Our Japanese colleges from Digicameinfo just confirmed the rumor I posted a while ago: The new 40-150mm PRO lens (picture on top) will be announced very soon. Digicameinfo also added another info. A Black version of the current 12mm lens will be announced too. And it will cost just like the current Silver version.
My sources said the 40-150mm lens will cost about $1200-1300 and ship in early 2015.
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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
152 Responses
as long as it’s Photokina!
http://i1.sinaimg.cn/IT/cr/2012/1012/1152117785.jpg
already safing my money … wonna have it!
BUMMER. BOUGHT THE 12 MM BLACK SPECIAL EDITION FOR A FORTUNE LAST YEAR,
Olympus exhibiting some extremely bad form if this is true! Release a limited edition lens at a high price , pi$$ing all your loyal customers off by making a black? lens limited?…only to then rerelease the lens at the normal price. WTF?
…and while I am bitching…I just lost the lens shade for my 12-40mm, on a hike. $40 for a tiny $2 piece of plastic is rappe. No doubt about that.
I love my Olympus cameras…but the marketing and sales dept. Are not a class act…kind of like the management. 🙂
The guys building the cameras are great, though.
Olympus should offer some kind of concession to those who bought the limited black edition. Perhaps a voucher for the price difference.
The lens hood for free? :p
Well it does say Limited on the barrel, only the Limited edition has that. =)
Also you wont get the ‘free’ hood, cap and filter with the regular black version. (All in black with original Olympus branding, Limited Edition buyers love that ;), maybe those accessories won’t even be available separately in black, or you might end up spending the same thing as you would for the Limited Edition.)
That’s OK. The JJC hood will look OK instead! 😉
nothing wrong with that imo, you paid for a temporary exclusivity. But I have no idea about the price difference then between the 2 colors. But I can imagine people have a problem with the description “limited edition”
The 40-150mm doesn’t look so monstrous on the body.
Actually it look pretty proportional.. More so than 70-200mm’s on FF or DX bodies.
I had a feeling a black 12mm was coming. A bit of a slap in the face to special edition buyers. maybe they make a small rewards program for registered SE buyers to ease their minds and gain a bit of more positive PR.
To Admin, to quote: “confirmed the rumor I posted a while ago: The new 40-150mm PRO lens (picture on top) will be announced very soon”
What about the rumour that it will be delayed till next year?
Admin writes it above: The announcement will be soon, but the lens will ship in early 2015.
Yeah, I saw that after I wrote my comment. Thanks.
I wonder how it would compare against the 150mm f2..
i would choose the 4/3 150mm any time over this one…not saying its better but i prefer fixed fl and with large aperture. Someties the ZD 150 can be seen second hand for interesting prices.
I’m keeping an eye on a used/mint 150mm but right now I can’t afford it.. :/
Maybe you should sell your 42.5 nocticron… to me! 🙂
Nope! 🙂 I just came back from a walk with it and Ricoh GR!
Why? Because of size or extra IQ?
I don’t believe the 1200-1300$ price point rumor. It would be highly uncharacteristic of Olympus to release a “pro” lens at a realistic pricing, in that case cheaper than Lumix 35-100 official price. Remember the coming uwa zoom at close to 2000$. Anyway, I still hope it’s true.
The Oly 12-40 was released at a price point below the Panasonic 12-35.
The 12-40mm sells for $899-999… it’s a real bargain. I’m not sure why you think that it’s impossible to duplicate that same value. I think the Lumix 35-100mm is simply overpriced at $1,499, but then Panasonic had a monopoly up until now… I’m guessing the Panny price will drop as soon as the Olympus tele arrives.
me too have doubts about the price despite this fact maybe the price is still true…due to the fact that the development of uwa zooms(uww lens are the most expensive ones so much higehr price tag would make sense imo….
nevertheless for the announced price it should have additionally a filter thread..then the 2000 us dolar price tag would have been much more justified imo…
Not even having the filter thread at that price is really ridiculous.
It would need like a 90mm filter to not block the field of view. Is that what you want?
Wasn’t there supposed to be a camera announcement this week..?
Where is the LX8 that you have written so much about..?
4K, large sensor?
LOL
I am not sure whether you are being serious or you just some kind of large sensor troll (What is that LOL supposed to mean?), but just in case you being serious: There was another news, were admin told us that the announcement will be delayed to late August.
http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-rumor-correction-next-panasonic-announcement-in-late-august-and-not-in-mid-july/
From your assumption i take it that you consider 4/3 to be small. 😉
Thing is, if the LX7 replacement has a 4/3 sensor, it’s large.
And the concept of Admin being wrong amuses him greatly, but joke’s on him. 😉
😀 I mean 4/3 is kind of small. Just take a look at Large Format and you know what I mean! 😛
I personally am totally into the RX100III or hopefully the LX9 (with all the rumored extra goodies over either LX7 or RX100III, i.e. 90mm, EVF, swivel-TS and 4K), so no sensor hate here! 😀
You were sleeping. It will in August.
Six months ago I would have been interested in the 12 mm, but with the reviews the 12-40 mm is getting it seems the the flexibility is worth the slight speed, cost & size disadvantage.
Well it’s more than slightly bigger, but i see the dilemma. If anything has made the 12mm less appealing to me it would be Panny’s 15mm Summilux.
I guess that m43 has some seriously good options “coming”: Pana 35-100 is super small and the Oly 40-150 has some good amount of reach more!
Would have loved, if both had good IBIS, so that one could get either of which without hestitation.
Olympus R & D have been busy -after much research they found at the back of a store room a tin of black paint. 12mm $£ needs to fall now -the zooms makes it limited appeal.
The lens that will break Olympus’s Back. A lens that returns to the four thirds days… an Inventory lens.
