For seven months now we are waiting for Panasonic’s official 12-35mm X lens release. We only saw prototype versions during the latest shows. Today a mysterious forum user from Mobile01 (Click here) posted a picture of a dissembled 12-35mm X lens. He didn’t unveil any info about the price and official release of the lens. All we know is that it has a constant f/2.8 aperture, a 0,25m close focus distance, Power O.I.S. and weather sealing. Panasonic didn’t go for a constant f/2.0 aperture because they wanted to keep a reasonable size. The [shoplink 25320 ebay]Olympus 14-35mm f/2.0 (here on eBay)[/shoplink] is indeed quite a big bigger.
And here is a mysterious part of the story: The same guy posted also the logo of Konica Minolta and said “it connects to the X lens picture“. Have no idea what he is referring to! Maybe some special feature of Konica is coming with the Panasonic lens? Do you have an idea what it could be?
Anyway, my guess (and hope) is that the lens will be officially announced right before the NAB show in April.
116 Responses
Please put it back together and give it to me!
hehehe 🙂
What kind of knucklehead tears apart a perfectly good lens???
Kesztio?
Most likely the guy has access to unmounted parts at the Panasonic factory or at some subcontractor.
Can’t wait for these lenses.
say hello to gh3 kit lens 🙂
T.
I doubt that,..
it’s already claimed as weather sealed, if it has powerzoom, that would be interesting.
Admin, are we absolutely sure that it is “only” 2.8 ? Or is there still a chance it will be 2.5 (like the 14 pancake which was supposed to be 2.8 and is actually 2.5)
I would love it so much… Because it’s much better than the olympus 12-50 but it’s 3 times its price.
Considering size, its 2.8 on 99%. Each 0.1 increase size a lot, in case of zooms.
“Because it’s much better than the olympus 12-50”?? It doesn’t exist yet! You are assuming it *will be* much better! :-). (Which perhaps is a fair assumption, but still an assumption.)
Also, where did 3 times the price comes from? I’m hoping it will be more like double the price for it to be at all tempting.
Sorry but I think you are dreaming if you think it will be only double the price of the Oly 12-50mm
Yes, I’ve seen the prototype a couple times in Japan. It’s always been labeled 2.8.
All I get from the link is a google translation of the site directory structure. In this 5 million item structure where does one find a disassembled lens, its not under M4/3 or panasonic?
Same here – I get the text, but no pictures.
Click on the green link within the first post to see the picture!
Go it. Panic over! Must have been some temporary demand on the server for some reason…
No green link on my monitor…
Maybe it needs calibration.
The topics, using google translate works bad on forum, use original site and search features 🙂
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=250&t=2635319
here the picture :
http://attach.mobile01.com/attach/201203/mobile01-2adf0ebf3dbd39f1b3789b5cc6ae5d99.jpg
In the reply, there is indeed a picture of a konica-minolta logo. I guess it’s sort of avatar/signature picture.
The link to the picture doesn’t work. There is always that “forbidden 403” message showing up.
Try now! it should work!
No, unfortunately not. Never mind! Hopefully, there will be more pictures available in the near future!
It implies that Olympus is going to be acquired by Panasonic, just like what Sony did to KM.
Interesting! Would LOVE this depending on the price. Have been fighting the desire for the Oly 12mm, and this would be very nice to have. I’ve been doing more run-n-gun video stuff, and some nice zoom lenses would be great to have.
Though I’d rather have the 35-100 w/ OIS.
A GH3 kit w/ both lenses would be tasty.
“announced right before the NAB show in April.”
Finally !! that would be great, I just hope it’s not more than 1000 euros otherwise I won’t consider it a second…
Looks like a great lens.
It is certainly only 2.8 to mirror cannons most popular 24-70 f2.8 L series.
You can bet the farm it’ll be the GH3 kit lens.
Kit? Doubt that, good days of Panasonic are long time over..
Only thing comparable to 24-70mm f2.8 is FOV. f2.8 DOF on m4/3 is unfortunately equiv. of f5.6 on FF. Thats why Olympus made f2 zooms, to have at least DOF equiv of f4 on FF.
To match 24-70mm f2.8 you would need 12-35mm f1.4 .. which is possible, but unlikely to happen (but that doesnt mean that for example Voigtlaender cant make it, they surely can.. just if they wanted to..).
