LUMIX/Leica 200mm f2.8 shooting impressions

Written By Rob Knight

On November 8, 2017

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The Leica 200mm (400mm full-frame equivalent) f2.8 is almost exactly the same size as the Leica 100-400mm f4-6.3. The included lens hood is really long. It makes the lens look (and handle) like a longer lens, but it’s still nice and light. It has an aperture ring, a programmable Fn button on the side of the lens, a switch for the Fn button, a focus limiter switch, and an AF/MF switch. I honestly haven’t played around with the Fn button enough to offer any recommendations for it’s use. The removable tripod foot is the same one that the 100-400mm uses.

I was really excited when I found out about the 1.4x teleconverter that is INCLUDED with the 200mm f2.8. That means that right out of the box you have a 280mm (560mm equivalent) f4 lens as well as the 200mm f2.8. I am very happy to report that the 200mm f2.8 is just as tack sharp with the 1.4x converter as it is without.

I have not had the chance to use the new 2x teleconverter with the 200m f2.8. The 2x converter makes the 200mm f2.8 a 400mm (800mm equivalent) f5.6. At first I was thinking that I would probably use the excellent 100-400mm lens instead of the 200mm and 2x converter to reach the 800mm equivalent range. Then I started thinking about traveling… Carrying the 200m f2.8 lens and 2 teleconverters is certainly a lighter load than carrying the 200mm f2.8 AND the 100-400mm f4-6.3. I’l save my final judgement until I get the 2x converter into the field to try it out.

The Leica 200mm f2.8 is a lens that lives up to my high expectations. If you need a fast telephoto lens for your new G9 camera you can’t really beat the 200mm f2.8.

All of the images in this gallery were shot with the Leica 200mm f2.8 on the LUMIX G9.