Panasonic Lumix S 24-60mm F2.8

Panasonic's latest standard zoom brings a bright aperture at a relatively affordable price, but how does it measure up for quality? Andy Westlake finds out

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Panasonic’s Lumix S 24-60mm F2.8 is a large-aperture standard zoom for use on the firm's full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s designed to be a general-purpose lens suitable for a broad range of subjects, ranging from architecture and landscapes to portraits. Compared to the existing high-end Lumix S Pro 24-70mm F2.8, it's dramatically smaller and lighter, and at £899, only about half the price.

With Panasonic being part of the L-Mount Alliance, this lens can also be used on Leica and Sigma’s mirrorless cameras, such as the latest Leica SL3 and Sigma BF. In principle, it could also be used on Leica’s older CL and TL-series APS-C format cameras, giving a 36-90mm equivalent range. But fundamentally it’s designed to complement Panasonic's 24MP S1Il and S5-series full-frame models.

All the other full-frame camera and lens makers also offer affordable f/2.8 zooms, and it’s interesting to compare the choices each has made. Sony produces a 24-50mm, which represents the shortest zoom range, but is the smallest and lightest of them all. Meanwhile, all the others have chosen to start at 28mm; 28-70mm for Canon and Sigma, and 28-75mm for Nikon and Tamron.

There's certainly a case to be argued that Panasonic's 24-60mm is the best concept overall. None of those 28mm lenses can replicate its 24mm wideangle view, but you can always crop in a little from 60mm to match their slightly longer telephoto ends. So how does it measure up in practice?

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