Panasonic’s 100-500mm f/5-7.1 Lens

credits: Panasonic

Panasonic looks to be adding another telephoto zoom to its L-mount lineup, this time a 100-500mm f/5-7.1. The lens is already in development and could be announced fairly soon. For L-mount users, this would be a welcome addition at the long end of the system, especially as Panasonic has been steadily increasing its lens options alongside those from Sigma, Samyang, and more recently Viltrox.

The 100-500mm is expected to weigh in around 1.3 kilograms, putting it roughly in the same class as Canon’s RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1. That is not exactly light, but it is a reasonable trade-off for the reach. What many are hoping for most, though, is quick and reliable autofocus. If Panasonic nails that, it could give this lens a real edge over Sigma’s comparable telephotos, which sometimes lag behind when it comes to AF speed.

While the L-mount continues to see healthy growth, things have been quieter on Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds side. The last new MFT lenses were announced about two years ago, the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 35-100mm f/2.8 and the updated 100-400mm f/4-6.3 II ASPH. Camera updates have also been slow, the G97 arrived in late 2024 but didn’t bring much beyond a mandatory switch to USB-C. For now, it seems Panasonic’s energy is focused on building out the L-mount ecosystem, and this new 100-500mm could be the next big piece of that puzzle.