(FT3) Panasonic lens announcement this Thursday/Friday?
We just got a new rumor about a possible Panasonic announcement on Friday! We ask our other sources if they can confirm the rumor so that we can raise the rumor ranking from FT3 to FT5! As you know there will be also a Sony and Nikon announcement on Wednesday and a Samsung announcement next week. Sounds like we are going to see a lot of new mirrorless stuff in these days!
UPDATE: A new source said the lenses will be announced on Thursday Morning.
According to our trusted sources Panasonic will announce a completely new kind of lenses with ultra-compact design, high resolution, powerzoom (with zoom button on the lens) and inner focusing. The lenses will be part of a new PRO lens line and probably marker with an “X”.
The two lenses that will be announced are the 14-42mm and 45-175mm zooms.
Drop us an anonymous text using the contact form on the right sidebar to confirm and share more details about the announcement! Thanks!
Reminder -> Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
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Recent comments
Comment from : I am still using the 4/3 one with adapte...
Comment from Mark: Only if you live outside the U.S....
Comment from YouDidntDidYou: hi Chris
I already have one of these, w...- Comment from Chris: Hi thought I'd be some help:
http://w...
Chris
10 months ago |I wish Panasonic would make much longer zooms. I dont see the point in a 14-42mm and a 45-175mm zoom lense when you can get simular zooms these days. I suppose the quality is better but come on we are Panasonic customers. Its like me buying a Panasonic product and never even been too a Panasonic store or not even know what they do.
As the Fuehrer would say which still makes laugh “Everybody without a Micro 4/3 system leave the room now”
Nick Clark
10 months ago |Say what?
Martin
10 months ago |Fuehrer doesn’t see the point of simular lenses.
Bu
10 months ago |With all these lens announcements we may soon be spoilt for choice!
Mark
9 months ago |Only if you live outside the U.S.
DonTom
10 months ago |I like the idea of these lenses. If the 45-175 is compact and as high quality as the Panny HD 14-140mm, I’ll be in for it. I’ll cover the shorter lengths with fast primes, but I would like a high quality travel zoom. Doesn’t need to be super fast, just small and with good resolution and video capabilities.
Kralin
10 months ago |+1
frosti7
10 months ago |does the 14-140 get X’d as well? making it smaller higher-quality? (or hopefully the 12-50 will be X?)
Miroslav
10 months ago |“does the 14-140 get X’d as well? making it smaller higher-quality?”
Now, that’s the one I’d like to own. Or make that 15-200 HD OIS and as big as the current one.
M
10 months ago |no such thing as a free lunch, and no such thing as smaller and higher quality with lenses. One or the other.
Agrivar
10 months ago |Doubt they would ever make the 12-50. Waiting so long already. They’d rather keep making 14-4x kit lenses like olympus. I mean, which other system camera do you know that has 6 kit lenses of almost the same FL?
oluv2002
10 months ago |i still don’t believe these rumors. i have no idea how panasonic would like to make these zoom lenses as small as pancakes. if there was some revolutionary tech involved, there would also be some available patents.
i could imagine some PRO-lenses, even with motorized zoom, but i still doubt they will be collapsible. this is just not panasonic’s way of designing lenses. just have a look at the current 14-42 kit-lens, it is already bigger than the old (and better) 14-45. a new 14-42 will probably be even bigger…
sneye
10 months ago |If the rumors are correct, the “X” zooms will be interesting mostly for videographers. I can’t imagine using powerzoom for stills (but then, I seldom use zoom lenses anyway). So to me the two new rumored lenses will be redundant unless they perform much better than their existing equivalents. However, they do fit Panasonic’s vision and will appeal to P&S upgraders. I suspect the reason for developing such lenses is Nikon’s coming mirrorless system which may be truly pocketable.
One more thing, I wonder about the implications to m4/3 if it turns out that the new lenses are not fully supported by Olympus cameras. The different approaches to image stabilization have already caused some divergence in the system: owners of Panasonic bodies are unlikely to use Olympus lenses of longer focal lengths while PEN users see little advantage in using the Lumix stabilized lenses (except for video). The “X” lenses may turn out to be a big step towards effectively splitting m4/3 into two separate sets of products.
Mr. Reeee
10 months ago |Power zoom seems more of a consumer oriented feature. Since I prefer primes to zooms, I have little interest. The two zooms I have now are likely to be my only zooms, unless I bite and get the 100-300mm. A bright 12-50mm might get my interest.
As for a “lens split”, I think the main reason Panasonic users haven’t been buying Olympus lenses until now has been their generally lower quality compared to most Panasonic lenses. Of course, the are some exceptions, like the 9-18mm. Thankfully Olympus has raised the quality with the 12mm and it appears their 45mm f1.8 is quite good. So, That’s a very good sign for all of us.
Personally, I think the whole stabilization thing is another over-hyped consumer oriented feature. How could anyone possibly take a photograph without it?!!
I only have it on my 14-140mm and honestly, have no idea if it does anything or not. Supposedly in-lens is more effective at longer focal lengths. I don’t lose sleep over it.
