It's that time of year again; the CES 2023 announcements are coming thick and fast and Panasonic has started off the year with a bang. Hot off the heels of announcing two brand new cameras (more on that in a moment), the Lumix S5 II and Lumix S5X II, Panasonic has announced a brand new ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for L-Mount cameras – the Panasonic LUMIX 14-28mm f/4-5.6 MACRO.
The new lens has a 14-28mm focal length, so is perfect for landscapes, cityscapes, street photography, and weddings. The lens is also capable of light macro photography, with a half macro (0.5x) magnification and a minimum focal distance of 5.9"/14.9cm. However, it isn't just a lens for stills photography, it also offers professional videography features with micro-step aperture control for smooth exposure change and minimal focus breathing. At this focal length, the lens would make a great travel or vlogging lens.
Panasonic claims the lens motors enable smooth, quick, and silent operation and a 7-Bladed circular diaphragm will give nicely rendered bokeh. The lens is built with one aspherical ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) element, one aspherical element, three ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) elements, and one UHR (Ultra High Refractive Index) element. A splash and dust-resistant build will ensure the lens can handle a spell of bad weather.
After Panasonic has lagged behind in the autofocus race for some time, the lens features a new high-precision AF system that will work in tandem with the latest Hybrid Phrase Detection Auto-Focus just announced for Panasonic's brand-new camera systems – the LUMIX S5IIX and LUMIX S5II. Hybrid Phrase Detection Auto-Focus is a completely new autofocus system for Panasonic cameras and we can't wait to get our hands on it.
The Lumix S5II has a brand new 24.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor, that all new Phase Hybrid Detect Auto-Focus, a new active image stabilization system, internal 6K30FPS or 10-bit 4:2:2 4K video, and 14-stops of dynamic range. The LUMIX S5IIX is the same as the base camera but features additional options for recording video in Apple ProRes and All-Intra formats.
The Panasonic Lumix 14-28mm f/4-5.6 MACRO will be available to preorder now, with delivery from February 2023. The lens is priced at $799.99 in the US, £699 in the UK and AU$1,499 in Australia.
You can read all of the latest news from CES 2023 here. You can also find our guides to the best L-Mount lenses, the best Panasonic cameras, and the best mirrorless cameras.
