[shoplink 16340 ebay]
[/shoplink]Image on top: The current [shoplink 16340 ebay]Four Thirds Panasonic Leica branded 25mm f/1.4[/shoplink]
We had so many news yesterday! Today we have more time to take a closer look to the Panasonic interview and the future new Leica 25mm lens. Photographyblog (Click here) had a long talk with UK Product Manager for Lumix G John Mitchell (JM), plus Steve Lucas (SL), Product Specialist. Those are the most interesting news:
– Panasonic believes that mirrorless will cross the 50% share barrier in Japan within 2012.
– In UK people who bought Panasonic m43 cameras RE 50% novice AND 50% enthusiast or pro.
– Panasonic believes the G3 sensor closes the gaps witht the Sony NEX sensor (Really?).
– Between the G2 and G3 sensor at ISO3200 and ISO6400 and we have a 6 decibel and 9 decibel improvement
– The G2 production will continue throughout the coming year and we’ll just drop it down as our entry-level product
– Panasonic says the G3 uses an aluminium body (Didn’t know that!)
– The GF1 and GF2 are still being produced in Fukushima. But in fact production has now ceased on the GF1.
– And now the very interesting part: “Yes, here’s the first working sample of the 25mm f/1.4; really eagerly anticipated and not planned for launch until the second half of this year. It will be Leica approved and branded. For those looking for more affordable alternatives of course Sigma has recently announced that it’s going to start making Micro Four Thirds lenses. We’ve got a large following of consumers who are going to be looking for that affordability, and also the enthusiasts who want everything to be the highest quality. The factory is committed to three to four lenses every year so this won’t be the only product we’ll be showing you this year”
As I already told you there will be one more Panasonic product announcement in June. I am not sure yet but I assume that we are going to see that lens very soon!
Links:
The current Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 Four Thirds lens on [shoplink 16340 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
Panasonic G3 at preorders at Amazon US (Click here) and Amazon UK (Click here).
56 Responses
Quite a few points of interest in the interview, although it’s a shame the Panasonic reps weren’t actually more forthcoming about their lens roadmap. It sounds as though the “working sample” of the 25/1.4 was physically in the room – I wonder whether the Photographyblog people are at liberty to say anything about its design, dimensions etc? Presumably not, I guess, or else they would have done so already.
Of course, there’s a lot of marketing guff in there as well —
Pana: “Also we’re changing the design of the lens barrel so that it will be black with a silver ring, so it looks more high quality.”
A silver ring (in my opinion rather chintzy-looking) is necessary to make a lens “look more high quality”?? Seriously…
Anyway, looking forward to hearing more about the upcoming Pana/Oly announcements – thanks for all your hard work, admin!
“- In UK people who bought Panasonic m43 cameras RE 50% novice AND 50% enthusiast or pro.”
if you look at flickr micro four third users you will find a high percentage are former or existing canon/nikon users…
That 25mm/1.4 is to big. I will just go for the 20mm/1.7 instead. Im not using m43 because I want big clunky lenses.
How do you know it’s too big? The picture above is of the 43 model, not the m43 model.
It will probably be a comparable size to the Summilux 50mm f1.4 – around 53mm length and 53mm diameter although it may be possible to make it smaller due to the smaller image circle required for m4/3. I would imagine that it would not perform as well optically as this lens due to Leica’s business considerations but who knows?
i think you are missing another important advantage of m43; you can go compact or you can go huge, depending on the kind of lenses you will use, its a very versatile concept. with dslr…there is NO way you can go compact.
I agree completely. I can’t wait until the system matures enough to have a range of bodies/lenses in all kinds of shapes and sizes to suit everyone. Everything from large DSLR-like bodies to tiny cameras like the GF2. The potential versatility of the system is really what excites me about m4/3’s, more so then just the ability to make small cameras.
Eric, I think it would really kick off when FT & MFT would melt into one system
“I think it would really kick off when FT & MFT would melt into one system”
The more time passes, the more that “when” turns to “if”. I hope it materializes though.
if not i get an E-1 again 🙂
I just fear that it needs first maturing of those tiny toy obsessed marketroids until we’ll see real variety in bodies.
