According to infos unveiled by Olympus managers it is very likely that Olympus will release an All Black version of the current [shoplink 23576]Olympus 12mm f/2.0[/shoplink] and [shoplink 23577]Olympus 45mm f/1.8[/shoplink] lenses. The optical design will not change, just the color! The current Silver lenses really do not match well on Black bodies like the new Black E-M5.
The lenses will very likely be unveiled before Photokina and of course there will be also completely new lenses (like the 60mm macro f/2.8) but I still haven’t got the specs about them yet. Drop me a message if you know something about them! Thanks!
Olympus 12mm f/2.0 at [shopcountry 23576].
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 at [shopcountry 23577].
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Reminder -> Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
111 Responses
This will make many people happy! Does anyone know what lies beneath the silver paint of these lenses? There are reports of worn finishes on the 45. If its black plastic then a black finish should wear better. Any help appreciated!
Maybe the black lens has a black finish on silver-colored plastic. 😛
Not black finish, also on 12mm, i think that will be made of black metal. 😀
Good to hear, don’t really care other than hoping it will generate more revenue for Olly. But then, I’m an All Blacks supporter (rugby). Our logo is a Silver Fern on a black uniform. I guess I’m predisposed to like the aesthetic!
Really good news from Olly would be that they are going to include lens hoods with all premium lenses….!
Finally !!!!!!!!!
( por finnnnnnnnnnnn)
I have never understood why Olympus producing certain primes in silver option only. All PENs and OM-Ds are offered at least in silver or black finish why not that popular glass either? If this rumor becomes true you can choose black-on-black-stealthy machine or black lens paired with a silver body :D.
Nice, unfortunately i already have the 45mm in silver.
Same thought here. I might actually get the 12mm in black.
just my thought as well, would have loved to get this little gem in a black version. Prob can trade it in with an unsatisfied buyer of the black version
+1 I have the silver 45 mm with my black E-M5 and I really don’t like silver…
+1 Who wants my silver one?
Finally some useful innovations! 😉 just kidding
But thats very nice I guess most people would prefer black versions.
And what about the 75mm?
I heard from many sources about the 12mm and 45mm but nothing about the 75mm.
“what about the 75mm?”
Black 75mm will be available in late 2013. It takes Oly R&D approximately a year to design a black version of a silver lens 😀 – the same was the case with 17mm and is now with 12 and 45mm lenses.
Kinda funny. I have somewhat decent contacts at Olympus, and dropped them a mail with my initial impressions of the E-M5, as well as some suggestions for improvements of the m4/3 products.
Releasing black versions of the 12 and 45mm was one of the items on that list.
I got a polite and typically uninformative answer (hey, product management can’t officially talk about future products so the non informative part isn’t surprising or bad or such). The answer was that my suggestions have been forwarded to R&D. I had a bit of a chuckle.. yes, please research if it is possible to paint them black and then develop the black paint for it? 🙂
Good to hear tho that this is likely going to happen.
I just changed my black OM-D for a silver one, so for me it doesn’t matter, but its definitely going to be liked by those who want the black OM-D.
+1 for a black 75, this will move it up my shopping list of lenses 🙂
Would you sell your silver 45mm/1.8 to buy a black version?
If I could get 80-90% resale value of the silver one, sure.
No way! Got used to it actually.
Agree i too, and silver lens on white Pen is nice, but i think a black lens on black OM-D look good, bake to -70/-80. 😉
This will make me happy… the 45mm is the next lens I wanted to buy…
Can’t wait see first pics of it…
sorry admin, hate to be one of “those” commenters, but any whispers on what’s next from Voigtlander?…
Uh it’s tuff to get soem new from Vogitlander. All I heard about my only sources is that they have very limited production possibility and they are fully busy right now.
Silver versions of their 17.5mm and 25mm, of course! Doesn’t take an admin to answer that 🙂
I love Oly for this. Silver lensen are so ugly….
I deliberate if i buy the 12-35 X or the Oly 12mm and Pana 25mm, but when it´ll be the 12mm i prefer the black version.
It seems that the 12-35 mm f2.8 is as sharp at 12 mm as the oly 12 mm and maybe more…but pana 25 mm f1.4 is uncomparable concerning aperture (DOF and low light)
The 12-35mm f2.8 is as sharp as the 12mm at 2.8?
That what I remember from a review I read (I remember to have thought WOW !)…to be confirmed by other reviews !
that’s very interesting, do you have any link on that particular review?
No impact on me as I’m holding a silver GX1 , but is good to have options .
Don’t reject possibilities my next camera will in
all black .
Nice! While they’re at it, could they also add weather sealing to the black version? That would be a great upgrade.
Good idea, I will buy one of those.
How much do you think weather sealing adds to a lens?
I’m not an expert, but from what i’ve read here and on other pages it should not be expensive. So the lens would probably cost 50-100€/$ more – not because the sealing is so expensive, but because it’s a “more professional” product. 😉
I could be totally wrong though, so correct me if i am.
