The spectacular f/1.0 MFT lens patent from Olympus (article here).
Pen And Tell interviewed Mr Terada from Olympus. Here are the translated key info:
– Olympus will keep the three lines of OMD cameras
– release cycle between cameras will become longer
– Olympus recognize the need of very fast aperture lenses
– 4K will not come on the E-m1. But maybe on future cameras (on previous Pen And Tell post)
Sounds all goot to me! Can’t wait to see that patented 12 or 14mm f/1.0 lens 🙂
Olympus preorders:
Silver E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus. In Europe at Wex UK.
40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus. In Europe at Wex UK.
LH-76 lens hood at Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
MC-14 1.4x teleconverter at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
PRF-ZD62 Z protection filter at Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
PRF-ZD72 Z protection filter at Adorama, Bhphoto, GetOlympus.
General links to all new Olympus stuff at Adorama.
ALL new stuff announced at Photokina at Amazon.
Panasonic preorders:
LX100 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto. Europe at WexUK.
GM5 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto. Europe at WexUK.
GM5 in red at Adorama.
35-100mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
163 Responses
Those aren’t really the first two fast aperture primes I was waiting for, but that may be just me…. (?)
Yeah, a 7mm F1.2 would be nice. But in general I’m not that into fast ultra wides. For the moment I have almost no work in the area where this would be useful to me. The F2.0 aperture is more than enough for me.
Would love a 7m f1.2
I like the philosophy of a two-tier lens line-up.
Good tier – Small, slow, cheap
God tier – Larger, fast, expensive
There are better systems for “God tier”, with proper usability, proper sensors etc.
Not me either…
25mm and 43mm, 67mm ones would be my best guesses…
But then all these will probably be more in line with PRO line cause they will
1. negate the DOF control benefit of bigger sensors, while,
2. giving us the needed low ISO advantage to be on par in noise and DR to larger sensors in same situations.
3. bigger advantage will be a high shutter speed, that larger sensor systems cannot obtain in same situations, even with their primes.
All that combined with IBIS will make it really sweet!
A better question that should have been put to Terada would have been why do you not provide a 25p frame rate on the E-M5 and E-m1 when so much of the world uses 50hz power?
4k, 4k, blah blah 4k…
Yes. I always hear argument that it doesn’t matter because TVs everywhere can display 60Hz. But 70 percent of the world has 50 Hz and broadcast TV is 25p/50i. It’s not easy to convert 30p to 25p without terrible jumpiness. And then when you film light, it flickers. So Olympus caters to part Japanese and North America only. This in contrast to Panasonic who caters to the world.
Every TV can replay 30fps.
The problem is not in the replay possibilities, the problem is in RECORDING.
In 70% of the world countries (almost all in EU) use 50Hz electricity grid. That means the lights (other than old light bulbs) flicker 50 times per second. And recording video with 30fps in 1/30 framerate capures that flicker. Sure we can try to use anti-flicker feature that makes recording acceptable for some merits but it is still there. So every indoor/outdoor where are fluorescent lights will flicker.
Playback not problem, recording is.
Playback can also be a problem, depending on what media you want to distribute your footage on, or whether it is supposed to be broadcast on TV or shown in cinemas.
You are not filming a movie theater videos with these cameras. Even when OM-D and PEN cameras has been used on many Hollywood movies (like coming Mad Max 4) it isn’t a problem to have 30fps, only for amateurs it is a problem.
Today movies are recorded in 60 or even 100 FPS. Not a single Panasonic camera can do that. 24fps isn’t required at all and 25 is only for PAL TV if using a old CRT or early LCD televisions.
Today most videos are on web and at home screens. There 30fps is perfect. Better than 24 by look and usable framerate. But problem is only the recording with the refresh rate of lights. Nothing else is a problem.
I myself probably won’t ever be filming movie theater videos with any camera whatsoever, but I wasn’t thinking of movies anyway, I rather was thinking about ads for small theaters.
Ads don’t need to be 24p, neither do feature films these days.
That’s what I said. You’re just repeating what I said, but more wordy.
In fact Japan itself is utilizing 50Hz mains in some regions along with 60Hz in others.
Wow. Thank you for your tip. That’s something I didn’t know before.
Multiple frame rates and higher bitrate codec. Would be plenty.
Oh, and 0 sec anti-shutter shock in drive modes 🙂
Again a grossly misleading, much too optimistic headline. The text says that Olympus is “working on other products”, not just the 7-14 and the 300mm, and that Mr. Terada said that they “understood the need for fast lenses”. He didn’t say or imply such lenses were “in the works”, and he didn’t say “primes”, and he didn’t say “very” fast, either.
