Image source: Engadget
In my opinion Panasonic marketing made a huge mistake by announcing the new 42.5mm f/1.2 and 150mm f/2.8 MFT lenses. Don’t get me wrong…the lenses are great! 42.5mm f/1.2 sounds pretty amazing. And both lenses should have in lens stabilization. The “mistake” was to announce that they are very likely going to be shipped in early 2014 only…..yes in one and a half year! The hidden negative message Panasonic gave to the m43 community is: “we don’t have any new lenses for you next year“. I hope I misunderstood this and Panasonic may announce them earlier.
One more thing: With all that buzz you may have missed my post about the three new Schneider lenses (Click here).
Preorders:
Now let’s go back to the new stuff. There is a special GH3 page at Amazon (Click here) and a full Olympus presentation page at Amazon (Click here). And here the detailed links:
GH3 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
35-100mm X lens at Amazon (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
E-PL5 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
E-PM2 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
XZ-2 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
60mm macro at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
12mm Black prime lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
15mm cap-lens at Adorama (Click here).
102 Responses
GAH… and I thought I had pretty much all of the lenses I wanted.
Added the 17mm f1.8 and now the Panasonic 42.5. Both will replace the 45mm and the 20mm for me- well, at least I won’t have to plunk down the cash for them soon 😉
Totally agree on replacing the 20mm and 45mm. Holy trinity no more.
F1.2 with AF sounds awesome. I’d like that in a wide lens, though.
Everyone realizes that BOTH of these lenses have IS right? An F1.2 lens with IS. That is very very good. I am buying.
HOOOOO FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED THAT SHIT !!!!
#LOVE
What an articulate comment that shows a remarkable fine command of written English.
You should see the photos he/she takes.
@ Izumi
Made my day, LOL.
what about sigma?any lenses for m4/3???
As sigma new lens look good.. 17-70 2.8-4, 35 1.4! and 120-300 2.8 there is nothing from sigma for m43 or nex at photokina. I guess the last hope is tokina but I would not bet on it.
Unfortunately 150 is too short, but could be a harbinger of a 250 or 300 2.8. On a m43 camera that can actually focus track these focal lengths would become a real alternative for safari, or birds in flight.
That to me remains one of the real untapped potentials of this system. Perhaps the last untapped potential. That and of course missing EVFs.
150mm is not perfect for sports and wildlife, but its not to say there is no use for it. If it’s going to replace the slowish tele zooms, I extremely want it!
Very much a niche lens considering the just announced zoom does 100mm at f2.8
I wish they had just gone longer.
Because the classic 135 format 300/f2.8 has totally been a niche lens for the last 40 years…
Nice, another great glass for the mFT system. I would not mind 20 or 25mm f1.2 AF lens either ;).
Yep, nice, but the price will be Leica-like, most probably… 😛
The 42mm F1.2 is a white flag of surrender from Panasonic.
They cannot compete with EM-5 5 Axis IBIS so they now must resort to making all of their lenses one stop lower than the comparable Oly lenses.
What a ridiculously negative way to look at such a sweet lens? 42.5mm 1.2 with OIS? Dream lens.
I get what you are trying to say.. but I just don’t get your point.
E-M5 is a camera, 42.5mm f/1.2 is a prime lens.
They are(will be) both extraordinary piece of equipment, that works great together. One provides stable shot, while the other provides greater shutter speed and bokeh.
Oly already had great and affordable 45mm f/1.8 for masses to consume, and this Pana 42.5mm f/1.2 will be without a doubt very expensive for those who is serious about needing that absolute edge.
oops..
My previous reply was address @ BB.
So you need IS at f1.8 …?
BB ,IS is the most hyped feature in any camera , unless you photograph either static subjects or dead people with no option to use any external support.For if the subject moves then IS is screwed. It has long been a crutch for Oly fans desperate for anything that they can claim to be an Oly exclusive which it isn’t. Panasonic had a 5 axis IS system on a camcorder well before the E-M5 appeared and Minolta { now owned by Sony just like olympus imaging will be lol} were the first with inbody IS. Pentax and Sony also offer it .
Bullshit, even in flight birds shooters benefit from image stabilization because long focal lengths/narrow field of view magnifies also handshake which makes tracking target harder and can be bigger exposure time limiting factor than bird’s movement.
Good luck shooting birds at 85mm equivalent.
