This month, Panasonic has two major announcements: the latest addition to its Lumix S series of high-performance L-mount primes – a new 35mm f/1.8 large-aperture fixed-focal-length lens – along with firmware update v1.1 for the Lumix GH5 II, Panasonic’s new mirrorless Micro Four Thirds video flagship model. Here’s what you should know.
The 35mm f/1.8 is the fourth addition to this impressive series of large-aperture full-frame lenses, joining the 24mm, 50mm and 85mm announced earlier and rounding out a lineup that now spans the most practical and desirable range of available focal lengths. For many shooters, 35mm occupies the sweet spot and is bound to become their go-to walk-around option. For others, it’s a welcome addition to a growing arsenal and a seamless way to extend versatility in a wide variety of applications.
Shoot flawless stills and video
Stills photographers will find this lens perfectly suited to shooting everything from portraits to landscapes, and with its 0.24m minimum focusing distance, it also excels at capturing close-ups. Videographers will appreciate this lens’s ability to suppress focus breathing – a perennial issue with interchangeable lenses typically designed for still image photography – along with a micro-step aperture control for smooth exposure change to ensure professional-quality video recording.
All in the family
Weighing in at just 295g, the compact and lightweight Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 is highly portable and allows for easy mobility. It’s the same length and width as the others in this series. And, like each of its siblings, this lens shares a comparable centre of gravity, making it easy to swap these lenses out (especially when mounted on a gimbal), as well as a consistent diameter and filter thread, so you can also switch filters from one to another fast and effortlessly, whenever the situation requires.
Panasonic has positioned the Lumix GH5 II not only as its current flagship video model, but also as a camera optimized for wireless live streaming. Firmware update v.1.1 offers enhanced high-resolution streaming capabilities and will be available at Lumix Global Customer Support website at 8:00 pm EST on November 29, 2021.
