Last week we learned the price of the new Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens and the new pancake zoom would be 35,000 yen in Japan. By using the current currency conversion the price would be 250€. Well the last two days I got confirmations from one trusted and one new source that Olympus will price the lens much higher than that! It will cost 399 Euro!
These are the prices:
Olympus 25 f/1.8 will cost 399€
Olympus 14-42 will cost 399€
Fisheye lenscap will cost 99€
Once again EU citizen have to pay more than US or Asian countries on camera and lenses!
For me this means I will wait for a refurbished deal at [shoplink 22691 ebay]Olympusmarket[/shoplink] to try to get them for a lower price 🙁
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193 Responses
Is there any justification for that?
The Euro is overvalued. 😛
Because they can.
It’s not particularly surprising.
This IS the Olympus of the $100 lens hood, after all.
Ehrmm – what about these then?
£286 / €346 / $530 for the Zuiko 90-250 lenshood?
http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/lens-hood-lh-120b-90-250mm-f2-8.html
And way worese yet:
£612 / €746 / $1011 for the Zuiko 300/2.8 lenshood:
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-olympus-lh-120-lens-hood-for-300mm/p1015033
Over a 1000 dollars for a lenshood?
Simply outrages!
Ment outrageous of course (which doen’t make it any better btw!) 😉
Profetional urine extraction right there!
It’s easy to blame Olympus, but the facts are different. I’ve been in this business (designing and selling small electronic accessories as a tiny company) and I know from firsthand experience.
One thing you always forget is the VAT.
In Europe (I believe by law) the prices are always advertised VAT-included. In the USA (and I believe Asia) they are always “before taxes”. In the USA, the consumer ends up paying more than the actual advertised price, because of the “sale tax”.
One second reason is that the companies does not like to change the price as the currencies fluctuate, so they use marketing forecast to make sure that they have their profits (or at least not a big loss) even in the worst case.
One third thing (certainly minor for a lens, but still part of the distribution costs for any vendor) is the large number of languages and plug/socket for the chargers. Is a small thing, but in the US you do it once and you cover 400 millions people. In Europe every few tens of people you have a different language and a different socket. I believe that account for about another 10-20% of expenses “on average” (less for a lens, but more for a camera). It’s up to each manufacturer to decide how to spread these costs out, but let me use an average of 15% for this estimate.
So 250 euros + 10% (my random guess) of currency fluctuations, 15% (languages and plugs) + 22% VAT = 386 euros, not far from their 399
Last, but not least, US shops (including amazon) are larger than European ones, so the final seller can earn a little less per unit and still be profitable, which sellers in Europe cannot (they also have higher taxes in general). So this final bit can explain the last 13 euros of difference.
And then don’t forget that many Americans don’t have health insurance and can die simply because they cannot afford to pay their doctors for a cure they need (what’s good a cheaper lens for a dead man?). In Europe that does not happen, that’s one of the things your higher tax rates buy you.
Essentially I agree with you, but it is me who pays for my health insurance (>400€ per month)..;-)
Why do people keep throwing in VAT into discussions on price variations. People in the EU KNOW they pay VAT. They also know that US prices are EX tax, They also know that not all states collect tax. It seems it is only the Americans who want to explain EU over charging by mentioning tax.
Having different manuals and plugs does not account for 10-20% of cost. (bulk power cords from china only cost cents and manuals are on multilingual CD). Also you forgot to discount the non addition of the US plugs. So the real difference is a variation not a cumulative addition. The cost at assembly packing is negligible. However many Japanese manufacturers send unsealed boxes and the local subsidiary adds plugs and or paperwork for local distribution. Depending on how it is done the cost would be additional, but don’t forget the local subsidiary is getting the box cheaper, if local additions are made.
Currency fluctuations may be additional (they never go down!) but when putting in forecasts/orders the price will be fixed ex factory at that time. So little variation will be seen at the subsidiary unless there is a major change from shipment to shipment.
You also forgot that distribution channels in the EU are far shorter and in most instances better than the US.
Do not throw VAT, GST or Sales tax into the explanation. As I said before people who live in the EU know they pay VAT, they also know its in the advertised price. In Australia the GST is 10% and everyone knows that it is included in the price. There is the issue of company tax and costs, yes, they are higher but again its a variation not an addition. If US seller costs are $50 per camera and the EU costs are $80 per camera the difference is $30 not an additional $80. Same as the plugs. The reality is the price of general sale in the EU and many other countries, less the local tax, does NOT come back to a level playing field.
Your calculation is very definitely flawed.
No. Keep the tax out of the equation the tax payers know there is a tax.
there is no possible justification for this difference in price whatsoever.
But hey, there are people who want to believe in aliens…
Panasonic 25 F1.4 here i come. BTW you made an error It is Oly F1.8, not F1.4
Beware, the Panasonic has to be stopped down to F2.8 if you want sharpness across the frame. From F2.8 onwards it’s a good lens. But at F1.8 I am dead sure that the Olympus one will be sharper.
How can you say that?
I would wait for some serious tests before saying that.
PanaLeica is soft at 1.4, but still usable, if you need that aperture for low light photo: I have never discarded any photo because of poor sharpness.
At 1.8 it’s pretty sharp.
sharpness is overrated… no point comparing. nowadays most people are printing it at small sizes or putting into internet.
I’m with you 100%. Lately I had some picture printed on silver gel and some others on fine art paper and photo come to life.
Screens kill photos and create pixel peepers.
My reply above was about waiting for the product to be tested, before judging it.
What I don’t want to see is some early bad report that will influence other reviewers as it happened with 17mm f1.8
While sharpness is somewhat overrated, I wont underrate it either. Also – your reasoning sounds like just grounds for just going with a compact camera instead of a DSLR 😛
“Soft”… relative to what exactly?
The 1.4 is actually “sharp” wide open relative to other lenses at that aperture/price point.
At 2.8 is is extremely sharp in terms of resolution.
“Sharp” and “Soft” are relative terms.
+1000
Soft compared to the same lens stopped down to f1.8 😉
Some people think that for a 500 bucks you can get a Hubble..
I’m happy with my PanaLeica, and I blame Olympus for being so late in offering a 50mm equivalent field of view lens.
