Image courtesy by the mysterious “nanoloop” 🙂
An anonymous source sent me this pic of what he claims to be the back of the new Olympus 15mm f/8.0 lens. As I told you before this is not a pinhole lens like the [shoplink 32795 ebay]SLRmagic m43 pinhole (here)[/shoplink]). This has three lenses inside (you see them on the picture). Right now the smallest m43 lens is the [shoplink 16258]Panasonic 14mm[/shoplink] that is 2.06 cm thick and weights 55g. The “Plastic” and “supercheap” 15mm f/8.0 lens will be announced along the new PEN cameras. I am not sure yet but I think it will be part of the kit lens on the new E-PM3 and E-PL5. These are the specs:
Focal lenght: 15 mm (equivalent to 30 mm on a 35 mm camera) :
Aperture: F8 fixed
Dimensions :Max.dia.Ø56(2.2in.)× length 9 (0.4 in.) mm
Design: 3 groups, 3 lenses
Focus: 0.30 m (11.8 in.) to infinite. Manual Focusing (Three settings)
Weight: 22 g (0.8 oz.)
UPDATE: One more picture:
P.S: Similar in size is the famous [shoplink 32796 ebay]Leica Perara Triplet (you can find some of them here on eBay)[/shoplink].
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Something else: My friend Elena posted E-PL1 Pictures from a ‘panigiri’ (greekdiaries).
155 Responses
Would make for a great camera cap-cover 🙂
would be nice to be able to do something like this on camera http://www.flickr.com/photos/funnerlabs/ its slit scan photography iphone app….
I just hope they are going to bundle in a lens hood with it! 🙂
That may be asking a little too much :p
Why that? The lens is the lens hood!
Imagine you´re carrying the cam in sleep mode in your pocket. Suddenly you see something you want to photograph. Take the cam out of your pocket, half-press the shutter to wake up the cam, press it again and shoot.
This is shooting like in the good old west: the fastest survive. 😉
Remember to stand at one of the 3 possible positions for manual focusing to work!
the point is at f8 on 2x crop the depth of field is very deep
The knurled ring seems to indicate you can focus manually.
Apart from that,
no electrical contacts,
no autofocus motor,
fixed aperture,
all plastic including mount,
only 3 glass elements that are quite small.
All this must mean it must be very cheap.
Could be OK for landscape photography on a budget.
I can’t believe that there will be no electrical contact, at least for focal length and aperture recording in the exifs.
I agree!
Eric
“I can’t believe that there will be no electrical contact, at least for focal length and aperture recording in the exifs.”
What do you expect to relay to the camera if it has fixed aperture and three fixed focus distances 🙂 ?
You can’t believe? This is just a fun extra lens, it’s not serious, it’s as cheap as possible to make that is still kinda fun, obviously no contacts means much cheaper and easier to make… it’s a giveaway lens.
You can find ring adaptator with AF confirm for 10$. So integrating directly the chip in a mass product should only add few $.
With electrical contact, you can have:
– image stabilization
– geometric correction
– traverse chromatic aberration correction
I can see some interest to this lens for instance for mountain landscape where you have a lot of light and don’t want heavy camera(but compact camera is also an option). But without electrical contact, you have to manually select the focal for stabilization???
> I can see some interest to this lens for instance for mountain landscape where you have a lot of light and don’t want heavy camera
That’s exactly situation when foot zoom works extremely badly.
Compact camera with zoom works lot better for that.
> – image stabilization
You’ll have that anyway. But even if not, you don’t need that for 15mm anyway.
> – geometric correction
This is a prime lens, so it shouldn’t have much distortion.
> – traverse chromatic aberration correction
Olympus doesn’t do CA correction in-camera…
> Olympus doesn’t do CA correction in-camera…
Third part software can do it. And I do it before panorama stitching. But the software usually need to read info about the lens in exifs.
I also forgot to mention corner shading. With such a construction, you will be far from telecentric construction (35° from normal in the corner). Electronic sensors really don’t like off normal beams.
Pen be a type cowboy camera. 😀
JesperMP: as hsa said above, there’s no manual focus ring. There is a lever / switch you can see on the side view that switches between focus presets.
maybe useful http://www.flickr.com/groups/1535220@N23/pool/
Nice lens, thanks for posting the link. But Oly’s lens is “super cheap”, so IQ shouldn’t be on par with the Super Triplet Perar…
another kind of Camera Body Cover? LOL
If the idea is to include this lens with all new PEN bodies (regardless of kit lens inclusion) then I think it is a wonderful idea.
ie: if someone buys and E-PL camera with the 14-42 lens and get this mini lens into the bargain for compact fun times.
