Leica APO Vario-Elmarit SL 90–280mm f/2.8–4 lens designed by Panasonic?



Panasonic filed a patent in Japan for a 90-280mm f/2.8-4 full frame mirrorless lens. Coincidentally Leica has a identical APO Vario-Elmarit 90-280 mm f/2.8–4 lens for their SL full frame mirrorless camera.

It is a known fact that Leica worked closely with Panasonic on the Q and SL cameras, but it is interesting to see that Panasonic had input even on the design of the lenses.

For comparison, here is the lens described in Panasonic’s patent:



and Leica’s lens design: