 |
|
Panasonic Lumix 100-500mm F5-7.1 OIS @ 500mm | ISO 1600 | 1/640 | F7.1 Photo: Richard Butler |
The Panasonic Lumix S 100-500mm F5-7.1 OIS is a relatively affordable new tele-zoom for L-mount cameras. We’ve borrowed a sample and had an opportunity to shoot a handful of samples with it at the local nature reserve.
Sadly there weren’t many interesting birds around and the time we were able to visit, so we’ve ended up mainly with pictures of our favorite fallback waterfowl: ducks. There was a Belted Kingfisher, surveying the scene, but he seemed determined to only perch too far away to be photographed, even with the 1000mm reach of the new lens and a 2.0x teleconverter.
At 1285g, excluding the tripod foot, we found the 100-500mm to be pretty easy to hand-hold, and we probably would have been better off leaving the tripod foot at home. Panasonic gives a figure of 7.0EV of stabilization for the lens when combined with a Dual IS 2-compatible body, and we found it could be very stable. At the longer focal lengths, it’s definitely worth setting the stabilization to ‘Always’ on, rather than ‘On half-press’ as you’ll really need the stabilization to be working while you frame your shot.
We found it pretty easy to handhold, and we probably would have been better off leaving the tripod foot at home
The zoom ring is large and positioned so that the balancing point of the lens remains approximately within its limits, even when at 500mm, so you won’t find yourself having to shift your hand further forward to full reach. It has a more than 90 degree throw, meaning you get quite subtle control over focal length, but you’ll probably need to plan your starting hand position carefully if you want be able to extend all the way through the zoom range in a single pull.
There’s a tension adjuster for the zoom ring, letting you determine how readily the zoom ring moves, but on our pre-production unit, the difference was pretty subtle.
2.0x teleconverter
We also shot it with the 2.0x teleconverter and have included a few examples. Before you attach a teleconverter, it’s worth pushing the “Zoom Limit” switch into the On position. That way, once you extend the lens beyond its 150mm focal length, it won’t then retract back any further than that point: preventing you from smashing the rear element of the lens into the TC.
It’s worth noting that, while you can engage the Zoom Limit at any focal length, it doesn’t like to disengage when the lens is set to 150mm, so you’ll need to zoom in a little, to get the catch to release.
A 2.0x teleconverter takes the maximum aperture at full zoom down to F14, which can be a bit of a challenge, even in bright light, and in our samples it does rather unpleasant things to the bokeh. We found our S1R II remained at F14 (rather than its ‘wide-open’ setting), if you take the teleconverter off, so it’s worth paying attention to this, if you’re swapping it on and off a lot.
Still, even though 1000mm still wasn’t enough to get a good shot of the elusive Kingfisher, we did appreciate that this is one of the more affordable ways to get so much reach on such a large sensor.
Panasonic Lumix S 100-500mm F5-7.1 sample gallery
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don’t abuse it.
Our DPREVIEW Tribute:
After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview closed on 10 April 2023. This difficult decision was part of the annual operating plan review that parent company, Amazon, shared earlier this year.
Over the course of 25 years, DP Review built up a reputation as being one of the most informative places to go for information about that new camera or lens you’re after. DP Review began as an independent reviews site based in the UK in 1998, the brainchild of Philip and Joanna Askey, but it was eventually purchased by Amazon in 2007 and relocated over to Seattle in the USA in 2010.
Cheers DPReview – thanks for the great work and content that guided photographers, videographers and techno junkies the world over!