The Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 lens is a compact standard wide-angle lens designed for L-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. As the final member of Panasonic’s f/1.8 series, it joins the 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm to provide consistent design and performance. In this review, we’ll examine in detail the design, performance, and real-world experience of the Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 lens.
📊 Detailed Specifications of the Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 Lens
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Lens Mount | L-Mount |
| Lens Format | 35mm Full Frame |
| Focal Length | 35mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/1.8 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Lens Construction | 11 elements in 9 groups |
| Special Elements | 3 aspherical, 1 ED, 1 UHR lens |
| Aperture Blades | 9 (circular aperture) |
| Min Focus Distance | 0.24m |
| Max Magnification | 0.22x |
| Filter Size | 67mm |
| Dimensions (D x L) | 73.6mm x 82.0mm |
| Weight | 295g |
| Weather Sealing | Yes |
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Focus System | Internal focusing |
| AF Motor | Stepping motor |
| Full-time MF | Yes |
🎨 Design and Build Quality
The Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 lens shares the same design philosophy as other lenses in the Lumix S f/1.8 series.
Size and Weight
- Lens dimensions: 73.6mm x 82.0mm (diameter x length)
- Weight: 295g
This lens ranks among the lighter options in the full-frame 35mm f/1.8 category. It creates a well-balanced combination when paired with the Panasonic S5 series.
Build Quality
While the lens body is primarily constructed from high-quality plastics, it maintains a solid feel. It features a metal mount for enhanced durability and includes dust and splash-resistant design, enabling confident use in various shooting conditions.
Design Features
- 67mm filter thread: Shares filter size with other Lumix S f/1.8 series lenses for excellent compatibility
- Focus ring: Features a smooth-operating wide focus ring
- AF/MF switch: Easy focus mode switching
- Consistent exterior design: Matches size and design of other Lumix S f/1.8 lenses for easy lens swapping when using gimbals or rigs
📸 Optical Performance
The Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 lens delivers excellent optical performance despite its compact size.
Sharpness
- Center: Excellent sharpness even at f/1.8. Improves further at f/2.8, with minimal improvements beyond
- Corners: Somewhat soft at f/1.8, but improves significantly from f/2.8. Excellent corner sharpness achieved at f/4
Note that when applying distortion correction, corner sharpness may decrease slightly. This appears to be related to the lens’s distortion characteristics and the correction process.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration control is excellent. It’s barely noticeable in most real-world shooting situations, with minimal color fringing even in high-contrast scenarios. Some longitudinal chromatic aberration may be observed at f/1.8, but improves significantly when stopped down to f/2.8 or beyond.
Distortion
With lens profile corrections applied, distortion is virtually non-existent. However, without corrections, significant distortion is present. While this can be easily corrected in software, it may affect corner sharpness as mentioned earlier.
Vignetting
Vignetting control is exceptional. Even at f/1.8, vignetting is minimal and becomes nearly invisible from f/2.8. This ranks among the best performance in full-frame 35mm lenses.
Bokeh
The bright f/1.8 aperture enables attractive background blur. Bokeh quality is generally smooth and natural, though some situations may show slight outlining in bokeh highlights. The 9-blade aperture maintains near-circular bokeh shapes even when stopped down.
Flare and Ghosting Control
Flare and ghosting control is exceptional. Even in strong backlight, contrast loss is minimal, and ghost images are almost non-existent. This is a common strength among Lumix S series lenses.
Sunstar Effect
The 9-blade aperture creates 18-point sunstars. Sunstar effects begin to appear from f/11 and become more pronounced as the aperture is stopped down further. However, some users might find this lens’s sunstars less defined compared to other lenses.
🎥 Video Performance
The Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 lens includes several video-optimized features, making it attractive for hybrid shooters.
AF Performance
- Fast and accurate autofocus
- Very quiet AF operation minimizing unwanted noise during video recording
- Stable face detection and tracking performance when used with cameras like the Lumix S5
Focus Breathing
Focus breathing is very well controlled. Minimal angle of view changes occur even with large focus distance changes, maintaining video stability.
