Olympus manager Hiroyuki Sasa confirmed at Toyokeizai (Google translation here) that they are supplying Sony with their camera and lens tech. Also AP reports that “The imaging sensor has already started to source from Sony to Olympus. And the lens [parts] and lens units will start to source from Olympus to Sony.”
As I told you last week the first A-mount lens to come with Olympus design is the 400mm f/4.0. That lens will be launched in early 2014 along the first A-mount mirrorless cameras. Olympus is known for their superb Zuiko lens design that is second to no one. And they may do a f/2.0 zoom for Sony one day like their current [shoplink 17943 ebay]14-35mm f/2.0 (here on eBay)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 18657 ebay]35-100mm f/2.0 (here on eBay)[/shoplink] lenses. That would be crazy!
By the way, is there some other tech or idea you would like to grab from Olympus?
96 Responses
Zuiko’s are alright, I’d still prefer a Zeiss.
i prefer both
Exactly. 🙂
Hope they mention the Zuiko-Olympus name on the lens though, otherwise no deal !
why? if its good i dont care whats writen on it, they can even put Adidas on it, what i care is about performance, not branding
+1
If it was Adidas who designed it then sure.
would love to see fast AF algorithm from the OM-D with the phase detection pixels on the new NEX/Alphas 😀
bah, was meant to post as new thing instead of reply
The super fast AF algorithm is licensed from Panasonic, so it’s not likely shared with Sony.
But what of us poor souls who like Minoltas?
You’ll like Olympus even more.
Or even less if you care about colors.
Yes, what happened to the Minolta lens designers? Does this spell the end of the G series, or is it just an addition to the lineup?
Ah, perhaps a future Olympus FF body?
They’ll be stuck on APS kit zoom duty?
I prefer the price of the Zuiko. 🙂
Actually… while I love the Zeiss optics, I’ve been a little disappointed with the speed (given that Fuji is making some excellent F1.4 lenses, and has an F1.2 on the way).
+1
“Olympus is known for their superb Zuiko lens design that is second to no one” – hehe, that’s what I call a hype. I can tell quite easily who makes better glass. Leica. Zeiss. Schneider Kreuznach (their original glass). Heck, even Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony got lenses which are sharper than Zuikos in various focal lengths (though obviously you need to go case-by-case).
Let’s not make Olympus a new Leica. It’s not. Not even remotely close.
Their SHG 4/3rds lens line up can hang with anything. The m4/3rds lenses, while good, aren’t in the same class, although the 75mm f/1.8 approaches it.
The bottom line is that they make an excellent product at the price point. If it’s a $2500 SHG lens, it will be superb. If it’s a $400 plastic m4/3 45mm f/1.8, it will have excellent optics for $400.
You have absolutely no idea what you’re going on about!!!!
10k for some leica or zeiss branded prime.
Let me see those companies produce what a zuiko 150 f2 can for remotely near that price!
Leica and zeiss’s asking price for their optics are not in proportion with the quality they offer, Olympus most definately is.
I confidently say if Olympus set out to make a 10k prime as an equivalent to a zeiss or leica in all respects including format, focal length and price then you’ll start to see some legendary tales of leica and zeiss greatness becoming dispelled as merely myths.
Zd 14-35 f2, 35-100 f2, 150 f2 and the list goes on……
Leica and zeiss make great optics but at what price?
I’ll take a top grade Olympus lens over a leica or Zeiss any day.
“olympus” label means it’s designed by olympus, “zeiss” label means nothing, could mean sony, cosina or anyone else.
I would be very happy if they make a 16-70 f2.8-4.0 for the nex system
IQs are nearly identical across all major brand except maybe color. Better if Sony work with Olympus to improve their bionz image processor.
It’s a grand strategy that SONY are playing.
I now get to choose from SONY, Zeiss, Sigma or Olympus for my lenses. With lesser support from Tamron and Samyang.
And of course i have access to all the M and Contax G lenses with adapters.
Mirrorless NEX is truely a platform system that will easily compete against Canikon dslrs!
Olympus lenses will, probably, be sold as Sony lenses
Agree with that statemen, think the deal with Zeiss is more important.
It’s the combination of all components that matters. NEX still sucks at off-camera flash, tethering, remote shutter, weather sealing, the list goes on and on.
I have the NEX-5 and some Leica and Zeiss Contax G lens btw.
Sony owns part of Tamron. I doubt Tamron will therefore drop Sony support like Sigma has done. Tamron also makes good lenses at good prices and I’m glad they do. With their PZD motors the AF is becoming fast also…
Sigma just refreshed the 19/2.8 and 30/2.8 for Nex. They are favorites for E-mount shooters and considerably sharper than the OSS variants.
Considerably sharper than what again? Certainly not my SEL35f18.
Sigma hasn’t drop any support for Sony. No clue what are you talking about.
Not dropped, but they have ignored Sony with the last two A-mount releases… so far.
