There is no time for rest on the rumor front!
Olympus will announce new PEN cameras in September along the black version of the current 12mm and 45mm lenses (surprise, no black version of the new 75mm lens).
Samsung meantime keeps working and changing the lens roadmap. Instead of the planed 55mm f/1.8 we will very likely get a iFn 45mm f/1.8 pancake. That lens and the new iFn 30mm f/2 version II and the 12-24mm f/4 could be announced in Photokina and they would be available on Q4/2012. All lenses will be announced along the new NX camera.
6 Responses
Boooo, the 55mm f/1.8 was a winner, even if it were to be a bit thicker than pancake sized.
I agree, would prefer a 55/1.8, but they could also release one of those as well, if they are going to skip small might as well go 55/1.4. I am not going to complain about the 45, but as you say, would prefer 55, but they aren’t that different in function, many complain the 55 is too tight anyway.
Eric
Indeed, 55mm f1.8 was pretty spot on and would have given the perfect trio with the 16 and the 30. Changing it by a 45mm doesn’t make sense to me.
Yes! 16mm, 30mm and 55mm are enough for 90% of all pictures. But now?
Samsung is increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with. They concentrate on making good lenses that photographers actually want. I, for one, have often been tempted by their lens lineup to actually switch from my M4/3 set up to their system. But it’s just that they haven’t yet quite decided on how their “system”, in terms of camera bodies, would pan out. Now they’ve even ditched the possibility of adding an EVF (just FYI I’m not really keen on EVF, but I just like to have the option for the occasional use, like on my M4/3). And most important of all, they don’t seem to know whether they’ll target the “point-and-shoot” market, the enthusiast/pro market, or the “retro/cool-looking” market (what with the rumoured NX-R and all).
And, by the way, why change the 55mm to a 45mm f/1.8 which appear to the uninformed to be EXACTLY the same spec as the highly regarded Olympus? That’s just bad for marketing, especially when Samsung had to start at a much further back starting line than the others in marketing terms. Surely photographers will appreciate a near-85mm equivalent lens than a 67.5mm?
I think Samsung could do quite well if they would fix there faults. They are pretty dedicated to nx cameras. I’m sure that next month the nx220 will be what we have been waiting for!