Manual Focus Options
- Supports both linear and non-linear manual focus modes
- Focus ring rotation angle adjustable through camera settings
🔍 Real-World Experience
Everyday Photography
- Standard wide-angle 35mm focal length naturally captures various everyday scenes
- Compact size and light weight make it comfortable for extended use
- Bright f/1.8 aperture delivers excellent performance in low light conditions
Landscape Photography
- 35mm focal length provides balanced coverage of both overall scenes and details
- Excellent sharpness delivers detailed landscape images
- Superior flare control enables clear images even in backlit situations
Portrait Photography
- 35mm focal length offers natural perspective for environmental portraits
- f/1.8 aperture creates pleasant background blur
- Excellent sharpness renders subject details clearly
Close-up Photography
- 0.24m minimum focus distance and 0.22x maximum magnification enable quasi-macro shooting
- Useful for capturing details of flowers and small objects
Video Production
- Minimal focus breathing ensures natural-looking focus transitions
- Silent AF operation minimizes unwanted noise during recording
- Linear/non-linear manual focus options enable various focusing techniques
💡 Key Features Summary
- Compact and lightweight design (295g)
- Bright f/1.8 aperture
- Excellent optical performance
- Effective flare and ghosting control
- Minimal focus breathing
- 0.24m minimum focus distance with 0.22x maximum magnification
- Dust and splash-resistant design
- 67mm filter size (matching other Lumix S f/1.8 series)
🔧 Pros and Cons Analysis
Pros
- Compact size and light weight
- Excellent optical performance
- Bright f/1.8 aperture
- Effective flare control
- Video-optimized features
- Consistent design with other Lumix S f/1.8 lenses
Cons
- Corner sharpness reduction with distortion correction
- No optical image stabilization
- Slightly higher price compared to some competitors
📊 Comparison with Competitors
| Feature | Panasonic S 35mm f/1.8 | Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 35mm f/2 DG DN | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S | Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | L-Mount | E-Mount | E/L-Mount | Z-Mount | RF-Mount |
| Max Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 | f/2 | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Weight | 295g | 280g | 325g | 370g | 305g |
| Min Focus | 0.24m | 0.22m | 0.27m | 0.25m | 0.17m |
| Max Mag. | 0.22x | 0.24x | 0.18x | 0.19x | 0.5x |
| Weather Seal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Stabilization | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Price (USD) | 648 | 748 | 639 | 846 | 499 |
Compared to Sony FE 35mm f/1.8
- Similar weight and size
- Sony lens is slightly more expensive
- Comparable optical performance
Compared to Sigma 35mm f/2 DG DN
- Panasonic offers brighter aperture (f/1.8 vs f/2)
- Panasonic is lighter (295g vs 325g)
- Similar price range
Compared to Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
- Panasonic is lighter and more compact (295g vs 370g)
- Nikon lens is more expensive (about $200 difference)
- Similar optical performance, with Nikon slightly ahead overall
Compared to Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
- Canon offers closer minimum focus distance and higher magnification
- Canon includes optical image stabilization
- Panasonic is more expensive (about $150 difference)
📸 Recommended Users
- Everyday photographers: Versatile 35mm focal length and compact size ideal for daily shooting
- Travel photographers: Light weight and weather-sealing perfect for travel
- Landscape photographers: Excellent sharpness and flare control for landscapes
- Portrait photographers: Natural perspective and pleasant background blur for portraits
- Video creators: Minimal focus breathing and silent AF ideal for video
- L-mount system users: Build consistent system with other Lumix S f/1.8 lenses
🛒 Purchase Considerations
- Camera System: Suitable for L-mount camera users
- Intended Use: Recommended for users seeking versatile standard wide-angle lens
- Budget: Mid to high-range price point
- Portability: Ideal for users prioritizing light weight
- Video Recording: Recommended for users emphasizing video features
🎯 Conclusion
The Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 lens offers L-mount users an attractive option combining compact size, excellent optical performance, and versatile 35mm focal length. It’s particularly well-suited for everyday photography, travel, landscapes, and portraits.
While the corner sharpness reduction with distortion correction and lack of optical image stabilization might be considered drawbacks, the lens’s compact size and excellent optical performance compensate for these limitations. It particularly excels in flare control, vignetting suppression, and focus breathing minimization.
For L-mount system photographers and videographers seeking a compact 35mm prime lens, the Panasonic Lumix S 35mm f/1.8 is highly recommended. It’s particularly ideal for users looking to build a consistent system with other Lumix S f/1.8 lenses.