Now it would have made sense at a cheaper price, but for little more you can have a faster lens.
Let’s see comparisions before judging though.
I agree …that is out of line…total supposition based on nothing…the Panny 25mm f/1.4 is an incredible little lens…I doubt that head-2-head at f/1.8 that the Oly will surpass it…but we can’t know anything until we read some reviews…
If the Oly lens is approaching the price of the Panny (plus the price of the lens hood!!! LOL!)…I would tend to go for the wider f/stop . I own both Oly and Panny lenses and both companies are capable of making very good lenses.
Yes you have to stop down the Panasonic for high corner sharpness, but no one cares, because shooting at F/1.4 the point is to isolate your subject in a blurred background. That’s why this lens is so great… Wide open you get great bokeh with a very sharp center, stopped down it’s a resolution monster.
That said, I don’t doubt the Oly will be a very fine optic (it’s plastic after all so I’m sure the cost comes from the quality glass inside rather than from being pretty and shiny like the 17mm), and it will likely also render differently from the PL, but I don’t know if that will be enough to bother with it.
The point of shooting at f/1.4 is shutter speed or lowering iso.
Oh and indeed it can also be useful for isolating subjects from a background, but such lenses are called ‘fast’ instead of ‘thin’ or ‘shallow’ for a reason.
Oh, you meant to say *YOU* use it at f/1.4 for shallow dof? Great if that gets you what you want, but that doesn’t yet make it ‘the point’ of that lens.
It’s plenty sharp at F2, it’s just that much sharper at F2.8.
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1439/cat/68/date/1275396032
Don’t make comments on gear that isn’t out yet 😉 frankly this will be a tough sell with the panasonic out.
i always shoot the 25 at 1.4 and i never needed sharpness across the frame.
Bull to the crap, the only thing I see at f/1.4 is a slight vignette (good or bad depending on who you ask) and MAYBE a slight decrease in sharpness but it is by no means soft as people claim it to be. Sometimes I wonder if people have really owned these lenses or are just blabbing out things they read from some random dude on the internet (who has not used it too, most likely).
This is with the PanaLeica 25 @ f1.4
http://500px.com/photo/49152224
It is sharp enough for me, and when I printed and framed a big one to send to my father as a gift it looked amazingly beautiful, you will be amazed how better they look printed than on your screen.
If it was indeed a 25/1.4, as the headline falsely states, it wouldn’t be that bad…
Price difference 25 mm with Panasonic Leica € 100.- in the Netherlands.
Price kit-lens difference with previous kit lens also € 100.-. Which would be acceptable if it were a better lens, not just for the smaller size.
Wait for streetprices ….. I guess the price will settle around 300 €.
I never beleived in a price of 250 euros. Knowing Olympus, that´s not realistic! I think the most 14-45 pancakes will be sold in a kit, so the single price doesn´t play any role. And if the quality of the 25 1.8 is really good, I think a price of 399 – which means about 350 euros street price – is ok.
250 EUR would mean Soligor prices circa 1985!
The 45 1.8 is 250 euros or less here, even when it was just in the shops in the Netherlands. Its a pity that the 25 1.8 is 150 euros more. People can only hope that the streetprices will be more close to the 45mm. If not, they better go the PL 25 way.
Its 309,- euro in the Olympus shop, iirc the official mrsp was 299,- euro. Obviously street prices are lower, but that will apply to the 25/1.8 and the pancake zoom as well.
Still, introduction price of 350 would have been a lot better.
In Germany, the Olympus price of the 45mm is 329 euros today.
And the “old” 14-42mm II(R) is priced at 349 euros.
Totaly…
Panasonic 25mm F1.4 with IS = £420
Oly 25mm F1.8 no IS = £360ish
Think the extra £80 is worth a half stop and IS…
Oly would have a winner at £300ish but currently its too close to the “better” F1.4.
Just want to point out, the Panasonic 25 1.4 doesn’t have IS. It’s a great lens though!
Yep, aside from some of the zooms, all their lenses below 45mm do not have IS. Mainly because IS isn’t as required at wider focal lengths.
“Mainly because IS isn’t as required at wider focal lengths.”
1. IS is *NEVER* required, but it can be a very useful tool for a number of situations, enough so for me to want it always available (but, that depends a lot on your photography).
2. IS is also quite useful at wide angles of view, as camera shake is still quite possible with such wider angles of view, just with lower shutter speeds.
Funny, there are a number of prominent misconceptions about the usefulness of IS, and you express 2 of the most prominent ones in a single post!
Oh, and Panasonic has announced a lens shorter then 45mm with OIS. Ok, its only a fraction shorter at 42.5mm, but still…
I said as required. What I meant, in longer words, that that shake is less prominent in wider angles, and you can use slower shutter speeds and capture sharp pictures. I’m quite aware IS can still be useful, as I have an OMD and I love the shutter speeds it allows me on my wide angle lenses.
I’ll give you the point on required, I know for a certainty it is not. I meant what was said above, and I used the wrong word. Again, the 42.5 point I’ll give you, though that is quite a petty point 😛
So it would be €100 more than the converted Japanese price with added VAT.
Admin, hasn’t any of your sources confirmed whether the new 14-42mm is a Power Zoom lens? It really looks like that and digicame-info is apparently expecting that this is what the “EZ” in the product name means (Electric Zoom).
The 12-50 (E-M5 kit zoom) is also labelled EZ…
Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about the 12-50, sorry.
Décidément vivement que la France sorte de L’UE…
Et Portugal aussi!
L’Europe est mort.
Et quel est le rapport entre la politique commerciale d’Olympus et le fait d’appartenir à l’Union Européenne?
(What’s the link between Olympus’ marketing and belonging to EEC?)
Je crois les autres intervenants blâment l’Euro pour les prix exorbitants. Ils espèrent qu’une conversion au Franc serait plus favorable.
La TVA à 19% n’aide pas à baisser les prix 😉
(The 19% VAT doens’t help to keep low prices)
I suggest removing this discussion for being in French, off-topic and utterly idiotic (as if it would cost less in Francs in a France outside EU, yeah, good luck with that, never mind Portugal, talk about delusions of grandeur).