“…you would need 12-35 mm f1.4…” — that is only correct when you talk about DOF. But for most users, I think the main reason for having aperture 2.8 in a zoom lens is to be able to shoot under low light conditions, and in that respect it is equivalent to a 24-70/2.8.
… except on a FF sensor you can use ISO values 4 times as high and have the same noise, because the sensor is four times as large…
I think progress on smaller sensors is outpacing larger sensors, making this not quit right… OMD (as is the nex 5n/7) looks only to be a stop behind most FF stuff.
From all the samples I have seen, the new Nikon and Canon FF cameras seem to be at least 2 stops ahead of the E-M5.
But they weigh two to three times as much, and they cost three to six times as much…
There is a point after which improvements in high ISO doesn’t matter. Our houses at night don’t get any darker. Heck the night doesn’t get any darker!
At night indoors, the EV is 5. You can shoot with a f/2.8, ISO 1600 at 1/60. Match it with a stabilization system and you’re set.
Outdoors at night under moonlight the EV is 0. With ISO 12800, 1/15s would work, and assuming the IBIS works fine, you can shoot at ISO 6400, 1/8s at f/2.8.
Now that is a sensible comment. If some of the others here would also get sensible?
But that’s the thing. At those shutter speed, you would only take picture of a still subject. As the sensor tech advances, there is the possibility of freezing motion at night. And I bet there would be some talented photographers out there would utilize that. To me, I have yet seen the need for that. Photography is all about creativity. So if the new tech can enable us to do something that we couldn’t before, I would embrace it.
Geez, what kind of pictures do some people take? Men in black fighting in a tunnel???
You need to decide when comparing body/lens combos, where to put the difference. Either you claim FF and m43 sensors equivalent, and make 2.8 lenses 5.6 lenses light wise, or you treat 2.8 lenses as 2.8 and claim 2 steps improvement in FF over m43. You can’t have both.
Totally agree. But it is kind of “one-eyed” to focus only on DOF (or only on max aperture). I would guess that for most users, the max aperture is mainly important when it comes to its light-collecting ability. My experience with e.g the 45/1.8 is that it is necessary to *step down* the aperture to 2.8 or something to get both eyes and nose tip of a person in focus.
Of course, in some cases a small DOF is interesting for artistic reasons — one should use some of the 0.95 lenses (or the Rodenstock 0.75 lens) for such cases, in my view.
Another important aspect: the Zuiko 300/2 is said to be super sharp from edge to edge at full opening, while e.g similar Nikon/Canon lenses need to be stepped down to around f=5 to achieve similar sharpness. Sharpness is another side of the max aperture question.
@nobody: except most FFs tend to push up the resolution to 24 or 36 Mpx, thus loosing some of the gain you suggest.
Except you have to stop down two stops to get similar DOF. And I have yet to see any really usable shots at ISO 25600 and up…..
Yes yes yes… $4000 FF bodies + $1500 lenses + deluxe tripod + deluxe everything will outperforms smaller sensor set up at equivalent FoV-DoF-Shutter speed.
So what?
I hope panasonic only mirror the zoom range and aperture, and not the price, the canon is 1100 euro 🙁
It looks nice, but I doubt it will be a kit lens. If it costs less than €1000, I will be positively surprised. E.g the Nikon 24-70/2.8 is — some €1500 or more.
Probably the price will be around USD1,100, based on the existing price of Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM.
The “green link” doesn’t work (403 forbidden). I am waiting for this lens badly! I hope it won’t exhibit the trouble of the other Panasonic X lenses. I will definitely wait for the first user reviews before buying this lens…
Since I have Oly 12-60, no native lens will beat it in near future. Pana 35-100 X looks more promising for MFT system.
Yes the 12-60 tells you every shot that you don’t need anything else. Mine is welded on the E-30. its little brother the 9-18 is glued to the EP2.
The 12-60 is overrated and slow, the panasonic leica 14-50 2.8 and the 11-22 are much better lenses
the 12-60 suits me it seems to find fast moving grand children very efficiently and has a bonus as being recognised as one of the best of its type. I am not interested in paying for a lens that has OIS built into the cost I already have that with IBIS, I will not buy the same thing over and over.
i have a bad feeling this lens is not weatherseal
Those two zooms look less and less appealing to me every time a new prime is announced. Currently I’m waiting for that 75 beauty. The 12-35 would require a very special optical design with lots of aspherical surfaces and ED glass to make its performance decent at wide apertures. It won’t be cheap. Definitely not a kit zoom. However, I suspect that the 35-100 will be the better off the two. Trouble is that a pair of faster, sharper prime lenses in the same range would make more sense to many.
