{"id":1403,"date":"2012-11-17T17:09:37","date_gmt":"2012-11-17T22:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=1403"},"modified":"2013-02-03T09:03:31","modified_gmt":"2013-02-03T14:03:31","slug":"review-panasonic-lumix-g-vario-35-100mm-f2-8-x-ois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-panasonic-lumix-g-vario-35-100mm-f2-8-x-ois\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Panasonic Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f\/2.8 X OIS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panasonic and Olympus have been very busy the past few years, filling out their lens lineups for Micro 4\/3, and while there have been some consumer grade lenses released in this time frame, both Olympus and Panasonic have really targeted the high-end enthusiast and professional with their recent lens offerings. \u00a0At first, Micro 4\/3 had a bunch of slow consumer grade zoom lenses, and some mediocre primes, with a few gems like the Panasonic 7-14 thrown in. \u00a0After a good start with some very nice lenses, Olympus has released a flurry of truly outstanding prime lenses, while Panasonic has filled the void with much needed high-end zoom lenses. \u00a0The latest, Panasonic’s 35-100mm f\/2.8 X OIS, fills one of the last major needs in the Micro 4\/3 system: A fast telephoto zoom.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re not familiar with my reviews, I review from a real world shooting perspective. \u00a0You won\u2019t find lens charts or resolution numbers here. \u00a0There are plenty of other sites that cover those. \u00a0I review products on how they act for me as a photographic tool.<\/em><\/p>\n

Around the Lens<\/h3>\n
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Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 X OIS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 is the first high-grade telephoto zoom for the Micro 4\/3 system. \u00a0It has the same field of view as the standard 70-200mm zooms for full frame cameras and features a constant f\/2.8 aperture throughout the range. \u00a0This type of lens is a stalwart in any camera system, and it’s great to finally have it for Micro 4\/3. \u00a0The lens features a solid, well constructed body built predominantly of metal, but with some high-grade plastics as well. \u00a0The base and focus rings are metal (thin-walled, likely aluminum), while the broad zoom ring is plastic covered in grippy rubber.<\/p>\n

Like it’s companion 12-35mm f\/2.8 brother (reviewed here<\/a>), the 35-100mm f\/2.8 features weathersealing against dust and water, so there is a rubber gasket surrounding the metal lens mount. \u00a0When used with a weathersealed body like the Olympus OM-D E-M5 or the Panasonic GH3, you’ll have a high grade set to shoot when the weather gets nasty.<\/p>\n

The lens is relatively large for a Micro 4\/3 lens, but positively tiny for an f\/2.8 lens with a field of view like a 70-200mm lens on full frame. \u00a0It’s half the length and one quarter<\/em> the weight of Canon’s 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II. \u00a0It ends up being slightly longer and fatter than Panasonic’s compact 45-175mm f\/4-5.6. \u00a0Like that zoom and all pro-grade 70-200 lenses on the DSLR systems, the Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 OIS zooms and focuses internally, so the lens stays at a constant length regardless of settings.<\/p>\n

Now, the effective depth of field will be similar to an f\/5.6 on full frame, but if you want that super shallow depth of field, then a Full Frame DSLR is your thing. \u00a0Me? \u00a0I’m happy to have the f\/2.8 aperture for use in low light, and to get a little extra subject separation while using a zoom lens, and I’ll take the enormous weight and size savings, thank you.<\/p>\n

Unlike Olympus, which charges an arm and a leg for the hoods for its high grade lenses, Panasonic is kind enough to include both the lens hood and a lens pouch for the 35-100mm f\/2.8. The hood is made of high quality plastic, is reversible for storage, and is nice and deep to protect the front element and shield it from flare.<\/p>\n

Autofocus, OIS and Handling<\/h3>\n

The 35-100mm f\/2.8 carries Panasonic’s HD designation, which means it features virtually silent operation, both in autofocus and in the optical stabilizer. \u00a0Autofocus with the 35-100mm lens is very fast, silent and quite accurate.<\/p>\n

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Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 OIS on the Olympus OM-D<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite it’s slightly large size compared to other Micro 4\/3 lenses, I’ve found it to handle very well. \u00a0It’s well balanced on a gripped body, and even handles decently on something like the GX1, though it’s not as balanced. \u00a0The zoom ring feels wonderful, and it has that damped, almost heavy feeling that is very similar to the feel of a DSLR 70-200 zoom. \u00a0Frankly, it’s that detail that truly makes it feel like a high grade lens. \u00a0The focus ring is passable, but isn’t particularly damped, and so doesn’t quite match the very high end feel of the zoom ring, but I’m OK with that.<\/p>\n

The optical image stabilizer (OIS) in the Panasonic is the newer ‘Power-OIS’ variant that is supposed to be the best. \u00a0While certainly better than nothing, the OIS on this lens isn’t up to the level of Canon’s recent IS implementations, or even the outstanding IBIS in the Olympus OM-D. \u00a0The OIS can be switched on or off via the hard switch on the side of the lens. \u00a0In my use, I’ve found the OIS to be good for a little more than two stops of extra handholdability. \u00a0I was able to get sharp shots at about 1\/40s consistently at 100mm. \u00a0With the OM-D’s IBIS, I was able to go all the way down to 1\/15s.<\/p>\n

There is one other quirk with the OIS I discovered. \u00a0At very high shutter speeds, (1\/3200 and 1\/4000s), there seems to be some feedback that causes blurring. \u00a0Switching the OIS off at these speeds is recommended.<\/p>\n

Next: Image Quality<\/a>
\nImage Quality – Sharpness<\/h4>\n
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Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 OIS @ 100mm, f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As micro 4\/3 zoom lenses go, the 35-100mm f\/2.8 is among the sharpest, if not THE sharpest, but it does fall slightly short of the very best 70-200mm f\/2.8 lenses for DSLRs. I used to own the downright incredible 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II for Canon, and the 35-100 doesn’t quite reach that lofty level of performance, though it is very good. Images are quite sharp over the majority of the frame at f\/2.8 throughout the zoom range, and are especially sharp at the wider end. Edges and corners are a little softer here.<\/p>\n

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100% crop of image to right (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stopping down to f\/4 brings the center into\u00a0outstanding territory and the corners into the very good range. It’s not going to match something like the Olympus 75mm f\/1.8, but for all but the most discerning pixel peepers, sharpness is on a very high level. I have high quality standards in this department, and I don’t have any reservations about shooting the lens wide open.<\/p>\n

Image Quality – Bokeh<\/h3>\n
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Bird over Columbus – Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 @ 100mm, f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 35-100mm f\/2.8 is a mixed bag when it comes to bokeh. For situations where you’re shooting at closer focus distances, say, for portraiture, the bokeh is very pleasing. There are no obvious fringes on specular highlights, and it’s relatively creamy. I find that the combination of wide open sharpness and good bokeh at these distances makes this a very attractive lens for portraits, especially in situations where you need to change focal lengths quickly.<\/p>\n

At the other end, at more medium to long focus distances, the bokeh becomes busier. While I’ve seen worse, I’ve also seen much better. When shooting at these distances, it is worth it to watch your background for high frequency patterns, such as branches or high detail items.<\/p>\n

Image Quality – Chromatic Aberration, Color and Flare<\/h3>\n

The Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 controls chromatic aberration very well. There is a small amount of lateral CA on Olympus bodies (it’s corrected on Panasonic bodies), but it’s very minor and extremely easy to correct entirely with one click in Lightroom. Even if uncorrected, you’d be hard pressed to spot it if you aren’t looking for it. Longitudinal CA is controlled very well, with no obvious green or magenta fringes appearing in the bokeh. I also noted high resistance to purple fringing.<\/p>\n

The lens has good color response, though nothing particularly exceptional. Contrast is very even, allowing for very nice rolloff with portraits and skin tones, but contrasty enough to give a little pop to other types of subjects. Due to the narrow angle of view and the deep lens hood provided with the lens, flare isn’t something you will generally have to worry about. I didn’t test it without the hood, as I will always use a hood on a lens like this.<\/p>\n

Next: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

Pros<\/h4>\n