(UPDATE: Now in Stock again) Panasonic 14-42mm X lens marked as discontinued at BH.
Our reader Paul (thanks) noticed that the Panasonic 14-42mm X lens has been marked as discontinued at BHphoto (Click here) and Amazon itself doens’t even list it anymore (Click here). UPDATE: Now back in Stock. And what’s going to be updated is not the X version but the “normal” 14-42mm kit.
By the way also the GF5 is no more sold by Amazon itself (Click here). A few new GF5 with X zoom are in Stock for $429 on eBay US in White (Click here) and Black (Click here).
AMVR
5 months ago |I doubt that they would pull this lens out of the catalog so it’s very possible that they’ll update it, which is very good news, the concept is awesome but there were very mixed reviews of the lens quality-wise, that’s one of the main reasons why i didn’t bother with it. Maybe panasonic saw what sony and Fuji have been doing with their kit lenses recently (a compact zoom and a fast standard kit respectively) and realized their own offering were crap (except for the 14-45). They need a fast-ish collapsible 14-45 f-2.8-4 with a thin zoom ring, the current pz 14-42 looks too point&shooty.
BTW, shame on you Oly, you were the master of collapsible zooms, that was part of the whole m43 concept, what happened ? make your next fast std zoom collapsible, not everybody cares about weather sealing.
squeegee
5 months ago |People stupid enough to think that buying depreciating assets is called an investment… get what they deserve.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Unfortunately, at some level i have to agree. M43 gear depreciates faster than other systems, in part because of this trend of launching endless versions of the same product over and over again. Lets think, how many slow zooms has this system thrown to the market in the last 3 years? Nobody else in the industry has 3 versions of a kit zoom for instance. The same happens for camera bodies, that are sold new for half the price of the original product in what, 1.5 years? Again, i don’t think anyone else in the industry has such short life cycles. I recently sold a perfectly working, almost new gh2 for less than half of what i paid. In the same period i sold a canon 7d for, say, 60% of the price at launch. So, in terms of investment, there’s no doubt, to me at least, m43 is not a great option. I love the concept, and the system is finally maturing, but i would also like to think panasonic and olympus are interested in having me as a customer in the long term, and that they would like to protect my investment in order to keep me a loyal customer.
Anonymous
5 months ago |It is not an investment. You don’t buy a box of chocolate and wonder why you can’t sell it used tomorrow. The problem is with the expectation of the buyer. Don’t blame the seller when the buyer is at fault. Just because other companies progress slower doesn’t change what you bought. If you don’t think the price is right at the time of purchase then don’t buy it. Don’t complain after. What happens 6 months after you buy something doesn’t change what you bought.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Think canon, nikon. Those brands have good reselling value. M43 gear? In one year the camera you bought today will be sold for pennies. Maybe you have a bank account with loads of cash. I don’t. And i’d like m43 gear to have a better reselling value – so in the future, when i upgrade to a newer camera or better lens, it is not lke starting from scratch again. Do you really disagree with that concept? Wow…
bart
5 months ago |Just for the record, I can buy a D800 new for about 70% of its introduction price now.
I can buy a second-hand E-M5 for approx 70% of its introduction price now.
bart
5 months ago |Yep, resellers aren’t dropping their prices because they aren’t selling things. Amazing logic there.
Not to mention, you were big on resale value, and the facts don’t agree with your statement, regardless of your illogical excuses
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Lets compare the relative resale values in 2 years, shall we?
nhdhl
5 months ago |@ Bart regarding the D800 there is a difference between MRSP and real street price in all equipment. The better mFT lenses seem to do ok holding their resale value not as good as Canon or Nikon who obviously have a huge market. mFT bodies as a rule fall in value very quickly , and it seems from both Olympus and Panasonic that the kit lenses are borderline disposable , they should come with a recycling bag in the box.
Ironically the original kit lens from Panasonic the 14-45 seems to be the best value for money price/performance.
bart
5 months ago |I’m looking at street prices, ie, what someone would have had to pay in april last year and how quickly that price has dropped.
Also, lets compare entry-level bodies to entry-level bodies.. D3100 resale value?