Heck, with their reluctance for extending line up to actual enthusiast/high end level bodies even Samsung or Sony might get there first and capture markets from front of noses of Oly and Pana.
+10
+1
Spot on. Panasonic and Olympus should quote this in their camera brochures.
Quote: “The GF1 and GF2 are still being produced in Fukushima”
Panasonic makes their camera in Fukushima? This is the prefecture in Japan where nuclear power plant disaster happened. Do you guys seriously discuss the possibility of buying a product produced their?
Fukushima is a city located about 80 kms away from the nuclear reactor, if I’m not mistaken. Quite far from radioactivity, since the safe zone is 30 kms.
why not? in the past it was very common that certain lenses uses “rare earth” glass which was also radio active…..mind you,i don’t want to make jokes about Japan’s current situation.
The photo is of the *existing* and larger 4/3 version of the 25mm lens… the new one for m4/3 is rumoured to be roughly double the height of the 20mm pancake lens (so not particularly big at all)
Looking at the 25mm Nokton, a 25/1.4 could be quite small. However, the Leica branding suggests an optically-corrected design with control over geometric distortion, chromatic aberrations and vignetting pretty much independent of post-exposure processing. With at least two aspherical elements and an AF motor it could end up quite bulky. Expect something slightly larger than the 45 macro.
i hope its smaller/shorter then the nokton 25, which is taller then my nokton 50 1.1, adapter included.
25mm focal lenght should be well inside area where smaller flange back distance of mirrorless allows simpler design because of no need for such extreme retrofocus design like with long flange back distance of Four Thirds.
And use of aspherical elements allow correcting aberrations with less elements than with use of only spherical elements so if anything it means less glass.
If it does come in at roughly twice the size of the 20/f1.7 I’d be happy with that. Still keeps it in the realms of a ‘compact’ prime kit…
Question: As free angle screens are also being embraced by DSLR manufacturers, are we going to see them on future Panasonic GF series CSCs as well?
JM: “Do you think that would be really appealing? In that case we’ll feed it back.
Feedback:
Yes! It would be really appealing. There’s room between G3 and GF2 for rangefinder-style with free-angle screen. Besides, you do it better than Sony. No EVF needed, keep it small.
Perhaps an ‘enthusiast-compact’ replacement for the GF1 with an articulated screen and no EVF?
I generally prefer the Panasonic/Canon tilt and swivel screens, but seeing how compact Sony has made the tilt mechanism on Nex-5 I think that’s a good enough solution when a small body is the main design goal.
Sony – tilt: yes; swivel: no. Swivel adds, what, 1/4″ to width of body, at most?
Olympus says PENs will replace E-620, but this is one key missing feature.
Panasonic or Olympus would be wise to do it, before Samsung puts the EX-1 swivel screen on the NX200.
I used Nikon CoolPix pivot body cameras for years and having some sort of tilting/pivoting articulated screen was an important consideration given the huge array of shooting angles they allow when I was looking for an interchangeable lens camera.
I took a serious look at the Sony NEX 5, given it’s gorgeous tilting LCD, but the dearth of native lenses knocked it out of contention. The GH2 eventually won out.
A tilt-screen similar to the NEX5 would be a great addition to the GF-series or EP/L cameras.
I found the tilt mechanism adequate on my NEX-3, but I did miss the ability to flip the screen inwards for protection. The thing I love about the side hinged design is that I can close up the screen and throw it in my messenger pack without worry just like I do with my film cameras.
That said, I do think one or the other is a requirement for cameras without view finders.
nex tilt screen is a joy. waist level shooting and all. i hope the ‘pro pen’ has something like that along with a viewfinder.
swivel screens, i dont care much for. its just awkward. who shoots like that?
Feedback #2:
Here’s another user interested in rangefinder-style camera with free-angle screen. And it should come from Olympus if they indeed intend to replace E-XXX series with PENs.
“For those looking for more affordable alternatives of course Sigma has recently announced that it’s going to start making Micro Four Thirds lenses.”
I wonder if he knows something. It’s quite unusual for a marketing director to acknowledge competition, especially when it’s more affordable. Perhaps the nature of Sigma’s relation to m4/3 is more than 3rd party?
BTW, the Micro 4/3 logo is imprinted on the barrel of the 25 Nokton, which I find encouraging.