I hope they made only like, 300 for thier sakes..
You say the stupidest things.
Says someone who doesn’t bring anything to the discussion, but a Dumb comment.
Kudos.
Mr, your comments are always depressing.
I’m sorry, but a Micro Four Thirds Lens, with a Tripod Mount?
seriously?
What advantage does M43 have over APS-C and DSLR cameras again? Because they’re forgetting about Size.
The Fuji X-T1 is around the same size as a E-M1 and look at how that lens Dwarfs the camera! Seriously, who’s buying this but a Olympus fanboy? And he might even wait for a price drop!
Camera sales are dropping every year, M43 is losing marketshare every year. You have to innovate or go small in order to be competitive. This lens is neither.
Why buy this lens over the smaller Panasonic 35-100? Because of the extra 50mm? That’s not enough. And I’ll wager the price of this lens is north of the $1500.00 mark.
Another dust collector from Olympus. They want to return to the unprofitable days of four thirds, for some dumb reason. Maybe they’ll use this lens to hide losses..
LOL, maybe go take some pictures instead of developing massive stomach ulcers 🙂
I predict this lens will actually become one of the most popular in the m43 lineup… lots of pent-up demand from pros who have ditched FF and APS-C due to weight, cost and lack of features.
So, they left the weight and cost, for a system with a hefty lens and expensive cameras….
hmm, i don’t get it.
It has a 100mm longer reach than the equivalent 70-200mm FF lens while weighing only 1/4th as much. You simply “don’t get it” because you’re either ignorant, trolling or both. Get a life.
Both. 🙂
The whole argument he has over “the system becoming big” when they release big lens is just stupid. There are plenty of recent small camera bodies and lenses for m43. For his Fuji(fine camera btw), there isn’t even a constant aperture long zoom available yet, so how can it be a disadvantage for “the system” when we have multiple options.
And the ones which will be released are going be quite big as well. I mean it is physics, right?
Then don’t buy it. No one is making you, you sound incredibly insecure. Different cameras for different folks, grow up. Trolling is the most pathetic hobby on earth, you must be so happy with your life.
Not to mention former 4/3 shooters who are still clinging to their (considerably heavier) 50-200mm lenses, with adapters.
Are you being serious? You are so hypocritical, it is unbelievable! Talking about the size, but have you taken a look at the upcoming 16-55 or 50-140 of Fuji? They almost dwarf the 18-135 and 10-24 which dwarf the 18-55.
http://photorumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Fuji-XF-lenses.jpg
And here a look at those lenses on the X-T1:
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab69/fujirumor/69_zps068d0461.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/POrYLcV.jpg
BTW: If you need 300mm at F2.8 what can you do with the Pana or the Fuji? Get the Pana 150mm F2.8 (which will probably cost around 2500$)?
I like the X system and what Fuji is bringing on. And I also like 35-100 which costs 1500$ at the moment (adorama and BH).
You are losing all credibility! Talking about Oly fanboys while being a total basher and Fuji and Pana fanboy!
I have the 18-55, I’m gonna pick up the 35mm and the 14mm or 27mm. I really don’t need anything else for my type of photography. Maybe the 56mm? But i can rent that.
Sorry, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I have ZERO use for a 300mm lens. I don’t snipe.
Now, put those lenses I use next to some M43 equivalents. Not too far off, huh? WITH better IMAGE QUALITY.
With the focal length of this HUGE M43 lens, you’re better off with a 7D and a equivalent focal range lens. You’re gonna need a tripod anyways, right?
i mean, right???
Okay, I see. But why do you bash Oly, only if you don’t need their current lens or body? I don’t see you bashing Fuji for releasing those mentioned lenses.
I am not sure whether the 35 and 27 are really much better than the mZ 25, PL 25 or P 20. Actually, I believe that all of them are of high quality.
Finally, the point about such m43 lenses is that someone who might occasionally need those FLs or only wants one system and controlls can get them. Also they are much smaller than their counterparts and although IQ might be comparable to FF5.6 lenses, you still get the option to use F2.8 with faster shutter instead of using better ISO (if you need the 5.6 DOF).
So, I wouldn’t have argued so bad against, if you have written right that, but you always bash the Olys and also things that you have criticised this time, also apply to Pana or Fuji MILCs.
PS: I am actually sorry, for having been that impolite, but you should really overthink your behaviour in this forum.
PPS: The points I have mentioned are all still valid: You cannot bash one manufacturer when it only does what every other does.
I’m sorry but generalizing is always wrong.
This lens might not be useful to your photography, but, just saying, it is for mine.
Why preferring to the Pana version? To me that extra reach is what makes me choose the MZuiko instead of the Panasonic.
I use Em1, it has a great IBIS that T1 nor any “full frame” camera has. I know that IBIS doesn’t freeze people, but Jazz musicians usually don’t run around the stage. And with IBIS I can hand hold the camera and use it at a lower shutter speed without needing to pump up ISOs.
Why the tripod mount on the lens? Obviously to balance while using it on a tripod.
Why a tripod, if there’s IBIS?
Because at La Fenice theater, in Venice, you can’t walk around taking pictures. You can only do that from the far side of the hall, and with a tripod/monopod you can leave the camera at eye level.
Same thing for animal watchers.
I don’t see myself carrying around in the streets this lens, nor a 150mm f2 (which suits better my needs), but this does not mean it is useless.
Lelli & Masotti are the official photogs of La Scala theater, in Milan, and they always used 4/3 gear: lately they are using Canon but were really interested in my Em1 (they still own all the Super High Grade Zuiko lenses).
I forgot to add: the x2 depth of field of this system is a blessing when shooting at those wide apertures.
“I’m sorry, but a Micro Four Thirds Lens, with a Tripod Mount?”
