Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS Review

April 24, 2018 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Sharpness at 100mm

For this review, the sharpness test is carried out by photographing a real-world sample, rather than a test chart. The Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm f/2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS Lens was mounted on a Panasonic Lumix G9, which was in-turn mounted on a sturdy tripod. Exposure delay was activated to prevent camera-shake. Any changes in tone you might see across the crops are due to natural light changes during the shooting session.

The full frameThe full frame at 100mm

At 100mm, centre sharpness is excellent at f/3.6 (the widest aperture at this focal length). It is also excellent at f/4.0, f/5.6 and f/8.0, before becoming ever so slightly softer at f/11. It’s softer again at f/16, before becoming its softest at f/22. At normal printing and web sizes, the overall impression of detail is good at f/22, compared to when looking at it at 100%. The sharpest results can be seen at the edges when shooting between f/5.6 and f/16.

Aperture Centre Crop Edge Crop
f/3.6 f3_6.jpg f3_6.jpg
f/4 f4.jpg f4.jpg
f/8 f8.jpg f8.jpg
f/11 f11.jpg f11.jpg
f/16 f16.jpg f16.jpg
f/22 f22.jpg f22.jpg