Most of us start with a kit zoom with focal lengths 14-42mm, 12-32mm or perhaps 12-60mm. These zoom lenses cover the wide, standard and moderate telephoto focal lengths. For example, the Lumix 12-32mm f3.5-5.6, it is a tiny lens that is fine for a lot of situations, group photos, portraits, landscape, etc.
After some time you may find yourself wishing for a lens that has a longer reach. Maybe you go to the seaside and would like to photograph a far away ship, or when you visit the zoo you'd like to capture the expression on a monkey's face? You have a few choices, you could get an all-in-one sort of lens like the Lumix 14-140mm or you could go for the lens we're discussing here, the 35-100mm f4-5.6. In full frame terms, 35-100mm is the equivalent of 70-200mm.
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| GX80 with the 35-100 mounted // The 35-100 with the lens hood stowed in hand |
Design, Build and Handling
Physically the 35-100mm f4-5.6 is a very small lens. It is smaller than the Lumix 25mm f1.7 prime lens, in diameter and length (when the lens is collapsed) - see the photo on the left below:
The 35-100 has a similar look to the 12-32mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom (above, right photo). The 35-100 is about the same diameter and just over twice the length. Unlike the 12-32, the 35-100 has a metal lens mount and a manual focus ring. The manual focus ring is close to the front and much narrower than the zoom ring. Both rings are smooth and easy to distinguish between without looking. The lens is made of metal and plastic. The quality is very good, it feels better than the plastic of the Lumix 25mm f1.7 lens.
The 35-100 is lightweight at 135g. You can hardly feel it when you carry it. There is no weather sealing. A lens hood is included, it is plastic, it can be put on backwards for stowing (it's not easy to use the lens with the hood on backward). The hood can be fiddly to put on.
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| The 35-100 mounted on the GX80, lens hood attached, lens collapsed (left) and fully extended (right) |
When the lens is collapsed (above left). In this position, if you hold the camera face down, the lens will not slip and extend on its own, it stays in place. To use the camera you must turn the zoom ring. There is some resistance, it's a firm feeling, push past it and you'll be at the 35mm position. There is a smooth, quality feel to this. The lens barrel will extend as soon as you turn it.
The filter thread is 46mm, I really like that, many other lenses are the same, such as the Lumix 25mm f1.7, the Olympus f1.8 lenses, etc.
Zoom Range and Aperture
Negatives
Price
Shop around, the 35-100 f4-5.6 is often around the USD 350 mark or cheaper. Second hand, probably half that.
Competition
All other lenses with a similar focal length are bigger, heavier or more expensive. The Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 is a monster by comparison. Olympus have a 40-150mm f4-5.6 but it is bigger, although you do get some extra reach with it.
I feel that the biggest competition to this lens actually comes from the 'catch-all' lenses such as the Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm f3.5-5.6. It is a reasonable price (under USD 600) and replaces the 35-100 plus your standard zoom (12-32 for example). The 14-140 is bigger but it is not huge, it could be a good compromise. Olympus/OMDS also have some nice options with the 12-200mm f4-6.3 if you really don't want to compromise on the focal lengths covered.
Conclusion
I believe the 35-100 f4-5.6 is exceptional. It is extremely small, lightweight and affordable. This lens is what Micro Four Thirds is all about! Paired with a GX80 or similar camera, perhaps a 12-32 or prime lens, you have a great travel kit. The compact size of this lens demonstrates the true nature of Micro Four Thirds, especially if you compare to the equivalent Full Frame 70-200mm lens that would be many times bigger, heavier and more expensive.
For anyone who doesn't normally take telephoto pictures, this also maybe a nice lens to have. I say this because being so small and light, you could carry this in your bag for those few times when you need the extra reach. The reasonable price is also a bonus.
Often when reading or watching reviews of lenses I hear lots said about the Pro models. But how much better are they than the consumer lenses such as this 35-100? The question to ask yourself is, do you need a Pro lens or would this smaller, lighter, more reasonably priced lens be enough? Maybe you only photograph at night, then f4-5.6 is no good. But if you take such a lens on holiday the chances are you are photographing in daylight mostly, maybe even sunshine, in which case f4-5.6 is perfect.
As an enthusiast I've had a lot of fun with this 35-100mm f4-5.6 lens. I love the quality of the photos from it. I feel it is a good choice. Perhaps one day I will go for a 14-140, as that might be a simpler option than swapping lenses and I believe it focusses a lot closer. Until that time, the 35-100 f4-5.6 will stay close at hand.
Disclaimer
I wrote this article to help others and for my own pleasure. I have no affiliation with Panasonic or any other camera company. These are just my own thoughts and opinion. If you disagree, that's fine.
I've owned the 35-100 lens for six years. I've taken it on many trips, it's rolled around inside my bag and it still works perfectly. There's just one thing I noticed recently, when zoomed to 100mm and I use auto-focus, there is an electronic sounding squeaking noise. But it doesn't affect anything and it isn't heard when videoing.
Zoom Range and Aperture
At 35mm the maximum aperture is f4. Zoom to 100mm and the maximum aperture is f5.6. This means you should take care in low light situations. For example, when photographing at 100mm, at f5.6, if the lighting is not great then you may find it hard to keep the ISO down. The lens does have image stabilisation and is Dual-IS compatible with Lumix cameras like the GX80, GX9, G9, etc. Also, it's easy to hold the camera steady with this lens. The 35-100 is so small and light, it doesn't pull the camera forward, it is balanced well, at least on the GX80 and GX9 cameras I've used it with.