This comment says more about your (lack of) photographic experience than it does about the size of this lens: a tripod is pretty damn useful after 200mm (equiv.), whatever camera you’re using.
Anyway, look at the picture: compare it to a FF 70-200 F2.8 – people handhold those with some effort, and this one’s, what, 1/4 the size+weight with 50% more reach?
All I see here are MFT’s advantages. Especially if it’s in at $1200.
And no, there are no APS-C 55-200mm F2.8s. So you can’t compare.
Really? You’re really going to explain to me what a tripod mount is??
Look, if I ever need a Tripod Collar for MY M43 camera/lens, then I need to get out of Micro Four Thirds. Because if I need more “Reach”, Then I want better Image Quality, and that means APS-C or Full Frame.
I brought into M43 for Size in sacrificing Image Quality, not having a small body with a HUGE lens on it.
WTF? Why do you need “better IQ” at “more reach”? What an asinine argument.
This is STILL a smaller 300mm equiv lens than you can get on APS-C or FF. And MFT IQ is STILL broadly comparable to even the best APS-C cameras in all but the most extreme conditions.
Holy god… pros were shooting for National Geo with less not even a decade ago. What do you need EXTREME IQ for – besides your stupid troll theories?
Ugh, you IQ-above-all idjits are so anal and boring.
That’s fine for yourself and all… But not everyone is YOU.
Yep, more crap from the resident troll – MrALLCRAP. Moron.
You make me sad….
Wow, so many responses to my comments, YET, NO valid arguments, only lame, childish attempts to attack my character.
If you can’t respond with a valid argument, consider yourself Response-Banned, by yours trully.
First, I didn’t attack your character, I only wrote that all your bashing against Oly makes me sad (I don’t remember non offensive comment of yours here in Oly threads…..)
Second, and more interestingly: I wrote a post with arguments like almost right after I wrote the one above, but you haven’t responded to my arguments there at all. Instead you just mark me here (where I really wanted to express my feelings about your posts without too much text to distract) as a person who only writes one liners without any hard facts and thus discredit me…..
Pardon Me, Surab, I replied to the “supposed” end of the Hate train. Yet, you claim I’m an Alcoholic. So with that falseness of character, “Again”, and crude attack on it, now I’m supposed to entertain you?
okay, I’ll continue to comment,, but don’t expect another reply from me.
I am sorry, but last question: Alcoholic, was that Autocorrect or where did intakk about alcoholics?
Why do you people get on this forum for the sole purpose of bashing people and their interests? Do you not have anything more productive to do with you life? Pathetic.
Hoping for failure of of a brand name, now thats an interesting concept!
I see people all the time wearing jerseys or head-caps of their favorite sport teams. Would it be cool to do the same with photo gears? You know, a Jersey that says PANASONIC, SONY, CANON, etc on the front. Of course, instead of the name of the player, you get the name of the model on the back. You’ll look weirdo at first, but once the movement gets going, you won’t feel alone 😉
By the way, GX7 is a good veteran that can still contribute to the team! Perfect wear to sit down by your computer and yell at Olympus .
The self acclaimed and proven alcoholic (see some of his previous post, where he concedes to post here mostly under the influence of alcohol) shows, that apparently he is again in a serious state. May I advise you to get some therapy to help you to get over your complex. That probably would help you and us to keep this forum in a better shape.
I think a better name for you is MrALLCRAP.
Now you’re copying what I’ve been saying for as long as this idiot has been posting his crap. Yes, indeed, it’s MrALLCRAP.
How funny. I posted this before seeing your post. I thought you were copying me. At we agree about MrALLCRAP. He belongs in the CRAPPER.
Oh my! This is a much lower price than I expected. The Panasonic 35-100mm sells for $1200-1300 and, although it has OIS, this Olympus lens shares the same aperture and has a much larger range, which requires more glass and added material. If the quality is up to par with the 12-40mm,then this looks to be like a relative bargain.
That said, the REAL bargain is Olympus’s OTHER 40-150mm, which is available NOW, and can be had for a mere $100. I might add that it is more than a decent performer as well. If the quality of this PRO lens is not much better than its cheaper brethren, and a wider aperture is not a requirement, then the current 40-150mm will make the new one look ridiculously foolish.
All a matter of perspective, I guess.
I would be more than happy with that price!! Bring on the lens… I have already started clearing out a few items to cover the cost.
Every system has their huge zoom lens, why not m43? I personally won’t be getting this zoom lens, but it still looks like an amazing lens.
I Just aw some of the silly comments…
What does this have over an APSC lens, quite simple the APSC lens would have to be a 55-200 f4 lens… Show me one… Maybe the 70-200 f4 from Nikon right? Well with less range i guess so.
But what about for FF systems, a 70-300 f5.6 right, well a quicklity lens from Canon is their 70-300 f4-f5.6 L lens which is $1600 and only gives 1 stop advantage to the more expensive camera only at the wide end, where that one stop isnt the most useful thing in the world.
So to all those who think this lens isnt worth it, or that Magically APSC and FF cameras can somehow make up for lens speed with sensor gain… you need some edumacation 🙂
The m43 version has the advantage of faster shutter speeds at the same ISO (albeit worse IQ), but then better a noise image than a blurred image by subject movement. 😉
Every format has its pros and cons and seeing those trolls nagging here, means that they feel somehow insecure about their investions… because of m43! 😀
Worse IQ than Canon: not so. It has better IQ.
Well, Fuji 55-200mm is close in aperture, smaller, cheaper, and likely close in sharpness (we can’t answer this yet), but I take your point, it is not directly comparable. No lens can be, because different sensor sizes mean different sets of tradeoffs.
