Patent: New 18-175mm m43 lens from Panasonic (+ rumored lens summary)
The 18-175mm lens design
The japanese blog Egami (Click here to read the google translation) found a new Panasonic patent that describes the 18-175mm f/3.5-5.6 m43 lens. The patent has been filled in March 2010. If the google translation tool didn’t mislead me than this should be a new X lens (motorized zoom). There are also charts showing the aberration, distortion, astigmatism and coma performance. The lens is weak at the very wide angle. That lens will be a perfect cheap travel lens.
In summary those are the rumored lenses that are on Panasonic’s roadmap:
7-14mm X lens (rumor)
12-35mm fast X lens (confirmed by Panasonic)
16mm f/1.4 (patent from Panasonic)
18-175mm f/3.5-5.6 X lens (patent from Panasonic)
35-100mm fast X lens (confirmed by Panasonic)
New 40 or 45mm pancake X lens (rumor)
The new 45-175mm X lens is in Stock in some stores. Check these links to see where you can get it: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
And now just for fun:
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Recent comments
Comment from Auchit Ch: 12-35/f2.8 and 35-100/f2.8 are great com...
Comment from Miklós Rabi: Yes....- Comment from Miklós Rabi: 14-140 is a better range. Period....
Comment from ...: what about a 14mm panckake for more ''co...
Hojk
8 months ago |14-35 confirmed? Wasn´t it 12-35? This would be the only lens to buy for me at the moment.
admin
8 months ago |was a typo. Corrected!
Garf
8 months ago |There is another typo: 35-100mm not 10mm.
Thanks for your work on this site,
Garf
admin
8 months ago |Thansk Garf! Fixed that too now! P.S.: I hate to write posts on my iPhone. Really need something bigger…
Bob B.
8 months ago |11″ MacBook Air!
Mr. Reeee
8 months ago |How about adding “None of the Above”?
To repeat… GREAT work!
YouDidntDidYou
8 months ago |mount adapter ring and lens barrel provided with rotating built-in filter
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fegami.blog.so-net.ne.jp%2F2011-10-05 this looks interesting I wonder why no one thought of this before?
mpgxsvcd
8 months ago |There are going to be a lot of mad people if they come out with an 18-175mm shortly after people have purchased the 45-175mm. The 45-175mm is not small so going to 18-175mm will not make that much of a difference. However, gaining the extra bit on the wide end will make a difference.
I am still debating whether to get the 12-35mm or the 35-100mm. I need to see the apertures for both. I want the 35-100mm for stills but the 12-35mm will be better suited for videos if it has a wider aperture than the 35-100mm.
Andrew Howes
8 months ago |The quality will likely be much worse on the 18-175.
M43Photo
8 months ago |I’m not 100% sure, but I think I have read that 36mm (equiv) is a common starting point for video camcorders. So in this respect, the 18-175mm lens makes sense, it would correspond to a typical 10x camcorder zoom.
Esa Tuunanen
8 months ago |That’s no reason to copy that sucktastic lack of wide angle feature. It’s plain copying of weakness of camcorders.
Anonymous
8 months ago |There is a reason why camcorders would start from 36mm (equiv). Video is not the same as a photo. And for video, I think Panasonic knows what they are doing.
As for video, I think that you would shoot people most of the time, and wide-angle rarely works in such cases. And even if you need a wide angle, there is always a lens swap …
Nico Foto
8 months ago |I shoot video quite frequently, and let me tell you that 35mm as the “wide” end of a lens is indeed very, very limiting. There’s nothing inherently different in video with regards to that. In fact, i’d say that 10x in a video camcorder is totally useless for 99% of people, unless you want to shoot tied to a tripod…I’d rather have a decent wide angle than a super tele unless shooting animals or something…
M43Photo
8 months ago |I suppose this lens, if announced, will give more to choose from. The 14-140mm lens is a 10x zoom for those who want the wide end, and I anticipate that the 18-175mm lens will be a more compact alternative with powerzoom.
Anonymous
8 months ago |The last lens fr the roadmap should be 35-100mm , can’t be 35-10mm .
Montego
8 months ago |+1 Nico. My Panasonic TM700 camcorder is 35mm on its wide end. I bought the GH2, and my first lens purchase after the 14-140mm kit lens was the 7-14mm…ir complements the TM700 nicely.
Hojk
8 months ago |thanks for the correction …. i feared my “´lens of dreams” would have gone with the wind
great job on this site, btw
admin
8 months ago |Thanks
kesztió
8 months ago |60 people will buy 12–35 X?