However if the lens is trying to compete on it’s own then I feel it will have to be seriously cheap! Otherwise it will not be able to compete against the Panasonic 14mm that can easily be had on ebay UK for £120ish.
It is a see through body cap. This has to be a joke. Hopefully it costs less than a lens hood.
I’ll stand by that. If it is included free with every camera, and like $35 to buy separately, then I think it’s a great little idea.
Providing the optics are half way decent, or half way interesting at least. I think this is Olympus having some fun about them, not necessarily ignoring the need for more high quality lens.
Wow, that is sooo cooooool ! How come all the really high quality cool stuff is made in China ? And real plastic too… oh man, that is a killer product. I bet the other camera makers are feeling really ill they didn’t think of this. I just wonder what cereal box I have to buy so I can find this inside !?! Cheerios ? Captain Crunch ?
*lol*
It has screws? Why? What’s wrong with glue? Olympus, are you going to charge a premium for this lens once more, since you are using fancy metal stuff?
What they really should be doing is making super thin lens caps that double as wide/angle/fisheye/telephoto converters.
I like that idea! Patent it quick!
Made in China 🙂 It will be definitely super-cheap low-quality lens.
Only 3 lenses but with a lot of aspherical surfaces, high index and low dispersion glasses, super-top-high-grade coating…
This is a jewel 😉
Triplets can do very well for this kind of lens, and are a historically quite common design.
Despite the understandable scepticism about this lens, I can’t help but be intrigued.
Let’s hope it has some sort of built-in shutter type lens cap, like on compact cameras. So you don’t have to fiddle with a lens cap when taking snapshots.
I don’t understand why Oly lost time to do equivalent 30mm f/8 (with DOF like f/16 on FF)? What is the reason to use such thing? Even if it is super cheap, there is no sense to spend 10$ for 15mm f/8 if you have any other lens of with 15mm range.
Zone focusing is though possible, but not really easy with the current AF lenses.
@ Anonymous:
It is both THIN, and CHEAP! Enough reason for it, isn´t it?
Of course if this is a real lens coming, it must be cheap and maybe be offered as a little fun enhancement of camera kits, like someone already said together w a 14-42 for example.
Probably Olympus thinks that E-PM3 + this lens can be called “pocketable M4/3”. But the sacrifices seem just too high. However, given the fact that E-PM3 includes the E-M5 sensor, it can be ok for an all-around amateur lens.
“given the fact that E-PM3 includes the E-M5 sensor”
It will be a fact when we will see the final specification from Olympus. Till than, it’s just a rumor.
Mybe I just have big pockets, but I currently have an e-m5 with 20/1.7 mounted in one (coat) pocket, and the 45mm/1.8 in another. An e-pm1 (or 3) with this 15mm might fit a jeans pocket, just like some compacts. Personally I find putting a camera in my jeans pocket rather uncomfortable.
Regardless, if cheap, this looks like a fun toy.
I can’t believe this über-cheaply-made piece comes in black. It’s another overpriced limited edition. 😛
why not the front of the lens?? damn!! 🙂
..they are killing their last little bit of pro reputation, they bult up with the e-m5 and some prime lenses…. other than Panasonic at Oly the marketeers seem to enjoy their cam as a toy, not a real photographic device..
thats also the reason why i already changed all my Oly lens to Pana..(in combination with the great e-m5)
What? Since when did Olympus have ANY “pro reputation”? lol……….
>at Oly the marketeers seem to enjoy their cam as a toy, not a real photographic device..
Why cant a product be both fun and a “real photographic device”????? If you consider an Olympus e-m5 a pro photographic tool with “pro reputation” then I have some bad news for you……
What amuses me are photographers that consider the camera the professional 🙂
Olympus has a very respected tradition both as a camera and lens maker, and they are professionals at that.
@Urban Ninja:
Ok, the OM-D may not have a widespread “pro reputation”, nevertheless quite a lot of people have got it instead of, or as addition to, their FF/APS-C cameras. On many forums you can read such kind of user reports, from both working pros and avid amateurs…
Urban people is urban people.