Fuji is definitely competing in this space, which is one reason it is often mentioned here. Even I have considered the system, but to be honest I dont like the X-trans output… Much of the supposed ISO gains seem to be at the result of aggressive on sensor NR… But should they choose to go back to bayer it is certainly an option.
The 55mm portrait prime is one good example.
But aside from that, what else have the romans done for us 🙂
Yesssss…….another big expensive slow M43 lens for use on a tiny sensor camera. Why i why would somebody step in the M43 system with its mediocre quality. APSC today is much cheaper smaller en much better. For the same money you can go FF. M43 is almost becoming pathetic.
What’s pathetic is you – spending your time writing boring, negative things about a system you claim not to care about.
Just another mrALLCAPS. Nothing but stupidities. You guys should educate yourselves a little on photography. Same something intelligent for change.
Don’t give him any credit. You mean MrALLCRAP.
I can’t think of any APS-C Mirrorless system, which is better, smaller and cheaper than m4/3.
Haha did you just say APS-C is smaller?
Looks like the free market is putting you boys out of business.
No, we the buyers are pathethic that we buy these camera’s and these lenses. Oly and Panasonic are very smart ripping us of for 1000s of dollars or euro’s. And what is even worse: we are happy with all of that. So m43 brands are very smart, us users are the real losers! Yes, we are pathetic I must admit!
People who send thousands on plastic fantastic pro FF bodies to take pictures of their cat are pathetic. People who waste money on high ISO shots for non paid work so they can skip the tripod yet still get less than optimal images. People who assume a 70-200mm 2.8 is a mythical instrument handed down by the God’s and is worth paying thousands for one big asss white lens. FF manufacturers are very smart, they keep making incremental increases that focus on upping the quality in only the most extreme cases- where most people NEVER shoot. Yet, they’ll take your money over and over and over an over again.
I consciously chose e-m5 and I am very happy with it. Beforehand I did research about this camera. I only use the cheaper but quite satisfying lenses. 45mm, 12-50mm and 40-150mm.
I am beginning to think you are the administrator of this site. Almost every post is half full of remarks revolving around the “sensor war”. People eat this type of thing up and love to argue. The funny thing is I bet if we were to view portfolios of most people they would be full of chicken salad macro shots and infants drooling pudding out of their pie hole. Fact is, most pele don’t need the best to do such a thing yet they carry on like their photos are making an impact on the planet. Quite amusing really. Not saying I am any good…just saying.
Agree. And no troll, and no basher, ever post a link to their pictures.
And yet Panasonic had to double production to meet demand. Reality does not miss you.
You made multiple mistakes…let me fix that for you…
“Yessssss…….another small and moderately priced M43 lens for use on a stellar sensor. Why would somebody step into a FF system with it’s overpriced bulky quality and plastic fantastic pro bodies? M43 is much smaller and if you buy the right cameras cheaper and better in terms of real world photography. Forget FF. M43 is becoming the perfect system.”
YOUR WELCOME
So all this time it hasn’t been officially announced? I thought it was announced like a year ago. Shame that it is still being delayed to 2015. How about the wide angle zoom?
I guess the 12mm black was only limited to how many they want to sell. Glad I waited, now I can pick it up.
This is a smart, and encouraging, customer centric move.
Yes. A smarter move would have been to never have limited it that way in the first place. What serious photographer is going to be sucked in by a “limited edition” paint job. These are nonsensical ideas cooked up in board rooms.
I agree fully. I was interested in a black 12mm, but could not even begin to consider swallowing the “limited edition black” price tag. Then the 12-40 came out and deleted the need for a 12mm prime. Don’t need a black 12mm anymore.
That’s actually a good idea. I’ll have to consider the 12-40 instead. It’s only a bit more and would be better for the weddings I’ve been shooting lately.
I agree about the cost, but the much smaller size makes it attractive.
A price reduction would make this more appealing. Like you, I went for a zoom was well, since cost was close and flexibility of the zoom another factor. I got the Panasonic version, since it was smaller and well reviewed, while there were a lot of defect reports in the early days of Oly’s 12-40.
I’d actually prefer a wider prime, but nothing seems to exist, short of fisheyes.
7 mm prime please
Even a 9 or 10 would make me happy.
Me too !!
depends on what lenses you use. If you area talking zooms,and don’t need 24mm or weathersealing, my guess is the Fuji 18-55 is smaller and close in performance to the 12-40. If you primarily use 50mm (many photogs do), the Fuji 35mm is the same size as the Pana 25mm. Fuji 60mm macro is same size as Pana 45mm. Fuji 10-24mm is slightly larger than Pana 7-14 (not much though), but has a more useful range. I think it really just depends on what you want. Ultimately, for me, m4/3 still doesn’t have a truly excellent prime 35mm equiv lens. Until that happens, it’s out of the picture for me.
the fuji 18-55 is not a bad lens at all, but I’ve tried variable aperture zooms and they just don’t do it for me.. prefer the constant f/2.8 of the 12-40 Oly… i have enough to think about and adjust to without reconsidering my exposure when I want to adjust focal length and crop/composition on the fly. Though I know DOF-wise it’s really more like a f/5.6.. just have to adjust your thinking and way of taking pictures to make it work optimally.. still, surprisingly shallow DOF field even so as it’s still very easy to miss focus on multi-positioned/layered subjects even when you don’t think they’re so spaced in distance from you.
Me too. The Fuji 18-55 is kind of like a fantastic kit lens.
