PANASONIC LEICA DG VARIO-ELMAR 100-400MM F/4-6.3 ASPH POWER OIS

A slimmed-down super-telephoto zoom

- Matthew Richards

www.panasonic.co.uk £1,199/$1,599

Think super-telephoto zoom and what likely comes to mind are big, heavy lenses that are a chore to carry around and a pain to shoot with for any length of time. This Panasonic lens bucks the trend, with a relatively compact and lightweight construction, taking full advantage of the Micro Four Thirds crop factor to deliver an effective zoom range of 200-800mm in full-frame terms. This makes it ideal for sports, action and wildlife, when you can’t get as physically close to subjects as you might like.

Designed in partnership with Leica, the lens boasts an impressive optical layout, which includes an Ultra extra-Low Dispersion element, two regular extra-low dispersion elements, plus a complex aspherical extra-low dispersion element.