Oh, guys, you’re all rich people.
This piece of glass wont’t be a really cheap one. At this time I hardly think I’ll be able to afford even a fast prime @ 40~50 mm…
Miroslav
8 months ago |I started saving the day it was rumored – and I live near Romania
. If it starts at F2, it’ll be like a few primes in one lens.
Nico Foto
8 months ago |Exactly!
Jshaw6000
8 months ago |You’re right! That’s why I’ve already started saving. I’d like to get both the 12-35 and 35-100 but I’ll get the latter first.
Brod1er
8 months ago |The only limitation for me is my wallet! I already have the 7-14, 14, 20, 100-300. I just need the Oly 45 f1.8 and the 14-42 X lens for compact general use and my lens lust will be satisfied**. The fast pro zooms are tempting, but I agree the cost will be crippling and they will be no faster/higher quality than my dream team above.
** oh cock! I just remembered I want a fisheye for underwater too. So many nice lenses now, all whispering “just buy me, you know it’s what you want”. I am definitely losing it!
Brod1er
8 months ago |The only limitation for me is my wallet! I already have the 7-14, 14, 20, 100-300. I just need the Oly 45 f1.8 and the 14-42 X lens for compact general use and my lens lust will be satisfied**. The fast pro zooms are tempting, but I agree the cost will be crippling and they will be no faster/higher quality than my dream team above.
** oh cock! I just remembered I want a fisheye for underwater and an iphone 4S too. So many nice lenses now, all whispering “just buy me, you know it’s what you want”. I am definitely losing it!
Duarte Bruno
8 months ago |Apparently this site is only read by millionaires. Either that or they just don’t read what’s written.
The question is: “What lens will you buy?” but clearly people are reading “What lens do you like?”.
Sören
8 months ago |7-14 X sounds nice.
Hope the original great 7-14 will drop in price than
Narretz
8 months ago |If the 12-35 is a constant 2.0 (it should be at least 2.8), focuses fast, has very good quality on both ends, very little aberrations etc, then it is almost the perfect all purpose lens. Could be a tad longer, but there you go. Maybe Olympus will deliver on this end.
Simon
8 months ago |18-175…7-14….so instead of new glass and real high quality “X” we’ll only get the same all over again – only worth, with power zoom. Congratulations, Panasonic.
All my hope now is in Olympus and more premium lenses after the 12 an 45mm
dumbo
8 months ago |yeah, 18-175 really is dull for me. why not make the 100-300 a samller x model, or something even longer like a 5.6 400.
i guess we have to wait till all the current lenses have been updated before more extreme lenese are made. the trouble with this of course, is that theses lenses will only ever be able to work with micro 43 (because of the electronic focus by wire and sensor size.)
therefore, with all these constant updates, it becoming a bit of a disposable camera system.
Zorg
8 months ago |This rumor is about a 18-175 patent. Not all patents end up to be final products. This patent was filled in March 2010 and since then, Panasonic may have decided to change their focus to other lenses — because of external competition (1½ year ago, the CSC landscape was different), because of internal competition (1½ year ago, they had fewer pancakes and may have realized since then the large success of primes), because of the economy (depending on the target for this lens), because of infrastructure (many natural disasters in countries where contractors are likely to have factories), etc.
All the other lenses in the poll are simply suggestions from Admin. It doesn’t mean that Panasonic is even remotely thinking about them.
dumbo
8 months ago |hopefully they may have decided to make the 45-175x instead, and will dump the 18-175. like everyone always mentions on this site, there is a severe lack of fast zooms available, not something i would rush out to buy, but would be more likely than a 18-175, unless ofcourse it was a pancake lol
Bart De Corte
8 months ago |It makes perfect sense for Panasonic to make such a travel lens. As for now the only 2 alternatives are the 14-150 Olympus and the 14-140 Panasonic. Good as they may be they aren’t cheap : 500 – 700 EUR. This still leaves a huge price gap between a Sigma or Tamron 18-200 which can be bought for about 200-250 EUR. So for the buyer who has to choose between a budget dslr or a m43 camera the choice on a pure budget basis is quite easy : no m43. The m43-platform could use a large consumer basis, but right now the prices aren’t up to this.
Atle
8 months ago |Very hard to say what i will buy and not buy as it all depends on price. I would really like to buy an olympus 12mm f2.8 too, if they had a cheaper model.