If you are worried about the f5.6 aperture, check your own photos and see how many are taken below that. In most cases I've found that I often photograph at f4 or f5.6 anyhow. This is especially true when on holiday in good light.
The reach of this lens is fantastic. The 100mm maximum focal length is the star of the show. I've taken photos of boats on the lake, then later on the computer I have zoomed in and then I've noticed the people on the boat! For a safari maybe a longer lens would be better but for general holiday photos, 100mm is great. The minimum focal length of 35mm is limiting though, I wish it were wider.
Image Quality
Excellent! I haven't made any scientific tests but I'm very happy with this lens. The images have contrast, good colours, the background blur is pleasant, there is little to complain about here!
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| Example photos taken with the Lumix 35-100mm f4-5.6 |
Throughout the zoom range the quality is consistent, although I must admit I have not pixel-peeped nor made any scientific tests.
Portraits
In addition to giving you a capable general purpose telephoto lens, the 35-100 f4-5.6 can be used as a portrait lens. Don't let the f5.6 put you off, if you put enough space behind your subject, use 100mm, at f5.6 the background blur will be very nice. But of course if you are serious about portrait photography, there are better choices.
Early 2020 I visited Zurich. Mostly I used my 12-32 but upon visiting Zurich Zoo I switched to the 35-100. The photo of a monkey is a good example of what this lens can do, I took this photo indoors, handheld:
In addition to giving you a capable general purpose telephoto lens, the 35-100 f4-5.6 can be used as a portrait lens. Don't let the f5.6 put you off, if you put enough space behind your subject, use 100mm, at f5.6 the background blur will be very nice. But of course if you are serious about portrait photography, there are better choices.
Early 2020 I visited Zurich. Mostly I used my 12-32 but upon visiting Zurich Zoo I switched to the 35-100. The photo of a monkey is a good example of what this lens can do, I took this photo indoors, handheld:
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| GX80 and Lumix 35-100mm f4-5.6 -- taken at 100mm, f5.6, ISO 2000 |
Close-Focussing
The minimum focussing distance is 90cm. This is ok for flowers but it's not really my favourite for this kind of photography.
It is possible to buy some extension tubes and use with the 35-100 to get closer. I tried the Meke mk-paf3a 10mm and 16mm extension tubes:
- At 35mm, I could get as close as 13cm (distance from the camera body to the subject)
- At 100mm, I could get as close as 32cm (distance from the camera body to the subject)
For me, I found being at 35mm was best. However, if you are serious about macro, I wouldn't recommend this combination. Make the investment in a dedicated macro lens such as the Olympus 60mm (it's amazing - see my review here).
Negatives
- Close focussing is only 90mm, I wish I could get closer.
- The lens hood is fiddly to fit. Once it is on it is fine though.
- It starts at 35mm, this means I have to keep swapping lenses when on holiday. I wish it started at 25mm, that would've made it ideal. 35mm is just a little too tight for general photography.
- I can't think of anything else... It would be nice if it were weather sealed but it is so small it is no trouble to shelter it from a shower.
Price
Shop around, the 35-100 f4-5.6 is often around the USD 350 mark or cheaper. Second hand, probably half that.
Competition
All other lenses with a similar focal length are bigger, heavier or more expensive. The Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 is a monster by comparison. Olympus have a 40-150mm f4-5.6 but it is bigger, although you do get some extra reach with it.
I feel that the biggest competition to this lens actually comes from the 'catch-all' lenses such as the Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm f3.5-5.6. It is a reasonable price (under USD 600) and replaces the 35-100 plus your standard zoom (12-32 for example). The 14-140 is bigger but it is not huge, it could be a good compromise. Olympus/OMDS also have some nice options with the 12-200mm f4-6.3 if you really don't want to compromise on the focal lengths covered.
Conclusion
I believe the 35-100 f4-5.6 is exceptional. It is extremely small, lightweight and affordable. This lens is what Micro Four Thirds is all about! Paired with a GX80 or similar camera, perhaps a 12-32 or prime lens, you have a great travel kit. The compact size of this lens demonstrates the true nature of Micro Four Thirds, especially if you compare to the equivalent Full Frame 70-200mm lens that would be many times bigger, heavier and more expensive.
For anyone who doesn't normally take telephoto pictures, this also maybe a nice lens to have. I say this because being so small and light, you could carry this in your bag for those few times when you need the extra reach. The reasonable price is also a bonus.
Often when reading or watching reviews of lenses I hear lots said about the Pro models. But how much better are they than the consumer lenses such as this 35-100? The question to ask yourself is, do you need a Pro lens or would this smaller, lighter, more reasonably priced lens be enough? Maybe you only photograph at night, then f4-5.6 is no good. But if you take such a lens on holiday the chances are you are photographing in daylight mostly, maybe even sunshine, in which case f4-5.6 is perfect.
As an enthusiast I've had a lot of fun with this 35-100mm f4-5.6 lens. I love the quality of the photos from it. I feel it is a good choice. Perhaps one day I will go for a 14-140, as that might be a simpler option than swapping lenses and I believe it focusses a lot closer. Until that time, the 35-100 f4-5.6 will stay close at hand.
References
Review of the 35-100 by David Thorpe:
Specifications at DPReview:
I wrote this article to help others and for my own pleasure. I have no affiliation with Panasonic or any other camera company. These are just my own thoughts and opinion. If you disagree, that's fine.
