Conclusion

To be taken seriously, a camera system should be backed up by a worthy (and broad) choice of lenses. Panasonic is working fast to make this a reality for the L-Mount. The Panasonic Lumix S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. telephoto zoom lens fills a key gap in the range and it could be the invitation to the S-Series that many photographers accept.

This lens excels in every area and is completely worthy of its 5-star status. It’s rugged and dependable. It’s a breeze to use, even if you ’ll need to eat your spinach in order to hold it for long periods!

When paired with a Lumix S1R camera, we quickly appreciated its silent, rapid and reliable autofocus. You have a lens that is well suited to both photography (where AF is rapid) and video (where AF is smooth).

The Panasonic Lumix S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. offers all of the features we would wish for - not least of which its manual focus clutch, optical image stabilisation and focus range limiter - and throws in a few extras.

And then there is the downright clinically sharp image quality. From centre to corners, at any focal length, you can expect sharp detail. It ’s like four telephoto primes lenses in one. Bokeh is gorgeous, particularly at f/4 which is the aperture setting we can see this lens being used in most often.

You do pay for the pleasure - months after its release and the lens is still £2500. But it’s much less than the Leica APO Vario Elmarit SL 90-280mm f/2.8-4 ASPH option and those that earn their living with this type of lens (and those with deep pockets) will be delighted by the performance of the Lumix S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. Bravo, Panasonic.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	5
Value for money	4