Sourced report that Panasonic plans to launch the new 30mm f/2.8 MFT macro lens during first quarter 2015. I guess this means the lens will be displayed at the CP+ show in mid February. There is no info on the price yet.
That is what Panasonic writes about that lens:
The new 30mm/F2.8 macro lens enables not only life-size macro photography but also offers further versatile styles of capturing photos, such as landscape photography thanks to a focusing distance of 60mm (35mm camera equivalent). For high precision focusing in macro photography the new lens also supports 240 fps high-speed AF, while integrating optical image stabiliser. It features a sophisticated exterior design in metallic finish for the stylish appearance.
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128 Responses
60mm, almost like Helios-44 on Zenit 🙂 Likeit
we need 100mm macro.
Indeed. Instant buy for me.
YES! +1 They went the wrong direction on focal length. I have no interest in a 30mm macro. I have the Panasonic 45mm macro and am seriously thinking of switching to the 60mm Olympus because of the extra reach, but really wish for a 100mm. Try to photograph insects with a 30mm macro. You will chase them away before getting the shot. Also, as someone said above, it is hard to get light on the subject when the lens is so close.
Yep! 60mm is just too damn short for butterflies and dragonflies!
That’s why I adapted Nikon 105mm f2.8 and 200mm f4 macro lenses. I’m quite happy with them. Manual focus is better for macro shooting anyway.
what about olympus roadmap for 2015? o.O
I love Panasonic lenses, but they’ve painted themselves into a corner with optical image stabilization needed on every lens.
I love Panasonic lenses because they have optical stabilization – BMPCC user.
OIS works with BlackMagic cameras?
I was at a concert over the weekend and saw a guy with a small BlackMagic camera and a 12-35mm lens and was wondering if OIS worked on them.
when BMPCC was released OIS worked with Panasonic lenses with physical OIS switch. Now, after firmware update it works with all lenses with stabilization.
OIS is much more effective than IBIS when shooting video, and video is the main reason for the Panasonic GHx line of cameras.
Isn’t 30mm a wee bit short for a macro? Especially with 45mm and 60mm macro lenses already available. I just don’t see the point of this lens 🙁 The only thing m43 system desperately needs is to complete it’s wide end offerings (under 12mm) and instead we keep getting duplicates or very close to of already existing lenses.
I’d agree that a longer focal length Macro lens would be more in need for Micro Four Thirds than a short one, but short ones do have their right to exist, too, because they don’t compress spatial depth as much as longer ones, because they tend to be smaller and lighter, and because they can can be cheaper, too.
At the wide end, I would like to see more options, too, where lenses with really good image quality are rather rare. Of course, there is the Panasonic 7-14/4, which is an excellent lens, although it should be retrofitted with a UV 2A filter against purple spots when used with Olympus bodies, and the upcoming M.Zuiko 7-14/2.8 will probably become the be-all-end-all in terms of ultra wide-angle, but I still would like really good and fast primes at, say, 12 and, even more important, 17mm (unfortunately, the M.Zuiko 17/1.8 isn’t really good).
I hope this lens comes with a ring light. That is about the only way to get light on a subject with a macro lens this short.
Seriously though, this is probably going to be less expensive than the other macro lenses. There seems to be a market for inexpensive macro lenses with 1:1 magnification. Not sure what people do with them but I suspect a lot are sold to people that like the sound of having a macro lens but are not aware of the drawbacks of having one this short.
I’m hoping, too, that it’s going to be less expensive, just as for Four Thirds mount the Olympus 35mm f/3.5 Macro is less expensive than the renowned Olympus 50mm f/2 Macro. Of course a shorter macro lens has the disadvantage of having to come closer to the object, on the other hand it doesn’t compress spatial depth as much as longer focal lengths do.
Coming from Four Thirds and being a long-time owner of the 50/2 Macro, I am still planning to add the ZD 35/3.5 to my portfolio of lenses some day. Now I’ll at least wait until I see more of the upcoming Panasonic 30/2.8.
Oh, and if lighting will really become a problem, at least for Olympus cameras there’s still the MAL-1 Macro Arm Light…
“Not sure what people do with them but I suspect a lot are sold to
people that like the sound of having a macro lens but are not aware of
the drawbacks of having one this short.”
I have read somewhere theory that long macro are harder to design, thus they cost more.
Oly 60mm costs above 600 Euro.
Pana 45 – 800 Euro.
FT Oly 35mm macro – still available! – 220 Euro!
