Panasonic 16-35

[HeinzX]

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Since a few days I own a Panasonic 16-35 and use it together with my SL 2 and sometimes with the CL too. The image quality of this lens is excellent and the handling very comfortable. And moreover this lens is relativly light weight compared wir others. Weight is only 500 g. Just for fun (I have other alternatives) I tried it together with an Marumi achromat with 5 diop too, the results are better than expected - more than good enough for many flowers. but of course with the restrictions of the achromat . Which means there is a restriction regarding possible  distance to the object you want to take of photo of. All in all this lens is a very good buy at a modest price.If you would like to see some photos you will find some in the photo section of SL 2 . I started with one of the outside of a big church just recently and some will follow within the next days.

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by HeinzX

[vanhulsenbeek]

Opened my box with the Pana 16-35, and an pleased as well. On the SL. AF works fine. A lens that will go nicely together with the Pana 24-70 I already use. Superb lens.

[vanhulsenbeek]

An unimportant picture, no science involved  

After a couple days with the Pana 16-35.: quite pleased.

The colours are pleasing, on the SL. Some 3d effect is visible.

Sharpness is very OK all over. No visible/bothering CA.

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Edited March 9, 2020 by vanhulsenbeek

[Archiver]

I used to use the Canon 16-35 f2.8 II with my 5D Mark II, and I was never happy with the sharpness/detail. Comparing it with the Zeiss Biogon 21/2.8 on the M9, the Zeiss/Leica combination is so much sharper. I wonder if the Panasonic 16-35 with an appropriate L mount camera is comparable to the M9 with 21 Biogon for sharpness and detail.

[tom.w.bn]

Yesterday I visited my camera dealer and played around with the lens. The weight is astonishing. It's so light compared to other 16-35 lenses for DSLRs I know but does not feal cheap. Image quality of the existing Panasonic S-lenses is really good. Very tempting.

[Jay B]

I wasn't sorry getting my Pany 16-35.

[Ivar B]

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I just did a few testshots myself. I have not been able to reduce the file size sufficiently to enable upload here, but the lens appears to be razor sharp. I also tried to provoke some flare, but it seems to be very flare resistant as well. What you feel instantly, is the reduced weight compared to the Leica 24-90.

 

[BernardC]

Question for those stuck at home with this lens: is distortion correction applied when shooting video? If you pan a shot, do straight lines go all bananas, or do they stay straight?

It seems like it would be a good video lens, it has a "real" (albeit electronically controlled) manual focus, and very little breathing, but that's of no use if you can't move the camera during a shot.

Bonus points if you can test in full frame and crop mode (points have no retail value).

[Ivar B]

I did a few more shots myself. No "photography" as such - just testing the lens. In the photo of the building below, focal length is about 16mm and the sun shines directly in my face over the roof. It is razor sharp and no problem with flare. 

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[dritz]

Why no mention of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens?  I know that's not the focus on this thread, but certainly perhaps it's a viable alternative?

 

[BernardC]

16 hours ago, dritz said:

Why no mention of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens?  I know that's not the focus on this thread, but certainly perhaps it's a viable alternative?

 

Yes, all three L-Mount partners offer zooms in that range.

What I find appealing about the Panasonic is that it is the lightest of the three (500g, vs. 800g for Sigma and 1kg for Leica), and it has a proper manual focus mechanism with end-stops and a distance scale.

It would be great if there was a thread comparing the three, but that is unlikely to happen in the short term. The Panasonic isn't even officially released in my country yet.

[Ivar B]

On 4/15/2020 at 10:12 PM, dritz said:

Why no mention of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens?  I know that's not the focus on this thread, but certainly perhaps it's a viable alternative?

 

I have not tested the Sigma 14-24mm lens but when Sigma and Panasonic lenses of other focal lengths are compared, I think the general result is that they are pretty close, but perhaps Panasonic has a marginal advantage. Sigma will satisfy all user needs. It seems that obtaining that 3 % extra lens quality comes at a very heavy price. Also, like Bernard also pointed out, the low weight of the Panasonic 16-35 is a real advantage.