Today Amazon is accepting preorders on the new Black Lenses and VF-4:
Black Olympus 75mm f/1.8 (Click here). Will ship from June 14.
Black Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (Click here). Will ship from June 14.
Black Olympus 17mm f/1.8 (Click here). Will ship from September 13.
Olympus VF-4 (Click here). Will ship from June 14.
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Links to all newly announced Olympus stuff:
E-P5 Black at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys. In Europe at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK and at Wex UK.
E-P5 White at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys. In Europe at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK and at Wex UK.
E-P5 Silver at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys. In Europe at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK and at Wex UK.
E-P5 Black with 17mm f/1.8 lens and VF-4 at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys. In Europe at Amazon UK.
E-P5 Silver with 17mm f/1.8 lens and VF-4 at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys. In Europe at Amazon UK.
E-P5 White with 17mm f/1.8 lens and VF-4 at Amazon UK.
E-P5 Black with 14-42mm lens at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK and Wex UK.
E-P5 White with 14-42mm lens at Amazon Germany and Amazon UK.
E-P5 Silver with 14-42mm lens at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK and at Wex UK.
17mm f/1.8 Black at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys.
45mm f/1.8 Black at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys. In Europe at Amazon Germany.
75mm f/1.8 Black at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys.
VF-4 viewfinder at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto and Samys.
40 Responses
A “standard” issue black 12 mm is missing from this list. I suppose, Oly aren’t sure how to justify the lower price versus the black “Limited” edition. Maybe the “standard” lack lens should come with a silver lens shade included. 😛
Will Olympus ever sell a BLACK 12mm f/2.0 lens at the NORMAL price ?? Or has the Primium Priced (+$300.00) Limited Edition BLACK lens put an end to that ??
That’s a dilemma! And in the meanwhile you’re missing some photos.. 😉
we can brainstorm about that while shooting and wondering why the photos look crap.
Exactly what I mean! 🙂
You are both so elite – we wish we could be awesome photographers and not care what color our lenses are.
Dang! I took a few shots today on my way back from the workshop and while having the eye stuck in the EVF, I forgot to worry on whether or not my outfit matches my GH2/14-140 combo 🙁
Can you say” Accessorize”!
It’d be very hard to sell a 12mm f/2 at the normal price right now, given that they already released it as a limited edition. Anyone who bought the ‘limited edition’ had an expectation of exclusivity….produce it at the normal price now, and you just ripped those people off royally.
Of course, it was dumb to make it a limited edition in the first place. I like the way the 17/1.8 looks in black, but to be honest, I prefer the 45/1.8 and especially the 75/1.8 in silver.
So when the price of Apple products drop like bricks within weeks of release, those overpaid fan boys who waited in line overnight to pay top dollar, were they ripped off? No. Patience is a virtue. Being a sucker isn’t.
I want to know exactly what % better quality and improvement is achieved when shooting these black lenses, over and above that given by the silver ones. Do they frame the shot better as well? Do they resonate with the IBIS in a superior manner? Do they mysteriously guide the camera to a better shot?
I just want to know if I am missing something, something that some here seem to know by instinct?
I once bought that black macbook and back then my reasoning was that I keep my lap top 5 years on average. I am paying that extra for the look and I fully assume it, in 5 years, that extra $300 is nothing. I was then comfortable with the idea and I can safely say that I spend much less on my look than any woman I dated.. I ran it heavy duty for about 5 years before it broke. In the end, its all fine..
What bothers me currently with those black lens thing is for one thing the disproportionate forum attention they get, which is borderline as bad as IBIS minus the rationale. It is already bad enough, then you will read about lame attempt at justifying that black is technically best suited for some bogus reasons. This kills me all the time. Has nothing to do with street photography, period.
People ought to get a grip and stop begging for black. Should they only come at special edition at 20% of the price, those who want it black ought to get it black and assume it, use ’em and be happy.
Hey, black is all about stealth, not fashion. Shiny silver lenses call attention to you… what and who you’re shooting, especially on the street or in the subway. I rarely get noticed shooting with my GH2 and variety of black lenses. Although, lens size makes some difference, too. My Voigtländer 25mm gets noticed MUCH more than my Voigtländer 35mm f1.4 (even with the vented lens hood).
BTW, I just pre-ordered a black Oly 45mm for my tiny GX1 kit (14mm and 20mm). My girlfriend wants to use it for a city photo project over the summer. I’m teaching her the tricks of stealthful shooting around town. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!
Black = stealth.
+1
Ordering 45mm f/1.8 as soon as it arrives in my country
Silver = fashion statement
Black = stealth
+1
” I’m teaching her the tricks of stealthful shooting around town. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!”
Evidently a polkadot bikini will not fit the bill. Or, it will but not there.
So. If I use my 20mm black Voitlander, I am invisible. But if I use my silver one, I need the yellow shirt, red bow tie, chequered plus-fours and white patent shoes to go with it? Well I only asked.
If you dress like that, silver lenses are the least of your problems… 😉
From what I read the world of photographers (pros or amateurs, it doesn’t matter) is divided in two cathegories: those who need black lenses/camera to feel stealthy and take street photography, and those who never had this need. I think I’m lucky since I belong to this last group, so I can buy whatever lens I need (assuming I have the money) without waiting for a different color release.