Ferdinand
8 months ago |And if that 12mm f2.8 was a pancake…
fred schumacher
8 months ago |My favorite lens of all time was an Olympus Zuiko 24mm f2.8. This is the widest angle one can easily work with. This Olympus lens was tiny, and I never missed the faster speed. A wide angle doesn’t need to be super fast. I also had a Zuiko 21mm f2, but I used the 24 about ten times as often as the 21. An inexpensive 12mm f2.8 would be a great lens option.
sneye
8 months ago |With a 16/1.4, m4/3 would be a complete system for me. No need to worry about glass anymore. Bliss.
Zorg
8 months ago |16/1.4 would be nice, but a compact UWA zoom would be welcome as well.
Panasonic 7-14 is fast enough but big and no filters; Olympus 9-18 is compact and takes filters, but is slow. Let’s combine the best of both and dream about a compact 7-18/4 or even better, compact 7-18/2.8-3.5 (same apertures as my old and trusted Zuiko 11-22). With good quality and adequate pricing, that would be a dream…
MikeH
8 months ago |A high quality 16mm 1.4 would be great. If it was up par to the 25mm 1.4 it would be on my ‘must buy’ list.
slave
8 months ago |and what about rumored before 12-50/2.5 lens? is it still on Panasonic’s roadmap?
admin
8 months ago |I don’t know. I guess it’s still not decided yet if it will get on market or not…
Henrik
8 months ago |No new primes in there, except for a 16/1,4, that’s underwhelming.
Anyway, new lenses will be reviewed and undressed, i mean unboxed, online – but you won’t get them at the dealer of your choice.
Jojo
8 months ago |16/1.4 sounds rathere tasty.
But what’s the point of an “all-in-one” superzoom that doesn’t even cover the range of a standard kit zoom? If you’re going to need 2 lenses to cover a range surely there are better choices?
jules
8 months ago |If you absolutely need to cover every situations, then you need traveling packs filled with all native lenses available, a plethora of legacy lenses, adpters, filters, converters, a tripod, a monopod, a multi-pod, a mega-pod, flashes, remote shutter, color passport, 2nd bodies, spare batteries, spare make-up, a laptop and the kitchen sink. Just in case…
Being restricted to 36mm equivalent at the wide end is without doubt not to everyone’s taste, but its not the end of the world either. If its more svelte than the 14-150 GH kit-zoom, it makes perfect sens as a walk around/touring lens.
Anonymous
8 months ago |where is a 24or28or30or35mm 1.8or2 OSS (for video) X pancake-lens ?
dts
8 months ago |where is a 24or28or30or35mm f1.8or2.0 OSS (for video) pancake X lens?
Oliver
8 months ago |18-175? In my eyes: another needless lens!
Henrik
8 months ago |+1
Martin
8 months ago |A bright quality telezoom please! Something like 50(70)-200mm f/2.8-4, but a bit smaller (lighter in particular!) than the FT Zuiko (which I miss anyway…)
Leendert
8 months ago |A 40mm or 45mm f1.8 pancake: I’m in!
Miroslav
8 months ago |18-175mm f/3.5-5.6 is nice, it’s faster than current superzooms, but I’d like it to start at 15mm at least… And be bigger if it needs to be optically better at the wide end.
16mm F1.4 sounds awesome, but if Noktor 12mm T1.6 (F1.4) turns out to be as close to Oly 12mm F2 as first tests show, I’ll buy it the day Olympus puts MF aid similar to Sony/Ricoh solution in their cameras.
12-35mm? Just make it F2 at 12mm, please.
If all these lenses materialize, we’d really be spoiled by choice.
frank
8 months ago |the current 7-14 is a great lens, I don’t see why they would want to change it other than making it cheaper to buy, maybe they’ll make a cheaper tp produce version that will be worse than the old, and I’ll have a classic in my collection
which to me it already is because of the combination of quality and the range offered
I’d really like a 45mm pancake, and the 12-35 looks really nice also, but if would have to be f2.8 to really make me buy it, f3.5 would not cut it
Mr. Reeee
8 months ago |+10 on the 7-14mm!
It’s one of those system defining lenses along with the 20mm and now the 45mm f1.8.
Yep, the 12-35mm looks pretty interesting. I wonder when Panasonic will actually announce it and release specs? Honestly, I could ditch the 14-140mm for the 12-35mm and 35-100mm combo, then add the 100-300mm. Those 3 plus the 20mm and Nokton 25mm would be a great travel kit.
