2... Reviews
Excellent lens in a small package
By Satya
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-09-28
I am coming from a DSLR background where any zoom is big and constant f/2.8 zooms are quite heavy. This is a relief.
As I zoom in to longer focal length, my initial shots were blurry. I needed to get used to it and learn to keep the hands more steady, or use a support to lean on. Once I got it, the shots are very crisp and pleasing.
Using it in daylight is no problem. When the light goes down, I can only use it at f/2.8 on the wide end.
Get a faster prime of your most used focal length, or a flash, if you use it a lot in low light, zoomed in.
Nice
By Thomas
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-10-25
Nice
Sweetheart of a Lens
By David
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2020-06-25
Not for any close items. But brings far off items in nice and close.
Fantastic addition to any gear bag
By Jonathan
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-06-13
I purchased this lens to supplement the 12-60mm lens I got as part of my Panasonic G9 kit. I really like the mid-range lens in the trio, but quickly realized it didn’t have the reach I wanted. There are plenty of lens choices out there, and telephoto zooms are no exception. I chose this lens specifically because of its range and build quality. Make no mistake, this is very high-quality glass, and it has a price tag to match. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is true in spades here.
The weight of the lens is immediately noticeable. It is twice as heavy as the other two in the trio. On my G9 it feels decently balanced and would probably feel even more so if I had the additional battery grip. I would have liked to see a tripod foot on the lens to help support the weight; however, I trust the camera mount to properly support it.
Another nice feature of the lens is its compatibility with Panasonic’s teleconverters. Strangely, this isn’t advertised anywhere. Even Panasonic’s own materials don’t provide this information. I’m not sure why, as the teleconverters in conjunction with this lens provide an extremely versatile kit. Put the 2x converter behind the lens and you’ve now got the equivalent focal range of the Panasonic-Leica 100-400mm, albeit at a cost of 2 stops of light – the maximum aperture range goes from f/2.8-4 to f/5.6-8. This is just a bit slower than the 100-400, which offers a maximum aperture range from f/4-6.3.
As with the other two lenses in the trio, the maximum aperture of f/2.8 is only available at the smallest focal length. In the case of this lens, that means 50mm. As soon as you move that ring, the maximum aperture starts to close down. For example, it moves to f/2.9 at 53mm and f/3 at 56mm. If we go by the focal lengths marked on the lens, you’ll see that at 50mm it’s f/2.8, at 70mm it’s f/3.3, at 100mm it’s f/3.6, at 150mm it’s f/3.9 and at 200mm it’s f/4. It actually gets to f/4 at 179mm and that remains the maximum aperture from there.
This lens defines the Micro Four Thirds system vision. If you compare it to a full frame lens like the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS, it is smaller, lighter and cheaper for the same equivalent focal length range. Yes, the Sony lens is a touch faster – f/4.5 vs f/5.6 equivalent. However, that Sony lens weighs over twice as much and costs about $1000 more.
This isn’t a cheap lens by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, an extremely good one.
Brilliant telephoto lens with excellent image quality
By Jonathan
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-06-12
I purchased this lens to supplement the 12-60mm lens I got as part of my Panasonic G9 kit. I really like the mid-range lens in the PL Elmarit trio, but quickly realized it didn’t have the reach I wanted. There are plenty of lens choices out there, and telephoto zooms are no exception. I chose this lens specifically because of its range and build quality. Make no mistake, this is very high-quality glass, and it has a price tag to match. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is true in spades here.
The weight of the lens is immediately noticeable. It is twice as heavy as the other two in the trio. On my G9 it feels decently balanced and would probably feel even more so if I had the additional battery grip. I would have liked to see a tripod foot on the lens to help support the weight; however, I trust the camera mount to properly support it.
Another nice feature of the lens is its compatibility with Panasonic’s teleconverters. Strangely, this isn’t advertised anywhere. Even Panasonic’s own materials don’t provide this information. I’m not sure why, as the teleconverters in conjunction with this lens provide an extremely versatile kit. Put the 2x converter behind the lens and you’ve now got the equivalent focal range of the Panasonic-Leica 100-400mm, albeit at a cost of 2 stops of light – the maximum aperture range goes from f/2.8-4 to f/5.6-8. This is just a bit slower than the 100-400, which offers a maximum aperture range from f/4-6.3.
As with the other two lenses in the trio, the maximum aperture of f/2.8 is only available at the smallest focal length. In the case of this lens, that means 50mm. As soon as you move that ring, the maximum aperture starts to close down. For example, it moves to f/2.9 at 53mm and f/3 at 56mm. If we go by the focal lengths marked on the lens, you’ll see that at 50mm it’s f/2.8, at 70mm it’s f/3.3, at 100mm it’s f/3.6, at 150mm it’s f/3.9 and at 200mm it’s f/4. It actually gets to f/4 at 179mm and that remains the maximum aperture from there.
This lens defines the Micro Four Thirds system vision. If you compare it to a full frame lens like the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS, it is smaller, lighter and cheaper for the same equivalent focal length range. Yes, the Sony lens is a touch faster – f/4.5 vs f/5.6 equivalent. However, that Sony lens weighs over twice as much and costs about $1000 more.
This isn’t a cheap lens by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, an extremely good one.
Lives up to the reputation and price point
By daniel
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-03-03
I had originally bought the Panasonic 45-200mm mark 2 to see if I would find the focal range useful for me and I was also kinda hoping that it was going to be sharp enough. But it wasnt, so I bought this lens!
Yes its quite a chunk of change, but what you get in return is a spectacular lens that is brighter, sharper, and much better built. This focusing is very fast even when it has to rack due to being very far from in focus. It construction is the best of any lens I have ever used (Owned a bunch of Canon L glass in the past). The image stabilization is with the best of them. Weather sealing seems to be solid (been is some rain with it). While the lens is not light, its also not heavy. I have walked around with it attached to the camera for a few hours much of it holding the camera lens setup single handed.
Overall I find this lens to strike a balance I have rarely seen in any system. The only thing I kinda wish it has was a foot on the lens, but this might increase the weight to the point were walking around with it attached to the camera would be too tiring.
Leica Lens is primo
By William R
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-01-16
As a Panasonic Micro 4/3 enthusiast, I've enjoyed their offering of lenses. Recently, however, I started buying their higher-end Leica lenses. While my wallet is lighter and my camera kit heavier as a result, the quality of the images are noticeably better and the autofocus seems more responsive. Just another example of getting what you pay for! :)
New Firmware Linear Focusing Makes it Great!
By Chris
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2022-01-12
Love the range and the optical quality of it. It was a toss-up between this and the Olympus 40-150 f2.8.
Olympus is a bit (only a bit) superior...but is heavier and bulkier, so this one won since I will use it so much more for its portability.
I shoot mostly video, and manually focusing was a pain...until June 8 when Panasonic released firmware v1.1 for this on certain Panasonic bodies.
Wow! Linear focusing is amazing and make this lens so incredibly useful. It takes me back to my ENG camera days when pulling focus was a joy.
Love how Panasonic made a great lens even greater!
