Panasonic officially reveals 12-35mm X lens

Panasonic's 12-35mm lens
Panasonic's new 12-35mm lens offers a constant aperture of f/2.8... but costs £1,000

Panasonic has finally confirmed the official release of the much talked about 12-35mm f/2.8 X lens, which will cost around £1,000.

After announcing the development of the lens, earlier in the year, much excitement surrounded the optic - which is the first Micro Four Thirds zoom lens to offer a constant aperture of f/2.8.

Compatible with Panasonic's G range of cameras - as well as the Olympus PEN and OM-D range - it offers an equivalent of 24-70mm in 35mm terms, a classic zoom lens choice for full frame users.

Constructed from metal, the lens is manufactured in Panasonic's Yamagata factory in Japan, which is intended to reflect the firm's commitment to the quality of the lens.

Zoom

Although it bears the name X, as the 12-42mm power zoom lens, it features a standard zoom function - as in by twisting a central lens ring - it does feature Power Optical Image Stablisation though. It's water and dustproof, with Panasonic expecting that the majority of sales will come from G3, GH and GX users.

As it doesn't use a power zoom, Panasonic says that the lens is aimed at stills photographers, more than videographers.

The new addition brings the total of Panasonic Micro Four Thirds (MTF) lenses available to 16 - giving MFT a much larger range than its rivals from Sony, Nikon, Pentax and Fuji.

The Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 'X' lens price will be around £1,000 and it will be available from the end of June.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar. 

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