How Good Are Panasonic L Mount Lenses?

[lencap]

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OP -

You asked an interesting question, and one that is very difficult to answer.  From an objective measurable perspective some Panasonic lenses are quite good as are some Sigma lenses.  The MathPhotographer provides some very interesting reviews and thoughts on his site, suggesting very good results with either.  

The issue becomes more subjective when comparing haptics, build quality and “brand loyalty” in the Leica family.  The common argument is similar to car brands - in many ways a Lexus and Toyota share engineering and other product similarities, but the market is segmented by quality attributes, either real or perceived.  The same issues relate to Leica versus non Leica products.

For many the non Leica lenses perform virtually the same in real life situations, for others there is no comparison.  So, to settle the question perhaps the best advice is to determine what are your criteria and choose accordingly.  Regardless of what you decide someone will agree with you, and someone else will not.  In the end only you can decide, and even then you’ll likely second guess your decision.  I know I have second guessed mine!

Good luck, and regardless of your choice, enjoy the passion of creating art, not getting overwhelmed with the minutiae of the tools you use to make that art.

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by lencap

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[Ivar B]

On 10/15/2023 at 11:32 AM, 52K said:

For what it's worth, I traded my Leica 24-70 f.2.8 for the Panasonic S-Pro 24-70 f2.8. Simply put, the 24-70 Leica has a known issue of sucking dust in behind the front element and I've no idea how Leica let this passed quality control. Both lenses have stellar optical performance. The Panasonic prime lenses are great too as are some of the Sigma ones but the SL APO primes are in a class of their own. 

I actually commented on this a while ago and said I did not know of this problem, but now I do. I just bought a Leica 24-70 and the seller gave me a good price because of a lot of dust behind the front element. I contacted Leica Customer Service and got the impression that this was something which was well known to them. I sent the lens for cleaning now. I don`t know how long this will take, but I hope also that they will also solve the underlying cause and not just clean it.  

[Photoworks]

2 hours ago, Ivar B said:

I actually commented on this a while ago and said I did not know of this problem, but now I do. I just bought a Leica 24-70 and the seller gave me a good price because of a lot of dust behind the front element. I contacted Leica Customer Service and got the impression that this was something which was well known to them. I sent the lens for cleaning now. I don`t know how long this will take, but I hope also that they will also solve the underlying cause and not just clean it.  

the 24-70 is a sigma construction, the sigma offers the same problem.
It was fixed in version 2, but I think Leica has not changed anything.

[Ivar B]

19 hours ago, Photoworks said:

the 24-70 is a sigma construction, the sigma offers the same problem.
It was fixed in version 2, but I think Leica has not changed anything.

I know it is a Sigma design, but I would be surprised if Leica has been unable to find a fix. But I can ask - I have not yet received a quote from them. 

[Photoworks]

2 hours ago, Ivar B said:

I know it is a Sigma design, but I would be surprised if Leica has been unable to find a fix. But I can ask - I have not yet received a quote from them. 

the zoom in and out of the lens pulls in air, and with that dust, it is probably a poor design, the new model has a modification on that design.

I do have some dust too.

[Chris Nebard]

On 11/23/2024 at 12:58 PM, Ivar B said:

I actually commented on this a while ago and said I did not know of this problem, but now I do. I just bought a Leica 24-70 and the seller gave me a good price because of a lot of dust behind the front element. I contacted Leica Customer Service and got the impression that this was something which was well known to them. I sent the lens for cleaning now. I don`t know how long this will take, but I hope also that they will also solve the underlying cause and not just clean it.  

I bought my Leica 24-70 VE in 2021 with the SL2-S. Almost immediately a visible chunk of dust appeared on the inside front element. Leica Store Manchester (fantastic service, always, in my experience) sent it to Wetzlar and it was returned within a few weeks. As you say, Leica - and Sigma- must be aware of this issue but whether newly built VE 24-70’s have been corrected, I wouldn’t know. What I do know is that my lens was properly cleaned and the problem hasn’t returned. The performance of the Leica 24-70 is excellent and, if you were considering one used, which is dusty, at a good price, it would be worth checking what Leica’s charge for cleaning it would be. On the other hand, if you were happy to disregard the issue, because it’s solely cosmetic, you might just get a bargain. It’s often an underrated lens by Leica purists, and I understand why, but I love mine. 

[jrp]

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The 100mm Panasonic macro is light and performant. 

[Simone_DF]

On 11/24/2024 at 12:24 PM, Ivar B said:

I know it is a Sigma design, but I would be surprised if Leica has been unable to find a fix. But I can ask - I have not yet received a quote from them. 

It cannot be fixed. It requires a different casing with more weather sealed gaskets. If you don't want dust, I'd suggest you to sell this lens and get the Sigma V2. 

[Ivar B]

On 11/25/2024 at 2:00 PM, Chris Nebard said:

I bought my Leica 24-70 VE in 2021 with the SL2-S. Almost immediately a visible chunk of dust appeared on the inside front element. Leica Store Manchester (fantastic service, always, in my experience) sent it to Wetzlar and it was returned within a few weeks. As you say, Leica - and Sigma- must be aware of this issue but whether newly built VE 24-70’s have been corrected, I wouldn’t know. What I do know is that my lens was properly cleaned and the problem hasn’t returned. The performance of the Leica 24-70 is excellent and, if you were considering one used, which is dusty, at a good price, it would be worth checking what Leica’s charge for cleaning it would be. On the other hand, if you were happy to disregard the issue, because it’s solely cosmetic, you might just get a bargain. It’s often an underrated lens by Leica purists, and I understand why, but I love mine. 

