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Try to guess when Olympus launched the last New Four Thirds Lens? Don’t remember? It was the Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 II back in November 2008! And honestly I don’t recall any rumor about possible new FT Lens releases. Still, some of the FT lenses are unmatched in terms of quality by any of the current MFT offerings. So if you care about getting some of the great FT Glass here are some new deals on refurbished FT lenses that will make you save up to $2250 on the usual normal price:
Save $2250 on the Olympus Zuiko 90-250mm f/2.8 ED at [shoplink 34573 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $650 on the Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm f/2.0 SWD ED at [shoplink 34575 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $700 on the Olympus 35-100mm f/2.0 ED at [shoplink 34576 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $900 on the Olympus 150mm f/2.o at [shoplink 34577 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $300 on the Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm f/2.8 F2.8 ED at [shoplink 34578 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Many of you will now say. Why the heck should I buy a FT lens? Easy answer, those are superb lenses and will be also fully supported in terms of AF speed on the future OMD cameras. At least that is what Olympus promised us for the next future. And I am sure they are telling us the truth. And I have no hard time in recommending you good lenses. They will last forever (unlike cameras). Even Philip Bloom uses the f/2.0 Olympus lenses for his work 🙂
31 Responses
The Panasonic 35-100mm F2.8 lens is instock at Samys.com. They just got 12 of them in. At full retail price though. Still should be a great lens on a GH2 or GH3.
Still says out of Stock:
http://www.samys.com/p/Lenses—Zoom/HHS35100/35-100mm-f/2.8-Lumix-G-Vario-Zoom-Lens-for-G-Series-Cameras/117416.html
You have to call them. Mine will be here in the morning.
I love my 12-60 and still use it on the EM5 despite the slow focusing. If/when autofocus is fast on M43, this will be a game changer. And you can get so many of these fantastic lenses for so cheap used or refurbed at this point!
Which is exactly why it will never happen.
Plz don’t forget that 4/3 itself was NOT so popular even they had so you called “fantastic lenses”.
Honestly those lenses does not change anything in the market.
Simply and obviously it’s too expensive and too big in m4/3 market.
Wouldn’t call 12-60mm as expensive when compared to these considerable sharpness drop outside center thanks to software cover ups of optical flaws m4/3 lenses.
Sure 12-60mm is same size as lenses of other systems but for some reason you don’t hear whining from enthusiast/semi-pro users of Canikon systems dragging their backbags filled with lenses whose majority have problems to match same quality standards.
Agree.
but as we all know, majority amateur people don’t care some sort of software cover or what. Look at NEX systems and their sales in the market.
In addition, if we wanna change a game going in the market, those people are first priority who we should consider. right?
Who cares old and big lenses which launched 10 years ago or so, except some guys like us who already have 4/3 system and some of lenses.
Wow, I’m surprised at the negativity here. I’m not saying it’s a game-changer for market share; it’s a game-changer for those of us who appreciate the quality of the old glass. The 12-60 for instance has corner-to-corner sharpness throughout its entire range. It beats the Pany 12-35mm in sharpness and in range, and it also beats the somewhat comparable Nikon 24-120mm f/4.
Check out prices for all three lenses and tell me which of the above are more expensive. But yes, 43 glass is bigger and heavier than m43, but some of us who are more concerned about image quality are okay with carrying and using them. I come from Nikon SLRs, so 43 glass isn’t very big from my point of view.
100% Compatible? …. …… I really hope so! Been waiting a long time for that one! … (still, I just gave into the preasure and ordered an E-M5… How’s that focus peaking comming along? 🙂 )
I’m loving finally being able to use focus peaking with my old Angenieux S21. Up until the focus peaking “hack” was discovered I didn’t use that lens very much because it’s hard as heck to manual focus at f/1.5 on a M43 camera.
What about the 300/2.8, I wonder?
Or is it just that ZD glass is hard to sell nowadays because Olympus abandoned the system and hasn’t issued any noteworthy camera since 2008 or so? Yes E-5 is very nice and all, but it’s just a repackaged E-3 with still crappy Panasonic sensor inside and same bad AF module.
