The Lumix S 100-500mm f/5-7.1 Lens

credits: Panasonic

Panasonic just announced its first ultra-telephoto zoom for the full-frame L-mount system: the Lumix S 100-500mm f/5-7.1 OIS. At its longest, you get 500mm of reach, and if you throw on a 2x teleconverter, it stretches all the way to 1000mm. Even with that range, the lens keeps things fairly manageable at about 1.3 kilograms (2.8 pounds) before you add the hood, caps, and tripod collar.

Inside, the lens is built from 19 elements in 12 groups, with a mix of UED, ED, and UHR glass to keep sharpness up and aberrations under control. Aperture runs from f/5 to f/29 on the short end, and f/7.1 to f/40 when zoomed all the way out. It also has an 11-blade diaphragm for smoother background blur, plus a big 82mm filter thread up front. For close work, it focuses down to 0.8 meters at 100mm and 1.5 meters at 500mm, giving you up to 0.36x magnification at the long end.

Autofocus is powered by a Dual Phase Linear Motor that Panasonic says is quick, accurate, and basically silent. Stabilisation is handled by Dual I.S. 2, which promises up to seven stops of correction when paired with the right Lumix body. For video, there’s focus breathing suppression and micro-step aperture control to smooth out exposure changes. Panasonic also added some handy extras, like a customisable focus ring and assignable function button. The lens if available for preorder at $2,099.99.

You can see full details on B&H’s website here