Panasonic DMW-ZL1 Lens Zoom Lever for Most Lumix G Zoom Lenses

2013-07-15T21:00:00

I recently purchased the Panasonic 100-300mm zoom lens, which is the largest MFT zoom. It is possible to use this lens handheld with MFT cameras, but better with a tripod; however, the camera-lens combination is not balanced and it puts a lot of strain on the camera. I heard about and purchased a custom tripod mount for this lens, and in doing my research, I saw a photo of this lens with the Lumix DMW-ZL1 Zoom Lever and decided to get that, too. With the lens on the tripod mount, it is still possible to turn the zoom ring, but it is so much easier, from any angle, to turn the zoom ring smoothly with the lever. This lens is known for "stiff" and "jerky" zooming - not because of any fault of the lens but because of the large quantity of air that is being moved in the lens barrel and constrained by the camera body during zooming. The lever alleviates much of this issue. The lever has both a "paddle" and two "knobs" on the ring to use for smooth zooming. It is adjustable to be able to fit different size lens diameters. The printed directions are pretty rudimentary, but it is intuitive. This lever will fit on lenses other than the Panasonic lenses, so long as the diameter is not narrower or wider than the specifications. Great price, too. If I had more large lenses, I would get another lever. I would not recommend installing and removing the lever over and over, as it has a stretchy rubber part that will eventually break, but it will last a long time if installed and left in place.

THEODORE C.