Panasonic has announced the Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH, a fast short-telephoto zoom for the Micro Four Thirds system.
The 25-50mm is designed to work alongside the existing 10-25mm F1.7 zoom, adding fast-aperture coverage to a 50-100mm equivalent range. The dimensions of the lens and the position of its control rings match those of the 10-25mm.
As with the 10-25mm, Panasonic appears to have devoted a lot of attention to the lens’ video capabilities, with a clickless aperture ring and a snap-back manual focus ring that provides a linear focus response. Focus breathing is very well controlled, meaning the angle of view changes very little as you pull focus, and Panasonic says the lens is designed not to drift or sag as you zoom.
The lens can focus down as close as 31cm (12.2″) at the 50mm end, giving a maximum magnification ratio of 0.21x
The 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH features 16 elements in 11 groups, including one aspherical element, three extra low dispersion (ED) elements and one ultra-high refractive index (UHR) lens. The company says the aspherical element minimizes distortion and spherical aberration, helping to maximize sharpness.
The lens can focus down as close as 31cm (12.2″) at the 50mm end, giving a maximum magnification ratio of 0.21x (0.42x in equivalent terms). It weighs 645g (1.44lbs) without the provided lens hood.
The Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH will be available at the end of August with a recommended price of $1799.
Press release:
Panasonic Introduces New Full-range F1.7 Telephoto Zoom Digital Interchangeable Lens for Mirrorless Cameras
The LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. (H-X2550) is versatile for photography and videography
Newark, NJ (July 7, 2021) – Panasonic is proud to introduce a new telephoto zoom digital interchangeable lens, the LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. (H-X2550), which boasts a large F1.7 aperture throughout the entire 50-100mm (35mm camera equivalent) zoom range with exceptionally high optical performance clearing the stringent LEICA standards. The LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. excels at both photo shooting and video recording, satisfying professional photographers and videographers alike.
The new LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. (H-X2550) is been designed to be paired with with the LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 10-25mm / F1.7 ASPH. (H-X1025), a currently available lens which has been highly acclaimed by creators. They both feature the full-range F1.7 high-speed aperture that provides beautiful bokeh and high descriptiveness. The two lenses cover a focusing distance from wide angle to telephoto, functioning as eight fixed focal length lenses (20mm / 24mm / 28mm / 35mm / 50mm / 75mm / 85mm / 100mm, 35mm camera equivalent) providing the same or an even higher level of descriptiveness than a fixed focal length lens can offer. They have common aperture, high descriptive performance, shape and operability, enabling creators to produce their own unique image product using these two lenses with minimal workflow.
Comprising 16 elements in 11 groups, the lens system features an aspherical lens and three Extra-low Dispersion (ED) lenses that effectively suppress the axial chromatic aberration and chromatic aberration of magnification. Spherical aberration and distortion are also corrected by the aspherical lenses for stunningly high resolution. The use of aspherical lenses and the optimum design of the lens system results in a compact size and light weight while still achieving outstanding optical performance.
Compatibility with a maximum 240-fps high-speed sensor drive realizes high-speed, high-precision auto focusing. In addition to the silent operation achieved by the inner focus drive system, the stepless aperture ring and micro-step drive system in the aperture control section help the camera to smoothly catch up to brightness changes when zooming or panning. The optical design achieves exceptional barycentric stability to minimize image shifts during zooming. A focus ring is equipped for intuitive, precise focusing and linear/ non-linear setting can also be switched with this ring. The LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing at entire zoom range.
The LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. boasts minimum focusing distance of 0.28m (at wide end, 0.31m at tele end) and the maximum magnification ratio of 0.42x (35mm camera equivalent) for superior macro photography. The rugged dust/splash-resistant* design for high mobility withstands use under harsh conditions even in 10 degrees below zero. Filter diameter is in 77mm.
The LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 25-50mm / F1.7 ASPH. (H-X2550) will be available at valued channel partners for $1,799.99 at the end of August.
*Dust and Splash Resistant does not guarantee that damage will not occur if this lens is subjected to direct contact with dust and water.
Panasonic Lumix DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH Specifications
Author:
Richard Butler
Source: Dpreview
