Review: Panasonic Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 lens
When it comes to travel photography, I always have an internal debate about what lenses I will take with me – especially if I am hiking or plan to travel light.
I recently visited the Bathurst Bike Show and wanted to cover the event, but I was also conscious I would be riding on my motorbike to the show so I needed a lens that could not only cover a variety of scenes, and could also fit in my luggage bag.
Lucky then that Panasonic had sent me the new Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 (RRP $1,599) lens to test, as this was the perfect place to give it a run paired with my Lumix S5 II X body.
The Build
At first glance, the Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 impressed me with its light and compact form factor. It's the same size as my prime lenses and shares a 67mm filter thread with them, so there is consistency across most of my other S-series lenses.
The lens weighs only 413 grams and is 93.4mm long which makes it the world’s smallest and lightest lens of its type. Panasonic have done an excellent job in fitting such a broad focal range in such a compact body.
Featuring one aspherical lens element and four ED elements, the Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 also has a 9-bladed circular diaphragm which creates nice, round bokeh. In addition, the front lens element has a fluorine coating that helps prevent oil- and water-based substances from sticking to it, and the lens is also dust- and splash-resistant.
Features
At the wide end, 28mm enables you to capture most overview or landscape environments but there were times I had to take a few more steps backwards to fit everything into the frame. This was a fair compromise though considering I could reach 200mm at the telephoto end. This was the focal length I needed to get candid shots of people enjoying the day.
Other than the focal range, one of the standout features is the Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1's macro capabilities, as it offers half life-sized macro (0.5x at 28mm).
Where I found this useful was for capturing the smaller details found on some of the show bikes. The optical stabilisation (6.5-stop 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2 compatibility) and quick focus allowed me to get consistently sharp results.
I found images had great colour and contrast rendition, and I was very happy with the photos I captured on the day.
It's likely the biggest qualm that people will have about this lens is the minimum aperture rating, which is f4.0 at 28mm and a fairly narrow f7.1 at 200mm.
To be honest, this was not an issue for me in Bathurst considering I was shooting outdoors and in full sunlight. However, if you were shooting in the evening or indoor events this may not be the ideal lens, however you would struggle to find any other single lens that would give you the short-to-long focal length of the Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1.
The results
Build quality & durability – 5/5
With dust/splash/freeze-resistance and a fluorine coating, it has the build quality that I have come to expect from the S series range.
Image quality – 3.5/5
Overall, the image quality is very good but there is a compromise comparing it to the very fast Lumix prime lenses – but this comes as no surprise.
Value for money - 4/5
This lens will tick a lot of boxes for many photographers but at $1599 RRP it’s not going to suit everyone.
Wrap up
The Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 full-frame lens is an ideal travel companion for those wanting to travel light. With its versatile focal length range, macro capabilities, and excellent image quality, this lens will be my go-to for outdoor events and adventures on the road going forward, with one caveat. When the light drops and you're pushing the further reaches of the focal length, it may be wiser to switch to a faster optic.
But whether you're capturing a bustling event or a distant landscape, it's hard to dispute the versatility of the Lumix 28-200mm lens, especially when you're unsure of what you'll be photographing.
More images