Olympus has a long record of assuring the world that they’d “understand” the need for things, like compact, fast primes for Four Thirds, which had been hoped for since Four Thirds began in 2003, but they never came. I believe in those new, “fast primes” for MFT when I see them. And if and when they come, let’s hope they’ll deliver good image quality, too, since that, too, is one of those promises not all existing MFT lenses can keep, not even all of the more pricey ones.
maybe Terada meant to say he will work on a portion of puffer fish roe sacs 🙂
1.it good,better than panny please keep all line,panny cut off line that none profit ,shame they lose good series G line.
2.nice ,don’t release camera likes sony ,sometime call gabage cams.
3.one year update ,super fast aperture such as 12-40mm,notice panny will update 12-35mm
next year i believe.(shorter and smaller ,high quality optic than predecessor) .
4.try redo pixel quality,bandwidth & hdmi options on FHD before 4K that good reason.
Good to hear Olympus is working on faster, high-quality, PRO-style primes. These lenses should also be weather sealed if they are to be in the same class as their other weather-sealed products.
Based on their existing prime collection, however, I’m afraid their PRO primes will be prohibitively expensive to most users. The existing 12mm is an f/2 lens and was listed at a crazy $900 when it debuted. Given that a 12mm f/1 would transmit 4 times more light, include much more glass and will likely be much larger in size with a more complex design, I am fearful of what it’d cost to obtain one.
CA feast, bulk and high prices. Excellent. Let’s sink the boat, it’s crrap anyway.
Again: this is not what this system needs. Whoever wants F1 can buy equivalent FF lenses for a fraction of the price, put them on a matching camera and get better results.
Olympus should focus on F2 primes and fixing the numerous quality issues. Not so sexy, but good to retain their surviving handful of customers.
I agree.
That being said, there are good f/2 (1.8) lenses available, 12, 25, 45, 75 primes.
Olympus should be careful not to price it self out the market. Need to watch that.
It’s already priced out of the market, and it is stubbornly clinging to silly prices. It can only go down I am afraid.
Perhaps
Olympus Primes are fast, high quality, light, well-built and sharp.
Unlike its cameras they hold their value and in my opinion not overly expensive.
I own most of the primes and zoom Zuiko lenses and never had any “quality issues”
Looks like another Canon fan boy teaching Olimpus. What do you mean “quality issues”?
It’s not your personal preferences which define what the system needs. The fact that even though they’re manual, Voigtländer/Cosina continue to maintain and add to their f/0.95 line of MFT lenses (latest addition being the brand new 10.5mm f/0.95) ought to be enough to prove that there is a demand, even if a lens like the 10.5mm f/0.95 is slightly larger and probably more expensive than the only existing equivalent FF lens, the Ultron 21mm f/1.8 for M-Mount. In this case, you cannot even get a similar lens for any DSLR system.
AF-capable f/1 primes for MFT would be welcome indeed – but, so far I agree, that shouldn’t keep Olympus from offering more f/2 lenses or from fixing their quality issues the existence of which I won’t deny in any way.
Sigma 20mm f1.8.
Both ‘Tom’ and ‘Harry’ both used and misspelled ‘crap’? But they both have lots of anonymous up votes, so both individuals must be super smart and popular.
But neither of these totally different people are shooting medium format.
Stop wasting our time with your tiny full frame sensors, both of you completely separate posters.
That goes for you too, misspelled ‘Diick’ and ‘Observer’ who both posted within minutes of each other. Go medium or go home.
Or at least go back to Canon 🙂
Do you know what we shoot? Hint: you could not lift it, poofster.
‘We’?
And how do you know what those other completely separate individuals shoot?
“recognizing the need for fast aperture lenses” is not the same as “working on fast aperture lenses”. Reading comprehension still not admin’s strength.
That said, I doubt that Olympus would bring us f/1.0 lenses. Maybe matching 1.2 for the 1.8, but even that may not be worth the effort.
Yes , me too doubt over Oly’s claim for a F1.0 autofocusing lens .
If really such ultra fast lens did created , it likely from Pana .
You too doubt? Great… Sigh.
For me, the idea of fast primes implies primes that are faster than their PRO zoom trifecta. It can mean F/2 primes or anything else faster. I expect Oly ZD to make a super tele prime of F/2 or faster—say, a 150/1.8. If they can produce a µ4:3 40-150/2.8 zoom with a flatter MTF curve than the 4:3 150/2, they can produce a µ4:3 prime that is faster and boasts a flatter MTF curve than their upcoming zoom.
