As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S is an extremely capable entertainer offering outstanding image quality and a 400mm comparable focal length, and comes total with a 1.4 x teleconverter.
Pros
- +
Outstanding image quality
- +
400mm comparable focal length
- +
1.4 x teleconverter consisted of
Cons
- –
Pricey
- –
Lens hood is deep
- –
Repaired focal length
Why you can rely on Live Science
Our specialist customers invest hours screening and comparing services and products so you can pick the very best ones for you. Discover more about how we evaluate.
Secret requirements
Type: MFT prime lens
Focal length: 200mm (400mm equivalent)
Optimum aperture: f/2.8
Lens install: Micro Four Thirds
Weight: 43.92 oz/ 1,245 g
Measurements: 6.85 x 3.44 in/ 174 x 87.5 mm
Filter thread: 77 mm
Release date: November 2017
When it pertains to lenses, it’s reasonable to state that in the majority of circumstances, the more you pay, the much better the quality of the lens. Naturally, there are exceptions to this general rule, however with the Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S you truly are getting a lens that carries out at a high level.
Like many Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lenses, this telephoto is exceptionally compact and light-weight thinking about the focal length available. Do not be tricked by the 200mm element: MFT has a crop aspect of 2x, which puts the comparable focal length of the 200mm f/2.8 at a wildlife-friendly 400mm.
As the name recommends, this lens is a partnership in between Panasonic and Leica, so as you ‘d anticipate it provides exceptional image quality and great handling. What’s more, the autofocus is quick, quiet and dependable, while the construct quality and functions available are what you ‘d get out of a high-end lens.
For included benefit, the tripod collar includes an Arca-Swiss-compatible foot, so you can connect the lens to Arca-Swiss-compatible tripod heads. Plus, the lens comes with a 1.4 x teleconverter in the box that extends focal length to a 560mm equivalent– making it even more ideal for wildlife photography and shots of the moon.
The 200mm f/2.8 is a pricey lens at $2,999/ ₤ 2,699, however that’s still more economical than similar full-frame lenses. It’s likewise much smaller sized and lighter. Another fantastic function of MFT lenses is that they’re suitable with both Panasonic Lumix and OM System (Olympus) MFT cams, so you can blend and match lenses in between the 2 producers.
Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S: Design
- Compact and light-weight
- Strong develop quality
- Manual aperture ring
The 200mm f/2.8 includes an Arca-Swiss-compatible tripod foot. (Image credit: James Abbott )
When you initially see the 200mm f/2.8 you can’t assist however be surprised at the compact size and lightweight, thinking about the reliable focal length is 400mm. The lens is just 6.85 x 3.44 in/ 174 x 87.5 mm, so practically half the length of a football, with a weight of simply 43.92 oz/ 1,245 g. The low weight likewise indicates it stabilizes well with Panasonic Lumix video cameras such as the GH7.
Whether you’re shooting wildlife with the cam and lens connected to a gimbal head, or the moon and night sky connected to a basic tripod head, the tripod foot can be connected to any tripod plate. Much better still, if the tripod head is Arca-Swiss-compatible you can connect the foot on the rotatable collar straight to the head for higher benefit.
Including additional benefit, direct gain access to controls consist of a manual focus/autofocus switch, a Power OIS switch for Optical Image Stabilization, an autofocus limiter switch for setting the complete variety or from 3m to infinity, an Fn button and a memory switch.
The Fn button can be configured utilizing a suitable cam body, while the memory switch can be utilized to set a pre-determined focus range that can be remembered when needed.
There’s likewise a manual aperture ring that covers f/2.8 to f/22 with increments in between. This can be utilized by hand or set to A, where the aperture can be changed by means of the electronic camera body rather.
The optical building includes 15 components in 13 groups with 2 UED aspects. The circular aperture utilizes 9 diaphragm blades and the front component includes a 77mm filter thread, making it a fantastic size for circular and square filters if and when needed.
Being a professional-level lens, construct quality is definitely strong with a weather-resistant, splash-, dust-and freezeproof building and construction. This is to be anticipated due to the fact that a lens of this type this is most
Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S: Functionality
- Exceptional Optical Image Stabilization
- 1.4 x teleconverter consisted of
- Quick, quiet autofocus
The 200mm f/2.8 is exceptionally compact and light-weight. ( Image credit: James Abbott)
Teleconverters are frequently an add-on that you either buy or not depending whether you require one. The 200mm f/2.8 does, nevertheless, included a 1.4 x teleconverter consisted of that can be connected to the lens. This will extend the focal length from the 400mm comparable to a 560mm equivalent.