PS. Most birder turn IS off for BIF due the the higher shutter speeds required to capture the shot.
Unless the birds happen to be sitting on their asses.
And then the OMD IBIS is much superior to the Panasonic OIS.
BB, you are being more informative on your level of fanboism than on the actual value of any IBIS or OIS.
Whats next? IBIS brews espressos and connect to iOS’s coolest apps while OIS automatically ruins photography?
It’s people like you who prevent me from even thinking about purchasing a Olympus camera. Can’t wait for this 42.5mm to drop so I can be Olympus-Jerk free.
As an owner of two Panasonic cameras I am looking forward to the benefits of IBIS with the 45/1.8 and 20/1.7 when I get my OMD. I will find it useful in low light. Why so rude and aggressive? Are you Olympophobic? The GH3 is great for video, the OMD for stills. Chillax.
It says 2013-2014, not 2014, so I wouldn’t draw many conclusions. In any case, I’m sure they’ll have a new 14-42 kit zoom for us ;-).
will the 43mm be leica graded? It looks like the other Leica lenses right. That’s awesome news and shows that they are going to continue there great prime line, what about a Panasonic Leica 17mm f1 in three year 🙂 would definitely prefer that over the olympus one.
You can buy the one from Voightlander today. But wouldn’t DOF be to shallow at 17/1 for streets? 43/1.2 is probably overkill too.
You don’t have to shoot wide open all the time. In fact, in most cases, you probably shouldn’t.
If 43 f1.2 is overkill, what about 85/1.8 on FF… or 85/1.2?!?! I am usually two stops “shallower” when shooting this focal length, and it isn’t a problem at all.
85mm on full frame gives the same field of view as 42.5mm on 4/3 but it is not the same focal length. Additionally, at the same relative aperture you are 1 and not 2 stops ‘shallower’ because the magnification is different.
So when will the updated 20mm be announced or the Oly 25mm or Panny 7-28? I’m hoping that Sigma has something up their sleeves because the coming year is turning out to be weaker than I expected.
That 42.5mm/f1.2 looks very nice indeed. ALL HAIL THE PORTRAIT MASTER!
But in the meantime I’ll get the Oly 45mm and start saving for the Panny (my wallet is tingling to tell me it won’t be cheap).
One hopes that the 150/2.8 has OIS? Hand-holding that focal length might be tricky without stabilisation, f2.8 or otherwise.
The long lead-time suggests that these are at best in VERY early stages. Expect much speculation and hand-wringing for the next 18 months until you can actually buy one of these. The mirrorless world could look very different in 18 months time (for one thing, there’ll be another 10 NEX bodies and maybe a lens *snigger*)
42.5/1.2 a portrait master??? With the 45/1.8, I need to step down to 2.8 or so to get the nose tip sharp when the eyes are in focus. The same would be true for the 42.5/1.2. Yes, aperture 1.2 would be nice, but not for (close-up) portraits.
Holy Crap! How big are these noses? I have shot full frame f1.4 wide open for portraits and managed to get eyes and nose in focus. Maybe you are too close?
He’s shooting Pinoccchio.
he is just following some standard rule invented by some genius. Enough skilled portrait shooters use fast lenses wideopen. And even then, not everyone cares about ears and noses being in perfect focus.
Not everyone cares about having nose and ear tips in-focus, but most photographers do care, at least enough so to have a good reason for ‘breaking the rules’, other then an obsession with as shallow a dof as they can get.
2014 – I’m not shure, that I’m still alive. Anybody else?
Then surely, lens roadmaps are the least of your problems.
Yeah, I’ll take one of each lens please – but 2014? Why even announce now?
Help me, I’m oxidizing!
Admin – I totally disagree. To me this just says Panasonic is both invested and commited to making MFT a serious high-end system. I’m stoked to know now (plus it gives me time to save 🙂 )
Besides, to their credit they have just released the 35-100/f2.8 and recently the 12-35/f2.8.
MFT a serious high-end system? Without fast 200, 300 and 400 mm lenses, tele converters or longer macros? Certainly neither for sports nor for wildlife photographers.
Pana just doesn’t seem to have a conclusive strategy concerning their lenses 🙁
Portrait and street might be their strategy? UWA and 25mm and now this. They also have that 45mm macro. Or they may be slowly going up on the fast focal length department. 12-35, 35-100, now 150, who knows next might be 200 or 300.