The sharpest lens in the 4:3 SHQ lineup was the 300/2.8—at least it boasted the flattest MTF curve. It remains to be seen whether Oly ZD can top that curve with the one from the upcoming 300/4 PRO. Nevertheless, it would not surprise me in the least to see them release a 300/2.8 PRO somewhere down the lens roadmap.
They also need a PRO version of their 75/1.8 medium tele prime. This is a great lens for portraits, stage/theater work, photojournalism, even street/candid work. A version compatible with the MC14 would produce a 105/2.5 combo. If they can tweak the design to a PRO 75/1.4 without making it too bulky, we would have a 105/2.0 combo!
The 60/2.8 macro is the sharpest of their non-PRO lenses. It only needs to be rendered freeze-proof and, perhaps, provided with a metal chassis to achieve PRO status. However, I can see myself buying this lens early without waiting for a PRO version. Still, this is a medium tele macro.
Olympus has a short but glorious tradition of incredibly sharp short tele macros—beginning with the 90/2 macro (my former favorite lens!) to the 4:3 50/2 (which has been outclassed sharpness-wise by the incumbent 60/2.8 macro). A few years back there was a rumor of an upcoming µ45:3 50/1.7 macro that seemed to be quickly squelched—at least I have heard nothing of it since. It would be just like Oly ZD to sneak this one out later on. A PRO version of such a lens with MC14 compatibility would generate a 70/2.4 macro combo. Of course such a combo is essentially obviated by the existing 60/2.8 optic, unless Oly ZD manages to make the 50/1.7 even sharper!
Oly ZD can really use a sharp moderate WA to normal lens (i.e., 17mm to 25mm) The current 17/1.8 is close but doesn’t quite get there. Whether they challenge Pany’s 25/1.4 remains to be seen. I would prefer to split the difference with a sharp 20/1.4 myself, retaining characteristics of both a normal lens and a moderate WA.
Which brings me to the medium WA 12/2. Somehow, someplace Oly ZD failed to execute this design perfectly. This angle of view (AOV) is my favorite WA AOV, having owned the legacy 24/2 and two copies of the legacy 24/2.8. Oly ZD needs to redeem themselves by getting it right with a pro version of a 12mm optic. Whether this rumored 12/1.0 is their answer remains to be seen.
I am looking forward to the upcoming PRO primes. However, the µ4:3 PRO zoom trifecta is as solid a start to a pro/serious amateur’s lens repertoire as one can reasonably hope for. Start with some or all of those and then used specialty lenses (macros, fisheyes, tilt & swing optics, fast primes, lenses outside the 7-150mm range, etc.) to fill in the gaps.
You realize that the picture shows that Olympus has patents for “very fast aperture lenses”, which is actually the info from which the conclusion “working on very fast aperture lenses” is derived from, right?
They have patents, but the main fact is that Terada didn’t say that “Fast Aperture Prime lenses are in the works”.
In that article, the two sentences are: Terada said that Olympus is working on other lenses than the 7-14mm and 300m, and that Olympus understands that people also have needs for faster lenses. In this order.
Obviously he didn’t say anything specifically (like most managers anywhere do), but saying it in this order, I think “reading between the lines”, it’s a fair assumption (but it’s still only an assumption) that Olympus is actively pursuing faster lens development. It’s kind of an interpretation thing.
You’re right though, he didn’t explicitly SAY that.
Yup, it’s like political talk : you can’t never be certain 😉
Terarada said once that there wouldn’t be any silver EM1… :p
I will say it one more time…
“Thinking” of means “we are working on and it almost ready” in Japanese corporation PR language.
Olympus has been thinking about and working on better video for two years, and I don’t see any substantial improvement since the E-M5. Your argument is not based on evidence.
For your example, yes its totally false.
I was speaking more about their general tone of comunication and timing.
Terada seems to have a history of making extremely vague statements to cool the heated brows of Olympus acolytes, vigorously expand these vaporous pronouncements to Olympian proportions.
Don’t count on anything he says until an actual product ships.
And Panasonic has a record of showing even prototype lenses, which apparently never ship (see P 2.8/150mm). They have a record of non-reliable product portfolio development, by ceasing successful lines arbitrarily and killing unique features (GH1 -> GH2 -> GH3 …; G1 -> G2 -> G3; G5 -> G6 -> ?; GX7 -> ?; GF1 -> GF2 -> GF3; killing of multiaspect sensor).
