Panasonic: LUMIX Lens Development Stories
Panasonic publishes lens-development material across several official regional and global collections. The most extensive is This Is the Optical Design Department, whose engineers explain the optical designs, mechanical constraints, and image-rendering goals behind individual LUMIX lenses.
This Is the Optical Design Department
| Edition | Lens or subject | Official article | Surface & Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT 12–60mm F2.8–4.0 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | — |
| 10 | LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT 12–35mm F2.8 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | — |
| 9 | LUMIX S 24–105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | S 24–105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. |
| 8 | LUMIX S 18–40mm F4.5–6.3 | Read at Panasonic | — |
| 7 | LUMIX S 20–60mm F3.5–5.6 | Read at Panasonic | S 20–60mm |
| 6 | LUMIX S 14–28mm F4–5.6 MACRO | Read at Panasonic | — |
| 5 | LUMIX S F1.8 prime series | Read at Panasonic | S 35mm F1.8 |
| 4 | LUMIX S 70–300mm F4.5–5.6 MACRO O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | S 70–300mm F4.5–5.6 MACRO O.I.S. |
| 3 | LUMIX S PRO 70–200mm F2.8 O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | S PRO 70–200mm F2.8 O.I.S. |
| 2 | LUMIX S PRO 24–70mm F2.8 | Read at Panasonic | S PRO 24–70mm F2.8 |
| 1 | LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 | Read at Panasonic | S PRO 50mm F1.4 |
The fifth edition covers five F1.8 primes. Its Surface & Stop link points specifically to the exact 35mm lens currently in the catalog.
LUMIX S 20–60mm Development Story
The global LUMIX Blog also devoted a three-part development story to the LUMIX S 20–60mm F3.5–5.6. These chapters cover product planning, optical and mechanical design, and video-oriented engineering.
| Chapter | Official article |
|---|---|
| Part 1 — Creating a completely new standard zoom lens | Read at Panasonic |
| Part 2 — Optical design efforts for high image quality and a compact size | Read at Panasonic |
| Part 3 — Uncompromising video performance | Read at Panasonic |
Open the LUMIX S 20–60mm F3.5–5.6 on Surface & Stop.
LEICA DG Lens Story
LEICA DG Lens Story — The Quest for Changing Photography describes the development background, design aims, optical engineering, and supporting technologies behind three Micro Four Thirds lenses.
| Story | Lens | Official article | Surface & Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEICA DG VARIO-ELMAR 100–400mm F4.0–6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | — |
| 2 | LEICA DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm F1.2 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. | Read at Panasonic | Nocticron 42.5mm F1.2 |
| 3 | LEICA DG SUMMILUX 12mm F1.4 ASPH. | Read at Panasonic | Summilux 12mm F1.4 |
Standalone LUMIX Lens Stories
Panasonic's regional LUMIX sites also host two substantial developer-written features outside the numbered collections.
| Lens | Official article | Surface & Stop |
|---|---|---|
| LUMIX S 100mm F2.8 MACRO | How the 100mm F2.8 Macro Became the World's Smallest and Lightest Macro Lens | — |
| LUMIX S 28–200mm F4–7.1 MACRO O.I.S. | Discover the LUMIX S 28–200mm F4–7.1 MACRO O.I.S. | — |
Additional Lens Development
The four-part LUMIX LX100 development story treats the camera and its fixed 24–75mm-equivalent F1.7–2.8 zoom as one integrated design.
| Chapter | Official article |
|---|---|
| 1 — The Heart of the LUMIX LX100 | Read at Panasonic |
| 2 — The Mission of the 4/3-inch Sensor | Read at Panasonic |
| 3 — Great Lens, Compact Body | Read at Panasonic |
| 4 — Designed for Enjoyment | Read at Panasonic |
Finally, Original and Forward-Looking Lens Development is a system-level interview about the design philosophy and engineering of Panasonic's first full-frame LUMIX S lenses. It is included separately because it is not devoted to a single lens.
The broader LUMIX Blog index contains additional camera and technology development stories. This page remains focused on lens development.