Higher-end products that don’t get replaced every year or so tend to keep their value much better, until their replacement has arrived. D700? Can buy a new one for the same money as a heavily used one a year ago.
Kit lenses come and go, but have you ever bought one except as part of a kit?
At any rate, I don’t see a need for yet another 14-42/3.5-5.6 and agree that the original 14-45 is so far the best value, but I also think all this talk about resale value of kit lenses is just beyond silly. If people are complaining about say the 12-35/2.8 instead that would be an entirely different story.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |We’re not complaining about the resale value of kit lenses, but of the system as a whole. Also, I suppose you agree that it would be time and money better spent creating new lenses instead of rehashing existing ones every 6 months.
bart
5 months ago |Well, you were in an earlier post contributing the resale value of your equipment in part to rehashing of the kit zooms, saying:
“Unfortunately, at some level i have to agree. M43 gear depreciates faster than other systems, in part because of this trend of launching endless versions of the same product over and over again. Lets think, how many slow zooms has this system thrown to the market in the last 3 years? Nobody else in the industry has 3 versions of a kit zoom for instance.”
The later has been shown wrong by more then a few posters, Canon does, Nikon does, even Fuji does, and it doesn’t have much to do with resale value. Your complaint there about the product refresh cycle being short for many m4/3 cameras is spot on with regards to reducing resale value, but that concerns things people actually buy, kits as a whole, bodies, upgrade lenses etc. 1 year is just too short for the more expensive parts of the system. That said, there is a significant difference in image quality between the latest crop of m4/3 cameras and the ones that were available merely a year ago, and logically the older cameras lost significantly more value due to this then they normally would have if ‘evolution’ had been a bit more gradual.
With regards to your GH2 vs 7D, was that before or after the GH3 got announced? As I pointed out elsewhere, street prices for a D700 here took quite a hit when the D800 appeared, and so did secondhand prices. Thats sad but logical when a model gets replaced, and exactly why your comment about the refresh cycle and resale value is spot on.
Anonymous
5 months ago |yes, you’re fault for buying new all the time. If you know old stuff is half it’s value in 1 years time… why not wait till it’s 1 year old to buy it. Geezzzz…
Steve
5 months ago |The Panasonic 20mm still catches top dollar used, I sold my 45mm for $100 less than what I paid for it, so it depends. This was a gimmicky lens that had so-So performance and was only liked for its compactness.
…
5 months ago |BH marks 100 lenses as discontinued and this is what happens:
- 1 lens gets an update / a successor
- 2 lenses are really discontinued
- 97 lenses get back to sale sooner or later
Dummy00001
5 months ago |> – 1 lens gets an update / a successor
Crossing fingers for 14-42X Mk2 with zoom (by wire) ring and improved IS.
And less quality problems.
oluv
5 months ago |i wonder if there will really be a successor of the x14-42. the actual model had lots of problems that were never fixed by panasonic.
i really loved the form-factor. i hope the new an bigger 14-42 is not meant to be the successor?
W. C.
5 months ago |I think the new zoom is the replacement for the PZ X. Panasonic must not have been able to fix the PZ’s issues, even with firmwares. So I hope the new kit lens is better for their and their users’ sakes. It would be good if Panasonic and other lens makers scrap the “pancake” zoom idea. Too many compromises need to be made, just to appeal to the shirt pocket brigade. Sony had a go at the “pancake” zoom too, but that lens doesn’t even seem to be an improvement on their old 18-55 zoom. From many user reports, it seems to perform worse.
oluv
5 months ago |have a look at canon’s G1X “collapsible” zoom. it is faster, has a longer zoom and is smaller. and best of all: it really is a good lens.
sure, it is fixed, but the G1X sensor is even bigger, and i am sure a similar lens could be build for mFT too. i would even pay a premium for that size, speed and quality like canon managed!
NFT
5 months ago |oh or good news , i hope replace by 12-42/50 and 2 circle collapse ring and wish f start @ 2.8 ^_^
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Unfortunately, that is wishful thinking. F2.8 and collapsible? Either one or the other, not both.