Does this really have to devolve into “Panasonic is also bad?” The 150mm is the first lens Panasonic indefinitely delayed after announcing it (although they often really take their time between announcement and release). I agree that they wrecked the GF line, but the GH series has been steady with exception of losing the multi-aspect sensor; nobody knows if the G series is dead, and it’s silly to assume simply because they didn’t update it this year. By the way, Oly has kept people waiting for 2 years (and counting) for the E-M5 successor.
Non-geeks have been taking pictures while you were counting.
What does panasonic have to do with this? Terada-san never says anything substantial. For instance, this and what about the “one beautiful system” thing that was repeated for years?
You used to be a reasonable guy until you morphed into an Oly fanboi.
And that goes double for Schneider Kreuznach.
That’s for sure !
They’ve certainly been trying to set a record waffling about the three lenses they announced.
Where did you learn your social skills? And your logical skills? I am asking because they are c_rap.
You are allowed to say crap on the internet, your momma ain’t watching!
Yeah, definitely c_rap social and logical skills. A geek wout brains. Ever heard of language filters? Guess what they are…
Most welcome news .
12mm or 14mm F1.0 is incredible .
Pana should take note as the 15mm Summilux is in great threat !
What about another Zuiko 45mm with F1.0 aperture ?
A 12mm/1.0 would be great for low light/night photography, which is probably the least explored photographic genre. I wouldn’t mind a PRO 75/1.4 lens that matches the MC14—resulting in a 105/2.0 combo. I would love a 20/1.4 as well.
I believe M4/3 needs superb primes with f/1.4 to f/2 apertures. They must be optically-corrected and telecentric, even if somewhat larger. Some of the existing primes are already excellent (Panaleica 25, 42 and Oly 75). Others are not quite there yet and should be replaced over time.
f/1 primes would be heavy, expensive and mostly unnecessary (except for satisfying the lust for ownership). Those photographers who need such speed don’t use M4/3 anyway.
Luckily, the M4/3 system has an embarrassment of riches as far a fast, wide aperture lenses go. Those of us who want and/or need very fast lenses already buy Voigtländer and/or SLR Magic lenses. There’s no need to switch a big, bulky system.
Given the price of the Olympus 12mm f2, brace yourself for the price of a 12mm f1 lens. I bet we’re easily looking at Nocticron level prices.
No surprise olympus holding back on 4k on the em1. Why would they when they can release the ’em2′ or similar and boast 4k?
Because em1 is already established, needs no further development, manufacturing line is already there. So had they allowed 4k in the firmware would bring them much more profit than holding back and releasing an em1. I doubt many users that already have the em1 would go on and by em2 just for the 4K since most of them claim they don’t care for video anyways.
The only reason that I can think of is that the em1 was not ready for it, with many cameras overheat etc.. So it would make more damage to the em1 picture than bring profit.
At least now they can support the fastest SDs and allow even RAW video recording. RAW, 4K and IBIS + all the stuff that are already great in em1 would make a killer product. OIympus are you there?
The real question is: will this be the most expensive MFT lens, more than the nocticron?
indeed since most mft users are allergic for high prices
How do you come to that conclusion? The majority will happily pay higher prices, if they are justified by lens quality (build and IQ). Only the minority of the typical forum whiners, which are in special abundance here, complain about prices.
You can be sure that the O 2.8/40-150mm will sell very well, despite of its price. With the fast primes this will be exactly the same.
That is not so here..excluding. .the few persistent trolls MANY come to complain about price all the time. I do occassionally but only when I feel it is truly warranted.
It doesn’t matter what product it is, camera, lens or accessory…many come to complain that all & every top end feature should be on every model and the are will to pay $100 for it!
It’s always amusing.
(But first they come and complain for a free firmware update on their existing item so that they can spend no money at all!).
If a “majority will happily pay higher prices”, I may be one of the few waiting for more cheap but descent AF lenses like Sigma DN line for mft…
I agree that the system needs high quality lenses for the elite out there, but it also needs affordable ones for the masses, be it from Olympus or another manufacturer.
There’s room for everyone me thinks 🙂
And you are right,especially when it comes to cameras for the amateur market.
If you add to this size and weight of a lens of this type,goodbye “micro” FT.
sorry i think i read the comments here too many times, maybe thats why.
Sorry richman. Im not a troll , No professional, not rich. Why on earth you think people is going crazy to buy this jewerly items?. Is time to go Sigma, since people like you are forcing oly and pana to “GO PRO” with prices that most of us simply cant afford.
Perhaps you are only an snobist.
A poor snobist.
