The Olympus 40-150mm PRO zoom lens that will be announced tomorrow will be the best Olympus zoom lens ever made (Source: Digicameinfo). The Optical performance is said to exceed those of the best Four Thirds zoom like the [shoplink 25119 ebay]Olympus 35-100mm f/2.0[/shoplink]. These are the google translated 40-150mm PRO specs:
ED40-150mm F2.8 PRO
– Optical performance that exceeds the SHG Four Thirds
– The use Super ED lens, ED lens, HD lens, the lens EDA
– ZERO coating
– Powerful dust and water performance
– Equipped with an evolved version of the MSC “DUAL VCM focus system”
– AF motor, use a linear motor of two
– Focusing floating method
– Minimum focusing distance 70cm throughout the entire zoom range
– Manual focus clutch mechanism
– Equipped with function button “L-Fn”. Can be assigned various functions such as AF stop
– Exclusive hood that can slide storage is included.
1.4x Teleconverter MC-14
– As “ED40-150mm F2.8 PRO”, “ED300mm F4 PRO” dedicated
– Thin 14.7mm
– The barrel is made of metal
– Lens configuration (one HR lens) six three groups
– Dust and water resistance to low temperature
Announcement tomorrow (Monday Sept 15) at 9:00 Photokina-Köln time! Panasonic announcement will be at 14:00!
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FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
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FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
84 Responses
“Highest optical zoom” does not make sense.
The lens elements are coated with THC.
But it’s dope, man!
he’s probably trying to say “fastest zoom lens”.
No.
“Highest optical quality zoom lens” makes perfect sense.
A number of the bullet points for this lens appear to have been translated via Google or some other robotic tool. Just rearrange things a bit, and you’ll have a better read.
So, “Exclusive hood that can slide storage is included” probably means “Includes lens-specific hood that slides / retracts for convenient storage.”
can anybody tell me what is the thing at the lower left? thank you in advance
Are you making reference to the lens? If so then it would be a 60mm f2.8 macro lens with hood.
oh! thanks d so much!
wonder if it would outperform Pana 100-300mm coupled with 1.4x converter in terms of reach, sharpness and speed?
Well it will outperform it in terms of speed and I suspect quality but 150mm x 1.4 x 2 x crop factor only gets you to 420mm [FF equiv AOV] , whereas the Panasonic goes to 600mm [FF equiv AOV
The copy of the 100-300 I had was soft and flat from 200-300mm, even stopped down. If Olympus claims that this lens is of higher quality than the SHG zooms are true, it would be safe to bet that cropping to make up the difference would get you shots at least as good, if not sharper, than the 100-300 at it’s long end. The contrast, colors, and saturation should be much better at about any focal length, if Oly’s claims of quality prove true.
It’s kind of a bummer that m43 doesn’t have an equal to the old 4/3 Olympus 70-300. That lens was sharp through it’s range, and a tremendous macro lens to boot. It was one of the most universally loved lenses for the system, and with good reason. It makes me wish Sigma would make a few dedicated zooms for m43, to up the ante for Panny/Oly.
That Oly 70-300 lens was probably made by Sigma anyhow as it is the same optics as theirs.
I really doubt that. Remember that Sigma was at the height of it’s quality control issues when 4/3 was current. I don’t recall any complaints of sample variation about the 4/3 70-300, which would have certainly been the case if Sigma was making them back then.
That’s not to clown Sigma, they seem to have worked things out, and I would buy one of their current m43 lenses if I didn’t already have the focal lengths covered, as they are really fantastic deals. I’d also love to see them build a foveon sensor for m43 some day, but that’s probably just a pipe dream.
It sure as heck better out perform the 100-300 – that lens is good for what it is, but no great performer. The 4/3 50-200mm is a much, much, much better lens (I own both) so if the new lens is better than that.
I hope so, the 100-300mm is a rather soft and blurry lens at 300mm.
