Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Review: The Lens That Never Gets In the Way

I finished reviewing the Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS back in June; but I purposely let my thoughts and experiences marinate. And in October, when I’m writing this review, I’m reconnecting with a side of myself that’s intent on telling stories. This lens lets you do everything you want and doesn’t get in the way of taking a picture with the macro abilities. I positively adore that. For most of my time as a photographer, I’ve used prime lenses. But good zooms like this have made me want to switch to only ever using them. The way that Panasonic makes good zoom lenses that are lightweight yet unique is also really appealing to me.

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The Big Picture: Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S Review Conclusions

The Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS is a positively fantastic lens in nearly every regard. When going back through the images I shot, I found that it was an incredible lens for storytelling in a photojournalistic way. Quite literally, this lens let me do nearly everything I needed or wanted. Some might think that because of the slow aperture at the longer end that you can’t shoot with it in low light. But the optical image stabilization along with the Panasonic S5 II’s excellent in-body stabilization make that a very moot point. If you’re an experienced photographer that knows how to properly hold a camera, this lens will make shooting photos such a joy and a breeze.

At the same time, I wish that I would either be a faster optic or reach a bit further in either direction.

The Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS receives four out of five stars.

Pros

• Lightweight
• Good image quality
• Optical image stabilization for those of us who take our coffee via needles into the veins
• Close focusing abilities, the macro abilities are underrated here.
• Not that pricey at all
• Weather resistance
• Fast-focusing performance
• A very capable and versatile range

Cons

• I wish that it were either a faster aperture or the range was even greater.

Who Should Buy the Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S?

Get the Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S if you’re a travel photographer of some sort or need to shoot a lot of wide places. It’s also a fantastic lens for travel, work, or storytelling. Believe it or not, I used it to do a lot of photojournalism work in the summer.

Gear Used

The Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S we used was tested with the S5 II and the S9. All of these are long-term loaner units. But we also used several lens filters to get the effects in our images combined with Real Time LUT.

Hardware

The Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S is surprisingly small. For sure, this is partially because of the slower aperture range that this lens has. That also means that it’s a lens that you actually want to take with you everywhere and that doesn’t weigh you down after shooting with it for an entire day. Yet at the same time, it has optical image stabilization and macro abilities.

What’s nice about this lens is the weather resistance. Most of their Lumix S lineup has weather resistance.

On top of all this, you can see the simple switches and control rings that this lens offers to photographers. Of any of the lenses that Panasonic makes, this is probably one of the offerings that you’d always want to have on you.

Protect Your Camera Gear

For years, here at The Phoblographer we’ve done tests on cameras, lenses, bags, computers, lights, and more. And we know that your warranty doesn’t always cover the damage. Plus, accidents can happen on set.

This is why we’ve created a Photography Care Program in partnership with Full-Frame Insurance. Now, photographers across the United States looking for extra security can get various protections to cover their craft. The Photography Care Program provides peace of mind; now you’ll know you can bounce back from a photoshoot gone awry, on-site or inside. We’re making it super easy to get it done, too! Better yet, there is coverage outside of the US and Canada when the photographer is traveling for short periods of time for business.

We’re able to do this through our partnership with Full-Frame Insurance, a company specializing in Small Business Insurance. Are you a Freelance Photographer? We’ll cover you. What about a freelance multi-media journalist? We’ve got you. The Photography Care Program will protect you.

Ease of Use

Luckily, this lens isn’t complicated to use. If you’re a fan of just shooting in aperture priority all day and letting the camera do what it wants, then you’re in luck. Even though the lens has a variable aperture, the optical stabilization and then the camera body’s together made it nearly impossible for me to get photos with camera shake. Truly, the Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S is incredible in that way.

Focusing

The focusing performance really comes from the Panasonic S5 II and S9 more than anything else. It all worked very well. At the macro ranges, you’ll really want to switch the camera to the pinpoint mode to ensure that you’ve got super accurate autofocus. Otherwise, you can use the Zone Scope mode to do it too. During my time testing it, I didn’t find any issues with the Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S. To recap what I said earlier, it really got out of the way.

Image Quality

To be frank here, I don’t really pixel peep; nor does anyone on staff. The image quality from the Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS Lumix S is basic. It’s not going to win awards here and it’s not at all terrible either. But instead, it’s meant to be utilitarian. When you’re using it with a flash and the the Real Time LUT feature, however, you’ll get images that you’re very proud of.

Let’s Talk Art

I wouldn’t really consider this art, per se. But I did a lot of documentary style work using this lens for Pride this year. It helped me do everything I needed.

Extra Image Samples

The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience since day one. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, many folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So, we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can decide for yourself.

Unedited

Edited

Tech Specs

These specs are taken from the Lensrentals listing:

The Panasonic 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro OIS is a positively fantastic lens in nearly every regard. When going back through the images I shot, I found that it was an incredible lens for storytelling in a photojournalistic way. Quite literally, this lens let me do nearly everything I needed or wanted. Some might think that because of the slow aperture at the longer end that you can't shoot with it in low light. But the optical image stabilization along with the Panasonic S5 II's excellent in-body stabilization make that a very moot point. If you're an experienced photographer that knows how to properly hold a camera, this lens will make shooting photos such a joy and a breeze. At the same time, I wish that I would either be a faster optic or reach a bit further in either direction.

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