MFT already is a joint venture with “partners” supporting the format. So Both Olympus and Panasonic has to acknowledge each others products, make sure they work toghether etc. Same goes for Sigma and other manufacturers that join MFT. Panasonics compatibility list already contain info about Sigma FT lenses that can be used with the FT to MFT adaper.
I’d also expect that both Panasonic and Olympus know soemthing about what Sigma is doing. After all, it would be a waste if two or more work on exactly the same designs. Although with the overlap of the current MFT lineups from Olympus and Pansonic it makes you wonder if they are collaborating at all.
I hope you are right about the degree of cooperation among the different lens manufacturers involved in m4/3. After all, that “partnership” is one of the strongest points in favour of m4/3 when comparing the standard to other EVIL mounts.
However, in the recent past, despite being a member of the 4/3 consortium, Sigma has done nothing more than adapt its existing lenses to the 4/3 mount. AFAIK neither Olympus nor Panasonic took those efforts too seriously. This interview gives the impression that Sigma has a role to play in the m4/3 business plan for the near future, which surprises me. I expected them to design reverse-engineered, generic lenses which would be marketed to NEX, NX and m4/3 users alike. A CDAF version of their 18-50/2.8 pops to mind.
It will be interesting to see what Sigma do. Converting their dSLR-lenses to FT was fairly easy. Converting a dSLR-lens to contrast detect AF isn’t that straightforward. Just look at how slow contrast detect AF work on Canon, Nikon and other dSLRs, and even FT-lenses on MFT generally don’t focus fast enough.
IMO they need to do a lot more to get a competititve contrast detect lens, but they can probably use the same strategy on those lenses, i e making one design for MFT, NX and NEX so there aren’t any guarantee that we’ll see MFT-specific designs from Sigma. But MFT is an important standard in the mirrorless market at the moment so I believe Sigma will at least make a few with MFT-specific focal lenghts.
There’s no way they’ll convert their DSLR lenses to mirrorless. Nobody would buy that. They will surely make completely new designs albeit one lens with different mounts, same as they did with their PDAF offerings. But with NEXes being so small, so will be Sigma lenses and there will be no problems with them being too big for m4/3. The crop factor of 4/3 sensor will make them longer than on APS-C, but it’ll create some new focal lengths for the system and m4/3 will surely end up using the best part of such lens :).
did you notice the sentence:
“our AF speed is very fast and accurate. We have exceeded all other DSLR cameras”
?
Can this be true?
(even when DSLR use SWD/USM lenses?)
Average DSLR zooms are slow. With some of them, 0.5s/more for AF is a norm of life.
The cheap zooms can be roughly split into two categories: fast AF vs. good IQ.
“For those looking for more affordable alternatives of course Sigma has recently announced that it’s going to start making Micro Four Thirds lenses.”
I wonder if he knows something.
-He knows something. He knows the 25mm 1.4 won’t be cheap:)
yep part of me didn’t want the 25mm to be leica branded as that adds an extra £100 just for the red dot fetishist out there.
but it also adds “leica bokeh” 🙂
Hehehe. I don’t mind the “panny bokeh” myself, so i had some second thoughts about leica branding…and no, we don’t get the red dot on the lens…just a “leica” text on the front of it…lol…
In any case, I believe having leica branded lenses is a good strategic move to convince people to buy into the system – it adds an aura of reputation and quality (possibly even glam?) that Pana cannot bring to the table.
The Leica is worth the money in this case. The LX5, not so much….
If it comes in a robust package, focus quickly and quietly, performs great wide open, out-resolves the sensor and requires no software correction, you know what, I don’t care if it has the red dot.
It could be that Leica provides more than a fashionable red dot. Design, Quality control, expertise, whatever it is, Leica won’t do it for free. Of course, it adds an overhead to the cost and in the end it is worth it or it is not. Time will tell.
Well Sigma should hurry up. m43 has been around long enough, especially considering Sigma is probably just updating their lenses. Did the lenses have AF with 43?
Yep.
I’ve been reading about the supply problems Panasonic have been having in some markets – perhaps this interview sheds some light…..