Real snobist go for real expensive jewelry (see Leica).
Pro look elsewhere.
GR 4 Life.
People beg for “pro” lenses, fast lenses, whatever sorts of lenses (or cameras), but when the prices are announced, the howling is deafening… regardless of who makes the lenses.
Just look at the recent M4/3 releases…
LX100, 40-150mm f2.8, Kowa 8.5mm f2.8, Voigtländer 10.5mm f0.95…
There were enough bitter tears shed to sink the Titanic!
Higher prices must come with higher quality, and 135 offers better value for money, and better absolute value. M43 has got to be cheap, or face demise.
Not necessarily. The combination of size and weight with more than reasonable image quality is worth paying for.
My belief is that when it comes to open gear forums, complaints are everywhere. Sony, Samsung, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, you name it…
I’m sure Terada was on the ball in his prime but in the three years I’ve been using m43 I’ve never heard him say anything impressive. He seems to be way behind the curve. Stuck in a world of film stock.
There’s not many primes missing, but those that are missing are critical gaps.
An AF UWA prime of any speed is sorely missing.
A faster 17mm, f 1.2 or 1.4 SHG
We have a fast 25mm
We have a fast 42.5mm
We have a brilliant 75mm
A 300mm f4 would round out our system nicely
A 150mm f2.8 would be greedy?
So, three or four critical missing primes.
But I doubt Olympus will deliver them any time soon.
A long macro. 135 mm
A wide T/S. 14mm maybe.
(edit) the so called fast 25mm could use a second edition. I am thinking about the PL25 which could use a comparable build quality to that of the PL15 or the PL 42.5
300mm f4 is coming. 150mm 2.8 is covered by 40-150mm 2.8, which is supposedly the best m43 zoom yet, so it’s unlikely Oly will make a prime (or you’ll need one). I agree with your first two missing lenses.
I would be tempted to say : make it a 2.0/150 then, but that one stop difference gets ugly quickly on the diameter of the aperture.
As much as I like the idea of these high end lenses, Olympus needs to focus on a more competitive body. They need to elevate their game in the video segment and the emerging hybrid sector.
Its extraordinary unlikely to be the same group of engineers working on both the lenses and the bodies. If at all, it is not even the same production lines.
For all the lenses in the world that they come up with, I don’t think it will affect much the speed at which they catch up with the video segment.
F1 lenses are needed!
By whom? Any idea what you are talking about? How many minutes have you had this hobby?
Have you ever photographer a wedding in a really dark church? A fast f/1.0 lens would be very much needed to keep the ISO setting down. We all know high ISOs are a weak spot for this system, so super fast lenses are needed.
And you? As a pro, 🙂
Sorry I cant imagine a pro with primes and without flash in a weding.
Many churches don’t allow flash during a ceremony. Yes. Fast primes are very useful at a wedding.
Not allow flashes but alow weddings……how many?
Quite a few actually, and this has been true for several decades going back to when I still shot weddings in the 70’s. It varies by church or minister, but some believe that flash during the ceremony disrupts the sanctity of the event. (Okay at times other then the ceremony itself.) Nothing new about that. There are no hard fast rules but it is good to be flexible and able to adapt to the need and desire of the church, and or couples. (Some married couples also don’t like flash during ceremony). Mediocre photographers dictate according to their photography needs, good photographers adapt to the needs of their client.
If you really do that for a living, you are in the wrong system. A Canon or a Nikon will still give you better results, with less CA, less noise, better colours etc. But nobody seriously does dark weddings for a living with m43. It would be a pretty poor living 🙂
Indeed, it would have been incredibly poor living for Lightweaver2 to use a not-invented-yet M4/3 camera when he shot weddings in the 70’s.
People have a vivid imagination here…
Reading in English is not your best talent, I take it.
I stopped doing weddings a few decades ago. But when I did shoot, we were shooting medium format. 35mm was a no-no and digital didn’t exist. However I have seen some very good work from mirrorless cameras including m4/3. Things change as time goes on. In the end it is always the photographer more then the equipment that makes the difference. Amazingly back in my days we shot everything with ISO 160 professional film. Maybe an occasional ISO 400 but that was frowned upon. Low light capability is a convenience not a necessity. But a nice convenience. If I was shooting weddings today I would probably lean towards a full frame digital right now but expect that in the next few years that will be a non-issue.
Every Catholic wedding I’ve been to has not allowed allowed flash photography during the ceremony. They usually announce it.
They don’t want you to spook the Holy Ghost.
😉
There is a cheaper solution: buy a Canon or a Nikon. Whoops…
You don’t photograph anything when it’s really dark… LOL you people are really shameless.