@Nick Yeah, I’ll go for a Voigtländer 16mm f1… I’d even settle for 1.2. They do make a 35mm f1.2, BTW. How about a 10mm f2.x?
nikclick
8 months ago |The 18-175 obviously came out as the 45-175. I don’t see any reason that they would make another lens that stops at 175. Patents are not final products. The important part of this patent is how the lens elements move independently, not the focal lengths. I guess there may be another patent for the 14-45X?
Of the other lenses:
12-35mm fast X lens – Confirmed – I doubt this will be f2, hopefully f2.8. This will be a must have lens if Panasonic get it right.
35-100mm fast X lens – Confirmed – Initial mockups don’t have that big a front element, so not sure what the speed will be. The pair or lenses will be great and cover a lot of pictures.
New 40 or 45mm pancake X lens (rumor) – Somewhat boring. Is this focal length really that useful for normal users?
7-14mm X lens (rumor) – hard to improve on perfection, but lets see them try!
16mm f/1.4 (patent from Panasonic) – another patent only, not definite, but some like this focal length and it would be a worthwhile addition to the primes.
jules
8 months ago |“New 40 or 45mm pancake X lens (rumor) – Somewhat boring. Is this focal length really that useful for normal users?”
its called a portrait lens
nikclick
8 months ago |Yeh, my point being how many casual users want a pancake telephoto? It is not really a very versatile focal length compared to 25, 20, or 17. Arguably, head-and-shoulders portrait shots are not what casual users really want.
Nelson
8 months ago |It makes a perfect pancake trio, and there we have 2 trio of prime
Pancake: 14mm, 20mm, 40/45mm
Non Pancake: 12mm, 25mm, 45mm
jules
8 months ago |I would be careful with such simplification. Casual users is a very fuzzy subset that may have more complex needs and better education than that of a point-n-shooter. For one thing, virtually everyone interested in fixed focal length has minimum understanding of the compromises involved.
Quite frankly, those that only look at megapix count don’t consider any primes at all and most of them won’t even buy any interchangeable lens cameras of any kind to begin with.
Of course, this is all based on the premise that such pancake would have no appeal to anyone else. This is far from being evident.
As for versatility, again, this is a questionable statement.
Nick
8 months ago |I want the 16mm, but I want it as an f1.0, and I want it made by Voigtlander
safaridon
8 months ago |Maybe this 18-175 lens design is related to the just released 45-175X lens. People have been complaining that the current 14-140 although very good is too big and giving up some of the WA reach would definitely make this lens smaller. I would rather see an F4-5.6 with a slightly wider reach with same design say 16-175. As for going wider Pany has the 4-14 or why not just go landscape mode and stich some pictures together by taking the photos in a vertical position and stich? Thus a 18mm would look like a 14mm or wider? If you want wider just select the 16:9 aspect ratio for a wider view easier yet.
Rich
8 months ago |Why do they spend so much time screwing around with lenses of questionable value when there are giant holes in the current offering? Where is the 70-200 f2.8 equivilent? More fast lenses are needed, not just more flavors of slow and average lenses. I love my M4/3rds system, but the lack of fast zooms (at least f2.8 constant) covering the most used ranges continues to be the major weakness.
TheEye
8 months ago |A 35-100 f/1.4 will be just as huge and heavy as a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. What’s the point of using m4/3, if the lenses are monstrous? I’d favor relatively fast primes over very fast zooms when it comes to m4/3. The 12 and 45 mm lenses are good starting points. Could also use a 9 mm and a 90 or 100 mm f/2.0.
Brod1er
8 months ago |I not sure there are giant holes now. The 35-100 is coming and will surely be minimum f2.8. The position is very different from a year ago. The focus (excuse pun) is back on bodies – the GF7, GH3, GX1 (G-zzzzzz……?!) are sorely needed. I agree that the 35-100 is most important though as there is not enough fast glass in this range (the only notable exception being the sweet Oly 45 f1.8)
safaridon
8 months ago |My hope is for a very fast small single focal length tele 100mm/f1.4 for m4/3 which with a good 2x would be equivalent to a 400mm/F2.8 or 300mm/F2 with a 1.4X convertor. With Panys good optical smart zoom up to 1.3X such a lens would extend to 300mm/f1.4 even without a telextendar.