A new high quality standard lens is very welcome, but what’s this? “The factory is committed to three to four lenses every year”!!! They really need to set their sights higher, and manufacture bigger quantities, especially if they want to increase market share!!!
Lens Quality, not quantity!
3 or 4 high quality lenses from Panasonic/Leica every year would be plenty. I can only afford and carry a limited number.
There are enough middling to junky lenses to be had already.
The Leica-Panasonic lens partnership was a big selling point when I discovered M4/3.
Well said. Lets hope Sigma fills in some gaps in the same smart manner they’ve done with their offerings for bigger boys. Affordable fast normal zoom anyone?
Hopefully they’ll design new smaller lenses instead of just rebranding existing (and big) ones. That would do the system no good at all.
Maybe three of them (oly, sigma, panny) should collaborate instead of compete. Oly create collapsible zoom, while panny concentrate on prime lenses and sigma fill the fix aperture zoom specifically designed for m4/3.
I believe having leica branded lenses is a good strategic move to convince people to buy into the system – it adds an aura of reputation and quality (possibly even glam?) that Pana cannot bring to the table. They will be expensive, and probably relatively few, but they add a “real” top of the line layer that can compete with the big boys. I’m not saying Panasonic or Olympus can’t create top of the line lenses, but its clear that your average joe believes Leica > Canon & Nikon > All the rest. So, as a marketing strategy i think it works. Lets not forget that Sony NEX – the main competitor – will have Zeiss branded lenses, so this only makes sense.
As for Sigma, i have high expectations. If they do it well, designing a few well thought lenses specifically for m43, they could help giving the system more variety. My main “fear” is that they rebrand their existing designs (which are presumably bigger than really needed), which would do no good for the system. One of the main selling points of m43 is smaller size (otherwise, why bother with smaller sensor?), and having big clunky lenses right now would be bad timing. I’m not saying we can’t have bigger specialized lenses in the future, but right now, the system needs to give a strong message to differentiate from your average dslr as well as from Sony NEX.
My 2c.
I wonder if there’s any chance of this lens having an aluminum barrel instead of plastic. A few Panasonic/Leica primes built similar to the Pentax Limited primes would be a really nice option to have. They’d also go along well with Olympus’ upcoming high end metal primes.
I hope the real GF1 replacement has an EVF built in, it is available body only and in a kit with the new panaleica 25mm. It should occupy the top tier of bodies along with the GH, similar features two different form factors. Call it GP or GR series to avoid confusion with GF. No touch screen please, it works for phones but not for cameras. I’d like to see high quality prime lenses in 18, 21, 24, 28, 35, 50, 85, 100, 135 equivalent focal lengths please. Thunderbolt I/O, same video as GH3. It can be larger than GF1 as required to accommodate decent EVF. Design influences should be along lines of Contax G2/panasonic LC1.
Better dynamic range at base ISO – my canon G7 had 50 ISO. Tethered shooting with aperture, lightroom and capture one please.
I would like to see lower iso settings, especially for very bright light situations. So iso 50 & iso 25 would be welcomed. But such iso specs won’t impress in a way of sales. Most people would prefer iso 128000 instead i guess.
So will stick with ND filters then
Do you know how many Canon G series cameras Canon sold because of recommendations from photographers and people who understand technology?
I got a G7 on the advice of a photojournalist who’s been doing it for a very long time (more than 30 years) I sold at least eight G series cameras to friends of my age group because it was a great do everything camera with decent image quality that you don’t worry about taking out the house in the inner city. The G7 has a built in ND filter which is useful in those bright light situations.
To even require iso128,000 in order to take a picture implies by definition non-existent and most likely really crap light.
I got a GF1 because it looked like Panasonic knew what they were doing with the camera system, I’m really not so sure now, next move on the face of things will be to make a really cheap and crap version of the 7-14mm f4 and never make a successor to the camera that really got people buying into the m4/3 system in the first place – the GF1.
I think they need to try much harder…
Isnt a GF1 with EVF called a GH2? Seems like everybody wants everything in these cameras
Not really, they can use the same flashes, memory cards and (mostly) lenses, but form factor, sensor, electronics, battery, viewfinder, IQ and video modes are different.
Looks like the “Leica approved” 25mm would be rather expensive and those looking for a cheaper option should wait for Sigma 🙁