Anonymous
10 months ago |Actually, I see a great advantage to Pen owners in the different stabilization systems. A Panny lens on a Pen gives you the choice between two systems, which can be useful for video and on longer zooms. If Olly did a better job of video, it would be a clear advantage.
nobody
10 months ago |I don’t know, small and compact doesn’t go together well with a PRO designation, IMO. The 12-50 f2.5-3.3 may be called PRO, a 14-42 f3.5-5.6 cannot, however nice it may be.
bbernhardt
10 months ago |Admin what will the other bug surprise be? New sensor tech, that would definitely steal some thunder from the competition.
admin
10 months ago |The surprise is not coming this week. And I am still not 100% sure about “what it will be” .
Ulli
10 months ago |Maybe Ricoh announcing a GXR m43 module?
GreyOwl
10 months ago |That would be interesting…
Dummy00001
10 months ago |Are you talking about the module with the Sony’s APC-S sensor and IBIS??
Ulli
10 months ago |hmm you seem to know more then us
WT21
10 months ago |I don’t care about zooms anyway, so this one’s not for me, but I agree with above posters “really compact” and “super high quality” — doesn’t sound right.
Mr. Reeee
10 months ago |+10
@nobody…. The term “PRO” means absolutely nothing…
… besides it being evidence that the marketing department is attempting to earn their pay.
Pingu
10 months ago |Any news about Fuji announcement?
Jakob
10 months ago |any knowledge on the aperture of the new 14-42?
YouDidntDidYou
10 months ago |@admin
any word if Panasonic are going to be bring out either a wireless or wired remote to work the power zoom??
It will be interesting to see where and how the implement the power zoom switch on the lens for practical use if not using a tripod and that works well with people who are either right or left handed..
Karli
10 months ago |Maybe this is the comeback of lenses unsing mirrors. (Think of how small the MTO Maksutov mirror lenses are for their focal length.)
So maybe we will have a mirrorless camera using a mirror lens.
Chris
10 months ago |Hi thought I’d be some help:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RW-221-Wireless-Shutter-Remote-Panasonic-GF1-GH2-FZ100-/120714712786?pt=UK_Photography_DigitalCamAccess_RL&hash=item1c1b2856d2
Is a wireless sutter for the GH2. Its not an original but it works and is very usefull for digiscoping and other needs were you dont want to touch the camera.
All the best
YouDidntDidYou
9 months ago |hi Chris
I already have one of these, what I mean is a way to remotely zoom while filming (Sony camcorders and probably other makes come with a remote control where you can zoom in or out at a steady rate by the remote), it’s useful if you are one person using two cameras to film and/or want to achieve a constant zoom rate while filming.
Joel
10 months ago |meh, will probably take them 2 years to get it in stores and even then only a few lenses each shipment..
Exaggeration I know, but their stock problems are really getting old, I cancelled my 25/1.4 order and decided to keep the 20/1.7 for the time being and grab the Olympus 45/1.8 (which will probably beat the panasonic 25/1.4 into adorama/bhphoto)… Maybe Olympus can release their own high quality 20-25mm lens so we can have 12/2, 25/1.2 (I can dream), 45/1.8 all from Olympus in stock and insane quality..
lnqe-M.
10 months ago |Yes absolute and also 50mm F2 macro to.
Anonymous
9 months ago |I am still using the 4/3 one with adapter, for macro I don’t mind the slow autofocus (as manual is often used)..
Agent00soul
10 months ago |I’m sure they have chosen the anouncement day to steal Nikon’s thunder. With these lenses Nikon’s new mirrorless system might not have much of a size advantage.
admin
10 months ago |+1!!!
Dummy00001
10 months ago |> I’m sure they have chosen the anouncement day to steal Nikon’s thunder.
You have missed latest innovations in the marketing tech. Or some of them.
Large announcement by a competitor is a good opportunity to announce some mediocre/sub-par/crappy product. The crappy product gets much much less criticism, since media is all eyes on the competitor.
Cteve
10 months ago |Anyway, I hope it’s nothing TOO amazing as I am am about to buy the Olympus 12mm F2 within a few days… I don’t want to regret it at 800$ the lens.
kesztió
10 months ago |Admin,
still nothing about these so called power zooms will also have manual zoom rings (even fly-by-wire ones would be ok) or not?
Gravityloss
10 months ago |1) Digital distortion and CA correction enables simpler smaller cheaper brighter lenses (Oly doesn’t seem to go in that direction).
2) One hand photography – top right rocker for zoom. That is if you don’t use primes.
If only they had less megapixels, it would take less battery to process all those geometric corrections… Also potentially uses much more battery for video since you have to apply the corrections to all the frames. Applying before downsizing could improve quality but is more processor intensive. They’re probably doing all kinds of tradeoffs everywhere, which is of course necessary in any design.
lnqe-M.
10 months ago |I think “X” is Pansonic by AF quality to “R” lens to Olympus, not more.
Gravityloss
10 months ago |Panny has plenty fast AF lenses already.
Kylberg
10 months ago |It will be interesting to see if the new lenses live up to rumored expectations. After puchasing first a G3, then a 12mm and today got my 25mm I will not rush for my next lens…
A 45-175 could be something if performance is better than Oly 40 -150 especially at the long end. Such a lens with stellar performance has to be expensive though.
WT21
10 months ago |Where are you based that you got the 25mm (assuming the PL25?) I’m still waiting for mine