Las Vegas (NV) - Panasonic and Leica today announced that the two firms have developed of a new telephoto zoom lens for Panasonic’s first DSLR camera Lumix DMC-L1.

The new lens, which will be called Leica D Vario-Elmar, will have an effective range from 14 to 150 mm (F3.5-5.6), which translates to a 28-300mm range for 35mm cameras. The maximum magnification achievable with the device is a factor of 10.7x.

According to the manufacturer, the device will come with a quick and "extra" silent autofocus. The D Vario-Elmar is expected to be available by the end of this month for a suggested retail price of $1000. Besides being compatible with the Panasonic DSLR, Leica said that the lens can also be used for other cameras that have a four-thirds mount.