That would be quite an achievement for though very large and heavy relative to the sensor size , not forgetting pretty expensive the SHG zooms are of superb quality. As I dont really shoot over 200mm [ FF equiv AOV] very often it is not rally for me but it looks to be an amazing bit of kit at a not unreasonable price.
The 35-100mm F2 still sells at near £2000 new here in the UK. Which is about £400 more than the Nikon 70-200mm VRII and a whopping £1400 more than the more similar axtual focal length Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 EX DC APO OS
Has anyone leaked how much it weighs? The fact that the tripod mount seems to be non-removable makes me worry it might not be hand-holdable unless you’re really friendly with kettle bells…
Seriously? You worry about that? It isn’t heavy or large at all. If you can’t hold 12-40mm then this is over your league. Otherwise no problems.
And it is removable. Look at it. You can see the thumbscrew to release it or change its side.
14-35/2.0 and 35-100/2.0 had about 1.9 ratio so 750-800g is pretty close.
not so bad as long as you rotate the tripod mount away.
It’s removable.
This bodes well for the 300mm f4 lens. It looks like they developed new dual AF motors for these long telephotos. I wonder if body firmware changes are required to handle this?
Highest optical quality doesn’t really say much, given Olympus’ awful history when it comes to lenses.
Need a hug?
Sad attempt at trolling
Not as awful as your history when it comes to making quality photographs.
Ah-hahahahahahaha!
What a bold claim with this new lens , exceeding SHG lenses in optical performance ?
F2.8 better than F2.0 ?
Interesting for me to follow up this matter . Might have desire to get it if it really perform extraordinarily since I don’t have any zoom lens in my collection .
Still I feel that the real selling point of this lens is at it’s max tele , 150mm F2.8 , at 40mm F2.8 not useable to me at all .
What does the max aperture have to do with optical quality?
Compared to a less fast lens it is considerably more difficult to design a faster lens that is optically of the same quality as the slower lens. This is reflected in weight and price.
Nothing wrong with optical performance or if got it just minor different .
Is about bokehlicious , the most important element in a tele lens shooting .
To shoot with this lens in 40mm F2.8 for a portrait , I rather go for the 45mm F1.8 to do the job .
Yun sometimes has a special way to talk or compare lenses 🙂
“Minimum focusing distance 70cm throughout the entire zoom range” thats 0.38X at the tele end. Wow!
Pana really have to come up something very special if it really want to be player in such focal length .
Where is the respond of the long time missing 150mm F2.8 ???
It’s possible that the 150mm 2.8 was slashed because it didn’t offer very much over the 40-150mm. Tells you how good the Oly must be.
Yes , very likely .
Moreover the cost of this new lens if reported is true is reasonable .
Pana if involve can’t offer this kind price .
WhetherSeal + Exceeding SHG lenses performance = less than Nocticron price
Worth it !
you forgot the Nocticron is a f/1.2 class lens? and we have to see the price of the zoom tomorrow.
Looks like it’s $1500 US, if that store that jumped the gun is correct. I sure do lust over the nocticron, but given you could get this lens and the new TC for almost the same price, it’s pretty obvious which represents a better value, or at least more versatility overall. Not that it’s direct competition, but it is one more native lens offering a 40-45mm fl, which only makes it harder for some folks to justifiy the investment in the nocticron. Of course on the other hand, anyone looking to keep a compact kit might consider the nocticron huge, and as big as they want to go, let alone this mini bazooka. I’m just glad to have more native options, whatever they may be, especially telephoto ones. 😀
hmmm..if this lens is to be considered as an alternative for a nocticron(I am sorry, but it read it like that), then imo the considerator needs to realise first what he or she wants. Not that i find the 40-150 uninteresting. It’s just weird that 2 total different lenses are mentioned in one storyi n a way shown here (thx Yun lol).
LOL considerator. Good one.
There is a lot of people here compare lenses in it’s price tag so I have to follow with the trade regardless type of lens . Again If I have to pick between the Nocticron or this new lens , you should know Nocticron is my pick for sure .