Guessing on a price-tag for the 1.2 lens: $1500, or $1800 bundled with hood. Trying to be conservative in my estimate.
Panasonic don’t charge extra for the hoods, that is a ridiculous Oly idea.
“Guessing on a price-tag for the 1.2 lens: $1500, or $1800 bundled with hood. Trying to be conservative in my estimate.”
Sounds plausible, unfortunately. And only if yen does not appreciate further. Pana/Oly lost their minds chasing the margins on smaller and smaller volumes. Soon they will be hand-made like Leicas, no point to build a production line for a few lenses they will sell at that price.
> The hidden negative message Panasonic gave to the m43 community is: “we don’t have any new lenses for you next year“.
In context of the GH3 and 35-100X announcements, it might be actually interpreted as a more positive:
“we don’t have any new *premium/enthusiast* lenses for you next year”
That makes much more sense to me.
… and of course I still have hopes for the 1.7/20mm mk2 or a 2.0/17mm.
From pictures, the Olympus 17mm/1.8 is already at the working prototype stage (i.e., it’s not just a mock-up), so hopefully we won’t have to wait long.
I guess now we know how long we are going to have to wait for Olympus to release black versions of their primes.
I hope this f1.2 lens wont be a mediocre lens that is seriously corrected by Panasonic software. No play for the Olympus bodies… 🙁
You HOPE that?
The way I understand it is that they’re done with the design and engineering but it’s going to take them a long time to manufacture it.
– They’re on a very tight budget. They’ve only turned profitable again recently.
– They’ve been plagued with manufacturing/distribution problems. Their products are always out of stock.
– Now Chinese protests have forced them to shut down one of their factories (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19620114) temporarily.
Panasonic needs to pace themselves. They need to get the GH3, G5, the new lens & co. out and making money before they can release more photography products.
Both do have OIS, jus watch the OS switch on the left side.
We have been spoiled in the past with 4 lenses a year. That seems on the thin side. I guess kit lenses are not worth advertisement on the road-map anymore…
2.8/150 fills a huge hole in the native m43 line up.
1.2/42 …probably fills a hole for Panasonic versus Olympus. Its cool, we will have even greater choice and hopefully an embarrassing one, because the 1.8/45 truly delivers already. I won’t complain 🙂
In 2014 there will surely be phase detection on sensor for MFT. Why would anyone want a 150/2.8 then, if there already is a perfect (!) 150/2.0 from olympus? (ok, i guess that OIS may be a reason for panasonic users…)
What i hoped for: 300/4 or even better, a 150-450/4-5.6 (6.3)
(like the 50-200)
“Surely” is speculation for the moment.
Lets take for granted it will be the case, and lets frankly hope so, size and price will remain an issue. No one will complain having choice. Olympus Zuiko 2.0/150 retails at $2500.
“The “mistake” was to announce that they are very likely going to be shipped in early 2014 only”
So what is so wrong with presenting a roadmap? Fuji did that when they presented the X-Pro 1 and X-E1 and I think that made people believe in their system. I also believe that the absence of a roadmap has affected the Nikon 1 system negatively.
http://www.fujixseries.com/discussion/933/fujifilm-x-mount-lens-road-map-2012-2013/p1
+1
Well said.
There is nothing wrong with presenting a roadmap and certainly you cannot satisfy everyone. BUT if those are the only 2 new lenses coming during this time frame and if they don’t come unit late 2013 or early 2014 that would mean we would not have any new lenses during the next 12 months.
If true then I would certainly complain about that. This is also what admin was complaining about too if you reread his comment.
What amazing is that as a rule Nikon doesn’t do lens road maps.
If you are Nikonite, you simply trust that Nikon will provide.
Completely agree. It’s always nice to know more about future products, enables you to invest more wisely. It shows they care about the users more than they care about the competition.
They didn’t announce new 45-150mm when 12-35mm and 35-100mm were announced at that time too. 🙂
Anyway, there are already lots of lenses now, so I don’t mind if they really don’t have any new lens before 42.5mm/1.2 and 150mm/2.8 come out.
PS. I guess 42.5/1.2 may come next year around early summer and 150mm/2.8 may come in early 2014
Please please please, don’t let us wait so long. Those two would look so good in my bag.
I’d buy without a doubt. Got the 25 1.4 and 12-35 2.8 besides some Olympus glass. Yes!!!!!!!
If Panasonic does not present lens roadmap it is bashed.
