20 April 2017
As the second lens in the LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT F2.8-4.0 Series, the new LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT 8-18mm / F2.8-4.0 ASPH offers a zoom range of ultra wide 8mm to versatile 36 mm (35mm camera equivalent), which Panasonic say is suitable for a range of shooting situations from snapshots to dynamic landscapes and starry night skies.
The lens is built with 15 elements in 10 groups and features an aspherical ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lens, three aspherical lenses, two ED lenses and an UHR (Ultra High Refractive Index) lens to suppress spherical distortion or chromatic aberration.
The 8-18mm lens boasts a rugged, dust and splash-proof design and is built to withstand temperatures down to -10℃.
At its maximum speed of 240fps, the lens’ sensor drive enables it to take advantage of cameras with high-speed and high-precision contrast AF and also serves to reduce wobbling when recording video. Another advantage for video is the silent operation achieved by the inner focus drive system and the micro-step drive system in the aperture control section helps the camera to smoothly catch up to brightness changes when zooming or panning
The LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT 8-18mm / F2.8-4.0 ASPH will be available late May. Panasonic also announced that the lens series will expand again with the introduction of a 50-200mm (100-400mm, 35mm camera equivalent) telephoto zoom lens in the future.