Panasonic has been making full-frame mirrorless for just as long as Canon and Nikon, having been a founding member of the L-Mount Alliance in 2018. While it initially struggled for market traction, its Lumix S5II and S5IIX cameras have provided considerable impetus to the system. Now the firm has launched another eye-catching product – the implausibly compact Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro.
Designed for shooting closeups, this is, by a considerable margin, the smallest and lightest lens of its type. It’s just 8.2cm long and weighs less than 300g, which means it’s exactly the same size as Panasonic’s highly regarded f/1.8 primes, and very similar in weight. In contrast, its closest L-mount competitor, the Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro, measures 13.4cm and 715g, which is pretty typical for its class.
Despite its tiny size, the Lumix 100mm is still capable of life-size magnification – in other words, filling the frame with a
