New Lumix Lenses on the Horizon

The new 70-200 F2.8 coming this January for $2,599.

The LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. and LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 will be added to the Lumix family of lenses for their S1 series of cameras in January. The LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 will available for $1,499 and the LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 is $2,599.

These lenses will join an already existing line up with includes the LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4, LUMIX S PRO 24-70mm F2.8, LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S., LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. Eleven more lenses in the LUMIX S PRO line are slated to be released by March 2021 according to Panasonic.

These new lenses give the Panasonic full-frame series of cameras the “holy trinity” desired by most all visual journalists and a much needed wide-angle option. While the decision to go with an F4 instead of the an F2.8 on the 16-35 is an odd one, it will still compliment the current crop of lenses. Here’s hoping that one of the 11 news lenses the company plans to release will include a wide angle F2.8.

The 70-200 F2.8, though, is right in line with what the manufacturer should be making and really should have been released with the camera from the start. The F4 version of the lens is a fine piece of equipment and capable of getting the job done, but the F2.8 variant will be high sought after gives photojournalist and videographers that extra little bit of light. This also puts the company on par with their competitors in the mirrorless spaces like Canon, Sony and Nikon.

If you’ve been waiting on purchasing a S1 series camera, this might be the time to buy. While the lens lineup is still in its infancy, it’s growing quickly. If you can stand to wait, I’d recommend holding out till the S2, S1 Mark II, or whatever the next one will be called. By then you’ll have a more mature camera system with a stronger lineup of lens choices.