No way , it’s fun reading French in here for a change lol. Keep it I say. Vive la Francophonie! 🙂
+1
In a EU that went back to national currencies, poor countries’ currencies (Greece, Portugal) would be very quickly devalued and rich countries’ currencies might very well be revalued upwards, at least until they’d realize they couldn’t export anymore to the poorer countries because their goods would have become too expensive there.
So, yes, if France went back to the Franc, the French might be able to buy Japanese cameras cheaper, for a while. The joy wouldn’t last long, though, because the economy would probably start going down the drain rather quick.
Faites vous plaisir et aller faire fortune quelques part ailleurs ! N’oubliez pas de prendre avec vous les idiots utiles du printemps français (je vous conseille l’ulm, solution prisé par les crétins ces jours ci !)
You can buy the Panasonic 12-32mm for 299 euro in The Netherlands.
I dont want to be sounded bitter, but i am waiting for the Olympu’s fanboys hypocritical responses to this.
I still remember the “every brand wants to have a normal lens in their lineup” and “it will be a kit lens” kind of responses they gave when Olympus anounced these lenses and every other sane person just wondered why those focal lengths again…
Rational people wondered what took Olympus so long to produce a “normal” (50mm equivalent) prime.
Oly fanbois? Who knows? 😉
If it’s as good as the 45mm, it’ll be a good deal.
Do you really think that? 45mm prime is a stellar lens and a unique FL fo the system (at least was until recently) plus you can buy one new, every day, for 250 euros…
the 45/1.8 is indeed a decent performing lens for a very nice price. Who claimed it to be unique other then you? But lets see..
45/2.8 is more expensive, slower, and a macro lens.
42.5/1.2 is much more expensive and not really better at the same aperture.
All the manual focus approx 42.5mm lenses are at least as expensive, usually a lot more expensive and don’t offer auto-focus. Optical quality ranges from totally inferior for the same price to better at 4x the price.
All those alternatives are also bigger and heavier.
There also exist legacy alternatives, but you either end up with a soso ‘nifty fifty’ or you’ll still be spending a fair bit of money and will be lacking af and automatic aperture, will be heavier and bigger.
So, all things considered, that 45/1.8 does indeed offer a unique combination of price, features, size and weight.
And on another note, acting as if people not agreeing with your cynical negative attitude are all fanbois is just stupid, go get a life and learn to deal with different opinions then your own, especially when it concerns opinions based on observable facts.
I mostly agree. I am not convinced yet about the nocticron “not really being better” at same aperture. Actually, I do believe it is better. The firsts previews and tests tends to suggest me it does offers something extra, albeit at a cost. Lets just say the jury is still out and call it a push for now.
That said, be ready to hear it on and on : the Olympus 45 is light, portable, affordable, fast enough, has clean result on screen and likely more. For those not looking for the absolute best in its class, its a better bang for the buck, something you can justify to your wife without having an argument. You know what? its true.
If you weren’t so hasty to respond and so cynical yourself, you might understood that i really do find 45mm as an excellent lens and unique FL to the system UNTIL RECENTLY since 45/2.8 is a macro lens and 42.5/1.2 just got announced.
What you could not understood for sure though, was that even if the 25/1.8 is similar to 45mm, its NOT a good deal in that price tag…
Jeffharris reply below was much more logical and to the point, than your “GTFO” rant…
No dude, if you hadn’t started out with something like:
“I dont want to be sounded bitter, but i am waiting for the Olympu’s fanboys hypocritical responses to this.”
you might have had a point.
“I still remember the “every brand wants to have a normal lens in their lineup” and “it will be a kit lens” kind of responses they gave when Olympus anounced these lenses and every other sane person just wondered why those focal lengths again…”
Blahblahblah, has f*ck to do with anything with if it costs 300 or 400 euro, not to mention, the lens is not announced yet. Also, ever heard about something called street prices?
Sorry, but if you come here with this kind of attitude, GTFO is quite a logical response. If instead you’d come complaining about the rumored 399 euro price without the inflammatory rubbish towards other people (of possibly different opinion), that would have been totally different.
Well, a LOT of people think that. I’m hardly alone. Did you read any of the comments when the 25mm f1.8 was first rumored and announced?
A “nifty fifty” is a basic, building block lens. Nearly every SLR was packaged with one as it’s standard kit lens… all mine did. 50mm was considered the standard focal length… like today’s 14-42mm kit lenses ;-). It’s surprising that with the Olympus retro-fixation they didn’t release one sooner.
I thought the main reason 50mm was the standard was because it was cheap to produce, something to do with the registration distance making any less wider than it a bit more expensive to make?
It has more to do with 50mm being relatively close to the diagonal of the medium, which makes it simple to design. For 135 format this should actually be 42mm approx, but 50 is close enough.
Register distance only plays a role when its too long, making the lens sit too far away from the medium.
most SLRs have “register distance” long enough, 40-47 mm.
In most SLR 50/1.8 lenses the backfocus is about 38 mm, only a few mm more than mirror swinging requires.
In fact, many non-SLR cameras were equipped with 40 mm or 35 mm standard lens.
Whereas many SLR “50” lenses are actually 55 mm or 58 mm. So yes, it’s due to technical constraints.
Note that e.g. Canon EF 40/2.8 is more than a stop slower than 50/1.8 and has aspheric surface.
why are you so interested in what fanboys have to say?
You have a point there…I should not have bothered all along…My bad!
“I dont want to be sounded bitter, but i am waiting for the Olympu’s fanboys hypocritical responses to this.”
Translation: I am a Panasonic fanboy, and today seems like a good one to make like a troll.
🙂
same problem buying retail in Australia. Prices are far too high.
It is generally better to by from the USA or Hong Kong.
Olympus Australia has been very realistic with their pricing of late. Realistic enough for me to buy locally, for a change.
I have found when you add up all the costs and factor in Olympus Australia’s longer (and exclusive) warranty it works out to be priced competitively.
The (black) 45mm is cheapest from Japanese stores at them moment.
I’ll agree with Jim on that. US prices don’t include tax where as Australian prices do & Australian prices have been quite fairly set since the time the E-M5 was introduced (maybe thanks to a few of us stirers at the time).
