Panasonic LEICA DG SUMMILUX 12mm f/1.4 ASPH Lens Officially Announced

Panasonic officially announced the new LEICA DG SUMMILUX 12mm f/1.4 ASPH lens. Designed for micro four thirds mirrorless cameras, this wide-angle 12mm f/1.4 lens provides a 24mm equivalent focal length. Integrating two aspherical lenses, two UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lenses and an ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) lens, the lens system is comprised of 15 elements in 12 groups. And the bright f/1.4 maximum aperture is well-suited to working in difficult and low lighting conditions, and also affords greater control over depth of field for selective focus techniques. The US price of this lens is $1,299 and it will be released on August 12, 2016.

Pre-order links: $1,299 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Panasonic 12mm F/1.4 Mirrorless Key Features:

  • Experience a Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera lens design with a significant reduction in size and weight of comparable DSLR 35mm lenses.
  • 12mm F1.4 LEICA SUMMILUX high-performance wide angle lens for group, event, and nature photography (24mm 35mm camera lens equivalent).
  • Indoor shooting in low lighting produces a natural defocusing effect with its F1.4 high speed aperture.
  • Ideally suited for the outdoors with a splash and dustproof sealed body. (When combined with splash and dustproof LUMIX G Mirrorless camera models)
  • Suppresses “sagittal flare” that occurs in some ultra wide-angle lenses at wide-aperture settings.
  • Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion and Extra-Low Dispersion optics with stringent LEICA standards assure high image quality with high resolution and minimum distortion.
  • Compatible with 4K video capture.

Lens construction – 15 elements in 12 groups

  • 2 Aspherical lenses
  • 2 Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion
  • 1 Extra-Low Dispersion lens

Aspherical (ASPH) lenses reduce size and weight to effectively prevent spherical and distortion aberration. Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) and Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion (UED) lenses correct chromatic aberration to render sharp, high-contrast images with clear colors from corner to corner.

Lens technical specifications:

Performance
Focal Length 12mm

Comparable 35mm Focal Length: 24 mm

Aperture Maximum: f/1.4

Minimum: f/16

Camera Mount Type Micro Four Thirds
Format Compatibility Micro Four Thirds
Angle of View 84°
Minimum Focus Distance 7.87″ (20 cm)
Magnification 0.1x
Elements/Groups 15/12
Diaphragm Blades 9, Rounded
Features
Autofocus Yes
Physical
Filter Thread Front: 62 mm
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 2.76 x 2.76″ (70 x 70 mm)
Weight 11.82 oz (335 g)