News Panasonic has announced an updated version of the S 70-200mm F4

[Pete_W]

S-R70200A 概要 - デジタル一眼カメラ用交換レンズ | LUMIX（ルミックス） ミラーレス一眼カメラ・デジタルカメラ | Panasonic

パナソニックの「デジタル一眼カメラ用交換レンズ S-R70200A」の概要ページです。

panasonic.jp

LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 OIS
S-R70200A Release Date: September 17, 2026.
Reservations will begin on August 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM.

Changes appear to be minor according to L-rumors:
① Fluorine coating that allows easy removal of dirt adhering to the lens surface
② Lens nameplate design that suppresses flare during shooting

 

[xaviergut]

Thank you, Pete. It is good news that the S Pro lenses are updated. I read some guy in the Dpreview L-mount forum saying that this lens was discontinued (in Japan?!)... and that the L-mount is a dying system hahahaha LOL

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Panasonic Refreshes Four Lenses, Including Three for Micro Four Thirds

Easier to clean and with fewer reflections.

petapixel.com

 

[CharlesH]

I like my current 70-200mm f/4 a lot. It also takes 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. Never had an issue cleaning it and don't recall any reflection issues. But I will keep an eye on the new lens.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

I like my current 70-200mm f/4 a lot. It also takes 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. Never had an issue cleaning it and don't recall any reflection issues. But I will keep an eye on the new lens.

Yes, exactly the same for me.

The Samyang 60-180 F2.8 is certainly interesting from a weight & speed perspective, but I’d never give up the OIS & TC capabilities of the S-Pros. But for some folks I’m sure the Samyang will be fantastic.

What is interesting to me is that Panasonic chose to update the 70-200 F4 with a mild set of improvements. On the one hand, OK, it demonstrates commitment to the S-Pro side of things. Great! But on the other hand, why? When I first heard the rumor my mind raced to a lighter lens, competitive with the other major players. Oh well, not now. Maybe they got some very focused feedback from professionals. Not sure. But at least it’s kept the outstanding optics - I wouldn’t want to give that up. If they created a lighter version with softer optics I’d probably just keep my existing lens, and maybe even hoard another.

 

[Pete_W]

Thank you, Pete. It is good news that the S Pro lenses are updated. I read some guy in the Dpreview L-mount forum saying that this lens was discontinued (in Japan?!)... and that the L-mount is a dying system hahahaha LOL

Yes, it seems to be a popular "sport" for some to predict doom and gloom!

 

[Pete_W]

What is interesting to me is that Panasonic chose to update the 70-200 F4 with a mild set of improvements. On the one hand, OK, it demonstrates commitment to the S-Pro side of things. Great! But on the other hand, why? When I first heard the rumor my mind raced to a lighter lens, competitive with the other major players. Oh well, not now. Maybe they got some very focused feedback from professionals. Not sure. But at least it’s kept the outstanding optics - I wouldn’t want to give that up. If they created a lighter version with softer optics I’d probably just keep my existing lens, and maybe even hoard another.

Yes, I wonder if the situation is that lens manufacturing is done in batches to supply the global market with a few years worth of inventory, and when that inventory gets low enough they manufacture another batch. And if the lens is popular then no need to redesign it, but maybe take the opportunity to make a few inexpensive tweaks and add an 'A' to the part number.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Thank you, Pete. It is good news that the S Pro lenses are updated. I read some guy in the Dpreview L-mount forum saying that this lens was discontinued (in Japan?!)... and that the L-mount is a dying system hahahaha LOL

Interestingly, looks like he was right that the initial model was discontinued, since the new model technically has a new model number. When he posted that is when I started hoping that there would be a lightweight replacement. But at least the lens is still available, albeit in a slightly altered form.

As for L-mount being a dying system, he was certainly wrong there. The recent Nikkei report shows that Panasonic increased it’s body shipments from 2024 to 2025 by over 50%. Of course, some of that is m43rds, but I suspect most of that is the S1II & S9 bodies. So, yeah, nothing dying here.

On another interesting note, Fuji is now #3, pushing Nikon down to #4 (Panasonic is #5). Again, this is for bodies shipped, not revenue.

 

[xaviergut]

Interestingly, looks like he was right that the initial model was discontinued, since the new model technically has a new model number. When he posted that is when I started hoping that there would be a lightweight replacement. But at least the lens is still available, albeit in a slightly altered form.

As for L-mount being a dying system, he was certainly wrong there. The recent Nikkei report shows that Panasonic increased it’s body shipments from 2024 to 2025 by over 50%. Of course, some of that is m43rds, but I suspect most of that is the S1II & S9 bodies. So, yeah, nothing dying here.

On another interesting note, Fuji is now #3, pushing Nikon down to #4 (Panasonic is #5). Again, this is for bodies shipped, not revenue.

He was right, but if a lens is discontinued that does not mean that the system is dying... it is not a very intelligent conclusion, imho... not to mention that the lens is being updated...

Anyway, I think that the L-mount alliance goes up, while other brands go down, and I am very sorry for Nikon...

 

[pdk42]

I wonder if it still has glue to hold the AF motor?

Disassembling the Lumix S Pro R70-200mm f/4 OIS — Lensrentals Blog

We’ve been impressed with most of the lenses that have come out for the L mount cameras but haven’t taken many of them apart. But as luck would have it, we have several Panasonic Lumix Pro 70-200mm…

www.lensrentals.com

I'm betting they won't offer spare parts for this new lens, just as they don't for any of their others.

 

[CharlesH]

I wonder if it still has glue to hold the AF motor?

Glue can be a good thing, until it isn't. I have some experience implementing good and bad glue solutions. One was a guided missile component that we had almost no way to mount and we explored glue; we tried the usual high performance glues and none were up to the task. This is a very high vibration high stress environment and with large swings in temperature. Then we found an engineering expert in adhesives and he found an excellent glue that did the trick; it passed every test we put it through. In an earlier time I had some magnetic components I needed to precisely mount; again we tried the usual high performance glues, one of them seemed perfect and we took it to production. In a year they started to fail, and eventually we learned the field service staff had been cleaning these with a particular penetrating oil that attacked the glue. I had to humbly redesign the mounting and we did a field upgrade.

About the Panasonic 70-200mm, now I'll keep my production glue experiences in mind every time I use the lens.

 

[Pete_W]

I wonder if it still has glue to hold the AF motor?

View attachment 18206

Disassembling the Lumix S Pro R70-200mm f/4 OIS — Lensrentals Blog

We’ve been impressed with most of the lenses that have come out for the L mount cameras but haven’t taken many of them apart. But as luck would have it, we have several Panasonic Lumix Pro 70-200mm…

www.lensrentals.com

I'm betting they won't offer spare parts for this new lens, just as they don't for any of their others.

I did a bit of internet searching and it seems that adhesives are regularly used in lens manufacture, so it's unlikely that the Lumix 70-200mm is an outlier.

This comany sells adhesives used in lens barrels:

Perfection for smartphone cameras with DELO adhesives

Innovative DELO adhesives deliver ideal solutions for 30+ bonding points in smartphone cameras – discover now!

www.delo-adhesives.com

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Yes, the term “glue” is a bit like the term “plastic.” Both terms immediately invoke a “ugh, it must be cheap” reaction, but the true quality of both depends entirely on the engineering and manufacturing that went into whatever product that is under consideration.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

About the Panasonic 70-200mm, now I'll keep my production glue experiences in mind every time I use the lens.

Certainly be thoughtful before you mount it to a guided missile!