Olympus has imaging system for REAL pro. Its medical imaging system is far superior than that’s of Cakon.
The consumer imaging system is just a faction of their whole system.
BTW, REAL photographers know what the real strength of any imaging devices. However, even full grown rooster knows nothing even the gem stone is brightly shined before its very eyes.
Ugh, tom, this is so stupid and dramatic.
I’m pretty hyped over this lens. I’ll definitely buy it for the right price. It would make my Panasonic Gf3 actually pocketable.
It seems a very nice addition to the range, at the right price I would buy one to live in my briefcase on a small body
Roger
could be a great no bells or whistles street lens, switch on and snap…………
Just as any $50 P&S.
P&S doesn’t have an E-M5 sensor and can’t zone focus.
A non-descript, compact, f8, 30mm equivalent lens designed for zone/hyperfocal focusing? All the street photographers on this forum know exactly what this lens could bring to the table. Hopefully, IQ is decent.
Nice idea for a camera cap.
Or that’s 17mm mk2 we’ve been asking for?!
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?
Pls Olympus stop making sutch idiot designs! Or make 16/f16, 17/f22 lenses also, and then we can be sure that you are insane.
15mm and f8, who is the guy behind this idea? I start collecting for a reward for his head.
We could dream of a lineup of classic focal lengths with f0.95-f1.4, or zooms, and then you give us this sh*t.
Its always fun to see people dismissing things they don’t understand. Thank you for the 2 secs of entertainment.
Why this crap and not a decent 35mm equivalent?
Why?
Prime with f/8? Stupid idea. Even zoom f/8 has no sense.
If it will be tilt/shift, or mirror-lens, or macro – maybe there is a sense. But equivalent 30mm f/8???????????
I won’t buy it even if it cost 10$.
Will do a old Pen vert fast to use in auto mode, but i too mean this is crazy funn.
Most of you are missing the point. This is a great, cheap and fun street photography lens, where 3 step manual focusing will be a godsend – like snap focus on the Ricoh GRD cameras (a hugely important and weirdly uncopied feature). Especially on older cams like the e-p1 where autofocusing is a total no-no for street work where speed and instant reactions are needed. This lens will even beat the latest cameras for speed on the street. f8 ensures that pin point focus accuracy is not needed, and i for one, am buying this (price dependent) to effectively convert my PEN to a better quality street camera, with Ricoh-like focusing. Well done Olympus, i say.
Totally agreed, this is a great and highly original addition to the lens lineup
Completely agree. It could also be a great lens for landscape photography, I use f/8 or f/9 most of the time when taking this kind of pictures.
+1 If the IQ is good I will buy one, most of my street photo pictures are made @ f8 because there’s a lot of sun in my place (south of France). I think it would be a collectable and funny lens.
so this lens is going to cost $50 and the lens hood will cost $75?
Looks like a good cheap street photography lens! Coupled with the new E-PM it will probably help them get the title of smallest mirrorless camera with a lens.
I was at a truck stop last night….I believe I saw a Gum Ball machine full of those lenses…
75 cents!
Quite a dissapointment, this lens…the Pentax DA 40mm is roughly the same size, but f/2.8. Hopefully it will be really inexpensive.
This Lens makes your Camera equivalent to your iPhone Camera. Just without the GPS and EXIF Data, just in Light gathering and dof 😉
I like this lens, it makes me laugh 😀
I wonder if it has a nice bokeh LOL
I suspect that the Olympus 15mm f/8 may be the next standard kit-lens for an upcoming PEN camera.
The reviewers would be delighted to test it, fans would praise it non-stop, while the Olympus camera division would continue to lose money. I guess, nobody informed them that people would be glad to buy
at least one brighter than f/1.2 good quality normal prime lens with the AF.
uhm… I still can’t believe it.
Is there anyone out there that it has a marketability? ( 🙂
Reading the post, the lens has fixed “three” focus. I guess they are icons of “mountain”, “two people”, “flower”, that distant, portrait, macro.
Is this really acceptable for possible (target) users? Me? I don’t know!
but if mew PL/PM has some good S/N, f/8.0 means somewhat “pan focus”, so, this “kit lens” (I want it to be so ! 🙂 make photo-taking very easy. but we already know “AF” system. why now MF/fixed pan focuses?
then the kit must be faaarrrr cheaper. not just only without AF lens, but more and more cheaper.