Anonymous
5 months ago |It’s because a special edition black model is on its way over for all Panasonic lenses. They are only making black bodies in the future but all the lenses in silver except the SE models for $200 more. They saw the greedy marketing ploy Olympus had offering the most desirable lenses in the least desirable finish to squeeze out the extra bucks from consumers. Actually no, Panasonic is smarter than that! I contacted the Olympus store about this silver thing and it seems every leans on the high-end is going to be silver and not black even though the vast majority of bodies sold is black and that the people that buy say a 75mm 1.8 are EM-5 owners that have black bodies. Those that can’t see what a total money grab this is by Olympus must be complete suckers. The irony is it’s likely costing them more customers and sales. If enough people contact the olympus store and ast to speak to a manager I would bet we will soon see back lenses at the same cost. I really don’t want a bright shinny camera that draws attention when shooting at night and I can afford the extra $300 but I’m not going to pay extra for something that has been standard for a very long time. Silver is a silly fashion statement and not a practical color. make silver special edition and stop extorting customers senselessly.
jlw518
5 months ago |You know, after reading the rant about lens color here, I realized that I have never even noticed what color a lens was when I bought it. My cameras have either been all black, black with silver accents, or silver…and either silver or black lenses (or silver AND black!) are fine with all of them. If they were pink or red or yellow…well, they might distract some subjects a bit (if you were photographing people), but short of that, what does it matter?
If you want to make a fashion statement, then there are better things to do it with than cameras….Use the camera to take photos and not as an objet d’art itself!
WSG123
5 months ago |Black, white, silver, gold, grey. Who gives a s**t? I’ll buy a can of spraypaint or electrical tape if I have to use it in conjunction with a ghille suit for the photography I’m doing, I just want good lenses.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Well, obviously you don’t care. Me, i don’t want a fashion statement, i want a serious, self deprecating, ready for business TOOL. The industry has long decided what is the right color for that. And it is black – For so many reasons that we have already discussed, that it is just pointless to discuss them again. It would be like selling silver only tv screens, and selling black ones for a premium price. Do you think that would make sense?
Anonymous
5 months ago |You are exactly correct. There are functional reasons for having a back lens and as I stated it is not about fashion. This entire thing Olympus is doing is just to get more money. I don’t want a big shinny 75mm lens when shooting at night in bad areas and I aslo want to draw as little attention as possible to my camera. Silver is a very non-standard color for a lens of this size so make that the special addition. This is such stupid marketing tactic. However if some were completely concerned about looks IMO a silver 75mm looks silly on an all black OMD. Olympus should offer these lenses in black because they are certainly loosing sales because some idiot in marketing thought it was a brilliant idea. Making a black 75mm is simple and it would sell more, why not offer them both and let the market decide which sells best, it did with the OMD and black won by a huge margin which is why they came up with the price premium. There is a also a reason TV makers went back to black bezels, the black creates a higher contrast perception on the screen, it has function. Olympus marketing= morons. Just wait, once they milk everyone with black special edition releases they will sell them in black without the other high-margin BS to grab those lost sales.
Ever wonder why they make both black and silver OMD bodies at the same price and why the black sells more? Most consumers are dumb sheep.
DonParrot
5 months ago |Why don’t you tell Canon that their white-ish L-lenses are nonprofessional? Al this Henry-Ford-I-speak is so tiresome.
Anonymous
5 months ago |You don’t get it. They ONLY offer them in white. Not a black model that comes with extras you MUST buy to get black. They are also huge lenses not used for street shooting and they are already conspicuous. Perhaps you missed the point like on ABG as well. Right?
Anonymous
5 months ago |Stop being such a creepy shady photographer. If you’re hiding the fact you photoing someone, maybe you shouldn’t be photoing them.
bart
5 months ago |Obviously when Canon only offers them in white, you don’t get the option of buying the more expensive black version…
But nobody except for yourself is forcing you to buy the black with extras version in case of Olympus either.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Take notice. The grey L lenses are big sized telephotos – canon chose that color because they wanted the lenses to stand out in public events like football matches. It was basically free publicity, so people would say ‘look, all these pros use canon, so should I’.
But, the classic photojournalistic lenses like the 24-70 L or the 24-120 L, in fact, all L lenses besides long teles are…you guessed it. Black.
The industry, and the consumers, have long decided that black is the standard. I have nothing against silver, grey, heck, even pink, as long as black is available.