The excellent feature of this is that it basically offers 2 focal lengths with a single prime lens, which unquestionably includes worth and adaptability. One indicate keep in mind here is that when utilizing the 1.4 x teleconverter, the optimum aperture is minimized from f/2.8 to f/4.
If you ‘d choose to extend the reach of the lens even more, to an 800mm equivalent, there is a 2x teleconverter that’s readily available independently. This makes the lens much more appropriate for wildlife and moon shots, however the only caution is that the optimum aperture in this circumstance is minimized by 2 stops to f/5.6. For an 800mm, this is of little effect for depth of field, although light-gathering abilities are naturally lowered.
Autofocus is quick and quiet and, when coupled with a G-series or OM System electronic cameras with subject detection set to Animals, it’s extremely reliable for wildlife photography and unquestionably helps with recording sharp shots. The quiet element is likewise helpful for video capture in circumstances where autofocus is needed, although manual focus is more typically utilized for video capture.
The minimum focusing range of the lens is 3.8 feet/ 1.15 m, which is rather remarkable for a lens with a 400mm comparable focal length. This does use close-up possibilities, which is best for natural world photography, and thoe abilities can be even more improved utilizing a third-party close-up lens/filter if close-up/macro photography is something you delight in.
The 200mm f/2.8 functions Optical Image Stabilization that works well to offer as much as 7.5 stops of settlement. This permits you to contend shutter speeds much slower than you might without, and it can be paired with in-body Image Stabilization (IBIS) for a lot more effective stabilization.
Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S: Performance
- Excellent total image quality
- Sharpest from f/2.8 to f/5.6
- The teleconverter is wonderful
(Image credit: James Abbott)
In basic operation at 200mm, image quality is outstanding and the quick f/2.8 aperture assists to keep ISO levels lower than when stopping down the aperture. Images taken at this optimum aperture are good and sharp, with the f/2.8 to f/5.6 variety producing the sharpest outcome.
The sweet area, the point where information is solved at its sharpest, is around f/4, although the depth-of-field isn’t at its biggest. f/5.6 is, in a lot of circumstances, the narrowest aperture that produces a big depth of field before stopping down even more starts to present diffraction.
What’s outstanding with the lens is that there’s little to no noticeable chromatic aberration or distortion present in images. There is a percentage of vignetting at f/2.8 which is quickly eliminated by hand in Lightroom given that there’s no lens profile readily available, however the quantity present is small. This rapidly vanishes as you start to stop down the aperture.
Teleconverters constantly minimize image quality to a degree, in addition to decreasing the optimum aperture by an aspect of stops that depends upon the strength of the teleconverter. Even when the 1.4 x teleconverter is connected to the lens, the autofocus here carries out well and the decrease of the optimum aperture to f/4 does not trigger any concerns. Information stays crisp even when contending high ISO settings such as ISO 4000.
The 1.4 x teleconverter that takes the comparable focal length to a 560mm equivalent
isn’t rather sufficient to catch the moon without cropping the picture. It works simply great, however cropping stays as vital as when shooting without the teleconverter. For moon photography, the 2x teleconverter that extends the comparable focal length to 800mm is the much better choice if your budget plan extends that far.Should you purchase the Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S?
The 200mm f/2.8 is a great lens for wildlife, nature, landscape and night sky photography where a long focal length is needed. Image quality is outstanding and its compact, light-weight construct is a breath of fresh air for a lens of this focal length.
If you’re trying to find a long telephoto lens, this is a wonderful choice to think about, however it’s not low-cost at $ 2,999/ ₤ 2,699. That being stated, it is a top quality expert lens and the addition of the 1.4 x teleconverter and the accessibility of an optional 2x teleconverter make this an extremely flexible alternative.
If the Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S isn’t for you
The Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 POWER O.I.S is costly, so if you ‘d like a more inexpensive telephoto lens there are a number of telephoto zooms that deserve thinking about.
The Panasonic 100-400mm f4-6.3 Leica DG VARIO-ELMAR ASPH POWER O.I.S II uses a flexible comparable focal variety of 200-800mm and is less costly than the 200mm f/2.8.
Another choice is the Panasonic 100-300mm f4.0-5.6 II LUMIX G VARIO, which provides a comparable focal variety of 200-600mm and is the least pricey telephoto zoom offered.
James is an acclaimed freelance landscape and picture professional photographer, in addition to an extremely skilled photography reporter dealing with a few of the very best photography publications and sites with an around the world audience. He’s likewise the author of The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing. www.jamesaphoto.co.uk
Many Popular
Find out more
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