I’m not a fan of zoom lenses but really impress if this new Oly lens beat the great SHG lenses in performance & price tag .
Keep dreaming. A 150mm prime lens is a very niche focal length, plus expensive.
Sad day when people think a lens is so good, from a spec sheet and not real world use.
Um, Panny doesn’t have to. They have the stellar 35-100mm 2.8.
Really, this lens has to be MUCH better than the 35-100mm to warrant the price. Many shooters picked up the 12-35/35-100 combo mostly for the GH3/GH4.
With O.I.S. on the lenses, smaller, and also the added feature of fine tuning with newer Panasonic bodies, makes this lens specifically for Olympus camera users.
Panasonic needs to keep doing what they do best. Provide great primes and smaller (aside from the GH) cameras with full features.
It is also the first Oly lens that doubles as a thermo mug!
That’s funny stuff. It should come with a thermos styled lens sock, for comedy sake.
I hope they also announce the development of a compact 8mm!
I hope that too but I guess we´ll have to buy the Oly 7-14 instead^^
If Oly ZD set out to outperform the 35-100/2 with the new 40-150/2.8, why didn’t they do the same with the 12-40/2.8 wrt to the 14-35/2?
maybe simply it was not their goal at that time or even more harder to reach? Anyway the 35-100 was known to beat high end 70-200 zooms from both Nikon & Canon, in line with the philiosophy of the SHG series back then.
The 12-40 design represents a 3.3:1 ratio, while the 14-35 is only a 2.5:1 ratio—so in that respect the 12-40 is a more difficult design to optimize for ultimate sharpness. Still, I would love a standard zoom the matches/exceeds the 14-35/2 in overall sharpness. What can I say? I’m greedy!!! 😉
I wonder if this “highest optical quality” also includes leaving distortions uncorrected, as is usually the case with zooms from Panasonic and Olympus.
Doubtful, but it’s the results that matter, right?
Probably. Prepare for uncrisp pictures, especially in the corners, where everyone seems to look so badly nowadays.
Lens is massive.
No it is not.
If you don’t think this lens is massive for a system known for compact, lightweight lenses then you need to be better at life. This thing is massive.
Show me another 80-300 f/2.8 lens that’s this small. “Compact” and “lightweight” are relative terms.
Hopefully, Oly ZD tweaks the design of the 75/1.8 to a PRO version (i.e., dust-proof, splash-proof, freeze-proof) that is matched with the new 1.4 teleconverter. That would allow for a hybrid 105/2.5 combo. The 60/2.8 macro can also stand a minor tweak to add freeze-proof capability to make it fully PRO. 1.4 TC matching with the 60/2.8 macro would yield a 84/4.0 combo.
That would be pretty awesome (75 Pro). Especially since I haven’t got the current 75, but I’m sure others with that one would not want a replacement.
I just don’t understand how Oly ZD can design a medium tele prime without planning for some kind of 1.4 TC compatibility. I realize that the 1.4 TC wasn’t completed until this year, but aren’t they suppose to be thinking ahead?
Who knows? Maybe they will release a 75/1.4 PRO with 1.4 TC compatibility. That would yield a 105/2 combo.
Sorry, but the carpet on that pic isn’t nice.
This retailer jumped the gun on the announcement:
http://www.precision-camera.com/olympus-m-40-150mm-f-2-8-pro/
Shoot… It looks like its 72mm filter thread.
That store is offering 72mm filters as a suggested purchase…
I was hoping for 67mm.
For those complaining about how “huge” and “heavy” the lens looks… That link has this in the description:
“At less than two pounds and a constant 6.2-inch length (lens movement is internal), the 40-150mm f2.8 PRO combines with OM-D or PEN camera bodies to create a very stable shooting platform.”
For comparison, the 12-40 is 3.31″ and 13.47oz. So the 40-150 will be a little less than 2x as long and 2x the weight. I admit some think the 12-40 is huge for a m4/3 lens, and it is, but it’s still really small compared to APSC and FF DSLR lenses.
