Usually there are two reasons why an item gets marked as “discontinued” at BHphoto (Click here). And only one single lens is in Stock at Amazon (Click here). My guess is that there is not enough request for that lens that justifies the $300 price difference between the equal Silver and Black version. It really looks like Olympus want to cheat us on that. They should simply offer the Black lens for the same price and stop.
88 Responses
They should make all their lenses in black!
I remember ALL lenses were black-how many $$$ does it cost to produce both black and silver? I guess if ya want to pay a premium for black go ahead-Oly made a bug buck-good marketing but they didn’t get my money for an overpriced limited edition same lens…
Once most lenses were silver. They have NEVER been all black.
But I like my silver one ! It fits very well with my white E-P1 !
I’m just waiting for a white E-M5 :-).
Find someone with an airbrush. It would probably cost less than Olympus would charge. I think it would look cool.
White and Tan colour grip. 😀
That a ‘Limited Edition’ gets discontinued (without releasing a successor model) should not be surprising.
Exactly. I think the fact that this is a limited edition lens, this result could have already been calculated well in advance.
Yeah what everybody thought they were kidding or something ?
I’ve said before that I’m not too concerned with lens colours. But I have to say that olympus have acted rather oddly on this whole thing.
I agree, if they offered the black for the same price as the silver (and included a hood with both), I would have bought one. Instead, I have decided to go with pannys 12-35mm.
You will get more distorsion ! I seem to remember that the 12-35mm isn’t fully corrected at the wide end.
That’s why I have lots from Panasonic and only one from olympus!
Is that one a 45/1.8?
Did you read the title? It’s the 12mm F/2……
He means the one lens from Olympus that atlasman has…
damn the pink special special edition must be due at double the price lol It would be nicer instead of fucking about with the color of the lens to up grade its performance.
This was to be expected, what really concerns me is what message will Olympus take out of this…Maybe they’ll think black edition lenses have no demand at all so we’ll never see anything like this again…
Yes, Olympus lost a sale on this black version because I wasn’t prepared to play their game. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t buy the lens in other circumstances.
I hope there will be nothing like this anymore. Anyways I will not pay extra for another color.
Black is my preferred color for lenses too, but it is not on my priority list.
LOL, i think the will be a price drope on limited edition in black lens soon.
Olympus said they would only produce 3000 of these limited edition lenses.
http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/2012b/nr120917limitede.jsp
If it was a special LIMITED edition, then it’s obvious. I bought the silver as soon as it was released, and I think it can take the same pics as the black version..
Wow. A ‘special edition’ black version for an extra $300? I never noticed that. That is some marketing genius right there. And when I say genius, it’s sarcasm for STUPIDITY. What’s special about a black lens? Nothing.
Idiots at Olympus, charging 300$ extra for a black version. And 3000 people bought it so to see. That’s 900.000$ for something that should have been standard.
I don’t know. Smart suits more than idiot, in my opinion. Since all these “special” black edition lenses got sold, I think Oly has done its right interests. Noone forced anyone to buy them: if black color was mandatory, as someone stated on this thread, could buy pana 12-35. Or choose frome the other two wide angles. I used my silver 12mm on my old black epl2, and it looked a little bit weird, but I never minded, and it worked, for both landscapes and street photography. I admit on my silver omd it looks better, but the most important thing, to me, is that I can use it pretty well.
I don’t know. Smart suits more than idiot, in my opinion. Since all these “special” black edition lenses got sold, I think Oly has done its right interests. Noone forced anyone to buy them: if black color was mandatory, as someone stated on this thread, could buy pana 12-35. Or choose frome the other two wide angles. I used my silver 12mm on my old black epl2, and it looked a little bit weird, but I never minded, and it worked, for both landscapes and street photography. I admit on my silver omd it looks better, but the most important thing, to me, is that I can use it pretty well.
Buy a silver and black camera…..problem solved….any lens looks nice.
“It really looks like Olympus want to cheat us on that. They should simply offer the Black lens for the same price and stop.”
….and include the lens hood.
Or maybe it’s justly because all the black was sold in US (in France only 600 lenses)…
Discontinued? Gee i wonder why? Thats what happens when you make those overpriced lenses to go up against the big 2…no one buys them. That why i dont trust m43.