While they are at it, maybe they should also launch a decent standard prime? Must be about as much work as making black versions…
there’s already the panaleica 25mm 1.4 right? or are you talking about something different?
Hooray! Our prayers have been answered 🙂 !
Hopefully black versions won’t be available in kits only ( as is the case with black 17mm ).
FINALLY!
Good news with all black lenses for those who need it. Personally, I have the silver lenses, and am happy with them. What is ugly or pretty is a matter of personal taste; personally, I find the silver lens on black body nice.
I agree, been using 45 on my black OM-D since I got the camera. Does not bother me at all.
What is wrong with this color fiasco, why Olympus so obsessive with ‘silver’ color if they finally will make their lens in black? I own black OM-D and I own 45mm and 40-150 in silver and I don’t mind it, especially when their 12 and 45 silver color a tone different with silver OM-D anyway. Why don’t they create black lens from the start? Sometimes I don’t think their decision releasing product variant based on marketing research at all. It sounds like they see what color were left in their stock now that they running out of silver paint due to the high demand of silver OM-D they have to use black color. 😀
The silver version are much nicer for white, red, purple etc. camera bodies, so they are a result of Olympus (following others) changing the color of bodies from black.
I personally do not care, I have silver and black lenses with a white EPL1 and black EPM1.
i really do want a black 75….. the silver lens looks ugly on my black GH2
LOL! This is great.:-)
Untill then I will buy some classic fast legacy glass and AF primes next spring.
Pro zooms maybe in 1.5 year!:-)
Then the collection “might” be complete!:-):-)
If you want I have a canon FD 85mm f1.8 to sell, very good condition. This focal length with MF is useless to me. IQ is not very good on digital 43 sensor, lot of chromatic aberrations wide open (out of focus areas) and soft until f4, contrast not exceptionnal…
I have samyang 85 1.4 and while it gives great results it is way to big when adapted. It is for sale now.
🙂
Damn it. Had the 12mm from the start but bought 45mm 3 days ago in store…. Would have loved black motherf….
I even went to the lengths of ordering the black front ring as a replacement part to help camouflage my silver 45mm. For street photographers the black colour is important.
I’d feel grumpy and regret the premature purchase, except for the fact that I’ve had months of beautiful portraits out of the lens and I love it.
Black front ring?
How? Since there is no black lens…:-)/
I’ll admit that ordering one of these, just to get a black front ring for my silver 45mm, was a bit obsessive but what can I say, details matter to me:
http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/21693_accessory_dr-40_24718.htm
Black M5 looks sexy with silver lenses. Color is the least important aspect of your gear.
Besides, metal lenses such as 12&75mm look much better in polished silver than painted black. Just look at Pens (E-Px which look by far the best in silver variant).
For the professionals , color is just a bonus , but for some person which also concern the outlook and the consumers……. It’s important…….They think it’s ugly, then it’s ugly, whatever it’s performance and quality….
I am the same… I actually thought about buying a second black 14-42 and ordering a silver ring for it… :-P:-P
Wow. This article really needs to be in all caps. This is big news.
EARTHSHAKING! (not)
I was very upsad while Oly only got silvery 12 / 45 prime , I even think I will not buy them both and think about the 12-35 and the later Schneider prime , but now , I’ll think about those prime in black instead 😀
shit, already have the silver 45 mm on black E-M5 !
I’m sorry, your photos will be severely affected.
😉
That why I bought it ! but I would have preferd the black one…
Olympus will also anounce a new 17,5 mm 1.8 AF. Uhoh sorry… Dreaming… Zzzzz….
Well you can still get a Panny 20mm… 😛
I would really love for Panny to release an updated version of that lens.
Just from my experience: I used not to like the look of my EPL2 with the 12mm (or the 45, though the silver color of this last is different from that of the 12, of course), but people walking in front of me were attracted by the look of the lenses, commenting “cool! What kind of lenses is this? And what camera?” and so on. I never had any problem in “stealing” some street portrait. But now I must say that every lens looks nice on my silver EM-5 (:
too much time:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7407198436_aa6cb2cc3e_z.jpg
😀
I’d prefer more lenses than simply a new paint job :/
..darn…I love hearing all the snappy snappers complain about the silver….no doubt they will find something else!
🙂
They will surely find that the lenses won’t be black enough, or too black or not of the right kind of black.
hahahahaha rofl
Black is black, I want my baby back
YESSSSSS
so black
12mm $900
45mm $600
?
Ah yes, the old Contax G pricing method.
Oh sh…! I have both lenses in silver. Will there be a also a do-it-youself-painting-kit?
A bit late, my friends. Now what the hell should I do with the already buyed silver 45/1.8?!
Sell the G3 and buy a silver G5 when it becomes available ;).
Thought-provoking idea: How about you take photos with it?
😀
Don’t think THAT MUCH out of the box, please. 🙂
I rather like how my silver 45mm looks on my black E-M5. Still nice to have black as an option though.