I don’t think that is a matter of either primes or zooms. My 20mm f1.7 and my 45mm f1.8 will be a great supplement to these two f2.8 zooms.
If i had the £££ I’de take one of everything 🙂
absolutely! I had almost stopped using my 24-70 and 70-200 canons in favour of the faster primes when I used the ff gear. now with mft format fast lenses are even more important if you like some separation in your pics, I’d rather have a 12mm, 25mm, 45mm and a 75mm than the 2 ‘x’ zooms anyday!
Maybe rather than disassembled, it could be the lens housing pre assembly. Could this mean production has started and it will be available a short time after the April event? Maybe Pana have learn’t a lesson from Apple, make the product available 14 or so days after introduction 🙂
Exactly, since looking at the Konica Minolta website, they do lot’s of sub-assemblies for other companies systems, including DSC.
In the same manner that Sanyo did lots of subcontracted work for Olympus, perhaps the same goes for Konica Minolta doing this work for Panasonic!
I hear rumors on Konica Minolta, perhaps a reincarnation of the Konica Hexar AF is in the works? Under their own brand, probably not? Who else? If not Panasonic, then perhaps Leica?
http://www.cameraquest.com/konhex.htm
Because of the sensor size it would be possible to make a f2.0 zoom lens for a reasonable price. I have enough small lenses I just want something awesome.
though i feel the importance of a 2.8 12-35, i wished they went the 2.0 route
Agree. I guess not so worried about the 12-35… but on the 35-100, would like the ability to go a bit wider.
But tend to agree with Sneye.. I’m loving primes on m43s. Just a pity they’re not weather sealed 🙁
Yes only 60mm F2.8 macro now, but i think the will come more primes, and also a telezoom lens to next year, so is weather sealed.
…But are you prepared to pay $2,500 US / €1,900 for an f/2.0 lens ???
Because that is what the Olympus 14-35mm f/2.0 lens costs, and a Panasonic at f/2.0 would cost just as much.
I think size has nothing to do with the f/2.8 lens speed, but rather cost is why this lens is f/2.8.
Going by how Canon / Nikon price their 17-55mm f/2.8 standard zoom lenses, this Panasonic lens will likely be priced in the $1,200 – $1,500 range.
I will never buy zooms,i just think m43 needs a few zooms like the f2 versions for FT as their high end offerings. ofcourse they will be expensive and people will start complaining again as usual. but with cameras like the om-d and future panasonics, they will sell better then the FT range
I just wandering somehow if Panna/Oly would come up with different Zoom than its normal Patern ,.since we already have 7-14 ,.why don’t we ask for 14-50 F2 and 50-200 F/2 or 2.5 constant aperture ,.we do not need to follow the same path/patern of FF [35mm],.just like APS-c with17-55. anyway we are M43,..wehave the advantage of BEING SMALL ,.and i don’t mind if will get LITTLE BIT BIGGER -FOR A SAKE OF QUALITY,..,.or maybe NEW TRINITY zoom FOV 8-17mm + 17-50mm +50-200mm ,.all with constant aperture and weather sealed,..
WE ARE MICRO 43 ,.WE ARE DIFFERENT ,.. WE DON’T NEED TO FOLLOW UNDER THE SHADOW OF FULL FRAME ,.
pardon my english,..lol
I rather prefer a lens that I am able to carry with me without breaking my back and/or requiring a tripod. For really low light situations there are always the primes…
The aperture was marked as “under consideration”, so F2.8 is not definite. Although, with high ISO performance of E-M5 ( and presumably all future m4/3 cameras ), I think it’s enough. F2.8 ISO 3200 should be OK for most situations.
Please have power zoom, otherwise there’s no benefit over primes for video
Umm… The fact that in can zoom at all is a benefit over primes is it not?
I wonder whether the item that has been dismantled is in fact the mock up of the lens that has been at various imaging shows.
I would certainly be interested in this as a weathersealed standard lens, providing the price was reasonable. I see the latest Canon 24-70 f2.8L weighs about 800g and is on sale in the UK at around £2000. If Panasonic could make the 12-35 F2.8 at about half the weight and less than half the price of the Canon, it could be worthwhile.