Well, 3000 people bought them, and that is what the production run was limited to. That is why it is discontinued
3000? wow, what sales. thats’ why the big camera companies keep making lenses people rely and count on, for performance and for the fact that they are still made when ppl want to buy them. M43 stuff is good for one kit and maybe one cheap prime…luxury lenses on those things are silly. The resale value on those lenses is terrible, and I question why anyone would fork out a grand for those lenses, when the bigger rbands will do the same and hold more value. Take a look at 43 cameras and lenses, who the heck would buy those things? Another hit and miss abandonment by olympus. I will never trust a company fuly like oly…and im sure alot of 43 folks got burned big time on that stuff…and no, adapters are a pathetic excuse. Sony is anothe rone thats bad, first dslr, than slt, then nex, then rx1, then rumored FF nex. One day you buy this, the next day its gone. Dont ask customers to buy into dead ends and expect to gain trust and respect.
That’s why so many end up with Leica. Expensive sure, but the resale value holds up. And no dead ends like Canon. M mount has been sustainable for decades now. And for good reason. Don’t throw stones in glass houses chump. There is always something else. 😉
The only chumps are the ones who buy Leica. Leicas are made for people who cant shoot and like to look at their lenses on a shelf. They dont even make their own shit anymore, and use other brands products with their named pasted on it. Leica is out of date SHIT, a rippoff , and meant for vain rich men and the wannabes who want to be just like them.
If Leica is so good why is it that NO ONE buys it except rich pretentious chumps? Leica was advbanced…in 1960’s. what year is it now, kid? Zeis lenses are BETTEr than Leica and it cheaper, but even Zeiss can AF, Leica cant because they CANT. Leica will be on my list when they actually have some technology, not just make non af lenses for rich pretentious fuckers who cant shoot worth shit.
what a delusional chump you are.
yeah, leicas so good no pros use it. Leicas so good it cant even make Af…ooops sorry ..it doesnt want to make af. And I can paint like michaelangleo too but i dont wan to. LOL. Leicas so good it was alsmot bankrupt several times, and survives now on the generous handouts of rich folks in the east who wear it like man-bling and jewlery. LOl. Ah, leica..so good even germans dont buy it.LOL. whos the chump now?
Please stop spreading propaganda about our products. We just want you to spend your money on our lame prodcuts, not try and convince those who are smart enough to know otherwise in society. Our products are not only out of date, but obsolete, so comparing them to relevent products of modern times is not possible. We sell egos and jewelery to people who dont know how to shoot photos, those who want the myth rather than the truth. Please shut up and just buy our products, do not wake up more people, please keep on believing that Leica is the best, because what you say is true, is true…just because you said so.
The 12mm Black is discontinued, because they are sold out of them. They only made 3000 (I think) of them for the entire world, and now they are just all sold.
This is nothing new, Pentax over the years have made many “Limited Edition” lenses, and once they were gone, they were just gone! Never to be made again.
So why is everyone freaking out over this? It is even in the name “Limited Edition” and description of the product!
They do give you a UV filter, lens hood and a metal lens cap. Maybe not worth $300 but worth something.
I think Olympus has been acting like sleazy used car salesmen, for the past few years and so in order not to reward that behavior, I simply quit buying their products. If more people would do the same, it would’t be long before black lenses were the norm again with Olympus. However, apparently, many people are unable to resist the GAS attack and go for the instant gratification and give Olympus the cookie for being bad.
That’s OK, you resist & then I can come & buy after the prices have dropped. I’ve bought my (silver) E-M5 at the beginning & with a bonus MMF-3, plus from a discount surplier. So I’m happy. I also bought the 60mm macro lens (again from a discount supplier) as well as getting the 20% cash back. I think I’ve done well from Olympus (& appropriate suppliers).
Can you give an example of a discount supplier? What does that mean exactly?
It means the supplier operates a discount on the products sold. Look up photographic equipment in the Sydney phone book. There are several.
or as they call it everywhere else grey imports
The term grey imports is not really correct for Australia. It is illegal for a manufacturer to prevent anyone importing and reselling their product. There are many online and brick and mortar stores that do parallel importing (that’s the government term) of all sorts of things. They are not always the cheapest and set their prices near the average price. Many have a warranty system that operates nationally.
Discount stores are something else. They endeavour to sell below the recommended retail price by using volume sales. They are usually national branded stores or franchises.
Example my E-M5 RRP is $1499 inc all taxes. I bought for $1070 from a discount store (JB Hi Fi) Parallel importers were somewhere above that price at the time.