5 axis I.B.I.S would be sweet on the next A-mount camera
Is that 5 axis IBIS good for Video? My NEX with OSS is not that stable..
+1!
+2
+3
+4
+5
+5
I think this explains how Sony plans to increase lens sales next year. Sell Olympus glass under the Sony name.
IBIS technology from Olympus adapted for E-Mount so we do not need that spacy and expensive OIS anymore and could also stabilize zeiss and legacy glass!
+1000
5 axis ibis would be sweet in a NEX-9
“And they may do a f/2.0 zoom for Sony one day like their current 14-35mm f/2.0 (here on eBay) and 35-100mm f/2.0”
Well those lenses already kind of exist for Sony as the 28-75mm f/2.8 or Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 and the 70-200mm f/2.8 G.
If you want actual 14-35mm and 35-100mm f/2.0s for APS-C/FF Alphas – sure, why not, if you like your lenses the size and weight of a tank…
an F2 lens on mFT /FT does the exact same job as an F2.8 on Sony APS .These lenses are monstrously large and the talk was that they were FF lenses with a reducer built in ,which would certainly explain the size for a lens designed to be used on a sensor with a quarter the area of FF
I like the photo.
“This is how pitifully small Canon and Nikon will feel in 5 years time!”
😉
+1
He is showing and describing,
how small and impotent he feels
for NOT supporting existing SONY users properly.
You guys really like a chuckle Sony is in a nose dive selling of numerous assets is the only profitable business they have been in for a few years lol
My dream lens would be: A-mount DT 50-200/2.8 SSM weather resistant or similar. High quality but not as big and heavy as Full Frame version. A cheaper DT 50-200/4.0 SSM would also be welcome.
Jan
Sony needs to bring back the Beercan series… great value for money lenses! I’m glad to see that more and more people on this site request that.
Yep, definitely.
best lenses ever. The colours from those lenses are fantastic.
Nah, the beercan was good for film but doesn’t cut it for digital ; lots of CA and soft long end ., and everything else you get from an ancient low budget lens .
This is a good news !
But I still like ZEISS .
I’d respectfully disagree: Zuiko is second to Zeiss.
Oh please, PLEASE make a ZD 7-14 -based and ZD 12-60 -based and ZD 50-200 -based lenses for A mount! Those are GREAT lenses! If such quality will be available for Alpha, I’ll be really happy!
My mate who went from Olympus to Sony would love to have Olympus glass on the Sony. But I’m just wondering will it be as good on the APS-C and FF sensor that it is on the 4/3s 2.0 crop sensor. Would it not just be using the middle of the glass for that sensor? You get more imperfections on the outside edge if the glass.
Puggs
the FT glass from Olympus would not cover an APS sized sensor efficiently ,it also costs way to much here in Europe while also being as big and heavy as FF lenses so what would be the sense in it
Sony’s electronics division isn’t doing so hot. In fact it is apparently losing money on nearly every gadget it sells. If you’re surprised at this, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. You may even be asking yourself what else they do. They have motion pictures and music but those endeavors have only contributed $7 billion to the company’s bottom line over the last decade. The electronics division has managed to lose a cumulative $8.5 billion in that time. So where do their profits come from? Unbeknownst to most of us in the west, Sony has a financial arm as well that deals in insurance and online banking that sees solid success in Japan. In the last year alone this division has been responsible for 63% of Sony’s total operating profit. It’s no wonder why when Daniel S. Loeb, an American investor and manager of the hedge fund Third Point, pressures Sony to revive it’s failing electronics division many analysts are wondering why. The company’s foray into markets like cell phones, TVs, cameras and game consoles have seen some successes but are ultimately struggling to stay afloat in a sea of stronger companies.
There is a danger in continuing to focus on this failing arm as a lack of managerial attention could start to harm the financial and entertainment divisions. Sony Financial Holdings is already starting to under-perform its peers on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The opinion of the outside world seems to be that Sony needs to split these divisions into three separate and independent companies.
Some are hopeful that recent successes in the electronics arm may suggest a revival of sorts and to that point, only time will tell. The fact remains that Sony’s insurance division is the company’s bread winner. The question is how long Sony will continue to throw good money after bad.
Via NYtimes
And other analysis says the Loeb plan isn’t that great. I am in the thinking that Sony is better off with the same corporate structure for now. The new CEO seems to have a plan that can be successful.
A long time ago, the OM series of cameras and the Zuiko lenses were dear in the heart of many photographers. I dearly wanted an OM4, but “settled” for a Minolta XD-11, one of the most underrated cameras EVER. Now it comes full circle. Zuiko lenses for the A mount (and hopefully E mount). If this works out, Sony and Olympus can have a broad swat of the market from m4/3 to FF.
Love the XD-11
Wish Sony would make a digital version manual focus with peaking no video
That’s my idea of a FF NEX
They should design/provide their 60mm macro for nex.
