Best Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

This 12-60 mm is presented on paper as an essential and ultra versatile zoom, capable of responding to any type of photo. Designed to be used on a Micro 4/3 hybrid (Panasonic or Olympus, for example), it is equivalent to a very comfortable 24-120 mm.

Presentation

On the program for this objective, no less than 14 lenses divided into 12 groups with 4 aspherical glasses and 2 low-dispersion glasses. It has variable but fairly bright maximum apertures: f / 2.8-4 associated with a circular diaphragm with 9 lamellae. Its minimum focusing distance is 20 cm, which gives it a magnification coefficient of 0.3x.

Best Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. PANASONIC LUMIX Professional 12-60mm Camera Lens, Leica DG Vario-ELMARIT, F2.8-4.0 ASPH. Dual I.S. 2.0 with Power O.I.S, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, H-ES12060 (Black)

2. PANASONIC LUMIX G Leica DG Vario-ELMARIT Professional Lens, 12-60MM, F2.8-4.0 ASPH. MIRRORLESS Micro Four Thirds, Power O.I.S, H-ES12060 (International Model)

3. PANASONIC LUMIX G VARIO LENS, 12-60MM, F3.5-5.6 ASPH. MIRRORLESS MICRO FOUR THIRDS, POWER OPTICAL I.S., H-FS12060 (USA BLACK)

4. Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm, F1.7 ASPH. Lens, Stepless Aperture, Video Performance, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Mount, H-X1025

5. LUMIX G X Vario 12-35mm/F2.8 II ASPH./Power O.I.S. H-HSA12035 Japan Import

Ergonomics

This Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit lens is quite compact and above all very light. Count a little more than 300 g on the scale and less than 9 cm in size (closed position). It is therefore perfectly proportioned to the relative smallness of the Micro 4/3 hybrids. Long freehand shooting sessions won’t be a problem! The object itself is quite successful: the design is neat and the quality of manufacture is there. Very good point, this lens is protected against bad weather (dust and humidity) and therefore perfectly suited for use in the field.

Zoom requires, it has two manual adjustment rings. The first and most imposing is reserved for the zoom. Very comfortable to use, it offers good fluidity and limited stroke. The change from 12 to 60 mm is done in a single gesture and in the blink of an eye. The second, narrower ring is dedicated to manual focusing. Its fluidity is also very good, which is a guarantee of precision, but we regret the absence of a dynamic focus distance indicator and stop marks at the ends.

In practice

Here is what we get with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60 mm mounted on a hybrid equipped with a Micro 4/3 sensor. It is equivalent to a 24-120 mm. It is therefore a very versatile lens capable of adapting to a large majority of subjects (landscapes, reports, portraits, etc.).

Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit has fairly generous but slippery maximum openings. It is therefore able to open at f / 2.8 at 12 mm and at f / 4 at 60 mm. These openings allow, to some extent, to play with the effects of bokeh and small depths of field. These apertures are also an asset for photos in low light conditions freehand. On this point, the presence of optical stabilization – which in some cases works in conjunction with the sensor stabilization of the housing – is also an advantage and offers great versatility.

Good point, the vignetting is very discreet. It is visible at the largest apertures and in the most remote corners of the images. By closing a little, at f / 5.6, it disappears completely. The same goes for distortions, which are fairly weak and only visible at the widest focal lengths.

Optical stabilization was tested with 60 mm (equivalent 120 mm), freehand, on a subject positioned at about 3 m. We managed to go down to 1/8 s and get an image that can be considered clear, even if it is not perfectly. However, this is a very good gain, around 4 EV.

Sharpness

The notion of dive is quite delicate to deal with. This is what we can assimilate to the “feeling of sharpness” or to the “precision” that we observe on an image. It can be very different from one lens to another, from one focal to another and from one aperture to another. It can also vary between the center and the edges of the image. We usually say that the sharpness is optimal in the center and at the average openings (f / 8 or f / 11, for example).

We tested the lens with a Panasonic Lumix GX8 with a 20 Mpx Micro 4/3 sensor (5,200 x 3,904 px). Each pixel therefore measures 3.3 micrometers per side. The minimum aperture recommended to avoid diffraction problems is f / 11.

The performance of this Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit is quite good, but unfortunately only in the center of the images. In this area, whatever the focal / aperture configuration chosen, the sharpness is high and the fine details are particularly well rendered. Good point, the sharpness is already high from the biggest opening.

More

On the other hand, things go wrong in terms of homogeneity. Indeed, as soon as we move away from the center, the sharpness drops and at the largest openings, the level difference between the center, two thirds of the images and the extreme edges is very important. In certain configurations, the phenomenon diminishes as the diaphragm is closed, but it remains present at all apertures: a pity for a lens of this caliber.

To get the most out of this objective (dive / homogeneity ratio), you should prefer the average apertures: f / 8. Beyond that, the sharpness begins to decrease quite sharply due to the diffraction. We would have liked to see this phenomenon appear a diaphragm later.

STRONG POINTS

  • Comfortable focal range.
  • Generous maximum opening.
  • Design, build quality, compactness and handling.
  • Stabilization (gain of 4 EV).
  • Precision of the adjustment rings.
  • Stung in the center of the images.
  • General behavior of the objective.
  • Low vignetting and low distortions.

WEAK POINTS

  • No focus distance indications.
  • No manual diaphragm adjustment ring.
  • Cruel lack of homogeneity between the center and the edges of the images (in all configurations).
  • Diffraction which appears a little early (drop in dive from f / 8).

CONCLUSION

This Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f / 2.8-4 ASPH. is a very good zoom to do everything, with good arguments: generous openings, build quality, handling, compactness and optical stabilization. It delivers quality images in the center, but disappoints as soon as you move away from them.

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