I did the same. I refuse to follow a brand like Okympus and its Rabid Fanboys that buy into their rubbish. In fact, I sold my 45mm lens on eBay recently, so I’m Olympus Free!
So now I can read these comments and laugh.
And you think any of the other brands care about you other than making as much profit out of you that they can? please… wake up..
Yep- that lost me as a customer as soon as the reeled me i.
That’s your loss…
I just refuse to buy their lens hoods, buy the after market ones that are identical and half (or less) the price… All good then, if no one buys the hoods they will realize it is a stupid strategy, but why avoid buying a good lens..
That said Canon has been doing it for a long time, hasn’t hurt their sales…
my understanding is that the black version is a LIMITED EDITION, so id say olympus has sold all 3000.
i bought one, glad i did. i prefer black and didnt mind paying $300 more for a LE lens with the accessories
Compliant, complain, complain.
Silver is fine.
Oh my, seriously? You’re unclear about the meaning of “LIMITED EDITION”??
Uh…weren’t they just being true to the “limited edition” label?
Continuing production of a supposedly “limited” product would’ve made them look more like they were out to dupe people.
What, because they don’t already?
Well it’s “Limited Edition”, so it must’ve sold out, giving Olympus the opportunity to stuck it to the Fanboys forever.
Why people paid more for the same lens is beyond me. Fools with money. Kinda reminds me of the Leica camp.
What, this insane price gouging was not working and shepple were not buying these in masss? This marketing BS is why I refuse to buy another Olympus lens. If silver was the SE model and black was the standard my guess is they would have done much better in sales overall. Total joke and stupid move that lost customers.
Dude, why do you buy m43? You know this was coming. You see all the folks that DONT buy m43? Somehow I feel i said I told you so somehwere here before more than once. LOL
You don;t know me and never told me anything before. This has nothing to do with M43, it is Olympus greedy marketing on black lenses. FYI, I sold all my big bulky Canon equipment and I but Panasonic lenses now not Olympus and I wil not support their BS price tactics. If every rational person that felt the same and called the Olympus store to tel them why they are not buying I can promise you they will change their pricing.
Well let me tell you then. You should have bought something else than m43. See? I TOLD YOU SO! LOL
I think lens body colour is the most discussed Olympus topic? It’s cosmetic people. (A smart entrepreneur would be Kickstarting an Olympus Lens aftermarket painting service at this point as the ratio of whinging over colour is pretty high?
While I don’t completely agree with the marketing, the logic is pretty clear? What is the most common colour of lens? It’s black. So as a brand if you want to make your product stand out, what do you do? Make it something other than …. wait for it … black. You can spot their product visually from all others. That is branding success, sure there is always someone to complain … make something in two different colours and someone will step up and ask why you did’t make it in a third, fourth, etc. ?
This is the only logical reason Olympus is pushing the silver concept. That and their primary target market in Japan is women and women like shiny and colour coordinated, they don’t like black, so you can blame them, not Olympus for the coloured bodies and silver lenses … as mFT gets more acceptance, I suspect you find more PRO [black] options? But it is all cosmetic and perception, so don’t expect to get a discount.
Does a black lens shoot better? No. the Optics are the same. Black is thought to be less obvious and discreet in a professional setting. Why do you think Canon makes those huge lenses in white? So they look different and stand out among their competition. Olympus is doing the very same thing.
Leica owners go to the trouble to get their gear painted the same colour, this isn’t something new and exclusive to Olympus? But how crazy is it to decide to buy or not buy a lens because it’s black or silver? Seriously what does it have to do with photography?
Well if you shoot at night in the areas I do you dont want a large 75mm silver lens drawing attention and reflecting light, it is a practical and functional issue. Black is the most sole body so the standard should be black like the kit lens, silver should be SE. What Olympus knows is that fewer people want silver so they can overcharge for black and call it SE, very non-standard. It’s a pure money grab. Those that justify paying $300 more for $20 of accessories at cost are simply easily fooled by this tactic. Black is a standard color for lenses for years, dont’ be suckers and fools.
this is what happens when you buy olympus to begin with.
Everyone has their preference – but why should my preference cost $300 more than yours for the same lens? Give people the choice, but don’t F one group over the other. Photography is all about aesthetics – you’d think if anything a photographer would understand better than anyone why this is an issue.
Because your preference was the limited edition 🙂
How many manufacturers offer their high end lenses in more than one colour? Next to none. So where does all this “knowledge” come from about the cost of running a batch of lenses and including additional accessories on a unique lens design with a fast aperture.