ASAP
I hope they’re going to keep the Zuiko brand.
Being able to choose wither Sony, Oly Zuiko or Zeiss lenses for a FF NEX with fast AF would be just awesome
Looks like Olympus is also manufacturing lenses and parts for Sony, not just designing the lenses.
TBH I doubt Olympus will manufacture or design any lenses for NEX. Even more I doubt they’ll brand them as Zuiko. It’d be their suicide on m4/3 front. Admitting that this whole system doesn’t have a point. That’s not going to happen. They’ll most likely stay focused on the A-mount (and even there I doubt they’d use their own branding, though TBH I wouldn’t have anything against it).
Yes, olympus would release lenses only for a-mount.
e-mount is direct competition to their own series.
its just suicidal for olympus to make e-mount lenses.
Guess my prediction of Olympus making lenses for Sony came true after all.
If I were sony, I would really make a-mount line go FF and e-mount for crop.
so as to make a clear seperation of them 2.
better for marketing and r&d.
Want olympus JPEGs on sony nex cams
+1
Actually, what I’d like most would be if Olympus would offer lenses they’re building for Sony for a revitalized Four Thirds DSLR System, too. In the telephoto range, there are no significant differences between designs for APS-C and FT, anyway…
Photo: Olympus manager shows the size of Canon’s CEO’s dick.
🙂 Erected or not ?
At the longest zoom.
Hilarious image. I wonder the length of what object he is showing us here.
LOL !!! you are cruel.
I have a good feeling that Sony & Olympus will dominate the mirrorless market few years later.
with Olympus body getting sensors, video tech from Sony, while Sony getting 5-axis IBIS, JPEG algorithm, AF algorithm, and lens tech. that would leave little to no space for the competitor to survive.
Don’t forget Sony is also on bed with Aptina now as well
😉
And Olympus will design the new Sony Axxx retro-styled a-mount OM-D body!
I really hope Sony will make a Nex that looks like a Minolta XD7. I learned shoting on this thing.
I think the biggest takeaway here is the production capability more than anything else. Sure, you can say what you want about lens design. Didn’t Tamron design many of the lower-end Sony lenses anyway? I think this is more about having someone else package lenses with the Sony brand and giving us consumers more options.
I hardly believe that Sony engineers are inferior to Olympus engineers. They probably just work under different constraints. For instance, you just can’t expect low salaries people in Malaysia to carry out complex assembly instructions. You either have to hire people with better skills or invest heavily in automatisation and I don’t see how the involvement of Olympus engineers would change this.
The best Olympus, Zeiss, Leica design will be useless under problematic QC. Many good samples of current Sony lenses compare well to lenses from other brands already.
Wow, this is a good news, Sony DT, Sony G/Zuiko and Zeiss AF…
Great news! 🙂
Easy Solve Zuiko/Sony.
The question here is if they go e mount are they going to ibis and screw OSS or are they going to learn how to do OSS lens.
Judging by Sony’s Latest lens releases someone died in the corporate lens structure that designed all those Minolta lenses. To release those GII series lenses with out a couple of Dollars worth of O rings and ring groves to seal those things up. I’m hoping someone did the honorable thing and offed themselves.
Henceforth the need to have Zuiko.
Olympus will be making consumer and G lenses for Sony. They won’t be Olympus branded as they won’t be considered 3rd party. Seems like great news to me.
Sony+Olympus=Powerhouse! I hope they will make a mirrorless alpha mount full frame camera WITH CONTRAST AF as fast as Olympus!
CAPTION: “Sony’s sensors are this much bigger than ours.”
More Good News!!! I have good memories of my zuiko Olympus 50mm 2.0, that was a great lens. I hope they keep the Zeiss line as well though.
Thought this might happen, hope they make a telephoto zoom that’s their normal high-quality.
The more choice we have, the best it is !
i wish Olympus to give up 4/3 mount and completely switch to E-mount))
+1, M Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 is awesome!
The caption for this photo should read “Olympus manager Hiroyuki Sasa demonstrates the size of Sony’s genitals.”
They can build it but I want Minolta/Sony colour. Preferably Minolta
Sony really need to deliver the beercan revival…I don’t care if it’s black or white, with G brand or Zuiko..but I don’t want at all a second hand 70-210 F4.0 as only real alternative to the G SSM 70-200 F2.8
A new 70-210 F4.0 with SSM, with improved optics and coatings is a must for this or next year and if possible, make it Weathersealed.
Make it Full-frame. Make it real.
Now give me that third-party lenses (Sigma Art line, Zeiss manual) so I can use that SSM system!
For 6 years i had an Olympus E-500, finally when the sensor started to go on it, I tried the E-620 but couldn’t stand it and made the jump to Sony. The one thing i miss the most is the Hypersonic Sensor Cleaner that Olympus has. In the 6 years over several hundred thousand photos taken, thousands of lens changes in all weather, not once did I ever have dust on the Sensor.