Panasonic's new Lumix S9 is certainly stealing the headlines as far as the company's camera launches go, but less talked about is the incredibly odd lens that launched with the camera, the one that's featured in many of the camera's beauty shots: The Lumix S 26mm f/8 lens.
Well, at least two people are talking about it, and none of it is positive. The ever-irreverent comedic camera duo Kai Wong and Lok Cheung take the tiniest Panasonic full-framer and accompanying tiniest Panasonic full-frame lens and discuss why it's just a real head-scratcher of a release from Panasonic.
The big headline is a lack of features. The lens does not have autofocus, it has a fixed f/8 aperture, and it doesn't have a filter thread.
You can expect some of that when you adapt vintage lenses onto a modern body, but for a 2024 lens release from Panasonic for a body within its own ecosystem, that's just bonkers. What is anybody supposed to do with this thing? It won't be great for video with a fixed aperture and no ability to adjust that with neutral density filters. It doesn't activate manual focusing aids when you twist the focus ring, and heck, why doesn't it just autofocus in the first place?
It seems that in the pursuit of producing a lens that looks great in product shots, the marketing department that designed this lens forgot that people need to take photos with it. Surely, there couldn't have been a photographer in the mix at Panasonic making these design decisions. I hope.
I can get behind oddball lenses, sure. I purchased the Olympus Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 Lens because it was a cheap way to get into a fisheye lens, and it could also serve as a bodycap. For $100 on a Micro Four Thirds mount, the fixed aperture and manual focus can be overlooked for what is essentially a "fun" lens with a fish-eye effect. However, for $200, the Panasonic lens doesn't have any of those quirky qualities to warrant the price tag.
As Wong and Cheung point out, if Canon and other manufacturers can make full-frame lenses with f/2.8 apertures that are about the same price and size, there's no reason that Panasonic should have chosen this lens out of the gate with the S9. It's a misstep that could doom an otherwise decent camera offering.
Check out the video above to see how the lens fared in Wong's tests. It's definitely an eye-opener for what not to do with a lens release.
What do you think of the new 26mm Panasonic pancake lens? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Surely it’s just just a case of not buying it, if you don’t want it? As for the AF, it’s a 26mm f/8 lens - how much focusing do you want to do?
The thing is L mount doesn't have a 26mm-ish f/2.8-ish pancake lens, and now such lens is less likely to be prioritized given this lens and limited R&D capacity. So why not get it right in the first shot?
"not buying it" only applies when there are alternatives.
I find it funny that you would want to defend such a ludicrous lens. If someone says something incredibly stupid, is it not natural to reproach them?
Well that’s a stupid comment, so this is me reproaching you. That’s fact that you are limited in your imagination and vision doesn’t mean that everyone is. I’m not a great fan of LUMIX cameras but I’m absolutely certain that the designers at Panasonic have more clue about lenses than you and all the rest of the habitually critical keyboard warriors.
I mean, I've used almost every major camera brand out there and scores of (autofocus capable) pancake lenses. I don't have to hold this one in my hand to know that this is a terrible idea for a lens. I'm not sure what's defensible about it.
So you think that condemning a piece of equipment without trying it is useful? That is about as fair as me condemning all your articles without reading them.
My point remains - just because it doesn’t suit you, does not mean it won’t suit everyone.
I think every preview of the S9 I’ve seen did talk about this lens, and most thought it was quite pointless due to design & features. I can’t imagine there will be huge interest in watching reviews of this lens! So it wouldn’t surprise me if most reviewers couldn’t be bothered to create a separate video for such a blurgh lens.
It's a junk anyway....there is no need to talk about it let alone review it. Let Panasonic build thousands of them and keep them in their warehouse PERMANENTLY!! 😄😄😄
I'm not one to throw shade at any particular manufacturer or brand, but yeah, this is a low point even for a kit lens. Probably hoping to snag someone looking for an X100VI alternative who doesn't know the difference.
It's clearly an after thought. Manual focus, no scale marks. First party lens, no electronic coupling for EXIF data. They could have given us the Lumix equivalent of the Nikon Z 28f2.8 or 26f2.8.
I think the electronic coupling is the one thing it does have.