If the black versions sell as well as everyone seems to think, a black 75mm will be along soon enough.
agreed, a black 75mm would look great on e-m5
Admin: Sorry to bother you with these questions but do you have any rumours about the XZ-2? Im thinking the rumours should be pretty many by now since release should be soon? 😀
I have a solution for those people who have bought an ugly silver Oly 12mm and can’t live with this mistake: as soon as the black lense is available, you buy it and send me the silver one. Being a good fellow I will pay for the shipping costs to make you happy! First arrived first served, I do not need more than one lense.
What a nice man Pedro is! If only he’d wanted a silver 45/1.8 I could have sent him mine when I got the black one. Unfortunately I’ve now given it to someone else. 🙂
+1 with Pedro
and your those South East Asia citizen, i will do home pickup for your silver 12/2 & 45/1.8… 😎
Great news, I wasn’t expecting that either. I guess Oly needs something to show off at Photokina.
I’ve not got either of these lenses but have wanted them for a while. I hope they are priced the same as the silver ones. I might end up buying a silver one second hand if a few people sell them, as the colour doesn’t bother me that much.
Admin,
Is the macro going to be a f2.4 or is that just a typo?
Early rumors said it would be a f2.8
Typo sorry. The Olympus is f/2.8 while the Schneider is f/2.4!
Getting a customer to buy a lens in the color they didn’t want. 399.00
Getting a customer to buy the same lens again in the color they wanted . Priceless
Interesting sales strategy Olympus has there.
regarding the Gangsters; you forgot:
Getting a customer to buy the same camera with a built in flash instead of included hot shoe flash for $100s more.
Getting a customer to buy a $90 metal lens hood that costs $0.30 to manufacture for a $800 lens.
although panasonic does the same BS with their lineup, just a tad more surreptitiously
Your constant moaning about pricing just makes you sound bitter and envious; stop it. Photography is and always has been an expensive hobby. If you don’t like it, find another hobby, or do as I do and figure out alternatives. Third party lens hoods are cheap, plentiful, and effective, and I’ve never once had a problem with a used lens I’ve purchased from a reputable dealer or third party.
+10
every hobby is bound to be expensive at some point, unfortunately.
Getting a customer to hop onto eBay and get a lens hood from China for $10. Not too bright.
FYI, that Pixmania link is not for a Canadian website – it’s European, with prices in Euros.
THANK GOD finally. Will put the 45mm on ebay.
I m sure those lenses in black will make all of you better joe photogs
Yeah the wrong lens color is a real deal killer when you want to be a real bona fide photographer who can be proud of what comes out of the camera. Those poor jerks with those white L lenses must be in misery because of their terrible lens color problems.
What about those who have the ignominious problem of ‘GREEN’ lenses???
Black is the new silver ;0)
Color is for me just a bonus.
They’ll still be selling these in silver, right? I personally find the silver far more attractive.
I am in the market for a cheap silver 2/12mm Olympus lens and an even cheaper silver 1.8/45mm Olympus m43 lens.
I am open to bids and will promise to take all offers seriously, as long as they are below my secret preset level.
OK Olympus, where do I take my silver lenses to trade them in for the black ones? At a substantial discount, of course. They are in excellent condition.
Then you can sell the silver ones at a good price as refurbished stock and introduce more people to the delights of quality lenses.
Happiness all round!
I would love a 12in black but am still pretty happy with my black 14mm. I had let it sit in the bottom of my bag a little two long. But I committed to using it for 14 days and could not be happier.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickneeds/sets/72157630172616866/
I’m sure they are going to use a different shade of black on the lens than on the camera, as they do the same with the silver versions. I have a silver em5, the 12mm, the 45mm, the 9-18mm zoom, and ALL the silver shades are different! Very nice work Oly… 🙁
You are right. They are probably going to employ Pierre Soulages to develop even more shades of black.
I think silver lenses look great on a black body. Reminds me of a Hassy with a CZ planar lens.
Forget your gloomy view!
Olympus marketing specialists made a very innovative study among owners of black E-M5s. Now they are quite sure that people who buy black camera bodies could also bid for black lenses.
The result of this study is very surprising said an Olympus spokesman in an exclusive press conference in Tokyo. Since the launch of the OM-1 in the year 1972/73 there was never seen such a fancy trend in customer behavior.
“We do not want to jump at conclusions but we believe it was a serious mistake to launch black E-M5 camera bodies at all. Now we created a special sales promotion to limit the damage. Customers who bought a black E-M5 will get an original Olympus signed silver spray future proof design update kit. Slogan: firmware updates are fine, silver graffiti is better!”
Was planning to buy the 12mm, going to hold off until Photokina now!
I’m planning to use it as my ‘standard’ lens and would vastly prefer a black version.
Any news or verifications regarding the plans for black versions?
It has been some time since this rumor was reported, has there been any word about whether a black version of the 45mm is still something that is going to happen? I really want this lens, but I’m one of the people who won’t buy a silver one because I don’t like the way it looks on a black body.
Of course, I got here through a Google search and I posted my comment before I clicked over to the main page and saw that a new post on this subject has appeared this very day…..