Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power OIS Preview

Preview based on a pre-production Lumix G X-Vario 12-35mm F2.8 (H-HS12035)

It's almost four years since Panasonic introduced the first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera in the shape of the Lumix DMC-G1, a most unrevolutionary-looking product that ushered in a brave new era of camera system design. In the intervening years we've seen a slew of cameras of this type as all of the major manufacturers (with the curious exception of Canon) have joined the fray. We've also seen a welcome resurgence of compact fast primes along with the development of clever collapsing zooms, as manufacturers have sought to capitalise on the inherent size advantage over SLR designs. But one type of lens highly valued by more-serious photographers has been conspicuous by its absence - the high quality, large aperture zoom. Panasonic has now addressed this with a lens it's labelling H-HS12035 - an optically-stabilized 12-35mm F2.8 in its premium 'X' range.
Unlike Panasonic's previous X lenses, the 12-35mm is not a powerzoom, instead featuring a conventional rotary zoom ring as favoured by stills photographers. It boasts metal-barreled construction, and in a first for Panasonic a degree of environmental sealing, with a rubber seal around the lens mount to prevent dust or water ingress into the camera. But perhaps most striking is its compact size; at less than 3" (75mm) in either diameter or length it's scarcely bigger than a typical 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit zoom for APS-C SLRs, and it weighs in at under 12oz (~300g).
Naturally the lens is designed with movie shooting in mind, with a linear stepper motor for near-silent autofocus, and Panasonic's video-optimised 'Power OIS' stabilization system. The optical system features elements crafted from Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion (UED) and Ultra High Refractive (UHR) glass, and uses Panasonic's Nano Surface Coating to minimize internal reflections and flare. The diaphragm uses 7 rounded blades to give a circular aperture for attractive rendition of out-of-focus backgrounds. On paper this all adds up to a tempting specification.
Being a Micro Four Thirds lens, the 12-35mm will work on Olympus cameras just as well as Panasonic's Lumix G models, and it looks like particularly interesting match to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 - one of our favourite cameras of the past year. Of course it's also likely to appeal to users of Panasonic's higher-end bodies, such as the DMC-GH2 and GX1.

Headline features

• 24-70mm-equivalent focal length; constant F2.8 maximum aperture
• 'Power OIS' optical image stabilization
• Nano surface coating for suppression of flare and ghosting
• 'HD' designation - near silent operation during video shooting
• Micro Four Thirds mount for Panasonic and Olympus cameras

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power OIS specifications

Product Code	H-HS12035
Maximum format size	Four Thirds
Focal length	12-35mm
35mm equivalent focal length	24-70mm
Diagonal angle of view	84° - 34°
Maximum aperture	F2.8
Minimum aperture	F22
Lens Construction	• 14 elements in 9 groups • 4 aspherical elements • 1 UED element • 1 UHR element
Number of diaphragm blades	7, rounded
Minimum focus	• 0.25m / 0.82ft
Maximum magnification	• Approx. 0.17x (0.34x 35mm-equivalent)
AF motor type	• Linear Stepper Motor
Focus method	Internal
Zoom method	Extending front
Image stabilization	• Power OIS
Filter thread	• 58mm • Does not rotate on focus
Supplied accessories*	• Front and rear caps • H-HS12035 Lens hood • Lens storage bag
Weight	305g (10.8 oz)
Dimensions	67.6mm diameter x 73.8mm length (2.7 x 2.9 in)
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

Design

The 12-35mm marks a departure from previous Lumix G lenses in terms of construction. The rear segment of the barrel between the zoom ring and the mount is made of metal, as is the manual focus ring with its finely-milled ridged grip. This immediately gives an impression of build quality that Panasonic lenses have recently lacked. The 12-35mm is also Panasonic's first lens with any kind of environmental sealing, although it's unclear whether this extends beyond the slim rubber seal that encircles the lens mount.
This impression of a quality product is reinforced by the wonderfully-smooth zoom ring action, that rivals Canon and Nikon's top-end lenses for its silkiness of operation. It rotates about 80 degrees between the wide and tele positions, which allows you to fine-tune your compositions with some precision. The electronically-coupled manual focus ring on our-preproduction sample doesn't have quite the same smoothness of rotation, but it does offer extremely accurate manual focusing with a remarkably well-tuned tactile 'feel', which is all that really matters.