I was shooting horses and riders on a dressage tournament 2 days ago, it was very sunny and the shiny reflecting silver 75mm 1.8 I was using was irritating some of the horses (even from the side, so no reflection from the glass) to such a degree (stupid animals..) that I was told to stop taking pictures or move far away.. so yes, there are practical uses for a black lens.
So on June 15 all those sooking over the lack of black lenses will be sooking about how the black lenses when scratched are just silver underneath! Meanwhile, I will be hoovering up all the ‘ugly’ silver versions that wear a little more gracefully.
Ever use a Sharpie? I use one to black out logos on all sorts of things. Black electrical tape works really well, too! I cover all the graphics on my gear with both!
A permanent marker’s ink turns quickly purple. Masking tape works well for temporary and airbrush works for permanent coverup. Black pinstriping tape works also well, because it’s superthin and may easily be peeled off.
The black finish lenses have probably black plastic all the way through. The silver lenses have likely grey plastic under the finish. I’m sure someone here has scratched his lenses and can chime in.
the 12 and 75 are not plastic so your reasoning does not stand
I wasn’t talking about lenses with metal barrels, but obviously about lenses with plastic barrels.
in the UK the black 17, 45, and 75 are all at a premium price over the silver version:
– 17 (silver £399) (black £449)
– 45 (silver £218) (black £279)
– 75 (silver £729) (black £949)
… and of course:
– 12 (silver £556) (black £899)
fashion wise, I think the silver ones will look better on my white camera 🙂
Other color can’t make old lens “NEW” one.
Hi all,
I have a GH2 with 14-140. I was thinking that my first second lens will be either the 45mm 1.8 (in black) or the Sigma 60mm 2.8 (in black). Any thoughts out there on which people might recommend? I want a lens that gives subject isolation. It seems to me the 60mm might be better for that. Thoughts? Of course, another reason for the faster lens would be low light. Good second lens choice?
Thanks,
Rick
why do all the silver owners put down people wanting black? Are you upset that it wasn’t available when you purchased? black, silver, white, if you don’t care and doesn’t effect how your pictures turn out then why even post here? why do you care about what bag, strap, hood, camera color, how you dress, car color? Options are a great thing, it’s great to have options and it’s great to know olympus hears and listens to their customers.
The 45mm f1.8 will give you better subject isolation than 60mm f2.8. You could experiment with your 14-140 which field of view you prefer. To me, 45mm is already long enough for portraits. Keep in mind that in “full frame” format, the 60mm would be equivalent to 120mm F5.6, hardly in “shallow depth of focus” territory. Of course you could still get good subject isolation with this lens.
Both are good quality glass. The 45mm is more expensive, but also more than a stop faster than the 2.8, and perfectly usable wide open. The 60mm was made for APS-C, so it is bigger than needed for the m43 mount.
I your budget allows it, I would go for the Olympus 45mm. The Lumix 20mm is also a good choice for a first prime for low light, but not so much for subject isolation (for that, perhaps 25mm f1.4 would better fit the bill – but it is bigger and more expensive). I tend to use the 20mm more than my 45mm. Depends on what you’re shooting, of course.
Full disclosure: that’s my current setup: GH2 + 20mm + 45mm + 14-140mm
was answering Rick…
Thank you Paul for the response. I also think the 45mm focal length will be more useful because it can also be used for indoor photography where as it might be too hard to get far enough away with the 60mm.
So it seems to me the lens to get will be the 45mm f1.8 plus the 14-140. I would have thought the 60mm 2.8 would give better isolation because of the extra length more than 1.5 stops of aperture.
Oups. You were right.
Less depth of field for 60mm f2.8
My mistake, sorry. I’m really surprised by that finding considering the modest difference in FOV and the big difference in F value.
According to:
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
DOF with 45mm f1.8: 0,79 ft
DOF with 60mm f2.8: 0,71 ft
And because of the effect of background compression on the longer lens, apparent difference in subject isolation would be bigger than those figures suggest, to the benefit of the 60 mm.
Anyway, still pretty close, and I would go for the 45mm for the FOV (already long enough, and too long for many applications), the low light performance, and better size/perfomance optimization for the m43 format.
Paul, keep in mind that the more narrow fov of the 60mm often results in an increase in working distance and hence in a slight increase in dof, assuming you want the same framing.
You’re right, and so my first post was right…
I recalculated using 6 ft distance for the 45mm and 60mm distance on the 60mm.
Got 0,28 ft DOF on the 45mm and 0,45 ft on the 60mm. So advantage 45mm.
I meant to write:
I recalculated using 6 ft distance for the 45mm and 8ft distance on the 60mm.
(on my first try, I used 10 ft on both)
I already received my black 45mm from WEX Photographic in the UK today! They were in stock yesterday, but sold out quickly. Now “awaiting stock”.
pics please! any comments on the quality of the finish?
I received my black 45/1.8 today! I wrote a quick review: http://www.gerbrandvanderweg.nl/2013/05/28/lightning-review-olympus-et-m-45mm-f1-8/