Year 2011 is almost over and it’s time for you to let Panasonic Olympus know what’s the best Micro Four Thirds product they have launched in 2011.
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79 Responses
Wow, I was the first one to vote… 100% of votes for E-P3! By the way, I have a new blog on ETTR with E-P3 at my site http://www.pekkapotka.com.
-p-
Panasonic 45-175mm X lens = Disaster!
i miss vitaly in the options 😉
Since all of the bodies have been a bit disappointing ( but a good evolution nevertheless ), I’ll go for SLR magic 12mm F1.6 lens ( not F1.7 ! ). Yes, it’s ugly, but it’s faster than Oly 12mm, it’s cheaper and it’s black. And more importantly, it has manual controls, which means it could be used in some other system via adapter – of course, that’s if something goes wrong with m4/3 ;).
Personally I think that faster than f2 dosn’t really matter with a WA. If you want less DOF, a WA isn’t what you need and a WA is way less sensitive to camera shake, so no need of super fast wa lenses. The Olympus is much better thought off. SLR Magic claims that they are responding to what people want (they made an inquiry), but why giving what people want if that doesn’t make sense. I voted for the Olympus 12mm, after hesitation because the Olympus 45mm is lovely too, but the 12mm is more innovative.
Anyway, there has been more votes for the Olympus 12mm than for th SLR Magic, so after all people are less stupid than SLR Magic would want us to believe !
I’m not into thin DOF, on the contrary. I’m into available light photography and being T1.6 = F1.4, SLR Magic is almost a full stop faster than Olympus, which is very important when the light is low. It is larger and heavier, but not too large and not too heavy. Manual focus is a great obstacle for many, but if Olympus and Panasonic put “focus peaking”, moving sensor or some other technology that would simplify focusing with MF lenses, there wouldn’t be any reason IMO to go Olympus 12mm F2 way. Nevertheless, I’m delighted we have a choice between two fast wide angle primes in our system. Try to find that in APS-C world! Kudos to both Olympus and SLR Magic for their efforts, but my choice is the latter. And if PanOly do not take their time to sort that peaking out, there are other systems out there that already have it and that can use this lens…
The 45mm 1.8 for sure. Excellent IQ at a great price – you can’t beat that.
How about the AF-100?
mZD 45/1.8 – no questions asked!
Now its time for 90/2.8 macro, 1:1
+1.
Olympus mZD 45mm/1.8 is number ONE!
m4/3 glass is better than m4/3 bodies at the moment.
I hope we gonna get nice bodies in 2012.
yes, we need something like 90 or 100mm with fast aparture
Which really shows the maturity of the system, IMO. Lenses will last with us for a far longer time than the bodies! I am hoping that both Oly and Pana come up with bodies with revolutionary sensors that justifies the lens line-up and that can really give Canikon a run for their money! And Of course, come up with more cost effective brilliant lenses like the 45/1.8!
My vote for the 45/1.8 as well!
90 f2.8 macro 1:1…. deffinatly – absolutly the lens thats missing!
That would so fill out the primes for m4/3!
I was inclined to vote the Olympus 45mm because it’s great (I’ve bought it), but in my opinion, even though I didn’t buy it because it overlapped my equipment, the Panasonic 14-42mm X lens was the game-changer, allowing m43 to significantly differentiante from competitors like NEX as a much smaller set.
Agreed,
The 45\1.8 is nice, but cant give the credit to the most common lens on earth,
The 14-42 X, is a big game changer, not only it justifies the choice of a smaller then aps-c sensel, but also negates any nikons CX benefits (because its smaller then Nikon 1 kit lens) thus proving in a hard fact that M43 is THE sweet spot for zooms. (i say zooms, because pancake lens can be made at the same size on every mount)
14-42 X is definitely a game changer. Especially for casuals. But we all know that casual shooters doesn’t visit this site that often. And enthusiast hate variable aperture zooms as much as their in-laws.
Therefore, my vote is for 45mm f/1.8 no doubt.
But remember Frosty7, the 45 1.8 is not like the cheap, common nifty fifties. FOV is not the same, build quality & image quality are not the same. It’s a very compact portrait lens (85-100 range) that renders gorgeous images. It has made the m4/3 system more mature and desirable.
Simply because 50mm was a common focal length in the 35mm era that left a couple of cheap 50s in the digital era does not make the Oly 45 less impressive.
If I was to pick a common “meh” focal length today, it would be all the slow 18-55 and 14-42 kit lenses.
The concept may be interesting, but the X 14-42 isn’t such a good performer, so it doesn’t deserve to get a top rank as much as the two Olies’ primes.