Taking photos in restaurants and bars would benefit from fast primes. It’s really impolite to use a flash while people are enjoying themselves.
Well, let’s say… I’m a in Photography/Videography business from 2007 and as a hobby I enjoy taking pictures from a long time… 20 years more precise.:)
20 years? LOL You haven’t learned a lot in these 20 years (LOL). What do we call people who keep doing something for a long time and never learn?
@Zeikon :”What do we call people who keep doing something for a long time and never learn? – They are called “ambitious” :).
I recommend you to focus you “ambition” somewhere else, in a more constructive way. 🙂
Read again: “never learn”, not “never succeed”. The latter are stubborn, the former are dumb…
I wander if you are trolling for Canon or Sony? Well, doesn’t matter it’s all the same :).
In your wildest dreams perhaps… F1 and puny sensor is as dumb as saying “I’ll choose Eno as my posting name, it sounds cool”. But feel free to spread more lies to trick consumers into buying junk.
So you finally showed your true face TROLL, I got you! 😉
You got what? Do yourself a favour and get a book about photography. A basic one… You will be surprised how much nonsense you talk.
I have the feeling I’m talking with a brick wall wen replying to you, because you have absolutely no coherence in you arguments.
There is no point in continuing, it is clear that you are a paid troll that tries to discredit m 4/3 system and piss of users.
So my massage to you is very simple: piss off TROLL!
There is no teaching the uberdumb, or the salesperson. Not many photographers in these parts.
> What do we call people who keep doing something for a
> long time and never learn?
We call them a Zeikon 🙂
I for one would love fast lenses…f/1? Yes please!
You can splash the cash on fast oly lenses. I’m hoping for more budget sigmas 🙂 That suits my less bulging wallet.
Did sigma even show anything new this photokina? They were mysteriously quiet. There were rumors of more m43’s/APS-C lenses but I didn’t see anything.
Terada “Maybe, Maybe Not” san speaks once again wishy-washy with forked tongue.
How about a small, ultra wide prime anywhere between f/1.8-2.8?
8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 10.5mm: take your pick Mr. Terada!
I agree, but 10, 10,5mm is already too narrow for me. On the other hand, I’d don’t even need 2.8, 3.5 or 4.0 is good enough (especially going wider than 9mm)
Yes, agreed. Really anything down to f/4, if it keeps the lens small and discreet, would be great for an UWA prime
Hasn’t in the past he had made statements that Olympus will not have cameras with more than 12mp. Then he made a statement that Olympus will not have lenses faster than f-1.8. Anyhow, an ulta – fast 12 mm or 14 mm would not be my first choices. My choices would be a f-1.2 20 or 30 or 40.
As they say in french and I loosely translate : only idiots never change their ideas.
Yes Olympus said that 😉
Yeah, 12 mp was enough, and it was f2.0. They also thought having a;; silver lenses + black camera bodies was okay too. Though- they’re pretty good at listening to what people want, and they’ve got themselves a nice mature system to work with now. Fuji is probably the only other company that listens to it’s customer base as well as Oly, except Fuji implements MUCH better.
Well, you have the 1.2 42.5 already.
Regarding the 12MP. I personally can use more, but think of how many pictures end up on Facebook, and 4×6 printouts…. 12MP will always be more than sufficient for that.
Hi Dave:
That’s because you want them for cave photography. [smile]
I think he likes to make statements either to defend this inability to do something, or to test the waters to see people’s reactions. I sometimes wonder if Olympus has a clue where they’re going or where they want to take m43 to. They don’t seem to be as clear about their vision as Panasonic and Fuji. They are almost as bad as Sony, so maybe they were natural partners for each other.
sorry its loosely related but can you put the sema-1 mic attachment on an EM1 OMD, I know you can for the EM5 but with a mic socket with the OMD I wondered if it was still possible?
yes it works.
Voigtlander worked faster.
Autofocus is great, believe it or not.
Great to see that more professional grade fast wide angle lenses are coming. Being able to shoot at f/1.0 is a great help for low-light work.
Although there are some new compact m43 lenses coming one, the trend seems to towards bigger and more expensive lenses. Can’t blame them; money is still king.
I’m not as cynical. I think it’s more a case of them seeing the Phase II compact lens market has filled out quite nicely, barring ultrawides, so now they can focus on to Phase III and move towards faster lenses.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the E-M5 Mk II gets 4K video first. It’s possible the E-M1 floating around with 4K firmware is just a test bed for the tech. E-M5 will be 2 years old next February, and if they move to a 3 year product cycle they’ll need to have 4K in there this time around.