I don’t suffer from a fixation about obtaining a narrow depth of field or an urge to multiply everything by 2. What I would be looking for from such a lens is a useable F2.8 with excellent performance at medium apertures of around f4.0 to f5.6.
It’s not the same mockup. The mockup had stickers on it for the FL etc, this looks properly screen printed graphics.
Probably found it Ina dumpster.
That was the joke the original poster made. He litteraly said, Accidently kicked something which were laying on the ground.
The 12-35mm lens have to be F2.0 otherwise I can’t see it as a highend lens . Expensive & big , no problem we want huge aperature & that’s is why M4/3 need it ( fast aperature ) to excel . F2.8 is not sufficient , any APS Cmos rivals easily beat it with it’s famous lens without doubt . Unless there is new m4/3 sensor technology coming in otherwise F2.8 is hard to compete .
Who is “we”? 😉
APSC will always be 1 stop better than m43. If you need that stop in High ISO or DR, go APSC, m43 will never be for you.
Actually for indie video it’s often helpful to be able to shoot at f2.8 WITHOUT over-thin DoF, which is a bit of a fad to be honest – with fullframe, if you need moderate DoF you have to stop down more and you consequently need to be able to afford more powerful lighting.
I second that. When filming, I usually strive for more DoF at wide open apertures.
Dunno how the google translates, but the Chinese above the picture reads:
“this is what i kick on while walking on the street today”. 🙂
The person who posted the pictures(fragile sky), said that while walking on the street, he found this little round thing (the x lens part).
Some forum people casually remarked that they didn’t unite believe him that he had such luck.
Then fragilesky posted another picture of KM, and asked, or wondered if there is any connection between the 2.
I bet that’s off my lens. I always get things with something missing or about to drop off.
have anyone try Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 mkII with any Oly PEN series ??
E-P3 more preferable…E-M5 event better 🙂
keep finding that 14-54 is the only 43 lense that CDAF ready but still can’t find any good user review…most of the comment only “i’ve use it and it’s great” kinda thing
if you can share some link to review & photos (like robin or stevehuff blog) much appreciated…thanks before
From personal experience, Mark I isn’t any good, takes 2-3 seconds to focus.
From these videos, it seems MK II does much better, roughly on par with the 20mm f/1.7 on my E-P1.
http://youtu.be/QfFQ6hreu1M
http://youtu.be/vbe8-U9rv5c
The 40-150 (second series) is CDAF ready too, isn’t it? I have it and it works reasonably well on my Pen E-P1. Not fast, but hopefully it will be a little faster on the E-M5.
These 4/3 lenses are CDAF compatible:
http://www.olympus.co.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/compati/di004043e.cfm
Except for some apparently buggy camera focus firmware behavior at 14mm (no such problem in GH2) Leica D 14-150mm actually focuses at quite impressive speed in E-P3/E-M5 for non-native lens.
@Esa: did you have time to check the 14-54 ii on a CDAF camera? Someone on this forum suggested its focus speed on e.g PENs was similar to that of the Panasonic 20/1.7; if true, this certainly would make it interesting.
I don’t have 14-54, just 12-60.
Yes. It’s true (with E-P3).
thx sneye for confirming on E-P3
hopefully somebody get the chance to mount it on E-M5 soon
@reza…thx…that youtube is enough
i’m considering it to be my traveling lens, f/2.8-3.5 will be sweet…the new X lens 12-35 & 35-100 f/2.8 will be toooo expensive for me
And now we present the Tamron Adaptall 3 range. A series of lenses designed for V1, 4/3 m4/3 canon G1, c mount and a new format from XXXX. These lenses will cover a range of 8mm up to 200mm (8-20, 18-75, 60-150 among others) in constant f stop zooms. A range of primes from 10mm to 150mm at F1.4 or F2.8 will be available as will some super primes at F1.1 and F1.2 with built in ND switchable.