+1
+++
The revolutionary compact 14-42mm X lens would be first for the reasons stated but for the initial reported problems of power OIS at +/- 1/100 shutter speeds higher but is reportedly very fast and accurate at low shutter speeds where needed most. Another factor is Pany is for now charging a premium for a X lens kit so few have it or can find one in a store to compare. Just wait until the X lens becomes the std lens on most Pany m4/3 products and you will really begin to see the impact.
The 45mm/1.7 lens would be even more attractive if only it would the size of the tiny Pentax 40mm pancake. At present all one needs for capable small m4/3 outfit is the Z zoom lens, 14mm, 20mm, 45mm, and hoped for small fast 100mm lens. I left out the 12mm because of the distorsion, size, and cost. If you need wider for landscapes just put your 20mm lens in vertical orientation and panorama to stich a couple pictures together? If you use 16:9 mode the 14mm is effectively closer to 25mm in 35mm.
The Pentax 40 is a totally different FOV on APS-C, is 2.8 max aperture, and really only weighs 15g less.
If the Oly 45 would have been smaller, with so-so optics, and f2.8 it would NOT be the #1 choice up there.
+ a vote for the Samyang 7.5 fisheye 🙂
+1 I miss it in the list of options too. Bloody favouritism…
I’ve voted obviously the G3 – but should admit that the Olympus 45/1.8 clearly deserves the 1st place.
For the first time, Olympus get the nod with a lens! Well done!
The GH-2 continues to rule the camera front. 😉
+10
Until the GH3 comes out, of course! 😉
And the GH2 with updated firmware… even better. That was a surprise Christmas present. (No, I never installed the Vitali hacks.) Better control over the (overpowering) onboard flash is fantastic. JPEG noise is supposedly better as well, but I’m a RAW shooter.
12mm definitely.
45 while a great lens can be substituted by 40-50mm legacy lenses, but 12mm has no alternatives and it’s a wonderful lens with great build and feel.
Exactly. Not to mention the built and very innovative Manual Focus feature. Please put that on all future high-end lenses !
The GX1 is the first m43 camera worth buying. To bad its so overpriced.
aren’t you being a hard audience?
Well, the “camera joshi” is my favorite Oly m4/3 “product” of 2011. I got a thing for straw women! 😛
I have to admit…the 45mm f/1.8 is everything that MFT is (or can be), small, sharp, fast & very cost effective (I own one)..so I certainly see why that is number one..which it should be for best of the year…but I voted for the GX1 because it is more exciting!!! (even if it is overpriced… especially with the LVF2. True. ) 🙂 I will also have one today or tomorrow. Can’t wait!
But the GX is only one evolution of the GF1 ! I mean a GF1 with an updated sensor which we already know from the G3. there is no new technology in it.
Meanwhile the E-P3 and the other third series of Olympus have a real technology innovation in matters of AF speed : the breakthrough I’d there IMO. What I don’t understand is why the E-Pl3 is not better ranked and sits so far away from the E- P3.
I vote for GX & aware MZD 45mm F1.8 is another top contender . Definitely deserve it’s top ranking . Just got mine in 1 hour ago , need time to examinate .
Hope it work well as the Summilux .
Taking into account price and speed ratio, I think that 45mm f1.8 is a great lens for portraits. +1
I was ready to vote for the E-P3 until I saw the 45mm f1.8 down in the list. As much as I love the E-P3, the 45mm produces such beautiful and sharp results that It has my vote this time. I guess the new 12-50mm should be in next year list since nobody had the chance to test it yet.
Regards.
The Oly on the Noktor 12mm? its a joke.
So far the voting seems to reflect the fact that you can look at “best” in two ways: from the purely practical (“this will help me make better pictures”) perspective, or from the philosophical (“this redefines the genre or shows where the technology should be going”) perspective.
I was feeling practical today, so I voted for the 45/1.8 (although the 20/1.7 would be just as worthy a choice.) A lens that performs superbly, that fills an important gap in the M43 product line, and that many of us can afford to buy… hard to beat that for practicality. Yeah, there are a lot of “legacy” 50s that can substitute — I used to use one fairly happily — but now that I’ve been reminded how useful AF is in this focal length/speed, I’m not going to switch back.
If you’re going to vote philosophically, it gets tougher. All the cameras on the list are just incremental improvements on predecessor models; I’m glad the breed is improving, but evolution isn’t as exciting as revolution. So if I had to pick a philosophical winner, I’d go with the Panasonic 14-42 X lens. People are always saying that the key advantage of M43 is compactness, so it’s about time someone introduced a general-purpose lens that truly IS compact!
At a stroke, this lens changes M43 from a “slightly smaller than DSLR” system to an “almost pocketable” system (something that still can’t be said of Sony’s NEX, for example.) I’m not going to buy one because I’ve already got more slow zooms than I need, but in terms of giving significant numbers of people a new reason to consider M43 rather than something else, this is really the only product on the list that qualifies.
