Hands-on with the new Panasonic Lumix S 50mm F1.8
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Panasonic's new Lumix S 50mm F1.8 is a dust and splash-resistant lens for L-mount shooters, sporting a reasonably fast F1.8 maximum aperture. It's the second of four budget-oriented, compact F1.8 primes (announced by Panasonic last September) to come to market, joining the Lumix S 85mm F1.8. All four of these primes are intended to share a similar design, weight, and footprint, while also appealing to both stills and video shooters alike.
Priced at $449 and available in July, the Lumix S 50mm F1.8 offers a lot of versatility at a reasonable price, whether you looking for a walk-around lens, something to shoot portraits with, or a combination of the two; you truly can't go wrong with the 50mm focal length. Let's take a closer look at this one.
View our Panasonic Lumix S 50mm F1.8 sample gallery
Size and weight
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Weighing 300 g (10.6 oz) and 82 mm (3.2″) in length, the Lumix S 50mm F1.8 is considerably lighter and smaller than Panasonic's Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4, which weighs 955 g (2.1 lbs) and is 130mm (5.12") in length.
It also weighs less than the Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN (325 g / 0.72 lbs), another recently-launched sub-$1000 prime for L-mount (and Sony E-mount). The Panasonic is however 17mm longer than the Sigma, but also 1/3rd-stop faster.
Paired with the hefty Panasonic S1R, you hardly notice the Lumix S 50mm is there. But it feels perfectly at home attached to the more modestly sized/weighted Panasonic S5.
Build quality
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Panasonic says the Lumix S 50mm is both dust and weather resistant and the rubber ring around the lens mount is proof of that. There's also a handful of internal gaskets around the sizable focus ring and front element. We're also told it has been tested to perform in conditions down to -10°C (14°F).
While the body of the lens appears to be some sort of polycarbonate, the mount itself is constructed of metal. The focus ring is finished in a grippy rubber material and is well-damped. It takes about a half-turn of the ring to throw focus from the minimum distance of 0.45 m (17.7″) to infinity. Speaking of minimum focus, the maximum magnification for this lens is 0.14x.
For video shooters, focus breathing is impressively well-controlled. You can see a demonstration in our Lumix S 50mm F1.8 sample gallery, right here.
Optical construction and autofocus
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The lens features a 9-bladed circular aperture, which, combined with highly polished internal elements, results in smooth, rounded bokeh, even when shooting at F1.8 And stopping the lens down a bit should also result in some decent-looking sunstars. The maximum aperture of this lens is F22.
Optical construction consists of nine elements in eight groups, including three aspherical elements, an ED (Extra Low Dispersion) element, and a UHR (Ultra High Refractive Index) element. All that fancy glass should translate to high-resolution output and well-suppressed chromatic aberration.
Focus is internal, meaning there's no increase in length during an AF rack. And the focus is driven by a linear motor, which results in snappy, silent AF acquisition. This should be a boon for stills and video shooters alike.
Initial image quality impressions
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Looking at our pre-production sample gallery, we're definitely seeing good resolving power and center sharpness from this lens, even wide open. That said, there's some cross-frame weirdness apparent in our shots taken at infinity (which we're hoping is just a pre-production lens issue). You'll notice longitudinal CA in a handful of the samples, but lateral CA appears well controlled. There's also noticeable vignetting wide open, but it's gone by F2.8 (and easy enough to correct).
Control points and accessories
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Aside from the focus ring (there's no aperture ring), the only other control point is an AF/MF switch located on the side of the lens barrel, which has a nice click response and shouldn't be easily bumped by accident.
Like the Lumix S 85mm F1.8, (and presumably the forthcoming Lumix S 24mm and 35mm F1.8s) the Lumix S 50mm offers a 67mm front filter thread. A plastic lens hood ships with the unit and attaches bayonet style.
The wrap
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And that wraps up our tour of the new Lumix S 50mm F1.8. In all, it looks to be an affordable and capable option for L-mount shooters and a welcome addition to Panasonic's full-frame lens family. We shot with a pre-production model, but very much look forward to getting in a final production unit and putting it through its paces, soon.
Until then, be sure to take a look through our full sample gallery, brush up on the details of the Lumix S 85mm F1.8, and keep your eyes peeled for the final two Lumix S F1.8 primes to launch in the near future.
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