I guess… PM is just for $100 or Oly will release $100 new line (other than PL/PM) to enlarge the m4/3 user base.
number is “justice”, power. drastically increasing number of m4/3 mount ? (I don’t know if it’s successfull idea)
haha looks more like a conversion lens, one of those you’re obliged to use at max focal only… 😀 like a pana gtc1
So really, no electrical connection. Oly camera department might be good, but lens department really smokes something.
I think it’s misleading to keep referring to the “Leica Perar [not Perara] Triplet.”
The Perar is NOT made by Leica — it is made by MS Optical, a tiny “boutique” optical firm in Japan. Mr. Miyazaki, who owns the firm and designs its lenses, felt that the triplet design has unique qualities that have been overlooked by the major manufacturers, and designed the Perar to prove his theories. You can read some interesting background on it on the Japan Exposures website:
http://www.japanexposures.com/2010/09/06/ms-optical-super-triplet-perar/
Japan seems to have a dedicated market of photo-aficionados who enjoy collecting and using limited-edition lenses with unusual optical properties, and that’s the only reason I can think of why Olympus would be making this one.
you’ve hit the nail on the head there
@Ranger 9
they’ll be selling cheaply on it’s own to encourage/get people to buy additional lenses who aren’t in the habit, also bundled as a twin lens kit will give higher percieved value relative to the cost to Olympus…
Also it looks like a fun lens to use with the various art filters and the black and white settings as well as for silhouette/lens flare type shots…
Just my thoughts
There are no electronic contacts. So Olympus users must set the focal length manually for the IBIS to work.
And you must set the “Shoot w/o lens” option for the camera to operate.
Ok, so it’s basically a lens cap with a lens in it. If you think about it in that sense then it makes for a fun concept. I have no problem with a creative yet quirky idea like this just so long as it’s “supercheap” as it’s rumored to be. But just how cheap is “supercheap”?
Given that the Panasonic 14-42mm can be had for $100 now, and considering it is a zoom lens with moving parts, a heck of a lot more material and electrical contacts for good measure, I can hardly believe this lens will hold a value proposition greater than one-fifth of the 14-42mm. That said, I seriously doubt Olympus would sell this lens for any less than $19.99.
But then I think about it some more and realize that this is Olympus… Hardly a company known to produce anything close to a “value” lens. Remember, they won’t even include a lens hood on their top-of-the-line lens with the “highest optical quality” they have ever produced. At the end of the day, I know Olympus will overprice this lens to its perceived value. I predict it retails for $29.99. Care to try your guess?
I can’t speak for all olympus cameras, but on my Pen I just put on a manual lens and start shooting, no need for changing any “shoot without lens” settings.
I still don’t get the reason behind the creation of this lens .
F8.0 , all the pancake lenses capable of such slow aperature so what is the selling point of this lens ?
As a kit lens ? Don’t bet on it , Olympus . It only tarnish the image of EPM2 & EPL5 .
It not even worth a token for me even it is the smallest as the 14mm easily outclass it with it’s fast aperature .
I think this is really cool at the right price. As long as people are not trying to use this indoors, it should be a fun, simple lens to go outdoors and get some snaps. Steet photos, family photos at the beach, the park, out grillin’, etc. Not everything needs to be a f.95 light-speed focus, ED, BYOB, ADHD glass. 😀
If it’s $100 or less, it’ll sell.
“light-speed focus”
Actually it will be faster than light. It will be instantaneous.
Oh wait! As soon as Admin shows the front photo the next wave of whining will be about the color!
I’ll start!
THIS BETTER COME IN SILVER TO MATCH MY OM-D! If not, Olympus has lost my business forever! WAAAAaaaa
Of course, if it only comes in silver the whining will be 3X worse.
Yes I think that it will be bundled with the body as a freebie. Since it is fixed focus and aperture it is possible to make a reasonably good lens very cheaply.
Edit:
There seems to be a leaver at the front then it could be manual focus only.
Why on earth did Olympus create this lens? I really cannot understand.
I look on last image?
Front on the lens look like lens on AX, a focus button i is down for front glas.
You don’t understand because you don’t shoot street. I don’t shoot macro shots, but I don’t bitch anytime a macro lens comes out.
