DPReview: CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

At this year's CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan, Panasonic unveiled the Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power O.I.S. lens. Featuring a splash and dustproof design, the 24-120mm equivalent zoom is designed to be a lightweight, versatile companion to Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds cameras. 

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

The new 12-60mm is smaller and much lighter than we expected from the specification. Although it is weather-sealed and boasts 11 elements in 9 groups, it weighs a mere 210 g (0.46 lb).

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

The lens is constructed from polycarbonate, but the mount is metal. It's hard to see in this image but there's a rubber gasket around the lens throat which prevents dust and moisture from getting into the camera. 

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

This is an O.I.S lens, which means that it is optically stabilized. In combination with the in-body stabilization of the Lumix DMC-GX8 this means that it supports Panasonic's Dual IS feature, which we've found offers very good performance across a wide range of focal lengths, but especially at long telephoto settings, where in-body stabilization alone can sometimes struggle.  

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

The Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH will be available in May for $499.99.

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

Announced before the show, CP+ was the first chance that most Panasonic users have had to play with the new Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 telezoom. We got the chance to shoot with one recently and it certainly impressed us.

Covering a focal length range equivalent to 200-800mm when attached to a Micro Four Thirds body this powerful zoom appropriately features 'Power' optical image stabilization to keep things steady. It has has one aspherical, one UED, and two 'regular' ED elements, as well as a nine-bladed circular aperture. The minimum focus distance is 1.3m, with a magnification of 0.25x.  

The Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400 F4-6.3 will be available in early April at a price of $1799.99.

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

Also annouced before the show, here's the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (known as the TZ100 in most regions outside of North America). It's a compact travel zoom of the kind that Panasonic has historically been particularly good at, but unusually it features a 20 megapixel, 1"-type sensor. 

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

That 20MP sensor is paired with a 25-250mm equivalent F2.8-5.9 Leica DC lens which incorporates the company's snappy Depth from Defocus autofocus technology. It offers a 3" touchscreen LCD as well as a 1.04M-dot electronic viewfinder, Raw support, 10 fps continuous shooting (5 fps with AF) and Wi-Fi. 

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

On the video side of things the ZS-100 can record 4K/UHD video at 30p and 24p as well as 1080/60p clips. Panasonic's unique 4K photo mode lets you grab high quality 8MP stills from 4K video.

CP+ 2016: Hands-on with new Panasonic lenses and ZS-100

A built-in EVF, 25-250mm equivalent lens and plenty of manual controls make the ZS-100 a very attractive camera for traveling, in theory. We're expecting a reviewable camera very soon and we'll be posting sample images as fast as we can. 

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