There is always place for a cheap macro lens.
I use the Micro-Nikko 55mm AIS 2.8 and the 105mm f4—depending on the subject. And I use the E-M5 exclusively for macro.
Because AF isn’t that important in a macro lens, I still have the Zuiko 50mm F3.5 plus macro extender. It works like a charm with excellent IQ.
The 35mm Zuiko digital is too short for my liking so the upcoming 30mm will not have me as a customer.
Indeed I’d expect a 100mm or to be more useful! There’s still the Sigma 105mm for FT!
The Nikon AI-S macro lenses are great!
Love my 105mm f2.8 and 200mm f4 IF lenses!
I find the 105mm f4 to be large, so I seem to use the 55mm f2.8 more often.
Got my 60mm MZuiko more than a year ago, 450 euros..
In Germany, new, not refurb or S/H, price of 60mm only recently sunk below 600. (The price of PanaLeica 45 is steadily falling to 600 too.)
But yeah, the prices I have mentioned are ~1 year old, when I was looking for a (cheap) macro.
In some shops prices can be crazy. In that case Ebay is your friend. 😉
They Oly 60mm is 300 Euro brand new on Amazon Japan.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/OLYMPUS-%E5%8D%98%E7%84%A6%E7%82%B9%E3%83%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BA-M-ZUIKO-60mm-Macro/dp/B009C742Y2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416926457&sr=8-1&keywords=ed+60mm+f2.8+macro
Not even close to 600 Euro!
Oh, it’s even cheaper if you buy a one that “just fell out of a lorry”.
Doesn’t change the fact that MSRP for that lens is 600 euro in Europe.
Is there something wrong with buying from Amazon Japan? I buy from international sellers all the time, what’s wrong with that?
If you are willingly paying 600 EUR when you could be paying half that by going to a different site, you have issues. Even B&H has it for $449. Not 600 EUR. European MSRP is irrelevant.
Everything is way cheaper in Japan right now because of the exchange rate. My friend just picked up a 35-100 2.8 for $800 US from amazon.jp Most people can’t order from there though.
Sure you can order from there – why wouldn’t you be able to? You can order in English, no problem.
Don’t like that? It’s $449 from B&H, which ships worldwide. Way cheaper than 600 EUR.
You do know you kind of contradicted yourself, what with the Pana 45mm being more expensive than the Oly 60mm
Pana 45mm is a Leica branded lens. That’s why it is more expensive.
surely 30mm macro on MFT is equivelnt to 60mm macro on FF and that is quite a common combination. It all depends on the minimum focus distance.
IMO one thing about macro lenses is not so much the ‘macro’ part as the image quality that often comes with it, which is why some like a 90 or 100mm macro for portraits.
That 60mm has the same minimum focus distance on FF a on m43, magnification is also the same (crop is different)
The native 30mm will have considerably shorter MFD. And its a big drawback for anyone used to 60mm lens.
They just made it to market it as traditional 135mm format and 60mm macro.
You can always put 60mm into 1:2 magnification to fit the same subject on m43 sensor as you do 1:1 on 135mm format.
Does the lens have OIS?
Yes.
Thanks.
IMO a Panasonic 10mm f1.2 or else a 7-14mm f1.7 or f2.8 would be a more beneficial development given the poor choice of AF Wide lenses available for MFT.
Yes .
Same for me .
Are you aware of the Oly “Pro” 7-14mm 2.8?
I also don’t see why you’d want such a fast 10mm, it must be huge.
Such lens ( 10mm / 11mm F1.2 ) is useful for lowlight landscape shooting without rely on SS mode .
It also can be used for creative wide angle portrait work like what FF camera did . I intend to have one too .
I don’t get the point of this lens .
Not a Leica DG Lens some more .
Waste of R&D .
The point is the “compact macro lens”. If you don’t see the point of that, you probably never played with macro in the field. In which case this kind of lens is not for you.
Compact macro lens .
What ever you want to call it .
So which one is better in optical
performance , the Elmarit or this one ?
So you already know the optical quality of unreleased and unconfirmed (edit: well, development was officially announced, so it’s kinda semi confirmed) lens that might be coming next year? Impressive.
Since this is not Leica branded, it might not perform as well as the Elmarit. But it will probably cost less than $900 and be smaller. Which I would guess is probably the point of releasing it.
I shoot a lot of macro and found that a 105mm macro lens is FAR more useful than my 60mm. I’ve been using a 200mm recently and like it even more. So, for me, a 30mm macro lenses would be useless.