Thanks David. Yes, I’ve heard great things about the Fuji 18-55 — it sounds like a great value. I prefer a little wider, but this would be a great walking around lens. Is the Fuji 35 really as small (and light) as the Panny 25? I own the “Panny Leica” 25 and like it a lot. I would have gotten the less expensive and smaller Olympus lens, had it been available at the time, but am reasonably happy with the small size of the 25. I love the Oly 75mm (my favorite lens) and don’t know of a Fuji equivalent. I also love the Oly 45mm 1.8 — it is fast focusing and tiny. But the Fuji 56mm would be worth the heft to me, and would still compare favorably, in terms of size, to the Canon 85 1.2L. You don’t like the Oly 17 1.8? That gets pretty well reviewed. I own a copy and like it, though I don’t shoot test charts or obsess about corners that I’ll probably darken in post anyway! 🙂
let’s put it this way. the Fuji 23mm is just freakin awesome in terms of the image it puts out, the character, and the mechanical feel. Nothing I’ve seen (or felt…I’ve used the 17mm) feels anywhere near as good. But, the 23 is not small.
unfortunately, you’re right. limited to fisheyes for anything wider than a 24mm (35mm equiv.) for MFT… and APS-C [maybe down to 20mm (35mm equiv.) with a 10mm lens].. crop factor limitations, I guess. Jumps down to a 14mm (35mm equiv.) or so as fisheye.. can’t really get a non-fisheye that wide, I think.
Want to rebuttal on this and throw my other 2 cents about the 12mm and 40-150mm lenses at the bottom.
I’ve given up a lot of primes to afford the switch to E-M1 with the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8 pro lens. It just seems to cover so much range and have great versatility, I felt it was enough to give up faster primes without too much, if any, sacrifice in overall IQ.. I’m glad I did that and the 12-40mm resides on my E-M1 probably 90 percent these days.. switch off when I want to try something different with primes which are outside the 12-40’s range… rare, though.
I’ve been curious to get some fast(er) primes back into my collection, and some on the wider angle end like the 17mm f/1.8 and 12mm f/2 (which I also was hoping they’d eventually make in black at a more reasonable price.. though I think $700 still seems a tad hefty in price tag).
However, I was doing some research to see what advantage I’d have in center and edge sharpness going to a prime which my Oly 12-40mm F/2.8 pro covers and to be honest, there seems to be little advantage and improved IQ.. in some cases, the primes even seem to dip below the pro zoom.
I’ve yet to be super thorough in my research, but my initial research (still very thorough) looking at the “image resolution” page for each lens I was interested in on the Lenstip.com website, I found that the only advantage to owning a prime with a specific focal length is size and the possibility to allow for slightly faster aperture and bokeh.. though, I doubt many will use wide angle primes much for subject isolation and bokeh, more for capturing sharp focus of larger areas.
Anyways, as I was trying to say, when I compared the Oly 12-40mm F/2.8 pro center and edge scores/values at various focal lengths and apertures, when you compare them to say the 12mm f/2 at the same relative focal length and apertures, the pro zoom scores surprisingly high and above the 12mm f/2’s score/value for image resolution.
With that in mind, I decided away form the 12mm f/2 prime because there was little advantage to spending $700 for a prime which didn’t seem to offer an improvement in performance over the very excellent Oly 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens.. with like a 1/3 stop difference in brightness, that’s not much and the bokeh rendering would be negligible. So, it comes down to compact size and lighter weight with the prime lens.. I did not find I needed it, still.
I also compared the Oly 17mm f/1.8 and came to same conclusion as the 12mm f/2.. it scored less than the pro zoom and I personally did not need a smaller lighter 17mm lens.. save that $500 for some other lens or camera gear which might be more impactful.
On the other hand, I’m not saying I have no place for primes because I regard the Oly 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro so highly. I’ve recently purchased the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens.. score wise, it was about the same as the Oly 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro, just as good at f/2.8 and above, and it does have the ability to gather more light and a bit more bokeh at 20mm. It’s relatively inexpensive and if I’m going to go as compact and light as possible, this is about as much of that as you can get in MFT.. the sharpness of this pancake lens is almost legendary. Sure, the focus is slow compared to the new lenses that are out now, but it’s not about speed to take the shot when I decided to get this lens.. it was to make my e-m1’s profile as low and light as possible for those days I want to carry my camera around and take snap shots without the bulk or showing myself off with a bigger pro lens attached.. a great general purpose lens.. not too wide, and not too long.. I personally find 35-50mm the range of “normal eye viewing angles”.. and the 40mm fits nicely in the middle and appears the most “normal” to me.
I wasn’t strictly basing my decision(s) on lens selection on Lenstip.com site, I looked at DXO, DP Review, Luminous Landscapes & CameraLabs, among many others, but I believe Lenstip.com was the only site that had all the lenses I was interested reviewed and I wanted to have a base of comparison from 1 source instead of trying to piece together reviews and tests results from multiple sources.. less likely they’d measure up consistently amongst a mix of tests and opinions.. so, 1 site that had it all helped out a lot for what I believe would be a strong consistent test throughout all the lenses I was interested in.
Going full circle back to the topic at hand, I’m glad that Oly decided to finally make the black 12mm f/2 lens available (it was overpriced and sold out for a long time as limited edition), but, judging from lens test scores and my personal lens needs and usage, I don’t think I will ever have much use for the 12mm f/2 in any color.
However, I am definitely excited about the Oly 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens. The Panasonic equivalent 35-100mm f/2.8 has been available for some time and is an awesome lens, BUT I want to stick with Oly to match my Oly gear and I welcome the extended range the Oly version offers. If this new Oly 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens is at least as good as the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens, it’s going to be an awesome lens to add to the Oly kit. Will be very complete once the ultra wide 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro Lens is out (though that one initially is seemingly even more expensive at around $1800, if true.. hope not).
Unless you demand the highest amount of subject isolation with more background blur.. or need that extra stop or so of light advantage you might get with a fast prime, I say having the Oly Pro lenses would be more than enough to satisfy your photographic needs nearly all the time.
