Jman13 Online Upload & Sell: On
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So, I don't usually get consumer-grade lenses for review, but ever since Photokina I wanted to try out the new, super small Panasonic 35-100mm f/4-5.6. It's a slow lens, but it's the size of the standard m4/3 kit lenses, which are extremely small. It's almost hard to believe it's a telephoto zoom lens. Put this, the Oly 9-18 and the Panny 12-32mm pancake zoom and you've got an ultra-wide to medium telephoto kit with pretty good quality, where all three lenses combined are only 360g.
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/tiny_35100.jpg
The lens is actually decently built. The exterior is a (thin) metal casing, and the lens collapses with a hard stop at the 35mm position that doesn't require using a locking mechanism to get past. The lens tube extends about an inch at 35mm and two inches at 100mm. The tube has minimal wobble (only when you physically try and move it), and the zoom action is nice and smooth. I've only taken a handful of shots with it so far, but what I've seen is quite impressive, I have to say.
It's quite sharp across almost the entire frame at all focal lengths, with just a touch of corner softness.Very good performance here for a tiny, relatively inexpensive lens.
Contrast is moderate, and bokeh ranges from decent to nervous, depending on focus distance, but generally fairly good considering the speed and type of lens. So far I'm pretty impressed.
A few quick random samples.
@ 100mm, f/5.6:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/goose_35100.jpg
100% crop:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/goose_crop.jpg
@ 100mm, f/5.6:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/broken_light.jpg
@ 68mm, f/5.5:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/lock_box.jpg
@78mm, f/5.6:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/tree_grass.jpg
@100mm, f/5.6:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/tables.jpg
@100mm, f/5.6:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2015/lips.jpg
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