Can you see the entire rear of the lens? On my blackberry one side of the picture is cropped and I am hoping that the missing section is the electrical contacts.
That little lever on the front looks too tiny to be for manual focusing. I could see it it was some sort of selector switch or an ‘open’ ‘close’ switch for an integrated lens cap, but not for focussing while you are taking pictures.
Wow! added the side view photo!
very thin. Almost a body cap!
If this were not Olympus-make, I could believe it. but … ( 🙂 )
There must be a corresponding “strategic” body for it.
This lens must be the Nr.1 show stopper of the Photokina, this year.
A lens without a mission. It is (or should be) cheap, but why is Olympus spending anything on this lens when they still have financial issues. I can’t see how they can justify spending any financial or intellectual resources on this.
It’s for the Hipstamatic crowd. It should come in under 40 bucks. If it does, who wouldn’t grab one just for the f’n heck of it?
Who wouldn’t? Maybe anybody who has a cellphone? Because the IQ of a cheapest cellphone will match a m43 with this and fills EXIF by itself. And a half-decent cellphone also has AF and GPS.
I can’t sleep 🙂
I can’t wait for Photokina.
I dream that:
this 15mm F/8 lens
Tokina 300mm F/6.3 MF mirrorlens
above “double lens kit” with coming E-PL4 . nightmare, or in a big labyrinth.
It looks like it will win the ugliest lens ever award, to.
This wil be expensive since it is already a special addition (black) not silver. LOL
Useless, unergonomic.
Wasn’t one of the rumored specs that it has three preset focus settings? One would be infinity, one at minimum and one at hyperfocal? That lever would actuate those setting. Or perhaps the lever moves a lens cover.
They should replace the body cap that normally comes with a camera with this lens.
This would be a neat lens for photos where color is the most interesting feature… I assume the colors will be unusually bright going through only 3 pieces of glass.
The downside is- it sounds like this is a lens built for low price and novelty- and so the quality and consistency of the glass will be suspect until proven in the field.
A few people have the imagination to use any lens, as few people here lack any imagination whatsoever.
To all you people who think a lot of time and energy went in to this… Seriously?? You think one of the big optical companies in the world needs to spend a lot of time and energy making this lens?
To all you people who think it will cost a lot of money to make? Really? How much?
To all you people who think there is no market for this? Here is a little secret, if it doesnt appeal to you, chances are it wasn’t intended for you. As many have cottoned on, this is a good street lens with zone focussing (at 3 settings), it is small light cheap and may even be pretty good.
It cracks me up.
As a person who enjoys shooting Holga and Diana cameras (with real film!) as well as Holga, Diana and Lensbaby lenses on my OM-D, I think this is a fun idea. It might even be a little bit of genius if it replaces the body cap.
Spec reads very similar to a lens in a Lomo camera. Maybe it is intended to replicate the Lomo look.
I guess it will be used similar to a cap for the body. We all know these circumstances where the camera is packed and suddenly something happens that needs immediate attention. in that situation, mounting the lens isn’t quick enough. with that, the camera at least is operational.
I doubt that olympus would sell it, if the quality of it is below of what a modern smartphone is capable of.
Such negativity! This is clearly not intended for those who don’t “get” this lens. It’s not intended to be a pro lens, or even a typical consumer lens. It’s a niche lens that offers yet another creative outlet. I’m actually looking forward to it as a great way to have a bit of the Lomography feel with the convenience of digital. Heck, I can see myself throwing my OM-D into 1:1 format and getting a touch of the classic Kodak Instamatic experience. This lens is clearly intended for photographers that enjoy that kind of experience, not for the pixel peeping, gismoticly imbued crowd.
I’ve been emulating this lens with the 17/2.8 for street photography: Aperture priority @ f/8, focus pre-set using MF, then switched to AF but disabled half-press AF, so you can’t knock out your focus with the MF ring or shutter button.
Whatever people say this lens should be fun, it will make your cam look totally like a compact as well.
However because it’s so tiny and plastic I do have some reservations re. weather resistance. I know it’s not weather sealed but with its construction I do hope it’s tight enough not to let any dust onto your sensor, or cause your sensor to steam up! Also plastic tends to wear off, especially in contact with metal…
PS it’s a pity the guy didn’t send a front view (unless Admin didn’t show it), but that I’m sure is purely for teasing purposes 🙂
I see this lens as challenge. 🙂 What best picture you can do with it? Dont you want to know? Its fun to limit yourself a bit with equipment. Not always, but sometimes it is.