Because this lens is design in favor of GM rather than performance & practicality .
That’s why I said in my previous articles such lenses are just not good enough .
Looks like another lens it would have been very easy to weatherseal. Handy for macro. Opportunity missed.
You’ve got a point, Macro lenses are generally more often used outdoors than indoors. So weathersealing would be a must imo.
It just might be a really nice lens to own. Sometimes a “normal” focal length macro is really nice to have. For most macro use I would rather have a longer than “normal” focal length. I guess this is why I own the 60/2.8 Macro. I would match rather see R&D money spent on lenses like a 9mm/2.8, ( at least something shorter than 12mm) the 150mm/2.8, (or at least longer than 75mm)a few ultra-fast prime lenses like a 20mm/1.2 or a long zoom like a 100-300mm/4.0.
Thumbs up !
20mm 1.2 or 1.0, 8mm 4.0 or 2.8, 105mm macro but please why on earth these FLs and speeds ??
Macro lenses are all about maximum resolution which you won’t get with large apertures. ( often you are shooting at f/8 or higher to obtain sufficient DOF for macro work )
…And there’s always the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro for people that want a longer focal length.
I agree. There is already the 45 mm Pana Macro and the 60 mm Oly Macro which is one of my favourite lenses. I really don’t need a shorter Macro. If at all I needed more than 60 mm focal length. What I’d really want is a long high quality zoom like a 100 – 300 mm / 4.0. The existing 100 – 300 mm lens lack quality in every aspect and really needed to be replaced.
100mm macro or 150mm macro and both f2.8 would be awesome to have if capable to 2:1 (4:1 equivalent) magnification.
I wonder if this is another lens that isn’t wider than then the mount diameter, made as a companion to the GMs.
Yes .
you remind me some lenses are made for GM in mind .
Such lenses are just not good enough .
Not good enough for who, though?
If Panasonic has seen some success in selling the GM1, and seen interest in the new GM5, that is where they are going to direct their resources. There are plenty of lenses out there for people using larger M4/3 bodies.
for a macro lens that sounds maybe a bit like a contradiction?
It looks more and more like they will fill designated text space…
“also offers further versatile styles of capturing photos, such as landscape photography thanks to a focusing distance of 60mm (35mm camera equivalent)”
W T F
That means this lens can focus to infinity and close, instead like other m4/3 lenses on market that can only focus to infinity or then close but not both! /s
Thats a keen observation.
One that can’t really easily be drawn from that sentence.
Thanks for explaining.
It also proves one more thing.
This lens is so boring that the line that it can be used as a landscape lens is the most exciting thing beside macro their own people could point out about it.
Agreed – I believe most landscape photos would require a much wider angle than 60mm 🙂 Sounds odd.
It’s the answer to a question that no one was asking.
Another slow lens with a weird focal length, bravo. RIP m4/3….
Neither is true. For a macro lens, 60mm (equiv.) is a traditional focal length, and at least on an equivalent full-frame lens f/2.8 would be a quite decent aperture, too.
Have you ever used a macro lens before? If your aperture is wider than f/8, you’re probably doing it wrong. Making it an f2.8 simply makes it useful as a walk-around lens in addition to macro, while being significantly more affordable than a faster lens.
‘Hugh’ only shoots with a 1917 bellows camera and flash powder.
RIP digital.
Since when, Panasonic, is focusing distance a measurement that could be expressed as 35mm camera equivalent? Seems someone got their focal lengths mixed up a bit, there…
Nope, no mixup there. That’s probably intentional. It’s probably just a different (albeit very convoluted) way of expressing magnification in 35mm equivalent terms. It’s probably because neither 60mm Oly, nor this 30mm Pana are “truly” macro lenses (which by definition must offer at least 1:1 reproduction ratio).
Edit: turns out I was wrong on the magnification. I’m pretty sure I read that in the description under one of Olympus’ videos on that lens. But obviously I either misread that or misunderstood. So I stand corrected.
The 60mm Oly definitely has 1:1 ratio (2:1 in these “35mm equivalent” thingies)
You’re right, I stand corrected.
Funny how people say things as fact when they clearly dont know.
Of all the macros produced by olympus and panasonic only the 50mm f2 was a 1:1 due to the crop factor. The 35mm f3.5 was 1:1, the 45mm is 1:1 and the 60mm is 1:1.