Oh! one last comment, I almost switched my E-M1 to a Fuji X-T1, but eventually the hype around the X-T1 died within me and when I look at both cameras and systems subjectively and objectively, for me, the E-M1 and MFT system offered the most versatility and performance over an current Fuji X camera system. Sure, the Fuji can produce a lot of nice images, but MFT’s can be just as good, imho. With the power of post processing, you can have just as nice and clean images as a Fuji or any larger sensor camera (mostly).. just be smart and creative with your gear and you’ll get excellent results (that goes with any camera, of course). Was not worth ditching my Oly/MFT investments to date.. the E-M1 really is far more customizable and has more performance ability overall.. namely in the high shutter speed department with high speed flash sync which the Fuji’s are terribly outdated on. I’d be interested when the X-Pro2 is announced in a couple months at Photokina. I won’t totally dismiss Fuji cameras, and I would love to own a X-Pro2 when it comes out, but it won’t be my main camera (more likely a companion or one to explore photography more as a hobby and past time than for work) and I strongly feel my Oly E-M1 will be a camera system I will stick with for a while being my main workhorse camera for paid jobs, as well as personal work.
Simply put, for me, the E-M1 (and a lot of other MFT cameras) has a lot more Can Do’s while the Fuji’s have less and more Can’t Do’s.
Woooo this was really tough.
You are comparing Fuji IQ to Olympus IQ. I own very best m43 lenses + Oly E-P5. My colege owns Fuji X-T1. And trust me IQ quallity is not what you would want to pray for with your m43 gear. I would rate m43 iQ to be so so (or good enough). Nothing more or less. When you start processing Fuji RAW files properly (not using LR) you get crisp details with 1-2 stops noise superiority. This is not visible by looking at jpegs. You have to pull RAW shadows intensively (then you will see very visible aps-c sensor advantage).
One thing I like about m43 is its lenses. They are quite good and very small.
But camera bodies ? I would say that Olympus released its best camera body when they started 4/3 system (E-1). But after it … many bodies were almost always crippled somehow. Example ?
Look at my E-P5. Design wise this is a top notch camera. But it has or better say had many problems. Shutter shock which made this camera almost unusable for a very long time. Missing integrated EVF why ?
OK you can purchase an extended one but it’s crippled as well. You are better not leaving a room with it since the sun can demage it …
All PEN lighter lines were cripled with a 16:9 display + they did not offer any usable aperture wheel + IBIS was unusable …
The only 1 nice camera is a good old E-M5. But sadly its mushy and nonreactive buttons forced me to look elsewhere ….
Wait wait we have E-M1 … very overpriced (atleast here in Europe).
I am very happy that other camera manufacturers are becoming strong competitors. Because Olympus has to try its best to stay alive.
Or maybe they will rather leave m43 – they have done it once with 4/3 …
Cheers
Different strokes for different folks. Art and imagery is totally subjective, but from my stand point, my E-M1 excels in so many areas already.
I’ve also owned a Fuji X100 (& X10), loved the images, there is something different about them, but is it actually way better and different than MFT?.. I personally don’t think so. Again, with post-processing and the files you can get out of most any modern camera these days, it will level the playing field in the ultimate final image results depending on how you take the photo initially and what you end up doing in PP.
Speaking of PP, that’s the other issue with Fuji’s.. they still don’t work right with Lightroom. Sure there are plenty of other RAW converters that do a lot better job, and frankly I haven’t tried them (since I no longer currently own any Fuji X cameras), but know plenty about them, but my workflow requires me to submit files to studios which will do the PP work through Lightroom.. I imagine a lot of professional places will also use Lightroom to do PP over any other “non-pro-standard” RAW converters. Anyways, If I still owned or switched to Fuji X camera fully, I’d love to be able to use and submit RAW files to the studio I work with, but if they only use Lightroom, then I’m not going to give them Fuji files which will look like crap (or less than spectacular) compared to what my Oly files turn out through Lightroom.
Again, from my stand point, Fuji is up and coming and they do a lot of thing nice and right, but there’s still a lot of refinements which are less than par.. for me, that’s the high shutter speed (or lack of higher than 1/4000) and flash sync limitations… and, the RAW files aren’t the best to work with through Lightroom which is pretty much the standard to PP RAW.
For a solid performer and one that does a lot more than Fuji can out of the box, the E-M1 is not overpriced. Sure, you can say you can still do all of the stuff without all the bells and whistles that’s packed into the a camera such as the E-M1 (makes RAW files at all ISO ranges, more bracketing options, live bulb/time, DR processing, better (not the best) video recording, etc…) , but why make your ass work harder for getting to the same place, if even possible to be at the same place?
I’ve never experience shutter shock in my life with the E-M1, nor the previously owned E-M5. Though similar in specs, I’d never consider the Pen series simply cause no integrated EVF and smaller camera.. size does matter, in some cases, and when you have the right lens and setup to look more professional, it instills more confidence from the client than to hold up a much smaller profile camera which could be mistaken as a point and shoot. Totally psychological, but you’re not going to necessarily get the confidence and same ability to work with a client if they may not take you seriously with too small a camera and gear, unfortunately. Time is short and it’s money and you have to build that confidence and rapport fast and get the work done. You need to play some mind games to get the game started and finished rightfully.
I can’t say how spoiled I am with 5-axis IBIS in the E-M1 (& E-M5).. I’ve recently tried some Fuji bodies to do some personal testing and having full time 5-axis IBIS is a dream and blessing to work with any lens on that body. I would have kept the E-M5 as the IQ advantage in the new processor in the E-M1 is not that overwhelming, BUT the ergonomics and functionality are greatly improved, especially the larger & faster EVF, 2nd to Fuji’s by ever so little.