Ulli
5 months ago |I always thought that the big teles from Canon where white preventing it to heat up when in the sun, because of the sensitive fluorite parts in it.
JimD
5 months ago |I would doubt very much that anyone who wants the 1.8/75 has refused to buy it because its silver.
Also the demand for the silver e-m5 was way higher than expected, that’s why there was such a long wait for it, demand outstripped supply. So maybe you have got it all backwards. Maybe what the marketing sales figures show is not what you want to happen.
Anonymous
5 months ago |That’s because the silver was produced late. If they made 10 and the demand was high because of that and they sold 200K black that does not make the silver more popular. In fact Olympus has created an artificial demand of black which they will surely capitalize on later with another SE option only. Olympus has already stated that black sales were far higher by a huge margin. If Olympus only wants to sell Silver then so be it but don’t go and release black but only offer it with $300 of extra stuff. Any person that does pro work in the streets in bad areas or goes to venues where there is a high risk factor does not want a bright shinny lens on their camera. Clearly there are a few here that get that and those that take family photos of their dogs do not. Having a black lens does not make one a lurker.
Nico- Spot on with the comments about the Canon lenses. most people don’t get why Canon did white and they are the same people that don’t get why Olympus is doing SE only on black lenses, because they know the people that want or need black MUST buy the extra crap and there are many of those people and they know it. It’s marketing at its best.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Exactly. People who NEED black, will not buy silver, and will be forced to spend extra on a silly limited edition.
W. C.
5 months ago |So your camera and lenses are all black. But are you dressed similarly in ninja style attire? Because if you’re wearing a yellow suit and lime green shoes, there a chance you might get noticed anyway.
WSG123
5 months ago |> i want a serious, self deprecating, ready for business TOOL.
Oh, so we’re both just concerned about the utility of the tool. Might I suggest a roll of electrical tape? It will solve all of your concerns, won’t mark up the lens, and I’m nearly positive that you’re not concerned about the unsightly look of tape on your lens, since you’re only concerned about it being a TOOL.
>he industry has long decided what is the right color for that. And it is black – For so many reasons that we have already discussed
I’ll be sure to inform Canon and the eleventy billion photojournalists that use their silly beige lenses.
Nico Foto
5 months ago |Read above regarding canon telephoto lens being grey. And notice, only telephotos are grey, the rest of the canon lineup is black.
If you want to tape an entire lens and ruin the tactile feeling, as well as the painting with electrical tape, be my guest. I’m not interested in doing that.
Steve
5 months ago |People you’re shooting at give a $#!T. The 45mm I had gleamed in the sun and at people. If I wanted something so shiny around my neck, I’d get a chain. Besides, I’ve grown very tired of the Olympus fanboys here, so I was so glad to sell it off on eBay. Would never by anything Olympus ever again.
Anonymous
5 months ago |I agree, there a a bunch of fanboys and Olympus is pandering to the people that buy large chains. Too bad, they are diluting a good product with their poor marketing.
norman
5 months ago |+1 from me
I have the 75mm on my ‘buy list’ but I am waiting until it is released in black, whilst im waiting other lenses will come to market that I am tempted to buy, for example Schneider Kreuznach have three lens’ on the roadmap for the next 12 months, any of which may take the money that I have reserved for a black 75mm from Olympus.
Whether you are as fussy about camera aesthetics as I am is not the point here.
The point is that there are a substantial amount of potential customers that are not only annoyed at this practice from Olympus, but who may go elsewhere for a lens. Whoever the self-appointed genius in Olympus who made this decision, they should be sacked. Screwing your customers is a fast track to failure in business. Right now Olympus are riding high on some great product releases but that may not be the case in the future, that’s when the brand loyalty that you get from treating customers well comes into play, and Olympus does seem to do alot to damage its relationship with its loyal customers.
Garypen
5 months ago |FYI – It’s still listed on Amazon US in both black and silver editions. (Although, the black one is only in stock with Amazon merchants, not Amazon itself.)
Also, only the black version is marked as discontinued at B&H. The silver version says “temporarily out of stock”.
Seems odd that they would only discontinue one color.
Bob B.