No what’s funny is how people with highly specialized niche knowledge get all superior about it. Thanks for sharing, but don’t be so smug. Getting that stuff wrong doesn’t take an idiot 🙂
lol “specialized niche knowledge” it is right there on the specs.
How about this, if you dont know, and you are guessing, keep quiet.
“Of all the macros produced by olympus and panasonic only the 50mm f2 was a 1:1 due to the crop factor.” you got that sentence from the specs, huh?
I invite anyone to ask anything or even make a guess, as long as they don’t state it as fact without knowing.
Maximum Image
Magnification0.52x ( 35mm equivalent Maximum Image Magnification 1.04x )
I ask people not to pass off a guess as fact. Nothing wrong with asking a question though… of course that was not the course of events was it?
The switch on the barrel of Oly 60mm says 1:1.
The Fuji 60mm macro is 1:2. That may have been what you were thinking of.
A “true” macro lens need not reach 1:1 magnification! It could be 1:10 and still be a “true” macro.
A “true” macro lens is a lens with a flat focusing field at its closest focusing distance, as opposed to regular lenses which have a curved field of focus.
I’m happy to see a short macro, this will be especially useful for those of us who reproduce large flat things, such as paintings.
They’re clearly running out of primes to make.
There’s never been a ~7mm or ~9mm prime from either Pan or Oly.
Excluding cap-lenses.
Maybe if it’s really tiny and matches the size/weight of the GM1 as well or better than the 15mm, otherwise I don’t see the point. There isn’t a massive difference between 30 and 45 – a few steps at best. I would have liked to have seen a 7mm or 150 macro instead 🙂
Hehe, a few steps when you’re doing life-sized macros is an infinity!
I think the fact that this is not Leica-branded will hopefully mean that it can be priced closer to the $300 side of the spectrum rather than $900!
All the macro work I do with the P-L45 is on a tripod with studio lights, so I guess I don’t see it as a big deal to just move the rig. Maybe if I were shooting macro in the field, I’d rather switch lenses than move a little further away to re-frame? You do have a point about price – $900 was a tough pill to swallow, but the 45 is such an amazing lens for macro and just as a short tele that I don’t regret it. That and the 7-14 are easily my two favorites for the system.
Rarely hear about PL45, but I hear you. any lens being put to good use makes you forget over time the visa bill you had to sponge.
I think it will indeed be very small, and that will be it’s strength. It’s design/style is very similar to the re-branded 14mm f/2.5 so it will join this and the new mini zooms in the small niche set. I think it will be very popular!
it’s = its 😉
it is, because it’s is it is isn’t it?
The higher the magnification, the longer the barrel has to be. Macro lenses aren’t made to be tiny.
I wasn’t thinking Olympus 9mm Lens Cap tiny, just something that would fit nicely on the GM series like the 15mm Leica. They could ditch the OIS (you don’t use that for macro anyway), use lighter materials and make the barrel the same thickness as the 12-32. Couple that with a low price tag, and suddenly there’s a reason for this thing to exist.
WHY?
Why not?
Not gonna lie; I’m in for one, barring any deal-breaking flaws or pricing. I can replace my junky old Olympus 35mm Macro for Four Thirds with a native lens. It’ll compliment the Oly 60mm Macro, which is one of my favorite MFT lenses.
Could think of many better lenses to produce -sony struggles to sell their 30mm 2.8 macro
To be fair, the 45mm equivalent FL that Sony is selling is noticeably less useful for most macro than the 60mm that Panasonic is making.
I think if it is GM-sized (i.e. tiny) and affordable, it will make a nice walk-around lens for people. A narrow-normal FOV, decent size aperture, and 1:1 macro capabilities with built in stabilization should generally be a very useful lens for nature enthusiasts.
The main advantage of shorter focal length here is smaller size (look at 60mm from Oly). And seeing how Panasonic broadens their range of compact lenses, the addition of compact macro lens makes sense.
Coupled with a small camera body, this can be a nice combo. If only GM5 had a tilty-swively screen.
And it would be nice if it were affordable. But I kinda doubt that.
Does the shorter FL give you more DOF. I know getting more DOF is a real plus with macro work.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t, because DOF is determined by magnification. But the shorter FL changes the perspective and compresses spatial depth less than the longer FL, making the objects look less “flat”.
