Panasonic Lumix 24-60mm f/2.8 vs 24-70mm f/2.8

Panasonic’s new 24-60mm f/2.8 lens is better than the 24-70mm f/2.8... and $800 cheaper?

Panasonic just released a new 24-60mm f/2.8 lens priced at $900—and it’s causing quite a stir. Why? Because Panasonic already sells a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for a much steeper $2,000 (currently around $1,700 at the time of writing). That’s a massive price gap. So, the obvious question is: is the older 24-70 worth the extra $800? After testing both lenses, the answer may surprise you.

Build Quality & Handling

At first glance, the 24-60mm feels like a solid mid-tier lens. It’s more compact than your typical 24-70mm, and while it doesn’t scream “premium,” it holds its own—comparable in feel to something like a Tamron lens. It has a smooth zoom, a very usable focus-by-wire manual ring, and even a customizable function button. The 77mm filter threads are a standard plus.

The more expensive 24-70mm, however, looks and feels more premium. It’s bigger, heavier, and denser, with an 82mm front element. Its zoom is smoother and more refined, and the moving manual focus clutch adds a professional touch—though in practice, it’s easy to accidentally bump it into manual focus mode. Surprisingly, it lacks a programmable button, which the cheaper lens includes.

Minimum Focusing Distance

The 24-60mm is the clear winner here with a minimum focusing distance of 7.5" vs the 1.21' (almost double) of the 24-70mm. 

Image Quality: Head-to-Head

Color rendering? Nearly identical. Bokeh? Virtually the same. Chromatic aberration or fringing? Neither has issues. Where you will notice a difference between these two lenses is in sharpness. At 400% zoom, the cheaper 24-60mm was consistently sharper—especially at the edges and even at f/2.8. The 24-70mm was noticeably softer at 70mm, especially in the center of the frame. At f/2.8, the 24-60mm does suffer from vignetting more than the more expensive 24-70mm but you can easily brighten your edges with software. You won't be able to fix the soft focus of the 24-70mm. 

The 24-70mm at 70mm performed so poorly in this test that I do wonder if there is something wrong with my lens, but my test unit was brand new. 

Verdict: Save Your Money

Even if these two lenses performed exactly the same and the only difference was 10mm of additional reach, there’d be no justification for spending $800 more. You can just take a step forward. But the reality is even more dramatic: the cheaper 24-60mm outperforms its pricier sibling in almost every category. 

Unless you absolutely need that extra 10mm, the choice is clear. Save your money. Panasonic’s new 24-60mm f/2.8 isn’t just a budget alternative—it's actually the better lens.