I just heard from Leica and had a very nice response - they will dismantle the lens, clean and repair - free of charge! Excellent service I would say.

I can ask if the repair also includes a fix for the underlying cause.

 

[Ivar B]

On 11/26/2024 at 2:41 PM, Simone_DF said:

It cannot be fixed. It requires a different casing with more weather sealed gaskets. If you don't want dust, I'd suggest you to sell this lens and get the Sigma V2. 

I will check with Leica. It seems that some users report (Chris here in the form) that at the very least the problem is reduced. The Sigma is obviously a very nice lens as well, but I also own the Leica 24-90. 

[Chris Nebard]

5 hours ago, Ivar B said:

I just heard from Leica and had a very nice response - they will dismantle the lens, clean and repair - free of charge! Excellent service I would say.

I can ask if the repair also includes a fix for the underlying cause.

 

Result! Good for you👍

Yes, Simone could be right, but could be worth asking the question? 

[Ivar B]

3 hours ago, Chris Nebard said:

Result! Good for you👍

Yes, Simone could be right, but could be worth asking the question? 

I have. Will post their reply here.

[fotonutzz]

I just bought the Panasonic 28-200mm just now and put it thru a series of tests.  Overall, I'm kinda impressed with the tiny lens.  Weighing in at only 413g, it is really light. 

The zoom ring for the 28-200 is well-dampened and smooth at the same time.  Although the focusing does struggle in low light,  focusing is not gonna be an issue during daytime or when you mount a small SF40 flash with the AF assist light on. 

Lens resolution is relatively acceptable for this kinda all-in-one lens.  Need to stop down the aperture by either one or two stops to see an improvement.   Tried to shoot my wife's eye using the 28mm macro function and it was really impressive.   At ISO 1600 and at F4, it was able to resolve my wife's lashes clearly. 

I guess the sharpness is dependent on what you're using this lens for.  For a simple grab and shoot for a Instagram or Facebook, it is more than adequate.  For huge prints, it would still be better if you use another lens although I have no qualms using this lens for huge prints if you stop down the aperture a bit.  

Taken on a SL3 with a Panasonic 28-200mm.  ISO 400, F6.3, 1/200, Focal Length 68mm.

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Small and compact lens.   Ideal for my kinda holidays as I only go out during the day and don't need a fast lens.  Taken on the SL2-S with Summicron SL50mm ASPH.  F5.6, ISO200, 1/125s

 

Edited November 29, 2024 by fotonutzz
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[epand56]

On 10/12/2023 at 1:46 PM, jjesp said:

I got the Lumix 50mm f/1.8. Cheap and light. But to compare it to the Leica APO is just strange, since the price difference is insane.... But it is sharp and renders so nice on the SL2-S. And the AF is actually better/faster than the Sigma 35mm f/2 DG I just got. That surprises me. And hey, if it can make a front cover on LFI, what's not to like??

 

Time ago I've got the Summicron-SL 35/2 non apo lens for my SL2-s that is a very good lens. The moment i wanted a 50, didn't intend to spend a fortune and bought the Panasonic Lumix 50/1.8 for 450 euros. They all say that the Panasonic and the Summicron (both aspherical), except for the metal body are the same lens. Maybe it is so. But while the Summicron 35/2 images are bright and very pleasant, the Panasonic 50/1.8 images are quite dull and look like made with a cheap camera. I would like to see the same image shot with the Summicron 50/2 and with the Panasonic 50/1.8. So far I'm not so sure they are the same lens.

Edited May 11 by epand56

[Ivar B]

16 hours ago, epand56 said:

Time ago I've got the Summicron-SL 35/2 non apo lens for my SL2-s that is a very good lens. The moment i wanted a 50, didn't intend to spend a fortune and bought the Panasonic Lumix 50/1.8 for 450 euros. They all say that the Panasonic and the Summicron (both aspherical), except for the metal body are the same lens. Maybe it is so. But while the Summicron 35/2 images are bright and very pleasant, the Panasonic 50/1.8 images are quite dull and look like made with a cheap camera. I would like to see the same image shot with the Summicron 50/2 and with the Panasonic 50/1.8. So far I'm not so sure they are the same lens.

Maybe you have a bad copy of the Pana 1.8/50mm. Other testers have failed to find any difference at all. 

[Archiver]

Following up on this thread:

The Panasonic 24-105mm f4 is a decent lens - not truly fantastic, but decent enough for a 24-105. There is distortion at the wide end which the SL bodies correct in the raw files, but the Panasonic bodies don't. Fortunately, mine does not have the outgassing haze issues that earlier iterations of this and other Panasonic lenses seem to have.

The 50mm f1.8 is an excellent lens, despite the seemingly light build quality. It is sharp, bokeh is pleasant, and autofocus works well on Panasonic and Leica L mount bodies. I use it for portraits, street, and sports.

The Summicron 35 SL is another excellent lens, based on the Panasonic 35mm f1.8 design. It's heavier, the focus ring feels firmer and more damped than the Panasonic, and it's very sharp. It focuses equally well on Panasonic and Leica bodies, from what I can tell.

Oddly, I prefer how the metal bodied Summicron feels on the Panasonic S1 compared with the SL2S, and I like how the lighter Panasonic f1.8 lenses feel on the SL2S more than on the S1. Go figure.

If Leica thinks the Panasonic 35 and 50 designs are good enough to adopt into their lineup, then I'm all for it.