5 months ago |Panasonic will rerelease the black version as a Limited Black Version and charge $200 more. Oly tols Pany that this strategy is profitable!
Tinta
5 months ago |But what really odd that Panasonic doesn’t care the lens quality issues (and so its customers). We don’t know that it’s either quality assurance problem or design flaw, but it’s been a very promising lens until first time use. And Panasonic couldn’t give a note about it.
DonParrot
5 months ago |I assume that that’sd the reason whhy they stopped making it – if this shoukd turn out to be the case. they couldn’t sove the problem as it’s a basic design flaw and so, they don’t want to sell it any more.
M43Photo
5 months ago |This is a kind of lens that Panasonic needs in order to compete. For example, Sony has a similar pancake zoom lens. So if it is discontinued, then a new lens should be announced soon.
spam
5 months ago |This happens all the time. Soemone makes a error and a lens is listed as discontinued until the error is fixed. Why would Pansonic discontinue their compact kitlens?
moebius22
5 months ago |Interesting comments. I just ordered a Gh2 and have yet to test out this lense. Needless to say, I don’t plan on buying many MFT lenses.
armadillo76
5 months ago |I don’t have any proof, just a vague memory but I recall seeing some lenses marked as “discontinued” and then come back. Maybe it’s a stocking issue? Either way i’m happy with the 14-42X on my GF3 and have been using it on a GX1. For me it’s good as a compact lens for walking about when I don’t want to carry the GH2 around.
I will admit it is a bit of a bonus and a curse to have depreciating gear. Bonus as I mostly buy used bodies and lenses and wait till the newest thing drops. A curse when I go to sell (so I’ll just hang onto my non-X Pany 14-42 kit lens since they seem to be giving new ones away).
No one piece of equipment is perfect for everyone in every situation. It’s why we acquire lots of stuff:-)
Cheers, AndyB, NH.
marsupial2go
5 months ago |Good. My Panasonic 14-42mm X lens is now a collectors item. Anybody wanna buy it for 4,300 euros?
Ryan
5 months ago |I hope they release a mk2 version that is optically better and doesnt have double vision. A 12-42 3.5-5.6 or 14-45 3.5-4.5 either would be nice….BUT we dont even have them in the full size….so my guess, not happening.
Fish
5 months ago |I thought this x lens was an impressive feat considering how small it was when parked, but I prefer my lenses to be non-collapsable. They are no smaller when in use but the design invites greater possibility of failure or dust intrusion IMO. I had a 9-18mm Oly lens that wouldnt come out of being parked because something broke inside it. I now have the panny 7-14mm and much prefer the solid feel and less moving parts that it offers. If I could, I would prefer my high-quality lenses to be IF as well as non-folding. m4/3 lenses are already compact enough for me.
Again, the above is only my opinion and I’m waving the flag of truce. For some reason everyone here seems extremely angry today.
valia kalda
5 months ago |It is not discontinued, however a new Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH MEGA OIS has been revealed at Digicame.info. Same stupid slow thing, only with HD on and much smaller
http://digicame-info.com/2013/01/lumix-g-vario-14-42mm-f35-56-i.html
In English
http://www.estiasis.com/story/new-panasonic-lumix-g-vario-14-42mm-f35-56-ii-asph-lens-revealed-set-launch-march
MarcoSartoriPhoto
5 months ago |When I’m out on the street at night, chasing tourists and beggars in Venice with a silver OMD E-m5 and a silver 75mm I drink a Potion of Invisibility and wear my Cap of Darkness and Silent Boots. That’s the only way to get unseen.
WSG123
5 months ago |Why are you here?
Atle
5 months ago |What do you prefer? No technological progress at all? You don’t like better photographic tools? You just want to stay the same so you can have the varm fuzzy feel of having the newest?
MikeH
5 months ago |ronnbutt,
Does your m43 equipment stop working the moment a new model comes out or have you just not figured out that everything keeps working and that you can use m43 bodies and lenses on any (old or new) m43 body or lens?
Maybe you should stick to point and shoot cameras as ILCs seem too complex for you.
norman
5 months ago |It’s not a piece of software…
Attach it to your camera, use it to take photo’s. The fact that they brought out a new model doesn’t stop you from getting value from what you already have.