Also, having held both the E-M1 & X-T1 (as well as X-Pro 1 & X100 & X10), the E-M1 is way more solid feeling.. X cameras aren’t bad, but they feel a bit more hollow in comparison and lighter, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I admit I like my camera gear to feel solid with just enough heft to feel quality, and it’s not just an illusion, it really is solid. Doors on the sides of the X cameras are still a bit on the flimsy side for my taste, they should really fix that.
I can appreciate Fuji dedicating a lot of firmware updates, but perhaps for some of those other camera systems that may receive less firmware updates than Fuji, it may be a testament to how well they’ve put out a camera in the first place to not require constant updates?.. matter of opinion, perhaps.
I’d say Olympus is doing more than just trying to stay alive, they’ve been thriving… they aren’t mainstream and may never beat out Canon & Nikon or other smaller consumer orientated cameras.. like Fuji, they’re in a unique niche and I like that they’re different and not from the typical lot.. both totally capable camera systems, but each has their own likes and dislikes… but, for me, currently the advantages and performance I get out of my E-M1 is nothing to complain about.. I have sometimes wished for more or different, getting caught up in G.A.S. primarily, but when I’ve had time to think and weigh it all out, I often find there’s never really been anything lacking in the E-M1 and gear I have that made me feel I can’t do and excel at what I want to do with it. I’d get something different purely for getting something different, not necessarily better… but since tech is always advancing, likely there will at least be a thing or two better in whatever is new/different I will get to run along side my MFT system.
Anyways, just reinforcing my POV, but sufficient to say, we’re living in age where there’s not really bad cameras out there, they can all take great pictures for 90% of what most people can and will ever use them for.
You should also try using DXO instead of LR for your EP5’s raw files and you will see plenty of details as well. The noise reduction easily gains one more stop over LR.
You still do not get it ? APS-C vs 4/3 there will always be at least 1 stop noise and/or DR advantage …
And yes I’m talking here about base ISO. It starts showing very noticebly whenever you start pulling shadows and/or making your shots punchier or coloring them.
Anyway I like 4/3 format. What I do not like are Olympus crippled camera bodies. Hopefuly competitors “learn” them to create something useful.
Shhhhhh….. They like Kool-Aid, over here. Don’t tell them the truth!
Almost nobody wants to fiddle with raw files which needs extra processing by the camera, and takes more time to save. Then it needs to be processed at a computer. What if you take 100’s of photo’s.
Taking raw is very much a niche activity, and most want very good out-of-camera jpeg, which Olympus does masterly.
The Oly zoom (and many modern zooms from others) are so sharp and so fast that the traditional advantage of primes (especially at the wide end) is not there any more. For me, primes have become more about the shooting experience — forcing myself to move and think differently. They are more challenging. But that’s the idea, I think. I like the “retro” approach. But the zoom is WAY more practical. In the end, I’d choose the zoom, but would still love to own the prime as well, both for size and for style.
Well, smaller physical size and faster aperture are also traditional prime advantages over zooms. In most cases this still remains. And like you say, the intangible benefit of primes is that “zooming with your feet” can lead to more creativity because you have to work differently and harder to get the shot.
You could say a single standard zoom is smaller than if you were to carry a trinity of primes. True. But then if you only shoot at 28mm (or 35mm or 50mm), why do you need a big lens on your camera?
I use the 45mm prime, and the iq is noticebly better than my cheap 40-150mm. The latter has high purple fringing in both ends of the zoom range.
The Pro version should tacke that big problem of purple fringing…
I found that the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 Mark 1 was a little big, but no doubt, better in IQ than the 12-40 at 20mm.
That should read “little bit better” not little big.
when I think customer centered service, I do not think Olympus.
Given the rumors of holding back features from firmware for new models and the ridiculous history of this “limited edition” black lens, we’ve got some reason to believe that. But maybe this is the beginning a of a new age for them.
or maybe they realized people have wanted the 12mm in black all along, and making it a special edition was a dick move, or at least no longer profitable as they’ve sold all the limited editions
I really, really want this lens. To tide me over, I grabbed Oly’s far smaller, slower, non Pro version for an absurdly affordable US$119 on Amazon. I’m loving that lens.
This and the super telephoto seem to be taking a long, long time. I’m surprised that this is just being “announced.” How does everyone have pictures and full information on the lens already if it is not announced? By all means, please delay production if there are issues.
But I look over at what Fuji is doing, and they seem to be rapidly closing in on M43’s substantial lead in lens range. Their clearly articulated roadmap shows their equivalent weather sealed lens and its wide, weather sealed, pro 2.8 partner coming in Q3 or Q4 along with a sealed, super tele announcement with early 2015 delivery to follow hot on its heals.
M43 prime lenses are still smaller, but bodies and these pro zooms are getting pretty close in size. M43 autofocus speed still blows away the best Fuji has released, but what was a clear advantage for M43 a year ago is way less apparent today. Fuji is rumored to be updating the X20, X100 and XPro at Photokina. Panny and Oly would be wise to show some cards soon.
I hope we see some M43 innovation soon.
The cheapie version actually isn’t too bad on the lower end of the zoom range. But I have yet to take a decent image with it fully zoomed in. To be fair, however, I have not tested it extensively. It’s one of my least used lenses. I’ve turned into a prime guy.
I was seriously tempted by the Fuji X-T1, but after trying it my desire melted away. Nice camera but the E-M1 runs rings around it in AF speed.
Then there’s the ongoing X-Trans sensor lack of proper RAW support.
And as you said m4/3 will always have the size advantage when considering full system size.
But Fuji definitely get it and understand that it’s about the lenses. Their lens lineup started with a bang and just got stronger from there. Lack of lens options is already mostly a non-issue on the Fuji side, and they’re quickly filling in what few holes they have left.
