Las Vegas, NV—Panasonic’s new telephoto zoom digital interchangeable lens—the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm f/2.8-4.0 Asph—is the third lens to be included in Panasonic’s Leica DG Vario-Elmarit f/2.8–4.0 series. Like all lenses in the series, the compact lens includes the company’s Nano Surface Coating technology to minimize ghosts and flaring.
The new lens sports a dust/splashproof design that is also freezeproof to 14ºF. In addition, it has a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 100mm to super telephoto 400mm. As a result, it is engineered to cover shooting situations from wildlife and indoor sports to portraits. Moreover, Panasonic claims its Power OIS (optical image stabilizer) compensates for hand-shake movement so photographers can shoot without a tripod. The lens also works with Dual IS and Dual IS2 technologies when mounted on compatible Lumix digital single-lens mirrorless cameras.
The optical design comprises 21 elements in 15 groups. The lens system features two UED (ultra extra-low dispersion) lenses, two ED lenses and two aspherical lenses. In addition, its sensor drive at a maximum of 240 frames per sec takes full advantage of cameras with high-speed, high-precision contrast autofocus for video recording performance. Furthermore, Panasonic incorporated an inner focus drive system to help ensure smooth, silent operation. 
Additionally, a micro-step drive system in the lens’s aperture control helps the camera smoothly catch up to brightness changes when zooming as well as panning. The optical design also provides barycentric stability to aid in minimizing image shifts during zooming.
Moreover, when users attach a 67mm filter, such as a neutral density or polarizing filter, the lens is said to provide a wider range of expression in photos and video. And an optional 1.4x DMW-TC14 teleconverter also extends the focusing distance to 560mm (equivalent). In addition, the 2.0x DMW-TC20 teleconverter accessory extends it to an 800mm equivalent for close-up shots.
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit Availability
The Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50–200mm lens will be available in stores the end of June 2018. Offered in metallic black, it will have a suggested retail price of $1,699.99.
The Leica DG Vario-Elmarit f/2.8–4.0 series covers 16mm to 400mm equivalents with three lenses. They include the 8–18mm f/2.8–4.0 Asph (H-E08018), 12–60mm f/2.8–4.0 Asph (H-ES12060) and 50–200mm f/2.8–4.0 Asph (H-ES50200). panasonic.com