Whilst I’m not that excited about this particular lens (although it does look like a very useful walkabout), I’m hoping it could see the introduction of a new range of optical options. Reasonably priced, non-pancake and non-Leica lenses for enthusiasts on a budget; something at the moment only offered by the 3 Sigma primes, although I don’t think this 30mm will be that cheap. I love my PL 25mm f/1.4 but don’t have the budget to collect lots of lenses of that calibre.
would make no sense imo to get a 30mm when you already have a good 25
Is not just 30mm & 25mm .
Is about LEICA DG & X Varie lens .
Of course macro lens as well .
yes sorry i was saying just from my point of use…macro is not used by me…25 and 30 is too close for me..if i would need a macro i prefer to go 60 mm instead, to have more diversity in the FL, normally i dont care for the leica badges though i admit the summilux approval is imo visible in the nice rendering.
But then if they make a 60mm macro you will complain “I have the Sigma 60, I don’t use macro, this lens makes no sense.” Can’t win.
no this was about the poster having an 25mm PL already, and if i were him he better not use 2 FL close to each otherand pick a macro with a longer FL instead..you must better read.
Well I would have no hesitation in recommending the Canon 100mm L IS macro lens to someone who already owns a Canon 85mm portrait prime lens. Get what’s right for the purpose.
okay yes, if the person wants to do lots of macro work, and if he already owns the 85L because that lens has a very distinctive rendering wide open. I say all this as a low budget photographer, and dont see a point other wise in having 2 primes which are close in FL, I would force myself to choose for one instead.
Back in the film days manufacturers almost always had simultaneous offerings of macro and regular lens in the same or virtually the same focal lengths. They served different purposes, the same reasons apply here.
yes i realise that, but i think the poster above was talking about seeing it as a walkaround lens.if i can imagine one would just choose the macro instead, if he wants an allround lens.using one FL for different purposes. something like the best compromise. but havin 2 FL primes very identical, for me its bit over the top.
so much whining. You guys need help.
A whiny post complaining about the whining. Why don’t you jump in a lake, mate?
Wow, how did you know I jump in lakes? It’s a popular winter sport here.
Var i Sverige? Norrboten? 😀
I love my old 35 mm macro from Olympus. It is all good except slow AF. Sad that there is stil no focus limiter, but i think i will take it. It is 60mm macro on FF, classic macro focal lenght. Nikon even made 40mm macro to bring that focal lenght to crop(DX) users;)
if the price is sub 300 then its tempting …must be 1:1
I don’t mind a 20cm distance. Not full blown macro, but it would make it a convenient lens none the less.
joke ,Sony had to much camera but Panasonic had to much lens
this year they sell only 2 series(GH&GM) but i can’t remember how many body from Sony, 🙁
Hmmm, as macro zooms are not really an option, having macro lenses in a variety of focal lengths is very useful. I use them for product work often, and there is a difference with perspective for the same framing between 100mm eq, (50mm f2) 70mm eq(35mm f3.5) and 50mm eq (which I used while using the sony a850).
So in m43rds we now have 120mm, 90mm and 60mm, these will have a very different feel for the same framing.
m43 has as well a 210mm, 154mm and 90mm equivalent focal lengths.
Right, but not all will frame smaller products using a good portion of the sensor due to minimum focus distances.
Edit.
Sorry, I realize you are still talking about macros.
Why would the 40-150mm f2.8 not be an option? I would have thought it would be ideal for product work.
Oh, i am surecit is, and i havd one on preorder 🙂 but i have worked for some time with the 50mm and 35mm macros so i was simply commenting on a potential use for 30mm macro.
Also the 40-150 is expensive…
I like this focal length for documentary film production. Not too short, not too long. The 2.8 is close to the equivalent s35mm f5.6 that most cinematographers like to use, so not too shabby all around. If the image is agreeable and they slap a good price point on it, I’ll pick one up.
boring……
I wonder, Is it really useful? I mean, I find the Panny 45mm still too short to be a valuable macro, what’s the point in launching a 30mm?
For bugs or other living things I’d say you’re right (I use a 55mm, but more commonly a 90mm for those sorts of things) but for flowers or detail/textural macros? 30mm should be fine.
More choices. Good. But how about some ultra wide angle primes, Panny and Oly?
It might be dimensioned to suit the GM series. It looks a bit that way from the pic. Then the GM models will have well-proportioned 15mm and 30mm primes, one being macro, and 12-32 and 35-100 zooms. A nice package.
Slow and boring.
…and small, and macro. Exciting!
This might be a small Sigma 30 2.8 fighter.