When Panasonic launched its full-frame Lumix S9 mirrorless camera, I remember thinking that we needed more tiny lenses to complement its compact form factor, besides the collapsible 18-40mm kit lens and the oddball 26mm f/8 pancake. A full two years later, and the dinky S 40mm F2 has arrived.
I had a few days testing the fast prime ahead of its announcement, fitting it to the shiny new 'Black Titanium' special edition of the Lumix S9 — which is a sharp-looking colorway, I must say (it's pictured below) — and the lens is a perfect match, with the fast-aperture versatility that many Lumix photographers have been crying out for from such a small lens.
The Lumix S 40mm F2 lens costs $399 / £349 / AU$699 and is available in black and silver versions, while the new 'Black Titanium' special- edition Lumix S9 costs $1,899 / £1,299 (it won't be available in Australia), adding to what I count are at least 10 other color variants, including another special-edition 'Titanium Gold' version. There really is a color for every taste, and the latest is particularly classy.
Panasonic also revealed its latest lens road map alongside the 40mm F2, and two future lenses have been added: a wide-angle prime that sits somewhere between the 18mm and 24mm focal lengths, plus a large-aperture telephoto zoom, spanning somewhere 50-200mm, which could potentially go wider than Panasonic's two existing 70-200mm lenses.
My short review period has given me enough time to get a feel for the 40mm F2 lens when paired with the Lumix S9, and for its image-quality potential — here are my first impressions.
Finally… a tiny and high-quality L-mount Lumix prime
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This is one tiny lens. Yes, the Lumix S 26mm f/8 pancake is an even smaller lens, but it's little more than a glorified body cap. What the new S 40mm F2 possesses that the pancake lens lacks is proper optics and the versatility of a fast f/2 aperture — in a size that I'd typically expect for a f/2.8 of f/4 prime lens.
And it's not that much bigger than the pancake lens – being similar in size to the 18-40mm F4.5-6.3 zoom (when that lens is collapsed), measuring just 1.6 inches / 40.9mm in length, and tipping the scales at 5.1oz / 144g. For full-frame, that's miniscule.
There are alternative optics, mind you — full-frame Lumix cameras are part of the L-mount alliance, which has 11 members and counting, including Sigma, other third-party lens makers and, most recently, Freefly, an American company specializing in drones, gimbals and cameras for commercial use.
Perhaps the closest lens in size and specification is the TT Artisans 40mm f/2, which costs around half the price, measures 1.7 inches / 43mm in length and weighs 5.9oz / 166g — those are negligible differences. I prefer the look of the TT Artisans lens, though I can't speak of it's optical quality.
Sigma's pricier Contemporary 45mm F2.8 DG DN is a high-quality alternative that's heavier at 7.6oz / 215g and a fraction longer at 1.8 inches / 46mm. Again, I prefer the look of the Sigma lens — and looks matter when we're talking lenses for the Lumix S9.
I think the rather conventional design of the Lumix S 40mm F2, which is consistent with other Lumix L-mount lenses, is its biggest drawback, especially if you're pairing it with attractive cameras such as the Lumix S9.
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As you can see from the pictures above, however, the 40mm F2 is truly an ideal match with the Lumix S9 for size, and it would be equally at home on larger bodies too, such as the Lumix S5 II.
Build quality is solid — the lens is dust- and splash-resistant and features a proper metal lens mount, while autofocus speed is rapid.
The control ring operates smoothly, and its function can be customized — deep within a Lumix camera's menu is the Custom > Lens/Others > Focus Ring Setting During AF option. I started off with it controlling aperture, and the adjustments are precise, being ideal for smooth exposure control during video recording. There are nine other options to choose from, such as shutter speed, exposure compensation, and Photo Style.
Naturally, the same control ring operates focus when the lens is set to manual focus — there's an AF/MF control for switching between manual and autofocus — with helpful assist tools available for precise manual focusing, such as magnification.
Focus breathing is suppressed, making the lens a valid option for video as well as photography. Overall, I have no complaints with how the lens handles, and really enjoyed its compact size and lightweight design.
Image quality is impressive, too
Considering its size and weight, the 40mm F2 lens shoots sharp images, paired with that versatile f/2 aperture which is ideal for low light and blurring backgrounds.
It close focuses down to 11.8 inches / 30cm, which delivers a magnification of around 0.15x. That's fairly flexible for photographing small details, but this is no macro lens. The aforementioned TT Artisans lens can only focus down to 15.7 inches / 40cm, making the Lumix option the more versatile of the two.
I was able to give the lens a proper test during sunset in an idyllic setting surrounded by bluebells (it's that time of year in the UK). Taking portraits and close-up pictures of bluebells in bright light allowed me to test optical clarity, potential lens flare and distortions, and bokeh characteristics — I tested the latter by taking the same picture in a sequence, stopping the aperture down in full stops from f/2 to f/8.
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For reference, I turn off in-camera lens corrections and shoot in RAW and JPEG format, which allows me to see the extent of lens distortion in uncorrected raw files versus processed JPEGs.
When shooting at f/2 away from sunlight, bokeh is gorgeous, being round and smooth. You can really see the difference in bokeh size between f/2.8 and f/4, which highlights how useful the f/2 aperture is, especially for portraiture. I took self portraits remotely using the free Lumix Lab app on my phone (which easily paired with the camera and worked flawlessly, by the way — this is one of the better camera apps I've used).
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I then turned the lens to shoot towards the sun, backlighting the bluebells, and to shoot more portraits. This approach provided the most difficult of tests for this (and any) lens, and as you can see in the images above, there are instances of lens flare, a little fringing in bluebell silhouettes at f/2 (chromatic aberration), and bokeh fringing (LoCA).
I'd hardly call these lens distortions problematic, though, and with lens corrections applied in JPEGs most of the fringing is gone, though nothing can be done about lens flare.
There's only minor vignetting at f/2, which is basically gone by f/4, which is also the aperture at which you first get the sharpest detail the lens is capable of — and it really does look sharp. Overall, optical quality is impressive, especially for such a small lens with such a big f/2 aperture, and I wouldn't hesitate to call upon this lens for everyday photography.
I'd say the rather conventional styling better suits Panasonic's DSLR-style mirrorless cameras such as the Lumix S5 II. Nonetheless, and certainly with regards to its size, this is the lens that Panasonic's small full-frame cameras like the Lumix S9, and future compact Panasonic mirrorless cameras, have been crying out for, and I can easily recommend it.
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