Olympus is a tragic company – they have amazing engineers which developed some fantastic technology and pushed max from what they had to work with, but horrible management which is a constant anchor around engineers’ neck.
we all know the company could be run better… look at the recent scandel!
It is such a pitty – when you think what oly has done for DSLR cams over the years… they were first to introduce a grate many things we take for granted now!
The past week or so this rumour site has been posting info about these old 43 lenses, akin to bringing them up from its grave. Ironically, the 14-54mm has been my main lens for a while but UPS will soon deliver my Panasonic 12-35mm.
I planned to sell my Oly 43 lens with Pany M43 adapter for cheap on DVXuser. But these postings are getting me to rethink that plan. I’ll compare the two lenses then. The fat old heavy Oly is noisy for video, but if IQ supersedes Pany, I’ll have to re-assess my original intent.
any of these offers in europe?
I keep thinking that they are coming out with an OMD with modular lens mount. you can change from 43 to m43 by means of some kind of bayonet mount. Call me crazy, but it makes sense….
When Cameta gets the Manufactures Demo and Refurbish units it usually is a sign that something new is in the pipeline.
I wonder if the real solution to the old lens problem will be fixed and Olympus will release 12-35 and 35-100 f2 M43rds lenses in March with the new rumored cameras (above and below the current EM5). That makes the most sense, as new lenses will focus faster, be useful for video and people want f2 (my self included) at the cost of weight and size (I don’t mind the extra weight or size an f2 lens would be). The cost hopefully would be less than the old 43rds ones, but no guarantee most likely over $2000 each.
Why the heck do you want Olympus to repeat Panasonic releases ? a 12-35 f2 and 35-100 f3 are already in the market, it idiotic enough that we have like 30 kit lenses and now you want to duplicate the expensive ones ? you’re out of your mind son. Besides, olympus alternatives wouldn’t be any cheaper either, if not more expensive, just look at their slow-as-a-turtle standard and tele zooms, we’re talking about f4 and f6.3 here, and yet they’re priced above anything reasonable.
Just let them release their own micro 12-60 and 14-54, they’ll maybe even diversify the line up and make 12-45 or 10-35, maybe a 14-50 f2.5 or whatever. As long as they don’t price them above $700 i’ll probably buy them.
Have them release 2 lines like the old days:
– a weather sealed line, constant aperture, priced above $1000 for the rich leica wannabes
– a non weather sealed line, with f2/2.5-3.5/4 apertures,prices below $700
Same optical quality as their 4/3 counterparts
If Olympus can do that they’ll have the market in their pocket.
I mean, if fuji can do a reasonably fast kit lens, and Sony can do their own collapsible kit lens, Olympus surely is able to pull a small fast variable aperture standard lens
Well Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 is a 2.8 and NOT a F2, so it would be different. Also people whom have tested both the Panasonic and the Old Olympus 14-35, have said the Pany is not as good as the old Olympus.
So it would be different lens.
BUT my main point that you missed is everyone wants Olympus to come up with a solution to use the old 14-35 and 35-100 lens on the M43rds cameras. I think this will not happen. Olympus will just re-release the lenses in M43rds version that will have excellent image quality and fast focusing.
http://www.mu-43.com/f81/olympus-150mm-f-2-shg-zd-image-thread-32190/
Hold your powders dry. Hold your fire! We don’t know yet if the top model will be compatible. And any way we are dealing with the most marginal part of the market.
I am all for this, but it won’t change Oly’s market penetration one bit. How many alpha lenses did Sony’s adapter sold to Sony?
m4/3 will still live by native, standard lenses. In terms of aggregate demand SHG glass was always v.little.
I’d honeatly be aurprised if those Olympus lenses outperformed my Nikkor AIS glass (i highly doubt it) and they are extremely affordable and well made. However im into video so I don’t need the AF.. In terms of optical quality tho specifically for video where AF is not needed I’m not particularly sure why anyone would bother spending that mucb money for any of those lenses..
