Panasonic has announced the new High Speed Leica Summilux 15mm /F1.7 lens, aimed at helping photographers capture “fashionable defocused reportage pictures,” according to a press release from the company. Designed according to the Micro Four Thirds standard, the H-X015 Leica DG Summilux 15mm /F1.7 is the latest digital interchangeable lens camera available from Panasonic.
The Lieca Summilux 15mm lens features a wide angle lens, which offers the equivalent of 30mm on a 35mm camera. The lens boasts a minimum aperture of F16, a minimum focusing distance of up to .66 feet, and a compact lightweight design.
It’s designed with 9 elements in 7 groups and uses 3 aspherical lenses, which minimizes spherical aberration and distortion. Panasonic used Nano Surface Coating to reduce reflection, ghost, and flare at the lens’ entire visual light range. The company states that the lens’ inner focusing system allows for high resolutions and contrast at all focusing distances. It also includes a new stepping motor for quiet, smooth focusing while capturing video and still images.
Panasonic states that the Leica DG Summilux 15mm / F1.7 ASPH lens will be available starting in mid June for $599.
We can’t wait to see how this compares to the Panny 20mm lens and Olympus’ 17mm lens!