Panasonic has introduced a new large-aperture ultra-wide fixed focal length lens for the Lumix G Series, with the Leica DG Summilux 9mm F1.7 (H-X09) designed to deliver greater optical performance for professional videographers and photographers.
Panasonic product marketing manager Aaron Waters said the company was pleased to further build on its broad range of Micro Four Thirds lenses and “support creators by developing unique lenses to fill the gaps in their kit”.
“This wide-angle, large-aperture prime lens has an affordable price point, and we expect it to be a popular choice for vlogging, landscapes, macro, and astrophotography,” he said.
The Leica lens offers is highly mobile and compact in the ultra-wide category, weighing around 130 grams. To support macro shooting, the focusing distance only 0.095m with a magnification ratio of 0.25x (35mm camera equivalent: 0.5x).
The Leica H-X09 has a dust and splash-resistant design to withstand use under harsh environmental conditions, down to a temperature of -10 degrees Celsius.
The lens system comprises twelve elements in nine groups, including two aspherical lenses, two ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) lenses and one UHR (Ultra High Refractive Index) lens to suppress both axial and magnification chromatic aberration. Astigmatism is also corrected with these aspherical lenses, achieving high resolving performance. Furthermore, a UHR (Ultra-High Refractive Index) lens achieves uniform image quality from the centre to the edges of the image and contributes to the unit’s small size. The filter diameter is 55mm, with a 7-blade circular aperture diaphragm.
The Leica H-X09 is compatible with the Lumix G sensor drive at 240 fps. In the non-linear setting, focus is shifted with a variable amount according to the rotation speed of the focus ring. For the linear setting, the focus is shifted with a designated amount according to the rotational quantum of the focus ring. Sensitivity (the amount of focus shift per rotational quantum) can be selected from 90 to 360 degrees in 30-degree increments. The lens mechanism suppresses focus breathing when video recording.
The Leica DG Summilux 9mm F1.7 (H-X09) lens will be available in July 2022 from leading Australian photographic specialist retailers.