I have the old Nikon 180/2.8 ED Ai-s. It’s a great lens that I use for astrophotography, but it is crap compared to the ZD 150/2. Astrophotography is probably the ultimate lens test – you are basically sampling the PSF across the frame. In addition, extreme hisogram stretching is done, highlighting any imperfections – especially lateral CA. Most lenses have to be stopped down. Quite a number of “legendary” lenses show up lots of optical faults when tested. This tends to be the “character” of the lens, that some may like or dislike. But don’t tell me your old-fasioned design is “perfect” (cough, cough, several Zeiss).
Even on the smaller 4/3 sensor, the Nikon has noticeable coma towards the edges, while the ZD has virtually none. The ZD has tiny pin-point stars, whereas the Nikon has large blobby (thoughj nicely round) stars with some lateral CA apparent. I consider it borderline for AP use fully open, and fine a f/4. The ZD is totally usable wide open. The Nikon has the huge advantage that it can be used on astronomical CCDs, and is obviously much cheaper.
As I say, the 180/2.8 ED Ai-s is a great lens, and excellent for a film-era lens. It has a good reputation for AP, but the ZD is just something else. It should be at that cost and with a modern design including fancy glass (cough, cough, CaNikon 300/2.8). While I’d recommend the Nikon over the ZD for AP use, when it comes to optical quality, there is simply *no contest*.
The ZD 12-60 is ridiculously good for a zoom.
For “nifty 50’s”, so far I’ve found it to be much of a much-ness for AP, with probably the Canon EF-50 being my least favourite and the Oly 50/1.8 (or 1.4) or Asahi-Pentax 55/1.8 being best. So, for these it’s best to go for those that are cheap, or fit your existing kit. I’ve not tested the Oly mZD 45/1.8 yet, but I expect it to be better than the old nifty 50’s.
Currently I’m working on comparing:
Zeiss 85/1.4 Planar, Samyang 85/1.4, Zeiss Contax-G Sonnar 90/2.8, Olympus Zuiko 100/2.8, Nikon 105/2.5 Ai-s, Pentax 67 90/2.8
The Planar is the most expensive, and so far, by far the worst. Wonderfully built (the Samyang has some QC issues), but it’s an old design and the limitations clearly show. Just so as I don’t come across as some Zeiss hater, the 135/3.5 is cheap and good.
You should see the blur index from SLR GEAR review which had been tested the OLYMPUS lens,.most of them are pink/or purple color blur index under +1 ,.see here
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/39/cat/14
not mention the new Olympus F1.8/75mm for M43 ,.
I own Nikon system with the nikon Pro grade plus 35, 50 and 85 Zeiss lenses and they are really great,.but,.In comparing the lens,.NOT The system,.Olympus really understand how to make un exceptional Glass.
Nowadays with computerized is not difficult to make a great lens ,and we even see many lens are really excellent ,.but ,only few who can make AN OUTSTANDING GLASS,.but ironically ,.Olympus ,.make the most outstanding Glass ,..
try the cheap 75mm first and you would know what we are talking about
+100
I’ve already bought the 35-100mm and have a demo unit of the 14-35mm on order, both from Adorama. Unfortunately, because Adorama is in NYC and their warehouse is in Northern New Jersey, I don’t know when I’ll see the 14-35mm.
Since I don’t yet have a micro Four-Thirds body, they’ll just have to work at full speed on my E-5 and reasonable speed on the E-1.
The 35-100mm is quite fantastic and barely heavier than the 50-200mm I already have.
I hate to say it but usually when items go for cheap and factory demos are run-out, that means they are no longer required as demos… i.e. those lenses are no longer made and sold.
As for whether there will be a replacement or not, we’re just all specualtors.
I am not sure you get the full import of what you are saying Mr. Anonymous. Does that mean that 4/3 lenses are out of production?
If so it becomes very possible that the E-5 won’t have any successor.
Come on Olympus, is it so difficult to make some good mFT zoom lenses? There was enough time since the release of mFT to make something like a mFT 14-54… Maybe not 2.8-3.5, but 3.5-4.0 😉