The following chart presents a comparison between basic parameters of the Panasonic S 85 mm f/1.8 and other 1.8/85 instruments designed for full frame mirrorless devices equipped with autofocus.
It's clear that the Panasonic is closer to the smaller, lighter Sony and Samyang lenses which have also simpler constructions. On the opposite side you get noticeably heavier, bigger Zeiss and Nikon instruments with more elements inside.
In the photo below the Panasonic S 85 mm f/1.8 is positioned between its system cousin, the Panasonic S 50 mm f/1.8 and the reflex camera Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM.
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The tested lens starts with a metal mount that is surrounded by a dark, well-matted ring. There are contacts embedded in the ring, along with the serial number of the instrument and information that it was produced in China. Inside this ring there is an immobile rear element, 34 mm in diameter. It is positioned very shallowly, practically on the same level as the contacts. From this side everything looks properly well.
The proper body of the lens is covered by black plastics. First, you see a red dot, making an alignment with a camera easier. Then, looking from the above, you find a white vertical line – on its left side there is a capital 'S' and on the right the focal length marking '85' and the focusing range, '0.8m/2.62ft-∞'.
On the same level, completely to the left, you get a focusing mechanism mode switch, AF/MF, and underneath there is the name of the company, the model number of the lens, the mount marking, and an inscription 'LUMIX'.
The lens we got for our tests wasn't brand new, straight from a box, but a second-hand device. The wear and tear proved that paint covering different inscriptions is perhaps not of the best quality because in many places it wore off. It doesn't speak well for the Polish Panasonic subsidiary, as they are not ashamed to send used lenses for testing and it's certainly nothing you can praise the producer about.
The ring, described a little while ago, gets enlarged and then turns into another ring, used for manual focusing, 30 mm wide, completely covered relatively fine, rubber ribbing. There is no distance or/and depth-of-field scale on it. The ring is a focus-by-wire construction, its movements are smooth, and properly damped. In standard settings running through the whole distance range needs a turn through an angle of about 200 degrees, a value allowing you very precise settings. You should also add that the value of that angle can be determined from the camera's menu level.
The next part of the casing is just 10 mm wide, featuring mainly a hood mount for a hood that is added to the box.
The front element of the lens is convex, immobile, 46 mm in diameter. It is surrounded by a ring with inscriptions 'LUMIX' and parameters of the lens, along with a non-rotating filter thread, 67 mm in diameter.
The producer also boasts of proper sealing of the lens, a feature that is supposed to ensure that the instrument is dust- and splash-proof. It is also able to work in a temperature up to -10° C.
When it comes to the optical construction you deal here with 9 elements positioned in 8 groups. Two elements are made of low dispersion ED glass. Inside there is also a round aperture with nine blades that can be closed down to a maximal value of f/22.
