Fast ultra-wide-angle primary lens for the Panasonic, Sigma, and Leica “L-mount” full-frame mirrorless camera systems is the Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO (S-R1428). The Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO lens contains 7 rounded diaphragm blades for a smoother bokeh and a variable maximum aperture of f/4–f/5.6 and Travel photography gear.
It consists of 14 components in 10 groups, including one aspherical UHR (Ultra High Refractive Index) element, three ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) elements, and one ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) element that is spherical. The Panasonic 14-28mm features a 0.50x maximum magnification and a closest focusing distance of 0.5m/ 0.49ft. It claims a design that is dust, splash, and freeze resistant and can function at 10 below zero.
Ease of Use
The Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO is a tiny, portable, and incredibly light wide-angle zoom lens, measuring just 345g (0.77lb) and weighing just 8.98cm (3.54in) in length and 8.4cm (3.31in) in diameter. Compared to the equivalent Lumix S PRO 16-35mm F4, which weighs 500g and is almost precisely 100mm long, it is significantly smaller and lighter. The Lumix S 14-28mm lens seems incredibly well-balanced and appropriate for both two-handed and one-handed operation when attached to the Lumix S5II mirrorless camera that Panasonic supplied us for testing.
Note that this new lens’s internal mechanism prevents it from extending when zoomed from the minimum 14mm focal length to the 28mm focal length. The build quality is excellent. Even though the Panasonic 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO is primarily comprised of plastic and has a metal lens mount, it feels sturdy in your hands. It is also weatherproof, resistant to splashes and dust, and functional down to -10 degrees. With no negative effects, we effectively employed it in more challenging circumstances.
Additionally, the front lens element has a fluorine coating to help repel water, oil, and other pollutants while also making cleaning much simpler.
Focal Range
The 14mm focal length offers a 114 degree field of vision.
The 28mm focal length offers a 75 degree field of vision.
Chromatic Aberrations
The Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO lens does not exhibit chromatic aberrations, which are often seen as purple or blue fringes along contrasty borders, even in extremely high contrast regions.
Vignetting
You need to stop down by at least three f-stops to entirely eliminate light fall-off in the corners when the lens is set to its maximum aperture, especially at the wider focal lengths.
Distortion
As you can see in the images below, the Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO has some barrel distortion that will need to be fixed in post-processing.
Macro
With a maximum magnification of 0.25x at 14mm and 0.50x at 28mm, the Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO delivers excellent close-up performance for such a wide-angle zoom lens, with a tight focus point of 0.15m / 0.49ft from the sensor plane across its full zoom range.
Bokeh
The term “bokeh” is used to describe the out-of-focus portions of an image, and it is typically defined qualitatively, using words like “smooth,” “creamy,” “harsh,” etc. In order to provide a somewhat pleasing bokeh for an ultra-wide-angle lens, Panasonic used an iris diaphragm with seven rounded blades in the Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO lens. Although we are aware that bokeh judgement is a personal choice, we have included a number of samples below for your consideration.
Conclusion
The new Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO is an alternate to the premium Lumix S PRO 16-35mm F4 wide-angle zoom that is more reasonably priced while maintaining a very high level of quality.
It offers the advantages of very close-focusing and half-size magnification without making significant performance, feature, or image quality sacrifices. It is also smaller, lighter, and most importantly, less expensive.
In order to swiftly cover the 14mm ultra wide-angle to 300mm telephoto range, Panasonic is eager to market this lens as the ideal complement to the Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 and Lumix S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 MACRO O.I.S. lenses. This definitely makes a lot of financial and practical sense.
Regarding the image quality of the Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO, there is a lot to enjoy and not many things to complain about.