If it presents it – it is bashed.
So admin – what do you really want them to do?
I can understand why you are not happy with their lens roadmap. You will not be able to post rumors on their forthcoming lenses …
people … they are talking 150mm – it will become a 300mm 2.8 for m43 (please do not lecture me about m43 DOF here), why do you keep comparing it with 75mm oly and saying it wouldn’t be good for sports???
You can take the perfect Oly 75/1.8, turn on 2x digital tele, and the part of sensor will get as much light as 150/3.6, and totally sharp and without any CA or vignetting (see SLRgear for their tests, the lens is perfect even wide open, not to mention the central quarter). Not much need in the 150/2.8. Unless you own a body without IBIS.
If you use only the center of the sensor, the f is still at 1.8, it’s just that you lose resolution.
+1
I would really hope for a 150mm with MACRO capabilities, but it doesn’t look like..
What do you need a macro lens with a 300mm effective FOV for?
shy small animals. There are lot of them out there.
The micro-Nikkor 200mm (also 300mm effective FOV) is great for it, but would love a native m43 option.
Yeah. We may not be getting the native M4/3 lenses we want and since we may never, all I can say is thank the Gods for KEH!
I have a Nikon 105mm f2.8 AI-S macro lens that I use with my GH2. It’s fantastic. I’ve been eyeing a Nikon 200mm f4 internal focus macro, too. So, yeah, a 100mm or 150mm macro lens would be great… as long as the manual focus doesn’t feel like mooosh!
It looks a little confused, to see 43mm on the lens and 42,5mm in the letters. And if Panasonic say 2014 it will be 2015 to see the first real lenses. Maybe I will be still alive 🙁
“The “mistake” was to announce that they are very likely going to be shipped in early 2014 only”
Look at the picture, it says __2013__-2014.
I bet they are going to be expensive like hell. Pana and Oly lost their minds recently.
Youre right! I still wait for the MFT version of the 14-54mm or 12-60mm, but meanwhile I think, they will never come or be incredible expansive.
Hey, this is just MFT…
Still missing a 9 or 10mm wide prime. It’s a shame.
Rokinon makes a nice 7.5mm for $300. Though, that may be just a touch too wide for many.
“Rokinon makes a nice 7.5mm”
It is fish-eye, isn’t it? And probably does not have electronics?
I agree on needing a 9 or 10 mm prime.
Samyang has a 10 mm coming for APS-C.
Yes. Adapt it!
+1
Really waiting for a prime like this. 12mm ain’t enough and I don’t want a fish eye. Get on it Oly!!
hmmmm 42.5 f/1.2 sounds interesting!!!!! Bet that price is a WHOPPER!!!!!!!!
Agree, the 42.5 lens will be expensive. If I start putting $3 away each day by the time it is released I should be ready!
UK Price is a joke £1549
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-panasonic-lumix-dmc-gh3-black-digital-camera-body/p1532809
Margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins-margins…
I knew there was a reason I hadn’t pulled the trigger on the Oly 45mm
Well…you are not ever again going to beat the price vs performance on the Oly…..
I get an even worse message….
“We are determined to have you, the customer, pay for our production run so we don’t have to finance it out of our DEEP pockets!” LOL!
I dont see the problem with such an early announcement, or is it that they took the wind out of the rumor sails since there is less speculation left for sites like this? 🙂
Did they announce the filter thread size for the 150mm f/2.8? Will it be 58mm to match the 12-35 & 35-100?
what? no mention of the three schnieder m43 lenses?
http://www.photoscala.de/Artikel/Dreimal-MicroFourThirds-von-Schneider-Kreuznach
This?
http://www.43rumors.com/three-new-schneider-m43-lenses-announced/
Any word on if these or future roadmap lenses feature weather sealing like the latest X zooms? To me, it makes little sense to have a weather-sealed camera with out a weather-sealed lens. So far, Panasonic only makes two.
To me, 45/1.2 will be very expensive for sure. I’m very happy with 45/1.8., and see no reason why I should pay a lot more (probably X2 !!) for 45/1.2.
I’d like that all the pana lenses have the panaleica design. Don’t like that much the X lenses design with that dark purple (I have the 12-35) and I would prefer a true black like panaleica…
Good news for the 2 new lenses even if I will buy none of them !
I’m scared to think what a 150mm 2.8 might cost. The new Canon equivalent is $7300.