I doubt it. They are probably working on some next version camera. The GH4 looks practically identical to the GH3, so beta testers could easily have been mistaken thinking they worked on a GH3 with updated firmware if they were not told otherwise – I suspect this is what happened to people getting 4K enabled cameras.
Believe it or not, the E-M5 will be 3 years old next February, not 2! Still a highly capable camera, so a replacement will have to be pretty compelling to sell well.
Terada San repeated in several interviews the dogma that “f1.8 is optimal max aperture for for m4/3 primes”.
And we always guessed: “so why there’s a f2.0 prime? how Olympus trying to go “pro” in M4/3 can be satisfied with a line of cheap plastic f1.8 lenses”.
Terada San now breaks the dogma: “Let’s go Fast”
And we hope he breaks other Olympus dogmas like “centered EVF is better” or “we always prioritize stills over video”.
I still remember when they said 12mp was enough. 🙂
I was thinking the same thing. It’s like Leica saying that a 135 digital rangefinder was impossible when they came out with an M8. And then 3 years later they came out with an M9. It’s basically a convenient excuse when they should just own up and say they don’t have the skills / technology to achieve that just yet.
I remember when they said film was enough. 😉
Look at Sony’s FE line up. Lots of slow F4’s all day long- and the lenses are fairly big. If compact is your thing, there is really no DOF advantage with Full Frame that you can’t get with M43 at this point- none. If Olympus came out with a 50mm, 45mm f1 or .95 with a metal build I think they would sell very well. There is a market for that and they need to think of “what’s next” for M43. I think that is it.
My full frame 35/1.2, 50/0.95 and 85/1.2 beg to differ.
I think his point was that most people don’t get those lenses – they just buy a FF camera because they think it is better, and resort to getting F3.5-F4 maximum aperture lenses. In any case, if you were to use the 85/1.2 at max aperture, it really limits what you can shoot. It is hard to get both eyes and nose in focus at the same time, depending on distance to subject. That means that you can shoot in lower light, but less will be in focus, and conversely, M43 can shoot pretty similar DoF with lower ISO than you would do with FF. Of course your ISO is cleaner, so the end result will be almost identical. I have used both systems extensively and know this..
Hello, correct, except you forgot the magnification factor: larger sensors forgive lens imperfections a lot more than smaller sensors, assuming one prints to the same size. Pixel density plays a secondary role. Those crazy F1 lenses cannot be good enough for a small sensor and be payable at the same time.
F1, F1.2 etc are a challenge to produce, especially if they project to a tiny sensor surface, and are loaded with compromises. This is something newbies need to understand.
My Nocticron is tack sharp from F1.2 and without imperfections. I’ll grant you it is an expensive lens though.. Some of the other ones, I would not buy, due to your concern, plus I like the option of having AF and OIS whenever possible.
I agree with what you say. However, the Nocticron is expensive only because many people would like to buy a Porsche for the price of a VW. Compare it to other f1.2 regardless of system and it comes out cheap. The problem is that people think of m43 should be a cheap system just because it has a small sensor. the m43 Consortium should address that issue if they want to move upwards.
I love my Nocticron!!
I think you are right in that comment. FF offers more possibilities but size and weight need to be accounted for. Those ultra-fast lenses are difficult to focus, but make a lot of sense if you want to have good subject separation at larger distances (e.g. wedding with not so nice interior or distracting surrounding. DOF is large enough then, close by you stop down often anyway). It makes no sense buying FF and using kit lenses, only (if you want to have a later option for fas glass, it’s another story). m43 offerings like these give you choice, too. But people should be aware that the weight and size of these f1 lenses are much larger than usual, not to speak of the price. My experience is you get better quality cheaper when using FF and moderately fast lenses (e.g. D610 + 1.8G primes, eq. to f0.95 in DOF primes on m43), not so heavy, too. If you only want m43, you need to be prepared to leave a lot of cash for high quality glass.
Again, agree 🙂 I think people make the mistake of thinking of m43 as a cheap solution. If you want premium results, it is no cheaper than other systems. FF + moderately good lens will rival or best M43 + great lens for sure. Also, as I think you hinted at – when using great lenses on M43 they tend to become fairly large/heavy (though still lighter than FF lenses of similar quality)
How is it you know what most people think and do? And if indeed most people do that, why doesn’t Olympus simply offer what most people want, rather than what they do not, thereby having a chance of actually becoming profitable?
Your comment makes no sense, sorry.