Not only a fair price, but there have been some good discount retailers too, such as CamBuy.
Don’t overlook that sales tax and VAT are not the same kind of tax. The VAT is placed on each stage of the supply chain and fully charged to the final purchaser. Sales tax in the US is placed only on the retail sale.
GST and VAT happen at every stage but are claimed back as the item passes down the line. The result is the ‘end user’ is the one who actually gets the privileged of paying the full tax. The other stages pay the difference between their collected tax and paid out tax, effectively taxing their margin or markup only. With streamlined selling the amount of taxable stops can be minimised, two stops should be easily attainable for charging, importer and retailer. An inefficient supply chain with lots of middlemen will kill a product sales wise.
Obviously there are additional costs in getting the lenses out of Japan. Still, I think they want to milk European customers. But 25mm F1.8 looks like better value compared to Pana 25mm anyway.
I beg to differ.
If it’s more expensive than the 45mm I’ll get a 20mm Panasonic instead. I like it a bit wider.
That’s sad news… I knew the lens would be more expensive then just the yen price turned into euro. But that price is a though call. under that circumstances, I would prefer a 550euro metal build, snapfocusring lens.
If the quality is really good, maybe I LLC buy it when it’s 350euro on the streets.
I m talking about the 25mm lens…
Ad the pancake is a kit lens this is just a fantasy price-most people will get it with a camera, and the used price will surely hit the 200euro price quite fast.
Now let’s hope that they will offer a well priced kit, e-m10+25mm that would explain the high price tag, so the kit feels like a better offer. 😉
That´s almost the price of the Pana/Leica 25mm 1.4^^
I just can say lol to Oly – lol for their overpriced shit.
Actually, if the price tag of the 1.8/25 will say 399€,it will be the PanaLeica 1.4/25 for only about 100€ more for me.
A bit more aperture and full metal body will compensate the price and that rattling on my Olympus E-P5
Pana 25/1.4 DG is not metal, it is plastic. But 2/3EV wider aperture (66% more light) is worth 25% higher price.
No surprise there at all. Most of the photography gear prices in EU are just dollar values copied to euros (ie. something costing $200 in the US will be priced €200+ in EU, and even that is IF you’re lucky, as it usually ends up being even higher)
For 400€ you can get a used 4/3 Panaleica 25mm f/1.4.
But Oly will be sharper. F1.4 is unusable on the Panasonic one.
f1.4 unusable !!?? are you kidding ?
It is perfectly usable at 1.4!
It lacks one all-important feature, rendering it unusable…
an Olympus logo! 😉
In fact, In France you can get a new one at MyDigitaland.com for 400 euros…
This 25 f1.8 has to be better for that price…
Sure, because mydigitaland.com will sell the 25/1.8 for the official mrsp and will only offer huge discounts on the lumix 25/1.4…
How long is it going to take people like you to understand the difference between mrsp and street prices?
Keep quite, I understand…I’m just saying you can have the panny for 400…
Actually no, you also said: “This 25 f1.8 has to be better for that price…”
Which simply means you *ARE* comparing a heavily discounted street price to mrsp, which is simply not a very reasonable thing to do, as you aren’t going to pay that mrsp to begin with.
There is enough reason to complain about a rumored 399 euro price, no need to involve obviously flawed comparisons.
You can’t get a new 4/3 Panaleica anywhere.
You can get the redesigned shitty m4/3 version.
Why are you comparing prices of used and brand new products?
That´s almost the price of the Pana/Leica 25mm 1.4^^
I just can say lol to Oly – lol for their overpriced s..t.
But Oly will be sharper. F1.4 is unusable on the Panasonic one.
That´s BS. It´s sharp wide open, at least my sample.
Panasonic 25mm f1.4 is better then m.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8
yes is better in sharpness for 25mm… other then sharpness 45mm is better
yes it surely is a better 25mm than the 17mm and 45mm.
Whats the definition of unusable?!? Mine is quite usable at 1.4!
It isn’t as good as the Four-Thirds version (but half the price) but to say that it is worse than others at maximum aperture? That’s going a bit far.
Lol, no buy
Prizes of m43 stuff are crazy, my em-5 is on sale!
Don’t forget that all EU countries have VAT that’s around 20% (usually more). I don’t think Olympus sells enough gear to take some of that cost on themselves. And it’s not out of ordinary that something that costs 200 USD in US costs 200 EUR in EU.
400 EUR for a kit lens sounds ridiculous, but I wonder how much it’ll be in a kit with a camera. Because that’s how most people get kit lenses.
Anyway, let’s wait for actual street prices before we start screaming in rage (well, I won’t, if something`s too expensive, I just don’t buy it)
Not only VAT in Europe, on a lens alone there is also 6.7% duty (doesn’t apply if you buy a camera with lens)
And US prices are ‘before tax’ prices.
Nothing new, actual prices are never simple straight currency exchange rate (Big Mac Index). And judging from the past, street price will be similar for quite some time, and drop only slowly (at least here in the Netherlands).
As for the 25mm; bummer, at 250 euro it would have been pretty much a no-brainer for me. At 400 euro, I will be looking at reviews first. I do not need a stellar 25 (I would have bought the pany long time ago if I did), but for 400 I do expect a good lens.
You can get a 25mm 1.4 for £350 from DigitalRev, I was waiting to see what this would be like because I’m not sure how much the rattlesnake thing will annoy me on my e-m5 and I was hoping there might be less fringing on this new lens.
Yes, I am sure that the Olympus lens will be better. F1.4 is terribly blurred near the edges on the Panasonic lens. It was a huge disappointment for me when I got it. It’s great at F8 though, sharper than any other lens.
Hm. You must take interesting pictures to be concerned about corner sharpness at 1.4. Can I see the problematic picture?
I’ve been using the Panasonic 25 on an E-M5 for about a year now and I really haven’t noticed it do the rattlesnake thing too often. It definitely does occasionally, and it sounds a little jarring, but it hasn’t been much of an issue for me since it happens so rarely. And if it’s especially annoying, turning the camera off and back on seems to clear it up.