Exactly. A big reason I bought the 12mm f2 was that it’s a breeze to set hyperfocal. I typically shoot at f8 for street for the giant DOF and the fact that AF sucks for street photography. This lens would be the only other native m43 lens I know of that can easily be set to hyperfocal focus.
A standard body cap is 10.2 mm, so I suppose the length (9 mm) is from the mount surface and not the total length. The body cap is 6.2 mm from the mount surface.
Do you remember “AF” ?
current PEN or E-M5 have a good “zone” AF focusing. why need pan focus (no focus)?
this is inconsistent to Olympus m4/3 itself. Adding to that, this lens has no electrodes. almost need not to be m4/3 lens. this is as if some “old” lens (like CANON FD mount) with a mount adapter.
If this were toylens from someone else than Olympus (or Panasonic), it could be very much OK.
but this (if true) comes from Olympus!
And do you think Olympus have much enough m4/3 lenses anymore?
I don’t see 15mm (equiv. 30mm) f/8.0 fixed and three step MF lens prior than any other lenses to release “NOW”.
so some long-experienced camera user, please explain how it’s reason to release from m4/3 licensee Olympus, that makes also E-5, today.
(or want to hear from Olympus. I can’t wait Photokina! This lens rumor is ultra enigma)
Is it weather sealed?
I would get this lens and put it on a new or refurbished E-PL1 body. My wife can keep it in her bag no problem and take the usual ‘holiday’-type outdoor snapshots: hyperfocal, everything from 1m/3ft to infinity in focus, instant response. And the raw files will be fine. All for about 150 EUR/$/GBP
And then I have a second body as well 🙂
Looks good for daytime street photography. Lets the camera fit into more pockets than it usually does. I’ll buy one.
Excellent for the street photo in daylight !
I take 4 pieces …
Hmmm….. I already have a body cap and the 14-42mm, I can already fit a whole m43 setup in some cargo pants, and I think shallow DOF can be a nice option for street photography. If they want to go small, they should learn a thing or two from Pentax. However, this can be an ingenious marketing ploy. I could imagine a bunch of point and shoot upgraders buying this lens because it’s cheap. Consequently, Olympus would quickly sell many 14-42mm lenses aat non-kit full price.
Ugh, you people are such freaks.
This is obviously a cheap & quick design that took very little R&D and is probably intended as a companion for body-only purchases of the E-PM2 or whatever.
Whine, whine, moan, moan, uhhhhh my life is so worrrthhlessss unless Olympus makes my every dream come true NOW NOW NOW.
Nobody whines here. However, it is valid to criticize a company producing a useless product, no matter, how cheap it will be.
+1
Agreed. Their effort could have been used elsewhere.
Olympus did not waste much effort on this. Probably a new intern designed this in a week and they send designs to third party manufacturer in China.
@mahler: “Nobody whines here.”
lolololololol
Tis you that be the whinger.
But is it valid to dismiss and complain about something due to lack of understanding it?
@bart
To answer your question…no. However, upon understanding the product, one could certainly voice their opinion on it. Personally, I think it is important for users to express their needs for companies to know what is desired. Keep in mind what is on the market right now. You can get the tiny Panny 14mm f2.5 used for $150. I don’t envision this lens being much less than $100 considering what they listed their conversion lenses for. I hope I’m wrong because who would buy this lens for more than $60?
Well, it is obviously a knock-off of the much-beloved Zeiss Hologon. I’m surprised they didn’t scale it to 7.5 mm. It will NOT be a low-quality lens.
It is obviously _not_ a knock-off of the Zeiss Hologon. That was a very expensive, difficult-to-produce wide angle lens for 35mm film using a specialized hemispherical design (with good but not great performance for its price). This is a modest wide angle (apparently) intended for hyperfocal-type shooting on a much smaller format.
We don’t know the formula but it is likely a fairly conventional triplet, and would be expected to give decent results for its intended limited purpose. I personally hope that it doesn’t turn out to be an intentionally poorly-corrected “toy” Diana/Holga/Instagram hipster lens.
agreed. i think we’ve all had enough of that.
of course i would like to have seen a similar design that was a stop or two brighter but none the less i see this little lens being useful if well corrected.