Well the only one I voted with my wallet for was the 45-175 X. It’s just so small and light! It may not be the fastest or sharpest lens (though I have no complaints for this class of lens) but its zoom is incredible for the size and the stabilisation is the best I’ve used yet. The best gear is the gear you actually take with you and use, and the portability of this lens makes it a winner, even if the poll results are in stark contrast to this!
this is no joke when i attach my new 45mm f1.8 to my epl1 i never change len ever since… from nov up to now its still the 45mm lol i love it…
The EP3 was a huge upgrade for Olympus, and my favorite M43 camera at the moment, but I voted for the 45/1.8 because it plugged a huge hole in the M43 system (portrait lens), did it very well, and did it very affordably. Much more important than an improved camera body, IMHO.
“There can be only one” …………. and it’s the 45mm
IMO: Panasonic 14-42mm X lens. That is something no other system has. That is something what capitalizes heavily on the strengths of the m43 system.
Runner up: G3. Among consumer oriented m43 is the best sensor. Few quirks, but improved handling and new touchscreen interface.
If I were in m43-buying mood, those are the two things I would have considered.
I think the best product was the MZD45, since it is affordable, good quality, and filled one of the last major gaps in the lens lineup.
(Other still remaining gaps are the pro rate standard zooms. Apparently, they will start coming next year, at 12-35mm and 35-100mm.)
Without looking at the results, I can smell that it is going to be the 45mm with the 25mm as runner up.
I voted for the MZD 45mm because it not only highlights m43’s size advantage, but it’s also one of the most reasonably priced high quality lenses for the system. I feel like most of the system has failed to live up to the promise of “high quality at lower cost” that is supposed to be possible with a smaller format mirrorless system. We have some great equipment, but I find most of it overpriced. I hope the 45mm will be one of the best selling m43 lenses, and that PanOly will recognize that a big part of its success is the reasonable price. I wouldn’t mind if it were a little cheaper still, and I wish I could’ve bought it in black, but I am extremely happy with it 🙂
The SLR Magic 12mm is also high on my list, whereas I find the MZD 12mm a little too pricey.
Previous year’s GH2 with this year’s 25mm f/1.4. The perfect combo!
If course 45mm f1.8
No brainer, one of the best portrait primes ever made by any manufacturer
I voted PL25/1.4. The lens renders like nothing else in the m43 line up. It’s a truly wonderful lens.
Having said that, I think the 45/1.8 is a better lens for the system, as it’s a more broadly adoptable lens for both price and also lures in the mainstream family buyer for family portraits. I would also say the EP3 is a great product, too. But I would put the PL25 in the top three.
there should be a segmentation of each category best product camera and best product lens…. hehe 45mm for the win and epl3 lol
People just don’t get it. The tiny X-lenses are the REVOLUTIONARY camera technology. I find it hilarious when people bash these lenses. The OIS issues have been 45-175) or will be (14-42) resolved.
The 14-42 – contrary to popular belief – is considerably sharper than the old lens.
And 350mm equivalent at 9cm and 210g.?
I voted the 14-42mm X lens because like you I think this is an amazing technological archievement.
yeh – its tota;y unique for any system…. nothing quite like it anywear else…. I think it was a grate idea!
Wow, I’m amazed! Whenever I come to this site, all of the negativity going on in the comments makes me wonder whether this is a forum for the people who like FT / MFT or those who hate it. But it is good to see that, when such a poll comes up, people actually care enough to say that they like this stuff. Oh, let me guess, you guys just voted for the lesser of several evils, right?
; )
While I am aware of the E-P3’s shortcomings, I like mine very much and I think it is a great tool for ambitious enthusiasts, as is the GX1, I suppose.
It’s nice to see, that the most of us like a cheap lens.
I hope Olympus see it too and they will build more of this stuff, maybe a 3,5/35-100 an a 2,8/10.
Happy new year!
Thats hard, there where really good new products this year. But I picked the G3: Best mix of quality,features & portability – the essence of mFT.
Interesting to see how people’s perceptions have changing since introduction of a product and the casting of this vote. I think it is fair to say that Oly enthusiasts on this forum far outnumber the Pany ones yet the very recently released GX1 comes in third place even when a majority on 43rumors loudly protested and denounced the GX1 when introduced because it didn’t have an inbody EVF? Some say the all metal GX1 is way overpriced, well it is $100 less than plastic frame EP3 with a lessor sensor? The GX1 with Xlens and small fast primes listed makes a very potent small package.
I find the GF3 voted second from last even more surprising. Apparently most of the commentors on 43rumors are from US as in Japan the GF3 models currently are the hottest highest sales ranked cameras even in competition with the NEX5N and Nikon 1J. However even in the US according to latest Amazon sales figures after the NEXs and Nikon 1J which are at the top of the pack the GF3 has 8 models ranking in the top 80.