As far as fringing, yes it does do that when shooting wide open, fixable in post, but it’s definitely there. I would guess the Olympus would have less color fringing, but that’s conjecture at this point.
If the price difference really is that much, I would just buy one from Japan using: http://whiterabbitjapan.com/
The price doesn’t really matter to me… I never need anything between 17 and 45. Learned it this way and can’t see why to change.
I believe someone who have owed the 25mm Summilux & the 45mm F1.8 definitely skip this .
Should come out earlier & not now .
Olympus to concentrate on prime tele lens such a 150mm F2.0 is much promising than this .
Too much of this short focal lenses fr Pana & Oly in the market .
I second that, the system really could use some longer primes. I’m sure new pro 40-150 mm zoom will be great, but a cheaper and optically decent prime on the longer end would be great.
Olympus already has 150/2.0.
the bad new is the olympus is not 25/1.4 but 25/1.8 🙁 admin i kick you 🙂
Somebody knows if the 25mm 1.8 is metal or plastic?
Looks quite a lot like the 45mm, so plastic and light weight, i’d say.
It doesn’t really matter, just look at the 12-40. “Metallic” outside but flimsy plastic inside
Those prices make the 12-40/2.8 look a bargain
Is that the fall-apart “pro” lens?
And people called the 350€ for the Sony 35 1.8 OSS (NEX normal lens) much… And that lens has OSS and is sharp wide open!
Olympus needs to rethink their pricing, for ALL lenses and cameras!
It’s “just” 49 euros more than what I thought.
When translating yen prices to euro value I usually consider the first numbers of the yen price, in this case I though 350 euros was the right price.
Let’s see how it performs now.
I think it is platic, just like the 45 1.8. Besides it does not feature the manual focus clutch mechanism like 12 and 17 mm primes. Unless the IQ is outstanding, there is absolutely no reason to buy this over the PL 25 1.4 at that price.
> there is absolutely no reason to buy this over the PL 25 1.4 at that price.
Uh?…
Street price of the mPL25 is 500-600€. And that several years after the release.
The Oly starts at 400€. And the price will go down.
Plenty of people would pick it up instead of the mPL25, if only because of the price.
The PL 25mm sells for 450€ new where I live (France).
For 50€ more I get:
– F1.4
– A lens hood (I think we can assume that the Oly will come without one)
– Proven IQ
– Most likely better build quality
If the price goes down, that will be a different story of course.
Well, there is ‘a bit’ of history with regards to mrsp and actual street prices for such items…
That’s especially a bad news if they appli the same markup (+VAT of course) for the EM-10 retail price !
If they practice the same sort of jump (33% markup more or less + VAT) I’m afraid the body only EM-10 would be priced at €899 & the kit at #1069 !! Please, no.
That’s a real question: how much will be the E-M10 alone, how much will be the E-M10+kit lens (or zoom)?
Higher price for separate items (compared to kit) may drive buyers towards the bundle (or help with the idea that it’s not a bad deal after all 😉 ).
ie: 700€ E-M10 body only, 400€ new 14-42 zoom, 900€ for the bundle.
It’s a bit disappointing that the system still won’t have a cheap nifty fifty. I’ll wait for some reviews of the Oly 25 versus pl25. I think one of the two is in my future… then again, the voigtlander 25 paired with the the em1 vf is a whole new beast…
The real crime is that the body cap fisheye will be so expensive!
I don’t know what to think of the 25/1.8. I was hoping that the IQ would be comparable to the 45/1.8, but that’s doubtful at the prices that have been tossed about.
So the plastic Oly 25mm with Oly lenshood will probably cost more then a metal panaLeica with lenshood. And there is also the fact that the panaLeica has a wider aperture. That Oly has to be a superlens with that price!
What metal PanaLeica are you talking about?
The Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH lens may have quite a lot of plastic parts, but the lens mount is, thankfully, made of metal. Sorry you’r right not so much metal after all, but I still think the PanaLeica is the better choice, but let’s wait for the reviews. Right now I’m thinking of selling everything 43 and switch to Fuji. Really like those camera’s . . .
Are you now suggesting that the olympus will have a plastic lens mount??? I see no reason why that would be the case. (I own both the panasonic 25mm 1.4 and the olympus 45mm 1.8 which this new lens appears to be modeled after.)
Disappointed, but not much. I wasn’t planing on buying a 25mm lens anyway. And as the new 14-42 goes, I’m more interested in the Panny 12-32.
BTW, a good deal in Germany (via GeizHals): MediaMarkt has the silver 12-32 for 320€. (Black is still 350€.)
amazon had some 12-32 for 285 2 weeks ago.
Can’t wait to read the reviews of the 25panaleica, the 25 oly and the 30 mm sigma. Curious about how the sigma will stand against the more open aperture lenses!
LOL, if the image of 25/1.8 is authentic, the lens is probably retrofocus
How much of the local prices include tariffs for imports? So many countries include tariffs because they want to encourage local invention and development, even when it never occurs, and those tariffs never seem to go to the cause.
It should be interesting to see if the 25mm f/1.8 is any good. Olympus had the Four-Thirds 25mm f/2.8 and it was not so good, but then, neither was the m.Zuiko 17mm f/2.8 and plenty of people get good shots with it.
The price of 25 1.8 is ridiculous!!! For a tiny bit more money I can get Leica 25 1.4 second hand in mint condition! I will not buy it. May be if it was a pancake I could have considered it, but now – no chance!!!
I knew this was going to happen. Once again, Olympus Greed rears it’s ugly head to rip off its own fanboys pockets, which they blindly accept.
This is just another reason why M43 will lose even more market share going into 2014, for what it is, M43 is becoming TOO expensive. Fuji is catching up lens selection, mostly used focal lengths are already there, the body sizes are in the ball park of M43 and Fuji actually listen to their fanbase, releasing updates even for older X bodies.
It’s a simple decision, for me really. My 6D as well as most of my M43 gear will be sold, aside from my 20 – 25mm lenses.
I’m going Fuji.
We will miss you.
Thought it would never happen! 😉
You’ve been saying that for a long time now. I’ll again suggest you go spend your time on using cameras instead of being busy worrying and talking about cameras you either don’t buy at all or when you do will be selling off again a few months later.
