Panasonic pancake! A new super-skinny 26mm lens is here to match the Lumix S9
Panasonic has just announced the brand new Lumix S9 camera, now the smallest and lightest full-frame body in the Lumix lineup. The camera is impressively small, but the downside of such a pint-sized camera is that there aren’t a lot of Lumix lenses that perfectly match the petite S9 body.
Never fear, though, as the manufacturer has a solution, announcing two lenses that are a much more practical size for the Panasonic Lumix S9.
Panasonic Lumix S 26mm f/8
First up is the Panasonic Lumix S 26mm f/8, which becomes the first and currently only pancake lens from the L-Mount Alliance. Incredibly portable, the lens is an impressive 18.1mm / 0.71in in length and weighs a minuscule 58g / 0.13lbs. The 26mm focal length is a great angle for spontaneously capturing the world around you, perfect for street and travel photography.
However, the emphasis here is definitely on portability over function, as the lens has a fixed aperture of f/8 (fixed, not minimum) and is manual focus only – which does limit its usefulness somewhat, especially when it comes to the hybrid nature of the Lumix S9 camera, with manual focus in video taking a bit of skill and patience.
Interestingly, Panasonic notes that some manual focus assist functions can’t be used with this lens. I am not sure exactly what the Lumix S 26mm misses out on but, when I tested it, focus highlight peaking worked fine. The lens also doesn’t have an adapter ring, so lens filters can’t be attached.
However, the £219.99 / AU$349 price (US price to be confirmed) does make it tempting as an affordable option to leave on the camera for moving around, and it might even slip into a (large) pocket. The Lumix S 26mm f/8 will be available at the end of June.
Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3
Later in the year, Panasonic will also be introducing a new compact wide zoom lens with the Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3.
We don’t quite have all the final details yet from Panasonic, and I haven't seen the lens in person, but it looks quite compact in marketing images. Panasonic is promising a versatile zoom lens intended for daily use. The 18-40mm range is perfect for covering a range of subjects including landscapes, travel, street photography and some environmental portraiture. For close-up work, the lens will have a minimum focus distance of 0.15m / 0.49ft.
For more lens options for your Panasonic camera check out our top picks for the best L-Mount lenses – and if skinny glass is your thing, check out the best pancake lenses.