As with earlier Adaptall lenses a range of adapters will be available to mount the lenses on the different brands. Electronic connection will be also managed by the adapter, allowing 85% of automatic lens/body functionality (which will suit most users). For those requiring 100 functionality a plug in module to the lens itself will be available. The lenses will cost between half and 2/3 of the manufacturers lenses and have a world wide warranty for 5 years (exchange at point of repair)
any web link to this news, JimD ?
dreams can’t be linked 🙁
Yea I seen the shoot of the 8mm to 20mm zoom on pen3. f1.4 unbelevble. also on new olympus, go home canon, nikon and rest blow away leica
Frend have shoot with new olympus he say olynpus send camera for test with new lens in janrury. He say combo best on sale anywer. if robin have this lens to show on his web all rest get blown up all rest will be not for sale any longer.
Here’s something interesting I noted. In the picture above, the ’12-35′ numbering is properly printed as opposed to a labelled sticker they used in the mock-ups at the previous photography exhibitions.
http://2.s.img-dpreview.com/files/news/3510861145/PanasonicConceptLenses.jpg?v=1323
Nokton 17.5mm F0.95
Release date in Japan is April 29.
http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/v-lens/micro-ft/17.5mm0.95.html
I take a look at the original post. The poster actually says he picked it up at road side. I am very curious, where is that road?
I got the feeling from the comments that he found it on the side of the road. Perhaps the rest of the lens is still lying in the gutter.
Was there a picture of all the parts or just this round piece?
Can’t wait to stick this lens on a E-M5….
The Olympus 14mm-35mm f/2.0 is not kind of big but quite expensive.
It s bigger and heavier than a similar ff lens
The question is – how good optically it will be?
How many in-body correction has Panas planned.
Lenses from Panas are usually with chromatic aberration and distorsion corrected in Panas bodies. Such lenses are not so good for Oly bodies as for Panas. If you have PEN or OM-D value of such lens is lower for you. The value is bigger if you are using G2, GH2, GX1…
Oly shoud create version for micro43 of his best lenses for 4/3 – 14-52 f/2.8-3.5 and 50-200 f/2.8-3.5. This lenses have the best factor value/price.
Mabye a little darker (f/2.8-4?), mabye not so long (14-35, 70-200) to keep small size. Cheaper and lighter and smaller then Panazooms f/2.8, without IS and optically very good.
Oly should just be able to correct this stuff in-camera. m43 is one system, this should really be no big deal.
Distortion will be corrected in Oly cameras, but not CA. Why Oly insists on limiting its camera’s capabilities in this way I just don’t understand.
At least CA is easier to correct in post.
35-100 f/2.8 would be much more interesting
especially there is no prime covering 100mm @ f/2.8 at the moment
(I know 75 f/1.8 is coming….)
anyway, I hope panasonic would release a 50mm f/1.4 OIS or 50mm f/2 OIS pancake……..
Why have Pana not released the two zooms earlier? Maybe they will do it together with that “very high end” camera?
35 – 100mm or Oly 75mm? Wish the Oly was 100mm.
A Pana camera with next generation sensor + a HQ 35-100 (or 75mm) is what can make me stay in m43.
Maybe they are trying to fix the problems they were having with the other X lenses…
I agree; both X zooms are weather sealed….they need a weather sealed camera, which will be GH3, obviously!
Viral marketing gets weirder every day! I hope they bring them on quickly.
crop x2 gives easy access to equivalent of long lenses
but there is no good opticaly tele in micro43
only dark 45-175, 45-200, 45-150, 70-300, 100-300
Oly should make something like 90-250 f/2.8 from old 4/3
but darker, cheaper and smaller, maybe 100-250 f/4?
there is excellent 70-200 f/4 (with and withou IS) in Canon FF system – such lens, but smaller and cheaper, withou IS, will be useful tele in m43 (equiv. 140-400 f/4) with the same (or better) quality than 70-200 f/4L in Canon
+1
LOL i just realized this isn’t the lens hood 😀
I really like the apparent quality machined metal on this part of the lens compared to plastic bodies on most other m4/3 lenses.
I also noted that the X marking is missing from the markings, maybe because of the initial problems reported on the first compact X series lenses? However I note the OIS power zoom is shown. Isn’t this the same as that used on the first X lenses and hopefully any problems corrected or addressed?
As some assumed from the picture that this was the whole lens, wouldn’t that have been nice if they had managed to create this wider faster zoom lens in same size, design as the X 14-42? Just dreaming.
Pick two: small, inexpensive, high quality.
hope they release this soon, want a fast zoom for running and gunning. thinking about switching to om-d just for ibis, but i love my hacked gh2.