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WIll the new 45-150mm lens be a pancake like the current [shoplink 25104]14-42mm X lens[/shoplink]?
And yet we will see the light of another zoom lens! Along the G5 (to be announced within 1-2 weeks) expect the release of a new 45-150mm lens. Now, we already have a 45-200mm and a [shoplink 25103]45-175mm[/shoplink] lens so I really hope this lens has something special that makes it worth to be released. I am not sure but this could be a pancake zoom. If it is I will happy, if it is not than I can’t figure out why Panasonic is doing this. Bye the way, the lens is not fast (I have been told so).
Stay tuned on 43rumors! There might be a Panasonic announcement within this week!
UPDATE: Curious…the 45-175mm X lens had a $70 price drop via Samys at Amazon (Click here).
61 Responses
What are Panasonic up to? Surely if there is one thing that is not needed is another average superzoom covering the same range as we have already?
I guess Panasonic is making what they should have done in the beginning: an optical stabilised equivalent of the Olympus 40-150mm.
The X 45-175mm is expensive.
The 45-200mm is affordable but a piece of crap unusable beyond 120mm and a monster in size.
If it’s as cheap as the Olympus 40-150mm and optically as good, then most surely it has a place and is pretty much welcome.
My sample of the Pana 45-200mm is very good even at 200mm.
Same here. I sold mine to get the more convenient 14-140, but for what it did, it was a far cry from being crap.
I’m happy for you guys, but most of the reports are awful.
The DSLRGear test pretty much goes in line with what I observed on the copy I handled. Useless beyond 120mm… 🙁
Your comment is a piece of crap. You don’t own the lens (like me) and “handling it”(whatever that means) isn’t going to provide the proper assessment. And most of the reviews are NOT negative. Stop spreading your lies.
What “handling” means is that I profiled a friend’s copy of this lens for PhotoAcute. And profiling a lens demands taking hundreds of photos of test charts. This very copy was such crap that the PhotoAcute technicians didn’t even bother to use that profile.
Now if you want to call my experience “crap” that’s up to you. I’m sure you’ll also find these guys to produce “crappy” reviews: http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1226/cat/69
45-175mm expensive?
45-200mm piece of crap?
You really talk nonsense. If you regard the 45-175mm as expensive, m4/3 and most interchangeable lens systems aren’t for you. I recommend: switch to a P&S camera or a super zoom and don’t bother us with lenses are to expensive statements.
45-200mm isn’t crap. For its price, the lens is damn good.
Last time I checked (in Europe) the X 45-175 was almost 2x the price of the 40-150 Oly. That’s why I said it is expensive. I’ve just checked the prices now and it’s about 60% more expensive, so I stand somehow corrected because the price difference is less significant now.
About the IQ of the 45-200, in my experience I don’t take back one word (check my reply above to caver3d). The copy I handled was a piece of crap beyond 120mm. DSLRGear’s tests are there to second mine. If you read the user’s comments there are more people complaining about softness, I didn’t make it up!
NOooooooo! not another f*** slow zoom!
+1
We don’t need another slow shi**y zoom.
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in this lens
A pancake tele?
That would be a world first and would award its developers a nobel prize for defeating the laws of physics.
+1
I don’t think it’s possible. Look at the size of Oly 40-150mm…
Actually telephoto lens isn’t defined by long focal length but optical design which makes lens shorter than focal length.
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/09/lens-genealogy-part-2
Of course there are image quality challenges when you keep shrinking the size and it definitely wouldn’t be real pancake.
A 150mm pancake ? OMG!
Didn’t know pancakes were that thick.
Or are we watching “squaring the circle” live?
The Panny 45-200mm lens has always been a piece of crap that dies at 120mm. I hope this new one is a cheap but optically better lens.
I’m happy if it is an optically stabilised equivalent of the Olympus 40-150mm at the same price point.
Me too! The 40-150 is cheap and sharp, but OIS would be really handy for us with Pannys. Just make sure it’s still cheap and sharp!
Quote ‘Along the G5 (to be announced within 1-2 weeks) ‘
Does this now mean that the apparent announcement on July 5th isnt happening or?
I think he meant 1-2 days, because in all other posts he mentions this week.
I would very much like a weather-sealed zoom in that range.
Slow zoom again ? Even is pan cake , no way I’m going to get it .
This in my opinion is more a consumer lens .
You could also release PL 12mm f/1.4… oh you want a volume lens? Why not pancake – 10mm f/4 v. good optics, priced @$300?
🙁
Sign me up for a 10mm prime with corner-to-corner sharpness. f/4 would be fine.
“You could also release PL 12mm f/1.4”
I want one.
It would make sense if it would be f2.8-4.
Otherwise… move along… nothing interesting to see here…
@nobody: … and weather-sealed.
sometimes the decision to release lens makes me wonder, are they really know what the consumer need?
Marketing department and shareholders are the winners.
Customer need you say? Thats the thing, they ought to know a thing or two about sales figures..
Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, they all offer a plethora of slow zooms and they all keep on developing some more. …Thats probably a huge segment of their customer need right there.
I want 12-35 F 2.0 🙂
That lens would be just the right size for a DSLR!
I want to own gold mine 🙂
IT will be expensive..
I’m sure you do. But if it ever came out, you wouldn’t buy it because it’s too expensive and you’d complain about how big and heavy it is. 🙂
Zuiko 14-35 F 2 for 4/3 cost ~$1700 I’m ready to pay this price but to have micro 4/3 size and video stabilizer %)
I need a fast 75mm prime lens with power OIS
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120702-00000049-jijc-biz
So, Olympus’s president had admitted that sensor of E-M5 is made by Sony.