Autofocus speed is what has kept me away from owning a Fuji so far. I rent often, just to scratch the itch, but can’t justify owning two systems. I need to capture fast action often enough, so money I’d spend on a “considered photography” camera (I’d love an XPro and the 56mm) will go towards the Oly 40-150mm and maybe an X20 or X30 if the Panasonic LX8 or Olympus TripD don’t materialize.
That’s funny, I sold my GX7 and Canon 6D and went FUJI. EM-1 and GX7 is Faster, but it’s fast enough for what I need it for. And last I checked, my RAW files look great.
Fuji will overtake M43 in less than a year or so.
That seems like the trajectory. Unless Olympus figures out how to satisfy fans of the Pen who want small AND an EVF, or Panny updates the LC1 (in the form of a highly usable LX8, perhaps). Then, all bets are off.
I would think that a E-M10 would be a good package for those who want exactly that. Who cares how it’s named.
MantatYP was talking of “green smearing” in Lightroom only. Landscape and so on doesn’t look sharp when you are running a light room process on X-trans RAW.
Obviously Fuji wll not take over m43. Allthough they are more intelligent in market awareness. But m43 ist the much more professional system. About 90 lenses if you count m43 + 43 lenses.
Should have grabbed Panasonic’s instead. It’s better
I looked at it and it was substantially more $. Since this is a stop gap, I opted for the less expensive option. But I’ll obviously look closely at the two 2.8 options when the Oly ships. The Panny will likely be smaller, but that extra reach is worth it to me if they both perform well. Then again, if the Oly really ships at $1800. I’ll also take a look at the Fuji system again to see if autofocus in the XPro2 can compete with an EM1 or GH4 (unlikely) and what the 2.8 twins sell for on the platform. 🙂 I guess we already know that the Panasonic 35-100 is a smallish, high quality lens and has OIS. I need time to save, so I have the “luxury” of waiting. If I had real need (and the cash), I’d own the Panny tomorrow.
If you doubt between m43 or Fuji then there is only 1 answer really…go to Sony (a6000 or a7).
I’ll stick to m43 up till just before next summer vacation. My e-m5 is still too valuable.
I confess I am the admin, sorry for having trolled you guys for so long time.
Your photography skills suck. deep down you really do know that. I have no evidence of this. But, I can almost guarantee that if you showed us some of your work. it would be laughable. Guaranteed. Sure you will make some smart assed remark about this but deep down you do know you suck. This is why you are here. because you suck and don’t know why you suck. It’s quite a basic concept in psychology really. In order for you to con yourself into thinking you don’t suck, you feel the need to tell others they suck. yet, you suck….get the point. your photography sucks. maybe if you spent less time here telling others they suck you could be working on your own skills on not sucking. Or if you can’t work on that type of sucking maybe you can move on to another form of sucking that involves a fleshy dangling object that has nothing to do with gear.
lol
What else can I do. I am a misrable failure at everything, even my attempts at trolling are primitive and beneath contempt. I can’t even wipe myself without getting a fist full of toilet paper stuck in my throat. What do you expect of me?
You can do everything. Start by not obviously trolling. You only down yourself with it. We are not touched.
You are too nervous, probably immensely frustrated, give us a break sissy.
We have known about this lens for almost a year. I sure hope you mean “released” and not “announced”. Olympus is doing it seriously wrong if they “announce” it now, we already have specs and pictures!!!!
There was some rumour, that Olympus, Panasonic and Sony reduce their speed of innovations in lens lineup. Due to camera crisis.
True innovation would be a lens like the human eye instead of the monster glass
I neither spit nor swallow. I save.
Maybe I’m the only one, but I wish Olympus would come out with the black versions in more “pro” guise rather than the precious jewel-like cosmetics of the silver versions. A “real” black lens to stick on a Pro camera like the EM1 would be something like the 25mm 1.4 Summilux — ruggedised, not spick and shiny.
quite lame on the part of Olympus to release a limited black lens at a premium and then after they selll them out just release the lens at the regular price….That is a GREAT way to treat people. ..bet everyone who bought the limited feels like a sucker. Duh.
While I am beotchin…I just lost the tiny little plastic lens shade for my 12-40mm. $40 seems kind of steep for a $2 piece of plastic. Olympus..just make great products that everyone cannot live with out and you could stop all of the cheezy cheap games!!!!! 🙂
Take a metal lens hode instead…:-) less expensive, protective, good looking, better colours
It’s a choice. Plastic hoods can break or bend upon impact, thus absorbing some/most of the shock and saving your lens — the principle behind modern car bumper design. Metal hoods look good but may transfer some/most of the energy in a fall to your lens, which may cause internal damage. Or if you just want cover from the sun without protective properties, there are collapsible rubber hoods, which has the advantage of being compact when not in use.
I have a confession to make. I was in the market for fast wide angle to shoot night sky photos but couldn’t force myself to buy the ugly silver Oly, even though on rational level I understand it doesn’t matter. Had I paid couple hundreds more just for the limited black version I would now feel like the biggest sucker on Earth. I eventually ended up with Samyang 12mm and I don’t regret the purchase. Olympus, these money could have been yours.
Mmmmmh black and pro… Still that tiny sensor tho, and probably the usual software correction. How many sukkers are up for it?
Do they pay you for this?
No fool like a clueless fool.
The new 40-150 f/2.8 along with the 7-12 f/2.8 will stop the need of use old 43 lenses like the 7-14 and the 50-200… Wish is a very good news, I never find out that the AF performance were on part with any other pro lenses from Canon and Nikon…
Though, I still think the 50-200 F/2.8-3.5 is one of the best range for sports photography enthusiast.