I’d wager I use my shooters more than you do.
You’re upset, you have been, we know this.
Shoot with what you like, no need to be upset.
Says he who is mostly talking about what camera he’ll buy next just to sell it off a few months later.
This is especially funny because typical professionals need much more time then a few months to start being able to exploit all their current camera has to offer, whereas most consumers don’t even get close to that point during the typical lifespan of the cameras they own. You might be different, but the amount of time you spend on posting here clearly indicates you aren’t.
Oly is killing their sales in EU ..their way to go 🙁
Olympus must make profit.
Wait a few months and the price will be lower.
Pana 25/1,4 or Oly 25/1.8? Wait and see wat Photozone/lenstips/SLRgear has to say about it. The Pana is great but not astounding. If the Oly is on 45/1.8 level this is a better “bang for the buck” choise anyway.
Pancake zoom: The Pana 12-32 looks great at SLRgear, is ceaper and wider. My choise.
Est-ce que vous les anti-euros n’avez pas une autre bite a’ sucer? En fait le prix francais sont souvent pires que les prix allemands, parce que vos ventes sont inférieures.
Dont il convient d’ acheter en Euros. QED & LOL
Admin: I suggest you to use google translate if you don’t get the comment I’m replying to correctly. Joking is fun, insulting people isn’t.
Not only a sad jingoist but also a sad snitch. It’s always a pleasure to tell the truth, mon cher…
Sad to see battyboy balhead is still up to his old man tricks, still spewing his anti-USA hatred, but in another language, no less. Hahahaha!! How pathetic!
WEAK.
Is it the way you apologize usually? Let me explain something to you:
*I don’t take your insult personnaly. I’m not anti-euro nor anti-EEC. You would’ve guessed it reading my previous comment but living in your own world you probably don’t pay attention to other people
*Your create a dogma based on your thruths and beliefs in every other post you make. Hopefuly your thruth isn’t the truth, despite the fact you keep on saying the same thing in every post.
*You probably know the words but you obviously can’t master the technique yet. Humour, like photography, isn’t about spraying vulgarities on the net. Art, élégance, finesse are important notions. I won’t add “respect” to the list, I don’t wanna build false hopes.
Le Pana 25/1.4 est une lavette a’ 1.4, utiliser au lieu du papier de toilette 🙂
😉
Of course you are right.
get over it theres nothing you can do
what makes me laugh is people saying this is an olympus thing
here in Finland the rip off is on ever thing sold from books to cars
tax on camare gear is 36% but the diffrence is offen 40% to 50% over US prices let a lone Janpan prices and it is on all brands
i brought my pany 35-100mm in london new for €400 less the Finland
i try to buy when i am on holday as the saveing can some times pay for the trip
OK, everybody would agree that price should be in proportion to quality. However this is only part of the question. I gather that the distribution margin is the other part. The US having much higher volumes in camera sales that the single European countries, can have better prices. In the Eurozone Germany has usually the best prices, because it is the largest market.
However as we know the US are the largest market for *dSLR*, some European countries have twice the penetration in mirrorless. So as penetration improves, shouldn’t the prices get lower?
Besides with the Internet and EU it tends to become a global market, far bigger than the US, allowing thus lower margins. Shouldn’t mirrorless makers thus make a better effort?
I might be wrong but I think that the better success of mirrorless in Asia is not only due to smaller size, but to smaller price too.
On a personal plane I refuse to buy a light plastic lens for 400 units. Especially after what happened to the 12-40, which has appeared as a swindle. One can be irked at the sarcasm, but really I am not after fashion statements, but real lenses. Sigma BTW shows that it can be done, and I hope that Kodak should bring something good to the table.
Going m43 was apparently a mistake. I never could have believed that the lenses would be more expensive then the FF equivalents.. Im a little shocked actually.. Goodbye M43 system.
funny your shocked by the price of some thing you were not going to buy
good luck with your full frame you should save a lot of money with that
Hes right – its time m43 became price competative…
no he is not right poeple keep takling about how geat and cheap full frame is
but when i go to the shop or the web and look at the prices its not
one or two lens are but as a system its not
i have used full frame i am think of buying full frame but the one thing it is not is cheap
if you think that MFT costs to much man are you in for a shock with full frame
i would like it if lens and camares were cheeper but they are not
if you dont like the cost off MFT then dont buy it
This is just unacceptable and also sad, surely would not pay more than 250€ for this. They really have to lower their prices if they want to compete with the Canikon and smartphone crowd.
Crossed my fingers for finally getting a affordable 25m for the micro four thirds system. Very dissapointed.
As i remember, it was exaclty the same with Olympus four thirds, only budget friendly lens besides the kitzoom was the 40-150mm telezoom.
For this reason i wont be recommending m43 cameras any more to my friends who are on a budget. The camera bodies can be very affordable, but many of us would have to be stuck just with the kit lens.
I dont understand the reasoning. You have the Panasonic 14/2.5, the Panasonic 20/1.7 and the Olympus 45/1.8
That alone should be enough to shoot just about anything and they are all cheap. I would dare say the Olympus 17/1.8 is worth the price if you are into street photography.
I meant budget as in real tight on money. 14mm and 20mm Lumix, also 45 zuiko are all great lenses for the money, but they still go for 320€, 420€ and 300€. I mean where is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II equivalent in m43 world? Mind that i wouldn’t complain here if Oly priced the 25mm 1.8 same as the 45mm. 400€ for many of us is a lot of money.
Sidenote (comparison with a few Canon lenses (all, but one cover full frame), price taken from amazon.de):
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM 319,99€
EF 50mm f 1.8 ii 90€
EF-M 22mm 2.0 STM 205€
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM 155€
Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro 282€
Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM 344€
Zuiko 25mm is OVERPRICED!!!, and it makes Olympus seem like a greedy company.
“EF 50mm f/1.4 USM 319,99€”
I’ve 4 of those with broken USM motor lying around, and handed many more of them, but got fed up fixing them just to get them back a couple months later with the exact same problem. Send them to Canon for a ‘real’ repair? no difference.