Bit too much entitlement going on here. As well as huge assumptions, such as “Olympus would have sold more if it were black”… lol
The big reason for Silver and light colour lens, is sun not heat up metal to much in lens.
” Why do you think Canon makes those huge lenses in white?”
Um, WRONG. Primarily,It’s to reduce heat absorption under the sun that may otherwise affect the performance of the lens. There’s a performance reason.
Making Silver lenses, then offering a black “limited edition” is a sleazy way to make a profit off of their Fanbase.
I would never buy anything Olympus ever again. Screw them and their ignorant Fanbase. Looking forward to Sony absorbing them and throwing away the Olympus brand. It’s well deserved.
All Oly lenses should be offered in black as well as include lens hoods. I guess limited edition lenses and the exclusion of lens hoods are ways for Olympus to make back their money from the scandal a couple years back.
The lens part number has been discontinued. Maybe it will resurface as another part number at the same price as the silver.
Only 3000 kits certainly explains $300 overhead over the silver one.
I know Olympus need to make money to survive, but this sort of behaviour is giving me the shits. Just do it with good products and making your customers proud to own your gear – this limited edition BS for a STANDARD colour is counter productive and erodes trust in the brand. For all those ‘it takes the same pictures’ people; cheerfully go F yourselves with your mismatched bitsa eyesores. I’m happy you don’t care. I do. If Olympus release ONE more silver only lens, I’m ditching M43. I love my OMD, but I refuse to buy the products of a company who will attempt to screw me out of every penny they can by any means necessary. If this is how Olympus plan to operate in the future, I’m taking my money elsewhere.
I bet you poor guy live in the US, too, where all the Oly stuff is about two thirds of the price you have to pay here in Europe. Maybe cut down a little bit on the drama, it’s just a god damn lens.
Its American marketing. Unfortunately its caught on in the rest of the world.
But Panasonic lenses. They’re well built and some of them even come with a bag AND a lens hood. And of course, they’re Black.
Well said!! This seems like a desperate attempt by Olympus to cash in on their most loyal customers. But at the same time, the lack of choice of colour at a fair price discourages new customers.
Personally, after owning an OM-1, and Oly four thirds, including a high grade zoom, I’ve turned away from Oly and just spent a big pile of money on a pany body and the pany-leica 25mm lens. I got bored waiting around for Oly to produce a four thirds adaptor (another business decision that leaves a sour taste in my mouth – there’s no technical difficulty with this).
I don’t like the way Oly are treating their customers. I think there are better choices. The way they are acting, anybody would have thought they were in financial trouble or something!
Well, whats the Problem?
If a lens is in silver or black…Fine.. They both look great on a silver OM-D. And the a OM-D should be in silver anyway, as black looks just wrong and its leather isn’t that good….
B
Yes, silver on silver with silver trim. The best.
Wouldn’t it just piss you off, if you discovered that all the people advocating silver lenses, were undercover Olympus employees? Well, it’s not that far from the truth. What do you choose now?
Meh. Until I can get it in a Hello Kitty theme, I’m not budging.
People complaining about the color of lenses = People who consider photography to be a fashion statement
Last I checked, metallics are more of a fashion effect/statement than Black, so you’re saying….
People that do not understand why bright lenses are a functional issue for many photographers likely don’t do much real-world shooting. It’s function.
What context is ‘bright’ in your comment?
if the system you chose makes you whine about itso much, why choose it to begin with?
you have got to be the most delusional person. Leica is man-bling, for rich pretentious folks. The leicaa market is mainly in east Asia and parts of europe. I dont even think Germans buy leica, chump. Oh, dont take my word for it, go outseid your house and see how many people are NOT using leicas. LOL. Leica, I’ll take them seriously when they CAN make AF lenses, when they CAN make state of the art cameras, when they CAN make their own sensors, when they CAN make their own rangefinders, not outsoruced in spain, when they CAN make their own electronics. LOL. Leica value holds up because of chumps like you who actually fork out money for manual focus shit. Leica was almost bankrupts a few times.And heres the kicker, Zeiss is even better and its cheaper, and made in ….drum roll, Japan! LEICA? Leica cant even make simple electronics. Get on your knees and thank panosonic for that. LOL. What a delusional CHUMP you are. LOL
charging that much of a premium for black was foolish and off-putting for almost every shooter that saw it .bad public relation stunt olympus
they should have done 2 things first charged the same for black or silver
and offered a hood inclusive