That is comparing apples and oranges.
I shoot with both systems and each has it advantages and negatives.
The m4/3 system is compact with very good AF and IQ.
The Sony FE are amazing in low light, fantastic dynamic range.
It is a new system and not as mature as m4/3 and hence does not have the same ecosystem.
On the other hand the video below could probably not be done with m4/3.
(shoot entirely in moonlight.)
http://vimeo.com/105690274
One has to find the right tools for your needs.
Sony A7S is a beast, but most FF cameras have similar pixel density due to more pixels. That said, shoot that video with F4 on the Sony A7S, and at F1.2 with OIS on a m43 and the results may not be as different as you think.
The A7s has more than two stops advantage, since the light sensitive area is much larger (less wiring around pixels). Most sensors in 24-36MP on FF behave similarly, even if scaled down to 12MP. But after ISO 6400 the A7s gains an advantage. The new Samsung techology (backward illumination) could possibly help in getting better high ISO performance, though. By the way, pixel density on m43 (16MP typically) is much larger, corresponds to 64MP sensor on FF (4x area).
I agree – I don’t think any camera competes well with A7S in that regard. For certain uses it is probably irreplaceable (well today, who knows a year from now!?). While I think a fast lens like the Nocticron can minimize the gap to a fairly large extent, few people with m43 would buy that lens, so for most, the A7S is going to be a lot better.
Perhaps,
My point is that these cameras are so different that makes very little sense in comparing them.
On my kids birthday party I use my E-M10 with 12mm and I love the output. The camera is small, fast and I am very happy with the results.
If I’m on a boat in Lake Zürich I use my A7r, get fantastic colors, dynamic range and incredible pictures. I don’t see the overlap between these two cameras.
As soon as we buy a camera, there’s a need to defend it and argue that this camera is the best camera in the world. People go to great lengths in defending their purchase, to a point where it is almost laughable.
I agree, they have separate uses, though I would say M43 with the right lens could do very well in your particular example.
I’ve used FF before, and there are situations where I am considering getting back into the FF game, but those are probably a bit more extreme than that scenario.
Olympus sure is a great company! Can’t wait for those amazing primes!
Mr. Terada usually says what’s right to say at the very moment. Of course there will be future models with 4K, that’s essentially obvious.
The interesting question is if they see the need to update the M1 video options before releasing the next model – and 4K would be even slightly less important than other frame rates or better codecs. No word about that, we will hear about it when it’s ready.
No make lenses = readers whine. Make lenses = readers whine. I say why not? The more the better.
I agree. The way people whine makes you think m43 only has 4 lenses in their range. Oh, wait, did they just land on the FE rumours site by accident again? m43 system is filling out nicely in most areas, we now have layers of lenses to pick from.
Any post will draw complainers. It’s too expensive. It’s too big. It’s too small. I don’t like silver. I don’t like black. FF equivalence this and that, …, blah. blah, blah. I say “whatever”. I love m43 and all the available lenses. It’s a great format. I love FF as well.
Fast wide primes are nice but I think 25, 45 and 75/63.5 fast primes like f/1.2 are needed
mft,ff,apsc are all way way way ahead in tech than the quality of pictures that people take with them. Look at teh 99.99% of photos on flikr/500px, utter boredom. It really does not matter if any of those photos were sharper, more dynamic range, or more Boekeh!!. If you have a hobby of gear collecting an pixel peeping, posing as pro, fashion accessory, then the gear matters, enjoy. If your hobby is called photography, none of this bs matters. Now a film or digital camera that is a huge difference in terms of work flow.
True, most prople should focus on learning rather than gear (particularly m43 shooters); but gear does matter, only fools say it doesn’t.
Gear does matter if you can master it 😉
Superfast, superbulky, superexpensive lenses with tons of CA and a tiny sensor might shorten the route to the grave for m43. Oh well…
As if they are not giving you any other choice? Don’t want superfast, superbulky? That’s what the 1.8 range is for. Maybe you have heard of them? They are quite nice.
They are nice but sometimes overpriced. Also the bodies that have the benefit of manual controls are overpriced. I find this is problem number one with this format.
Well, once they have recovered R&D costs the lenses will probably fall in price. It will take longer since m43 is a growing market but still small compared to DSLRs, so we can’t expect DSLR 1.8 lens pricing. I guess that’s where people like Sigma (for primes) and Tamron (for zooms) should come in and create their niche.
You guys have been predicting the death of m43 for a while now. I suspect will be for decades to come.
Yep. One more red year is coming. I wonder how long they will last.