2019.01.20 06:00

To coincide with the launch of the full-frame mirrorless camera "LUMIX S series" at the end of March this year, Panasonic will release its first three lenses: two are zoom lenses and one is a single focal length lens. This single focal length lens has a focal length of 50mm and a brightness (at maximum aperture) of F1.4, the standard for so-called "standard lenses".

By moving the focal length, a zoom lens allows the photographer to precisely match the area to be photographed to the photographer's intention. Zoom lenses are useful when the distance between the lens and the subject cannot be moved freely. The convenience of being able to cover a wide focal length range with a single zoom lens, rather than having to carry several single focal length lenses, is appreciated. On the other hand, the large distortion of the lens, the difficulty of making a bright lens, and the tendency for the lens to be large and heavy have been pointed out from the beginning.

In the 1990s, high-end large-aperture zoom lenses, now known as "big three-angle lenses," began to be introduced to the market. There are three types of lenses: wide-angle (about 16-35mm), standard (about 24-70mm), and telephoto (about 70-200mm). All have a brightness of f/2.8, and the maximum aperture value does not change during the zooming process. The telephoto zoom lens can be converted to a lens equivalent to 98-280mm F4 by inserting a 1.4x teleconverter between the lens and camera, or to 140-400mm F5.6 by inserting a 2x teleconverter, making it widely popular among professional photographers and other heavy users.

In both cases, the use of aspherical lenses and various other innovations have made the shortcomings of zoom lenses less noticeable. The problem of the brightness of zoom lenses being darker than that of many single focal length lenses has almost disappeared as the mainstream of cameras has shifted from film cameras to digital cameras, and the image quality of ultra-high sensitivity has improved dramatically.

Under such circumstances, the needs of those who dare to seek a single focal length lens have become acute.

By the way, looking at the automobile industry, the most popular vehicles sold in Japan are minicars, compact cars, and minivans (three-row seats). Although minivans used to stand out for their poor handling stability and other shortcomings, the ranking of passenger cars by common name (sales volume) from January to December 2018 released by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association shows that three models (Serena, Sienta, and Voxy) are among the top 10.

On the other hand, the Corolla is the only sedan that used to be the basic form of passenger car. The three Toyota "Mark II" brothers, which sold approximately 30,000 units per month during the "high-society car boom" of the late Showa period, have disappeared and are no longer even a shadow of themselves (the Mark II's successor, the Mark X, is a current model, but the next model is not being developed and is likely to be integrated into the FF "Camry"). The evolution of minivan performance has been remarkable, and they have overcome the shortcomings that were once pointed out.

The segment of the population that once drove domestic sedans is switching to the so-called "German 3" (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi) sedans. Many Japanese automakers are not very enthusiastic about research and development of sedans, which may be the reason for the slow progress in performance of domestic sedans. In Germany, it is not unusual to drive a car at about 250 km/h on the Autobahn, which has a section with unlimited maximum speed. It is only natural that driving a sedan, which was developed for high-speed driving that is impossible on public roads in Japan, at speeds of around 100 km/h on Japanese highways would provide a different level of comfort than most domestic sedans.

The "big three-way lens," which overcomes former shortcomings and allows drivers to enjoy convenience, resembles a domestic luxury minivan, while the single-focus lens, which thoroughly pursues high-level performance, resembles a "German 3" sedan.

Last fall, Toshiyuki Tsumura, general manager of Panasonic's Product Planning Department, and Hiroaki Fusezuka, manager of Product Planning Department 1, Product Planning Section, responded to an interview with Digital Camera Watch as follows.

"--How do you plan the lens?

Tsumura: We pursued not only resolution but also beautiful bokeh. We set a target value for bokeh at each distance from the focal plane and aimed for a gentle bokeh. We have been working on this in the past, but this new system takes it to the next level.

We have taken it to an enormous benchmark so that it will be the most beautiful when compared to the best lenses from other companies. The 50mm F1.4 will be an intense lens, so please look forward to it. The resolution, bokeh, and MTF are also at the top level.

Fusezuka: We are aiming for the world's best lens.

Tsumura: We have studied almost all 50mm F1.4 lenses for full-frame cameras in the world. Full-size S series lenses are by no means compact pursuits, but they achieve a desirable total balance when combined with a body.

Fusezuka: It could be said that the S1R/S1 has this body size because we wanted to create a high-performance lens. This 50mm F1.4 will be the symbol of the LUMIX S system."

This is an outrageously bullish comment. Panasonic must have a great deal of confidence to issue the message, "We are aiming for the best lens in the world," even though it is a newcomer challenging the fierce competition among the three strongest companies in the market. When I read the comment, "We have studied almost all 50mm F1.4 lenses for full-frame cameras in the world," I was reminded of the DNA of Matsushita Electric Industrial, the company's predecessor, which was once derided as a "copycat electric appliance". Sony, Sharp, and others developed and marketed innovative products that had never existed in the world, and when they succeeded, they launched products with similar concepts later and conquered the market with their overwhelming sales power.

Let's check out the three strongest standard lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA

Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8S

Canon RF50mm f/1.2L USM

The Sony lens is a German Zeiss Planar with a standard brightness of F1.4.

Nikon has kept the brightness down to F1.8, apparently hoping that users will use F-mount lenses for SLR cameras via a mount adapter if they want to use F1.4 standard lenses.

Canon's F1.2 lenses are the brightest of all, and since few enthusiasts buy standard lenses nowadays, the company may have decided to introduce expensive, high-margin lenses first.

As a partner of the L-mount Alliance, Leica has already introduced full-frame mirrorless cameras and lenses with the Leica L-mount, which Panasonic will use in its LUMIX S series. The standard lens is the Summilux SL f1.4/50mm ASPH. Panasonic's standard lens is a very expensive lens, as is typical of Leica, and its goal of becoming the "world's best lens" must mean that Panasonic's standard lens will surpass this lens as well.

The camera industry has entered a warring age for the first time in 30 years, since the introduction of autofocus in SLR cameras. We cannot take our eyes off the trends of each company.

first appearance : AGORA