Makes sense to me. It’s the second most popular zoom range (next to the typical kit zoom range), but these lenses tend to be quite large, even for m4/3. If Panasonic has figured out how to miniaturize this type of zoom in a way similar to the 14-42mm, to rival the size of the Nikon 1’s 30-110mm, it will certainly be appealing to new users.
Oh Joy! The new Lumix 40-150 f16-f22 lens!
The size of a pencil eraser, but practically useless, and the same as the other 12 slow zooms we have.
Ok, sorry. It’s Monday morning.
Guess it’s because the 45-175 is absolute shit.
Video capabilities are decent, but aweful OIS for photo creating double images and sharpness that just isn’t satisfying.
The PZ 45-175mm is already very compact, and a very good lens. Why replace it?
As you say, the only reason must be if it is even more compact. Otherwise, it does not make sense. Why replace a good and compact lens?
The PZ 45-175mm is also quite inexpensive, at least in the US market.
Guess it’s because the 45-175 is absolute shit.
Video capabilities are decent, but aweful OIS for photo creating double images and sharpness that just isn’t satisfying.
Response: I find the image quality more than acceptable, and the stabilization is just great.
On my Olympus E-M5, that is. 🙂
my 45-175 is fantastic.
I don’t need it at all ! whatever the size or performances…I’d like a 12-60 mm f2.8-4 ! that and the 9-18 mm and 98% of my needs are covered…plus the 20 mm f1.7 and the 45 mm f1.8 for high quality, shallow DOF and when I have time to change lens…I quite never use FL above 50 mm (100 mm equivalent)
GX1, X45-175, X14-42… and now this? What are those guys at Panasonic doing?
The 45-200 is very good @45mm, either than that it is crap. I got a vintage Takumar 200mm instead
“Curious…the 45-175mm X lens had a $70 price drop via”
It looks like to be a replacement for a problematic 45-175 on some cameras.
I guess Panasonic is refining those lenses that sell well, making them competitive in terms of size. That’s not so good for those of us looking for more specialized lenses as Panasonic is using its resources developing lenses we don’t need. But it’s probably good for Panasonic’s bottom line.
A pancake tele is impossible, but it could be a lot more compact the the existing teles.
It could be a new ultra-compact entry (that would be interesting), or possibly could be a very inexpensive alternative to the 45-200, plastic mount etc. The purpose would be to create a 14-42 + 45-150 low-price kit bundle. They did offer some bundle deals last Christmas with the 45-200 but maybe they want to reduce the price / increase the profit further.
And by the way, the 45-200 is NOT a junk lens beyond 120, that is just internet comment-forum hyperbole.
Well, lucky you!
These guys here: http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1457/cat/67 have gotten as hyperbolic as I did…
Not that it matters to me but Panasonic clearly had a CQ issue with this lens.
This lens is probably a new kit lens intended to bundle with a new camera, so it makes a attractive kit for newcomers. Not an upgrade path to anyone who already has a longer zoom.
So, why complain that there are too many lenses, while we have very good coverage and new lenses come out faster than we can save up for them?
(Yes, I know there are a few small gaps like fast 10/17/150+ primes, but comparing to other mirrorless systems, we should be grateful for what we have today)
Agree on this point. I’m relatively new to µ4/3, but, as far as I know, Panasonic hasn’t revised the 45-200 since it was released. And the 45-175, while smaller than 45-200, is relatively expensive for a limited-range tele zoom, along with its known problems in stills shooting. Having a revised kit tele zoom is a good strategy for Panasonic, especially when offering those often popular 2 lens kits. Releasing this lens along with a new consumer-oriented G-series camera makes a lot of sense.
And, while these lenses are boring for enthusiasts (those on this site), they are among the biggest sellers for lens makers.
Panasonic wasted it resources for something useless yet again.
When you stand back from a distance, it sure looks like Panasonic doesn’t have a coherent plan for lenses. Too many overlapping, average quality products. If they were making truckloads of profit, who cares. But they’re not. I’d rather have one high quality option than 5 similar but average options.
The same applies to Olympus.
4/3rds was designed as a system, with a very coherent road map and design criteria: fixed aperture, weather sealing and superior build for SHG lenses, “semi-fixed” aperture (1/2 to 1 stop difference between fully open and fully closed), weather sealing and tough polycarbonate barrel for HG and decent build and IQ for the SG lenses.
When you look at Olympus’ m43 lineup you can see that some lenses resemble 4/3rds SG, some are made to resemble RF lenses (12mm, 45mm, 75mm) but have different characteristics such as either metal or plastic build, physical focusing gear on the 12mm only etc.
No lens has weather sealing except the 12-50mm, and this one appears different than any other Olympus lens. While featuring weather sealing, it is optically inferior to some of the other lenses on their line up.
It appears no one gave the matter thought. m43 is built from the bottom up, as opposed to 43rds which was built from the top down (pro models came first). It may be confusing but actually has a better chance to sell as the smaller sensor did not really justify an investment in expensive bodies and lenses.
So far Panasonic is not doing too bad, at least compared to Olympus.
It makes total sense. Launch pancake tele with G5 to match 14-42 x lens. They will then launch 35-100 f2.8 lens with GH3 to match 12-35 f2.8. Symmetry! It also makes sense to have unique super compact consumer zooms for small cameras and unique larger fast high quality lenses for GH series. Both are very logical and will sell well to their respective markets.
Discontinue the 45-175mm and release this version which is smaller and has fixed the OIS issue. Also release a real fix for the 14-42 PZ lens.
Probably not pancake
but a really portable version of tele zoom
e.g. 2 times the length of a pancake is small enough
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