Additional points of comparison:
Panasonic 35-100 is 3.9″ long and weighs 12.7oz.
The 100-300 is 4.96″ and 1.14lb.
Olympus 75-300 is 4.59″ and 14.92 oz.
Finally, the 4/3 50-200 is 6.18″ and 2.19lb.
So the 40-150 will be very similar in size, but weighs more than the 50-200.
I can’t wait to mount a GM5 to this Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8lens… Er, I mean, mount this to the new GM5! 😉
This is good to hear. However, the optical quality not only needs to be stellar, but many orders of magnitude greater than the existing 40-150mm for users that don’t need the larger aperture. Simply put, the old 40-150mm can be had for a mere $100, so this lens, along with the much-appreciated speed, will have to be overwhelmingly better in optical quality to be worth its high price.
Firstly, it doesn’t have a high price. Compare it to the equivalent Nikon 70-200 f/2.8, which costs USD $2,396.95 … or the Canon 70-200 f/2.8, which is priced at USD $2,299.00.
Secondly, it offers much greater range than either of those two lenses, probably with as good as, or better optical quality … and all the other attendant features.
True, if you compare solely by focal length, then it doesn’t seem so expensive. However, you also need to consider that there is much less optical glass being used to cover a MFT sensor than full frame. That said, all MFT lenses should be cheaper than similar full frame counterparts.
Now, what if we compare to the existing 40-150mm? That lens is actually a great deal of glass for the mere $100 you pay.
That just shows you can’t simply compare weight of glass used, there is way more to the price than simply weight. For me personally internal zoom is more important than extra size or cost.
Your logic is flawed. Leica M lenses are tiny and use “less glass”, but they are hardly less expensive. Optical glass design performance favors quality, not quantity.
“It’s just your jive talkin’ telling me lies”
Another reason it has to be many multiples is because it is much heavier than the current 40-150, or even the current 75-300
Most people don’t need this lens. Those that do, have no question about it’s value at the expected price and performance. If you really are comparing this in your mind to a 40-150 kit lens based on an old 4/3 design, you just aren’t getting it. It really seems like you want this performance, but you expect it to magically be the size and price of a kit lens based on an old 4/3 design(admittedly great kit lens design). It’s just not going to happen(as per the laws of physics, and the reality of paying off the cost of new lens design vs recycling/updating old kit lens design), and if you keep expecting Pro equipment at basic kit pricing and sizing, you will continue to be butt hurt by the whole situation.
I think 35-100mm F2.0 is a better point of comparison. If this new lens even touches the SHG 35-100, it will become an instant classic – the drools of photographers will be observed worldwide.
Already put in my order at the local camera shop.
Still software-based?
Wonder when the Arca-Swiss foot will be part of the design? So easy. Is it a patent issue??
They wouldn’t sell nearly as many plates if the dovetails were built in. Accessories, the GOTCHA of the entire hobby…
Indeed. However, SIGMA has it built in some lens foot, and Olympus gets no kick back from RRS, K, Wimb or other parties. It’s really a no brainer, a plus in the design. AFAIK, Oly does not make plates.
The only issue would occur with those user that have a non standard RRS lever release, all the other regular clamps would work.
I just wouldn’t expect it from Olympus. How long have they been raping us for hoods that should have been included?
This looks extremely promising…will order the kit with 1.4 TC later today.
Now bring on the 1.2 (or faster) AF, sealed, prime lenses AND some specialty lenses, longer FL macros, fish-eye, tilt-shift.
If even 80% of rumours prove accurate…MFT will gain some much needed momentum.
P.S. Olympus please, I dream of:
1) high power, off-camera, radio TTL flash with high speed sync
2) On-camera trigger (for the above plus existing FL-R flashes) with AF illuminator and flash-head for fill-in flash (tiltable for bounce flash scenarios)
3) Radio-based receiver for existing FL-R flashes so they can work alongside the new flash(es).
Thank You
OK. I’m awake now.
I’m excited. I just pre-ordered.