Atle
5 months ago |I’m sure it happens that the newer product is less good, but as a general rule the newer products are better than the older per price, camera-equipment is better now then 10 years ago, complaining about new products coming to market is irrational if your concern is photographic quality.
Garypen
5 months ago |He’s here for some drive-by douchebaggery.
Dave
5 months ago |Meant for “Dick” above.
Atle
5 months ago |It is you who calls the old equipment junk, not me. I do not see my equipment as obsolete just because there is an improved version on the market. The people who thinks their equipment is useless if a new version appears are the “consumer drones”. And I prefer incremental improvement to no improvement.
rpm40
5 months ago |…says the guy who spends his time posting on a photo gear website. Nice job.
norman
5 months ago |Your belief that the manufacturer should not innovate and release new iterations shows that you are indeed divorced from reality and also selfish
Anonymous
5 months ago |not true at all, your camera has a shutter wear count, and it’s going down, your lens also wears down and may grow fugus etc. Everything has a best before date and a limited use amount. You want something else to compare to? how about mobile phones? how about cars that lose half their value as soon as you drive it off the lot? How about your TV? everything loses value. *nothing* is an investment if it’s a consumer item by the definition of “consumer”.
JimD
5 months ago |Try ‘from reality’ to replace ‘to reality’
Nico Foto
5 months ago |A zillion iterations of slow, unexciting, kit lenses is hardly innovation, really…
norman
5 months ago |if your camera lasts 25min on a charge maybe you should get a new battery as yours is obviously faulty
Abraham
5 months ago |Your initial comment missed the mark. They are batch running these. WHen stocks are out, they redesign and move on, unlike the higher end lenses.
ronnbot
5 months ago |So now, you’re using my nick and started trolling? Unbelievable. You obviously got no life. I suppose doing this gives you purpose.
Garypen
5 months ago |A douchebag comment, none the less. And, now two.
Elf
5 months ago |ADMIN
Is it time to pull the plug on this obvious troll who’s only intent here is to engage in personal attacks of other posters. I don’t think this forum benefits from his abusive trolling.
bart
5 months ago |If you already have one, no need to buy a new one.. unless you have this stupid urge to always get the latest vsrsion,in which case it is your own stupidity ripping you off.
bart
5 months ago |Do you buy kit lenses as an investment? If so, I know some very good things for you to invest in…
bart
5 months ago |Resale value of kit lenses… very very well reasoned argument, as it is well known real investors buy nikon kit lenses to make a fortune from reselling them!
bart
5 months ago |Right, you don’t buy and sell kit lenses typically, they come with the camera, hence RESALE value (which was your argument) isn’t relevant with regards to kit lenses.
Any more crap to contribute?
bart
5 months ago |Since you don’t buy kit lenses, the argument about resale value is totally rubbish.
Also, you have been able to buy a G1, G2, G3, all with EVF, none consting $1300.
Any more crap you wanna spew?
Nico Foto
5 months ago |People. If you used less brain cells to come up with trolling arguments you would understand the underlying concept. What we want is a stable lens lineup. Once a lens is done…its done, period. No need to spend r&d and marketing $$$ in churning endless iterations of the same thing over and over again. I’d rather like them spending that money in expanding the lineup with new lenses. We could have more weathersealed lenses. Or more fast tele lenses. Etc. You get the idea. The last thing m43 needs is yet another different slow kit lens. What is so dramatic that you can’t agree on that? Is not that what we all want? The system growing?
bart
5 months ago |Hmm, crybaby eh? I see a lot of crying from you and your friends, besides lots of name-calling and logical falacies.
Maybe now if you actually had some kind of argument… but I suppose that is way too much to ask.
Garypen
5 months ago |I would think the opposite is true, and that the black outsells the silver.
Garypen
5 months ago |Plastic is usually molded in the color, not painted. Metal is usually finished with a coating. (Not really “paint”. But, it is a finish, not naked metal.)
Garypen
5 months ago |You can’t expect logical arguments from trolls and fanboys. They’re idiots, like political extremists. They only believe in their “team”; find everythhing about the other “team” to be wrong; and, cannot discuss, compromise, or consider facts. They can only yell, argue, rant, rave, and be general dickheads.