Discover the LUMIX S 28-200 mm F4-7.1 MACRO O.I.S. — the world's smallest and lightest*¹ highmagnification zoom lens — offering excellent mobility and flexibility
Hello, everyone. I'm Zaitsu, and I'm part of the team responsible for developing the LUMIX S 28-200 mm F4-7.1 MACRO O.I.S. lens.
In this article, I will discuss the development of this lens, which was unveiled on the opening day of CP+ 2024. My focus will be on the meticulous attention to detail that cannot be fully conveyed through specifications alone.
This article is an archived version of a seminar that Mr. Zaitsu delivered at CP+ 2024.
Contents
◼ Features of this lens
◼ Commitment to compactness and lightness
◼ Equipped with half macro
◼ Using the aperture to adjust the depth of field
◼ Same image quality as the existing S series
◼ Shots taken by the development team — summary
◼ A lens that allows you to explore the city with freedom and creativity
Features of this lens
The LUMIX S 28-200 mm F4-7.1 MACRO O.I.S. is the world's smallest and lightest*² highmagnification zoom lens.
With this lens, you can shoot wide-angle, telephoto, and half-macro photography, offering a wide range of creative possibilities.
True to its status as a genuine LUMIX lens, its handling is consistent with that of its predecessors. It can be used seamlessly alongside other lenses.
Shots taken by the development team
As the above images show, this versatile lens can be used for a variety of purposes, including wideangle, telephoto, and macro photography.
Commitment to compactness and lightness
200 mm in this size!
The goal in developing this lens was to create a 7x zoom lens of the same size as the LUMIX S 20-60 mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens.
However, making them exactly the same size proved challenging... It ended up being about 6 mm longer than the 20–60 mm lens. The outer diameter is almost identical. The filter diameter has been designed to match the F1.8 series, at 67 mm, with the expectation that users will use it together with the F1.8 series.
Why did we focus so intently on developing such a compact, lightweight, high-magnification zoom lens? Because we wanted to create a versatile lens that could be used in a variety of situations and carried around every day.
After all, heavy lenses can be a hassle to carry around, can't they?
Our goal was to develop a lightweight, easy-to-carry lens with a wide focal length range, providing users with a single lens capable of handling diverse shooting scenarios.
While this lens works perfectly well on its own, we also recommend pairing it with the F1.8 series or with the LUMIX S 14–28 mm F4–5.6 MACRO, which has a similar size profile.
Even when combined with a camera, the overall weight is around 1.5 kg, and covers focal lengths from 14 mm to 200 mm.
As both lenses are compact, they can be stored upright in a camera backpack instead of lying flat, providing another space-saving advantage. This allows you to keep your gear compact when travelling.
Equipped with half macro
You can take half-macro photographs at the wide end. Try experimenting with different subjects. Flower photography, tabletop shots and blurred-background images are all possible.
You might not expect to achieve much bokeh at F4, but with macro photography, even F4 provides plenty.
To blur the background, try shooting in half-macro mode.
Using the aperture to adjust the depth of field
The aperture can be stopped down to a maximum of F32 at the wide-angle end and F45 at the telephoto end.
This wide aperture range provides greater flexibility in controlling the depth of field and undoubtedly enhances its expressive capabilities.
Even without an ND filter, stopping down enables the use of slow shutter speeds to capture a flowing waterfall smoothly, as shown above.
It also allows for quick, technical effects, such as panning when capturing dynamic moving subjects.
Same image quality as the existing S series
Contrary to popular belief, no compromises have been made on image quality simply because this is a compact, lightweight zoom lens.
As with the existing S series, it has been designed to meet certain specifications. Consequently, despite being the smallest high-magnification zoom lens, we developed it without compromising these standards.
We paid particular attention to compactness. The optical design has been optimised to minimise the number of lens elements extending when zooming from wide-angle to telephoto. We conducted numerous simulations of the zoom mechanism design and configuration with our mechanical designers. As a result, we succeeded in suppressing the forward extension of the lens group,
achieving a compact 7× zoom.
During the manufacturing process, each lens is carefully adjusted and inspected individually before being shipped to ensure consistent optical performance, including resolution and bokeh.
Furthermore, the lens features 6.5 stops of image stabilisation.*² It may sound boastful, but I feel we have developed a rather indulgent lens (laughs).
Shots taken by the development team — summary
A lens that allows you to explore the city with freedom and creativity
'A lens that allows you to explore the city with freedom and creativity' is how Ms Miho Komuro described it when she shared the stage with us at CP+.
With its wide focal range and half-macro capability, you can take close-up shots, while its deep depth of field allows you to keep both the foreground and background in focus. And despite its versatility, it is compact and lightweight.
It is the perfect lens for everyday use, travel, and exploring the city. We hope you enjoy using it!
*1 For full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lenses with AF compatibility and a zoom ratio of 7x or more. As of February 22, 2024. According to Panasonic.
*2 Complies with CIPA standard (when using S1, Yaw/Pitch direction: focal length f=200mm)