“EF 50mm f 1.8 ii 90€”
which falls apart when looking at it
“EF-M 22mm 2.0 STM 205€”
This is actually a realistic example.
“Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM 155€”
“Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro 282€”
…
Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM 344€
Totally different field of view, but who cares.
All in all, you mention exactly one lens that is quite comparable in specs that is at a significantly better price, but you clearly forgot about this tiny little difference between a rumored mrsp and actual street prices, so that picture is extremely unlikely to work out the way you present it here.
Also, you simply forget there being 2 very nice sub $200 (and if you go for the optically identical but cosmetically older version, sub $100) 19 and 30mm f/2.8 primes.
Some more funny details, none of the lenses you mention works with full AF and aperture support on m4/3 cameras, and most people want more then a 50mm equivalent.
Its always easy to find the examples that make something unattractive, but honestly, are you a photographer? Really? Why lack the creativity to look for how to make something affordable? (and no, when ignoring affordable options, you are most definitely NOT doing that)
I wasn’t just comparing with the 25mm zuiko. I don’t use Canon and don’t have any experience how these lenses perform. I just did a quick view on amazon to see how much some of the Canon lenses cost. My friends have told that the 90€ has very plastic build quality, but the img perfomance is quite decent.
And yes the Sigmas are decent on m43, but still only F2.8. Thats a bit slow for a prime. MFT needs fast primes.
I understand all of that, but in my opinion they are not expensive at all.
I do not live in EU, but my Panny 14 costed me only $80 (used but it is like new), the 45mm I got it for $250 and the 25mm I got it on special for $60 back then. I think they are worth EVERY penny I spent on them. The only lens that I bought at full price was the 17/1.8 and I do not regret it one bit, I love the images it produces.
The fast primes are there, but I bet you if they made them all out of plastic people would complain that Olympus and Panasonic have lowered their standards by making crappy lenses. It is a lose/lose situation.
Mind you, I see all of this as a price of an expensive hobby of mine, I do not generate a single cent out of this, this is purely a hobby for me.
The PL25mm was $460, not $60 LOL sorry for that typo 🙂
But what is the point of doing that?
That 25/1.8 (for example) won’t fit a EOS-M, and that 40/2.8 won’t fit a m4/3 camera.
Comparing prices for individual lenses from different systems, well, you can do that, but it might be a lot more useful to determine what you need IN TOTAL, and then go look at the TOTAL prices in different systems for addressing your requirements, and also look at the various advantages/disadvantages of various systems. None of those items stands on its own, and noone needs 3+ lenses with overlapping focal length unless they are highly specialized and the person in question is making use of that specialization.
Many consumers just buy a camera with kit lens, and replace it with a new camera with kit lens after a couple years, to them the price of lenses is totally irrelevant. To those who own lenses, the actual cost is always that of a lens versus replacing a system, which seldom ever works out cheaper even when the lens in that other system itself would be way more affordable.
In other words, you are simplifying things to an extent that rarely ever works.
The point is there are much more cheaper lenses available to Canon. It makes a difference for a average hobbyst. The main three focal lenghts lens set with decent aperture should not cost more from a full frame equivalents made by Canon. I even haven’t checked the latest prices for the third party dslr lenses.
I paid 90€ for a used 14mm, and bought 45mm for 255€ new, not complaining here. But lets not take used priced in consideration at this point. And we all know that Canon aftermarket is on another level. Where i come from, buying a used m43 lens is like searching a needle from a haystack while there are tons and tons of dslr lenses.
Also the Sigmas are cheap, because they are not made by Lumix or Olympus and are converted from another system (Sony Nex). And it makes it seem like Oly and Panasonic are indeed a bit greedy, I have read that Sigma doesn´t want to make any lenses especially for micro four thirds system, because their lenses had bad support from Olympus back in the four thirds days. I makes me think that Olympus and Panasonic actually don’t want Sigma to make lenses for m43, because price aware people would often pick a Sigma.
All in all i love cameras and made by Olympus and Panasonic. But they need to lower SOME of their lens prices if they want the MFT system to truly be succesful.
The point I was making is that looking at individual lenses or bodies is simply pointless, you need to consider the system as a whole AND in relation to your requirements.
Beyond that, you either compare mrsp, or you compare the actual prices for which you can buy items FOR BOTH SIDES of the comparison. Using mrsp on one side, and discounted street prices on the other side will simply make for a very bad and misleading comparison.
Now, all taken together, you may indeed find m4/3 to be more expensive for your needs, or you may find it can forfill your needs better, or… Those are different compromises, pick what is best for you, but stop thinking that that automatically applies to others, as it is very directly related to YOUR NEEDS and what you are willing to pay for forfilling those needs.
Yes i understand, considering my needs the system size and weight seals the deal for me but i still feel i can’t justify many of M43 lenses because of the steep prices.
But my point is if MFT want to enlarge their userbase, they need to have a couple decent and bright (cheapo plastic) lenses in their selection that wouldn cost more than 200€. When a fresh budget concious hobbyist chooses a camera system, he/she probably also will compare lens prices and here micro four thidrs most likely will lose the fight and Olympus and Lumix will lose their customers.
And those Canons i listed had a standard price, not a discount. Im sure that the 25mm Zuiko won’t get much cheaper on the amazon in the future. Zuiko 17 is still overpriced.
And why 200 euro? What lenses beyond ‘nifty fifty’ variations have such prices in any system?
Note that most of the lenses you listed are in fact nifty fifty variations with the 22 and 85mm being the real exceptions, and one of those is around 200 and the other significantly more.
And eh, the list price for that 50/1.8 ii is ‘a bit’ above the price you quote really.
The introduction price was around $170 in the USA, and it remained at that level for a while before dropping to between $100-120, at times a bit lower. Price history in Europe is no different, so no, the price you quote for that one at the very least is a heavily discounted street price, and not anywhere near the mrsp at all.
Also, there exist many more shops then Amazon. A consumer not shopping around is stealing his own money.
200 was just a random cheapo number. Yes many of these cheapo lenses on dslr are 50mm, but also MFT needs it’s niftyfifty. Zuiko 25mm 1.8 should have been it, it’s overpriced. And it seems, at least in Europe, mft lens prices don’t get any cheaper as the time passes.
