Panasonic adds 100-500mm extreme telephoto to its Lumix S series

Panasonic has expanded its full-frame lineup with its first-ever ultra-telephoto zoom lens. Designed for wildlife and landscape shots, the Lumix S 100-500mm f5-7.1 O.I.S supports 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, which can increase optical zoom up to 1000mm.

The lens is housed in a fingerprint-resistant fluorine coating and is dust and splash proof. Panasonic has organized 19 separate lens elements in 12 groups to control chromatic aberrations and spherical distortions while keeping the lens surprisingly compact at 7.72 inches (196.1mm) and 2.83 lb (1,285g).

With Dual I.S. 2, this lens is capable of seven stops of image stabilisation - comparable to that offered by flagships from Canon and Olympus. This should translate to stable handheld shots and produce steady documentary-style footage without a tripod. Videographers will appreciate the fast, silent autofocus and minimized focus breathing made possible by Panasonic’s Dual Phase linear motor.

Manual focus is also supported via a customizable control ring. There is a focus button that can be assigned functions such as hybrid zoom to push the Lumix S 100-500mm lens beyond its optical telephoto limits. And the tension in the zoom ring is adjustable via a third ring just behind the focus ring. 

Panasonic's Lumix S 100-500mm lens is available for pre-order for $2099.99 starting September 25th and will start shipping in October. It comes with a removable Arca-Swiss tripod foot and lens hood.