Well it might be triplet with inner plastic aspheric surfaces (4 total ;-), which would make it very different design 😉
I’ll second that. If you guys feel the need to freak out about a toy lens that doubles as a lens cap, you have problems.
My – and probably your – knowledge of lens design doesn’t allow the „obviously a cheap & quick design“ verdict. Sure, it’s quite unusual, but the proof is in the image results. Could be a very fast people & party lens with great bokeh.
Just relax & see.
Can I add a third?
At first this lens seemed silly to me, but after thinking about it I can see what they might be thinking.
1) They can claim the worlds smallest interchangeable lens.
2) They can claim their cameras are truly pocket-able with this attached.
3) They can keep the price of the lower end Pens the same and sell this as the “kit” lens. Inevitably people will want a more capable lens, so they sell another lens (17mm for example) for an additional $300.
4) I think they are trying to capitalize on the Instagram/Diana/Holga craze that is going on right now. This lens and any PEN (with filter effects) will undoubtedly take better “low-fi” pictures than any of those plastic cameras and crappy cell phones.
I really hope they just throw this into every camera box they sell. As someone else said earlier in the thread, it would be a stroke of genius if this was meant to replace a camera body cap.
This definitely looks like a body cap to me. Seems like they want to replace it with this lens, so your camera is “always ready” even with no real lens attached…
>1) They can claim the worlds smallest interchangeable lens.
nope. S-mount aka board mount lenses (typically for 1/2″ to 1/5″ format) are smaller
Maybe, I just say maybe, it can be attached on some other lens for a weird effect?
Would it be possible?
I don’t have any issues with Olympus for offering this lens and will probably get one if the price is reasonable.
Good to see that Olympus, in their difficult situation, has a sense of humour. As an advertising gimmick it’s quite cool. Just don’t expect me to pay anything for it.
Seems like a clever and amusing replacement for the body cap. I bet it will have a built in, and very simplistic cover for the outer part of the lens.
What this as a replacement for the body cap does is ensure that even the dumbest consumer not realizing they need to buy lenses for a body-only sale will still be able to take pictures, even if in a limited fashion.
I think there will be no aperture, speed and manual mode in the next entry level camera.. like nikon 1..
f/8 and be there…
This lens looks like it does not have AF, nor aperture settings. You just point and shoot without any lag. Slow aperture so everything is always in focus.
Beginning to see it now. E-PL5 with this lens is pocketable, fast and easy. Oh and cheap.
I will buy for sure. This is amazing. I hope the EpM will look like the old chrome vintage Pen. Then with such a small lens cap stype lens, it will just feel like the old half-frame camera.
Hi
I rather like the idea of this lens for certain situations. Why not? I bet some people will be creative with it.
Berni
It will be a good snapshot lens. It has three distance settings (your halitosis uncle’s face, your uncle and his snazzy 70’s leisure suit, and your uncle standing by his powder blue car). They’re going old school. Love it.
If the price is right and the IQ good, I’ll get it.
What a useless POS.
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Why not?
who is this marketed to? F8? It is a Holga lens….
well , a nice camera body cover replacement , LOL
ZZVisual
“What do you expect to relay to the camera if it has fixed aperture and three fixed focus distances 🙂 ?”
I want the lens to tell the camera which lens is on the camera and what is the focal length for IS. I also complain about Samyang lenses not having chips (for 43/µ43). I added a chip on one of them to avoid IS reprogramming when switching between my several manual lenses.
F**k!! I want something like that for my NEX-5N!!!!
If it is less than 20usd, why Don’t we all get one.
if not have electronic contacts = not IBIS to record videos
Ok, if they made this sharp, it will be a hyperfocal king. Focused to 6.2 feet, everything from 3.1 feet to infinity is in focus, and there is zero need for auto focus, manual focus, or any focus. Just INSTANT zero lag pictures.
I’ll say it again, if this lens has decent or great IQ, it will be a lens that you’ll want to keep on your person at all times just because it’d be so hassle free (minding you have the light available). I’m a long time Canon user, with a nex for traveling light, and even I admit I’d be quite jealous if this is indeed a decent performer.
Need to dig my old Vivitar 24mm or OM 28mm out for some easy hyperfocal shooting…
I will buy it. As a replacement for body cap 😉 Note that triplet design has less lens flare than more complex designs 😉
I hope it comes in different colours or just in chrome also