Panasonic LUMIX S PRO 24-70mm f/2.8 review

The Panasonic LUMIX S PRO 24-70mm F2.8 is the pro-level fast standard zoom for S1-series cameras, but is it worth the money?

Panasonic S PRO 24-70mm F2.8
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

A step up from Panasonic’s S 24-105mm f/4 standard zoom, this ‘PRO’ lens has a faster f/2.8 aperture rating but lacks optical stabilization, instead relying on the 5-axis in-body stabilization of S1-series cameras. In keeping with these bodies, it’s a big, chunky lens but very well-built. However, image quality isn’t any better than from the competing Sigma 24-70mm DG DN Art lens, which costs half the price.

Pros

  • +

    Fast and constant f/2.8 aperture

  • +

    Advanced autofocus system

  • +

    Dust, splash and freeze-resistant

Cons

  • -

    Lacks optical stabilization

  • -

    Fairly big and heavy

  • -

    Sharpness falls at longer zoom settings

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If you thought that going mirrorless would save on size and weight, the Panasonic LUMIX S PRO 24-70mm F2.8 might make you think again. The combined weight of an S1 or S1R body and this 24-70mm lens is almost 2kg, so it’s not an outfit to be taken lightly, in any sense of the word. 

Compared with the Panasonic 24-105mm f/4 lens, it’s wider, nearly an inch longer and 255g more heavier. It’s also getting on for twice the price, while lacking the f/4 lens’s optical stabilizer, 0.5x macro capability and extra telephoto reach. All in all, you’re sacrificing a lot for that extra f/stop in aperture rating.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.