Also one might compare Canon 85mm 1.8 price to the Zuiko 75mm 1.8, naturally the zuiko is a much better lens but many newcomers might not know that and put the money on the Canons. Ultra wideangle zooms like panasonic 7-14mm are also much more expensive than dslr equivalents. So it’s not only the niftyfifties imo.
@real sport
“200 was just a random cheapo number.”
So why 200 and not 300 or 100?
“Yes many of these cheapo lenses on dslr are 50mm, but also MFT needs it’s niftyfifty.”
So can you also find OTHER, non nifty-fifty lenses at such rock bottom prices? No? why do you think that is?
If all you need is a 50mm equiv, then that may be totally relevant, but most people need a bit more then that, and as I pointed out before, you need to consider the price of the system as a whole, not of an individual body or lens. You aren’t going to use 3 50mm lenses, so you MUST consider the prices of other lenses then the 50mm to get anywhere near a comparision that makes some kind of sense.
And beyond that, yes, 399 euro is on the expensive side for a 25/1.8 for sure, especially if it has the build of the 45/1.8, but suggesting that such items just stay at their introduction price in Europe is just totally beyond silly. I live in Europe myself, and I NEVER EVER payed full price for anything camera related unless I insisted on getting it almost immediately after release. You just need to shop around a bit better obviously.
And eh, 19 and 20mm are actually closer to ‘normal’ on m4/3 then 25mm. This means you can have a ‘normal prime’ for below 100 euro actually, and a very good one at around 300 euro. For that reason alone your ‘the sky is falling’ approach is rather silly, as is the assumption that the 25/1.8 will stay at 399. There is way too much competition in that part of the market to make street prices act like that, also in Europe (you may however have to shop around a little bit)
If you look at the specs of the canon 50mm 1.8 on slrgear, it just doesn’t seem the same optical quality (not vene close) as the PL25 (and hopefully the Oly 25). I know these are just numbers and diagrams, maybe somebody who has used this lens can elaborate on this?
I just wanted to add that if i didn’t care about camera system size and weight, i would definitely go on the full frame dslr route. I would gain better image quality and cheaper lenses. But size does matter to me.
Currently i own Olympus E-P5 and only two (or three) native lenses: Lumix 14mm pancake with wideangle adapter (11mm) and the 45mm Zuiko. I don’t plan to buy any native lenses in the foreseeable future (ok maybe 20mm or 25mm lumix if the price is good), i rather buy legacy glass and use a speedbooster.
Olympus and Panasonic have to adjust the prices, otherwise they will always stay a niche product.
Yes, I think M43 lenses are pricy. But you don’t make a good case with these comparisons. They (like any company) will charge as much as they can while selling as many as they can make. Those curves plotted against time will show where the price will be at any given time, not the fact that we want them to be cheaper.
Your comparison doesn’t account for the fact these are VERY different systems.
Also:
When did those lenses come out?
What were their INITIAL FULL ASKING PRICE?
How many have been sold?
How BIG and HEAVY are they? (that doesn’t justify a high cost, its just a reason most people here won’t even consider them.)
How do they perform at their fastest speed?
How many USED ones are out there, that the new ones have to compete with?
– most people don’t buy any lenses beyond the kit lens
– beyond a ‘nifty 50’ lenses in other systems tend to not be cheap either
– The 14-54, 70-300, 50/2 and 50-200 for example were quite affordable 4/3 lenses, especially for the quality and range offered
– there are a lot of options in m4/3, including the 20/1.7 and sigma 19/2.8, where the later can be had new for less then $100
– there also exist very nice and affordable 14, 17, 30 and 45mm lenses (all native and with af)
Certainly it would be nice if that 25/1.8 gets an mrsp of 300 euros, but the actual price doesn’t change there existing quite a number of ‘budget friendly’ lenses.
Actually Oly 45 mm/1.8 first prize in French shops was 349 euros (including VAT) and that was years (of inflation) ago! Now the same lens is sell for 280 euros.
Not only for VAT reasons (20%) but also for lack of competition on prices (oligopolistic structures & cultural reasons), hight wages and real estate costs.
In fact economics euro is good for cameras prices, with euros we have a very strong buying power, artificially raised to the level of Germany’s wealth.
Looks like 4/3rds has redefined the word equivalency to mean ‘cost twice as much’
Hopefully we will see two E-M10 kit options, one with the 14-42mm pancake and one with the 25mm.
If this happens, then the 399 price may prove to be fictitious for both lenses for buyers who are willing to wait for price drops.
At the end of the day, Micro Four Thirds is TOO EXPENSIVE compared to near competitors from Sony and Fuji and is going the way of Four Thirds. The size difference is steadily shrinking, aside from the GM1, the smartest move for M43 and rival sensors are better.
I just hope Panasonic has plans in place just in case and I’m sure they do. I see them going APS-C sooner than later.
Then put your money where your mouth is. Go to another system, and annoy all their users with your complaints when you realise that new system isn’t 100% perfect for you either.
If Panasonic and/or Olympus goes to 135 or APS-C, it would make me consider ditching m43: as it would show they are not committed to the system.
Fuji and Sony are worse.
Don’t come back.
“I see them going APS-C sooner than later.”
That would be the most stupid thing they could do. What does APS-C offer over m4/3, apart from marginally better high ISO performance and a slightly shallower depth of field? Do you really think that these small, and for the average photographer insignificant advantages are enough to justifiy the costly transition to a new mount and lens lineup?
I agree with you, however, on the price argument: m4/3 is indeed becoming too expensive. No doubt about that. But this is not the fault of m4/3 and its technical characteristics. There is no reason to suppose that using a bigger sized APS-C sensor would decrease production costs or a company’s inclination towards overprizing its products.
As for the size argument: that only applies to camera bodies. The crucial thing is the size and weight of the lenses. What’s the point of having a huge sensor in a tiny body, when most of the weight and bulk of the camera lies in its lens?
One of the things I like about m4/3 is that in terms of size and weight it offers a great balance between camera bodies and lenses, especially when it comes to a fast tele lenses like the Lumix 35-100.
+1
Sensor size is not an issue compared to APS-C.