On the camera

The 12-35mm isn't a large lens by any means, although it's noticeably bigger than Panasonic's current Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH kit zoom (or its 14-45mm predecessor). It's perhaps best-balanced on SLR-like bodies such as the DMC-G3, DMC-GH2 or Olympus OM-D E-M5, but still handles quite acceptably on the 'rangefinder-style' DMC-GX1 or the Olympus PEN E-P3.

Lens body elements

	The 12-35mm uses the all-electronic Micro Four Thirds mount, meaning it will work on Olympus's PEN and OM-D cameras, as well as on Panasonic Lumix G bodies. In this view you can just make out the slim rubber seal that surrounds the mount, and helps protect against dust and water getting into the body at this relatively vulnerable point.
	The filter thread is 58mm, and does not rotate on autofocusing, which should please filter users. Next to it is the bayonet mount for the petal-type lens hood (see below).
	The zoom ring is 16mm wide, and rotates approximately 80 degrees clockwise from 12mm to 35mm, giving fine compositional control. Its action is beautifully smooth and precise - a cut above Panasonic's existing zooms for Micro Four Thirds. Olympus users may wish to bear in mind, though, that (as usual) this is the opposite direction of rotation compared to their M.Zuiko Digital zooms.
	The finely-ridged manual focus ring is 10mm wide, and unusually is made of metal. Like most Micro Four Thirds lenses manual focusing is 'by wire', and geared such that rapid rotation of the ring changes focus distance quickly, while slow rotation can be used for fine focusing. Panasonic's implementation works especially well, but it does mean that there's no distance scale on the lens.
	Thankfully the 12-35mm has a physical OIS switch (many recent Panasonic lenses have devolved this function to a menu setting on the camera). For users of Olympus cameras, this allows relatively easy switching between optical and in-body IS systems.
	The 12-35mm comes with a bayonet-mount petal-type lens hood, that reverses neatly for storage.

First Impressions / Summary

So far we've had only a limited opportunity to handle pre-production samples of the Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH OIS, but first impressions are certainly positive. Panasonic seems to have finally realized that expensive lenses need to feel expensive, and the 12-35mm, with its metal barrel and silky-smooth zoom action, gives the impression of being a genuinely high-end product. It certainly feels better-made than Panasonic's Leica-branded (and therefore pricey) 25mm F1.4 and 45mm F2.8 Macro primes, which have plastic lens barrels.
The 12-35mm handles well on the camera too. Autofocus is both exceptionally fast and near-silent in operation; during movie shooting it is, to all intents and purposes, inaudible. Panasonic's excellent implementation of 'focus-by-wire' manual focus is responsive and precise, and streets ahead of some of its rivals. It's also nice to see the retention of a physical OIS switch, a feature that's disappeared from many recent lenses.
It may seem odd for Panasonic to produce a sealed lens with no body to match, but it's worth remembering that Olympus recently released its weathersealed M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ zoom a few months in advance of the camera it's intended to complement, the OM-D E-M5. In this context, we have to note that the DMC-GH2 is nearing its second birthday, and appears ripe for replacement.
The 12-35mm F2.8 is tiny for a fast constant aperture zoom, but it's worth noting that this comes at the cost of depth of field control compared to similar lenses for larger formats. In terms of DOF and background blur, the lens behaves like a 16-45mm F3.5 lens for APS-C, or a 24-70mm F5.6 lens for full frame cameras. This isn't a bad thing per se; it's simply the compromise you make to gain the extra portability.
Of course it's too soon comment on image quality, with the lens still being at the pre-production stage, but Panasonic has allowed us to publish full-size image samples (with the usual caveat that they may not fully represent the final image quality). Overall though we're pleased to finally see a premium, fast zoom for mirrorless cameras - especially with the promise of a matching 35-100mm F2.8 telephoto zoom to come. It's another welcome step in the increasing maturity of the Micro Four Thirds system.

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH OIS Preview Samples Gallery

There are 26 images in the preview samples gallery. Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter / magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review), we do so in good faith, please don't abuse it.

Unless otherwise noted images taken with no particular settings at full resolution. Because our review images are now hosted on the 'galleries' section of dpreview.com, you can enjoy all of the new galleries functionality when browsing these samples.

Note that the lens used for this gallery was pre-production, and so may not fully represent the final image quality.

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH OIS - Posted 21st May 2012