new Lumix 40mm F2 pancake prime makes the S9 a lot more tempting…
There's a brand new, tiny(!) 40mm f2 lens from Panasonic, Lumix S9 users rejoice! It feels like Lumix are saying loud and clear: we are invested in this form factor for the long haul. I’ve been lucky enough to try this lens out for a little while now. Here are some photo examples and everything you need to know!
The problem with the S9 has always been the lenses
It’s the elephant in the room. You can squeeze a full frame sensor into the tiniest camera body you like, but if there aren't any small lenses to pair with it, it's a bit pointless. Things have been getting gradually better over time. There are Sigma primes, which are great, a TTartisan 40mm (which has had mixed reviews but it’s very cheap) and then of course Lumix brought out the pancake 18-40mm stock lens, which is really tiny and looks beautiful, but it’s a bit stingy in the aperture department.
Me? I was personally desperate for some more native tiny prime lenses. And here we have it.
The new Lumix 40mm f2 prime
This is the lens the S9 has been waiting for, in my opinion. The 40mm is my absolute favourite focal length. It's that perfect sweet spot of being able to get in and amongst the action, but not in people's faces. They say it's very similar to how our eye sees, so composing at this focal length feels really natural.
I also think f2 is a great sweet spot for the aperture. It means the lens can remain small but still be pretty decent in low light and offer a good amount of shallow depth of field.
size comparison to the older 1.8 primes
I've found the lens to be really sharp, and very high quality, which is the most important thing. Big tick there. But there's more. It weighs just 144 grams, it's dust and splash proof (interesting because the S9 itself isn't, but you could pair this lens with the S1ii or S5ii cameras too), and it has excellent suppressed focus breathing control for video shooters.
And perhaps more exciting, there's now a wide angle compact prime on the roadmap too, while will give us a well-rounded selection of compact lenses for the S9. Personally I'd love to see a wide angle 18mm f2 or similar, ideal for vlogging. The 62mm filter thread of this new lens even matches the 18-40mm lens. And this is why native lenses are worth the wait! It's little things like, like matching filter thread sizes and weather sealing, that give you a much better overall experience. There's a big-picture attention to detail that third party lenses can't quite match.
These photos are all straight out of camera, by the way, using the excellent Real Time LUT feature. This is my own custom Streetwise LUT, which is available for free via the Lumix Lab App, or as a free instant download when you join my mailing list. It also works with Lightroom, Luminar, and other major editing software.
A word on MP4 Lite (it's so underrated)
One video feature I've been leaning on a lot in recent months is MP4 Lite. Fun fact: I film 90% of my videos using MP4 Lite now. All my “talking to camera” stuff is on MP4 Lite, just from my Lumix S1ii, and on the S9 when I’m out and about. I was absolutely sick of having one YouTube video be like two hundred gigabytes of storage!
The quality is wonderful, you can edit the footage straight on your phone or tablet if you want to. The file sizes are tiny, it's in open gate. It’s so handy! I just think it's perfect for a lot of content creators, and also people who want to document their lives without having to invest in a data farm for storage.
So: Lumix S9, tiny 40mm f2 lens, Real Time LUT and MP4 Lite. Just a wonderful simple setup.
The new Lumix S9 colour and the pricing that made my jaw drop
After the overwhelming success of the limited Titanium Gold edition, which I think entirely sold out in less than a day, there's a new permanent colour variation which looks stunning. It has the titanium top and a sleek black body colour. It’s easily the prettiest non-limited edition colour available.
And the pricing? Well. Here's where things get very, very tempting. I had to check this was right before writing this post.
The Lumix S9, including the new colour variation, AND the 18-40mm lens, is currently £1299 in the UK. And the new 40mm f2 lens is a bargain £349 at launch (as always these prices are subject to change). After using it first then finding out the price, my jaw sort of dropped. I was expecting it to be a lot more money. It feels like it should be a lot more money!
PSSST! If you’re after a Lumix S9 used bargain? They routinely go for like £700 on MPB in the uk in 2026. That is SOOOO much camera for your cash. Check out the latest prices here:
So for £1648 (new, and a lot less used!) you can have a Lumix S9 camera, and not one but two brilliant tiny lenses. For context, a Fujifilm X100VI is £1599 new. And a 10-year-old Fujifilm X70 cost me £750 recently. The amount of camera you get for the price is just out of this world.
The verdict
I think this is Lumix saying loud and clear: we are invested in this form factor and this line of cameras. Come get involved. The 40mm f2 is brilliant, the pricing is competitive, and with more compact lenses on the roadmap, the S9 ecosystem is really starting to come together. If you've been on the fence, now is a very good time to jump in!
P.s. if you’re a UK based Nerd, and like the look of these Liverpool street photos, I’m running in-person workshops in 2026 and beyond! Learn more here I’d love to meet you in person.