I think it comes down to perception as many on this forum dismissed the GF3 calling it ugly and for beginners only with touch screen even before they had even seen or handled one or seen what it could produce. In most of the rest of the world the GF3 is regarded as one of the best styled small camera there is and in no way would I consider it ugly by any stetch of the imagination. I think a better perception will increase now that the GF3 is finally available in stores like Best Buy so one can see and handle one. One definite plus for the GF3 is its inclusion of an inbody flash which is critically important when using such a camera with the slower zoom kit lenses while neither the NEX 3/5 nor recent Pen outside of EP3 have one inbody. Several reviews have placed the small GF3 as the top of its class and noted it has several semipro like AF capabilities. The GF3X equipped with its small X zoom lens is a very appealing small product for both those moving up from P&S and those wanting smaller travel companion to their DSLR.
Well ! Since Olympus I doing better than Panasonic in this year’s ranking, you think that the list is hold by Olympus fanboys ? What a reasoning, you like the GFX, but there is not much new in it : it is all known technologies : the controls of the GF1, the touch screen of the G2 and the sensor of the G3, this makes a nice camera to use, but nothing new in it to make it the camera f the year. Meanwhile the E-P3 has overcome slow AF speeds with a totally new data processor; and has added an integrated flash, all that in the same cute design as the E-P1/2.
I voted for the 45mm like many others because it filled a gap in the prime range. Many enthusiasts and pros tired of carrying heavy DSLRs will flock to m43, atleast for casual use for lenses like 12mm 2.0, 25mm 1.4 and 45mm 1.8. That is enough kit for many people and a very portable system of fast glass.
Voted for the Olympus 45mm for it’s amazing image quality.
Although the 14-42mm X lens is an amazing technical achievement, I find the results it renders less than impressive.
(before bashing begins, I have both this lenses and the 45-175 X lens too, so I was able to test them all).
Pana leica 25mm. Especially since the price has been dropping in it.
The x-zooms have been disappointing with the power zoom. And the m43 bodies still cant beat gh2.
The GH2 cannot beat the Olys in still image quality…the GH2 is definitely good at video though, even if a bit overpriced.
I’m sure you have never used a GH2.
Voted for the 45/1.8. Would love to get one, but between my PL 45/2.8 and adapted SMC-Takumar 50/1.4, I can’t justify yet another portrait prime in my collection.
A close runner up would be the SLR Magic 12/1.6 (it’s actually T1.6 and F1.4, definitely not a “1.7”!). Lots of character, lots of creative possibilities with shallow DOF and close focusing distance. It’s a bit big, but is definitely worth the bulk.
I voted for 45 1.8 because it makes any m43 camera even better 🙂
I *would* have easily favored the Oly 45mm 1.8, except… no OIS when mounted on my camera body. And 45mm is a FL where it matters (unlike, say, 20mm where you can kind of shrug it off).
This incompatibility in OIS strategies is a major thorn in the heel of M4/3 in my opinion… renders half the lenses useless to half the customers. What kind of a “system” is that to get excited about?
+1 let’s hope Panasonic will buy Olympus – OIS for all lenses!
The inclusion of power zoom on the X lenses is a big step forward and takes us even closer to video and still convergence.
That poll shows clearly that the bodies aren’t very innovative, but the lenses 🙂
If I didn’t considered the price, I would have voted for the oly 12 f2. If only it was $200 cheaper, I think, it will surely win hearts of most enthusiast on a budget, like the pana 20 1.7 did, & recently the oly 45 1.8 did. But then, I voted for the ep3, ’cause it change the way I see photography… Must be the same for the gx1
http://vimeo.com/30233622
No Samyang 7.5mm FE, despite universal rave reviews? Hmmm…
What this poll means more than anything… Look at the number of users!!! Go m43!!!
Itll be fun in a year when everyone’s 45mm has its paint peeled and scratched. Hard to fidn a lens made worse than that one, even Canons kit zooms have better build quality.
At least that will mean people will have been out using it – rather than hanging around in forums
I buy lenses and cameras for use. I don’t trash them around but I don’t caress them either. My 20mm f1.7 has it’s paint so peeled it is barely recognisable anymore. I couldn’t care less! Build quality and paint quality are two different things. That lens still functions as a charm!
If I were to choose a camera it would be the Panasonic GX1, but with lenses like the Olympus 45/1.8 and 12/2 these would edge ahead, as would the Samyang 7.5mm fisheye – they all add more to m43 than any camera at this stage. But despite all of these my vote would have to go to the Panasonic 25/1.4!!!!!
The m43 format has really blossomed this year!
but has not been added on Samyang 7,5mm fisheye… Why?