RW
8 months ago |+1
It seems that nobody much is interested in making prime teles anymore – or maybe they just don’t sell. When I look at the EXIF data from my shots in the past with zooms, I find the overwhelming majority of the shots are taken at either the wide or the tele limit of the zoom range – and far fewer taken at anywhere in between. Its an interesting observation, and the main reason that I don’t bother with zooms anymore. Why pay the extra money and take the speed and performance hits for something that I’m not really using?
safaridon
8 months ago |Surveys if pictures actually taken show the vast majority are taken at 14-17mm and at the telephoto end 100-200mm and few inbetween so yes probably two fast small lenses covering these lengths would prove to be quite satisfactory especially if most are scenics taken at the wa end. Note a small 100mm/f2 tele lens would also make an excellent portrait lens with shallower FOV and good bokeh.
Anonymous
8 months ago |Yes – addd a 50mm equivalent to that mix, and Bob’s your uncle!
Matt
8 months ago |Are all these new lenses with power zoom? Is there any actual advantage to power zoom or is it just a gimmick? Don´t know because I never really used one on an interchangeable lens camera and I think given the option I´d rather have some of these lenses with a conventional zoom even if they were a few mm longer or whatever…
Xsvpro
8 months ago |I’m really looking forward to the 12-35 F2 and 35-100 F2, as a video shooter and looking at going up to the AF100 to support my GH2′s I would be interested in some internal zoom lens. I’m really hoping that panny brings out s replacement grip for the AF100 that can control the motorised Zoom of the X lens to make them usefull for ENG style shooting for corporate gigs and events
sensor-iq
8 months ago |i’d be most excited on a 16mm f 1.2 lens (36mm equiv.) i’d buy this even at a premium…
Joe
8 months ago |I would buy 18-175 & 16 f1.4
WT21
8 months ago |Based on what I’ve seen with the other X lenses, and 18-175 might replace my 14-150, though I’d miss the wide end terribly.
Miguel Emele
8 months ago |12-60
Starred
8 months ago |An improved sensor propen with internal evf combined with 12-35 f2.8 and 35-100 f2.8 would be a great set.
reverse stream swimmer
8 months ago |Patent: New 18-175mm m43 lens from Panasonic
- Doesn’t many APS-C lenses start at 18mm at the wide end?
Perhaps this focal length is explicitly selected in order to block the APS-C crowd?
- On the other hand, 18-175mm complements the M.Zuiko 9-18mm, making these two a great combo.
Esa Tuunanen
8 months ago |APS-C sensor has different “crop factor” and with them 18mm real focal length gives usefull ~28mm equivalent FOV.
4/3 sensor’s crop of 2 makes it 36mm unwide angle… familiar from all those P&S compacts.
14mm real focal length would be lot better point under which you would change from general purpose lens to very wide angle lens. (lens being interchangeable doesn’t mean you should try to maximize the time you spent changing between lenses)
Bob B.
8 months ago |After reading what’s above..I see it as: Different Strokes for Different Folks! Right now for Mirrorless cameras with autofocus lens attached…we have more choices than any of the other systems ( I think)…with no end in sight!!!!! Now Pany…how about a NEW sensor!!!!!!!???????? (no tweakers)
spam
8 months ago |I doubt that an 18-175 will be made, not all patents make it into products. Personally I’d actually be tempted it if it was significantly smaller than 14-140 as I don’t use wide angle that much, but IMO 18mm would be too hard to sell to most who’re used to 28mm or even 24mm equivalent on their P&Ss, kit lenes and superzooms.
mokin
8 months ago |I want travel lens :
12 – 100mm f/2.8-4,
smaller < 2.5",
Price < $900
or
25mm for street shot: very smaller + good shot in night
martin
8 months ago |Exactly! I would love to have such a 12-100mm lens as it would be the perfect all-around lens! Would even be satisfied if it was a little slower if it would be really compact then.
But then i wouldnt mind a small big sensor fixed lens camera with this focal length.
Beomagi
8 months ago |17 Elements!?
Christ that’s a lot of glass. I wonder how bad that would affect transmission of an already dark lens.
spam
8 months ago |17 elements isn’t more than other superzoomdesigns (Tamron 18-270 has 18), and why would transmission be more affected on a slow lens than on a fast one? Btw, F3.5 to F5.6 is typical for these lenses and actually a bit faster thant the 14-140.
Tom
8 months ago |I’d love to see a 16 mm, but hopefully it will be f2 or f2.8. Standard lenses should have standard prices and standard sizes. I’d be surprised to see a 16 1.4 go for under $800, and it will be big. Everything about the Olympus 17 is perfect except for IQ, update that with better IQ, allow it to be a tiny bit bigger and a tiny bit more expensive and voila, perfect lens. I think the price point for the system is about $400 to $500 per lens, anything more and they’ll just never sell many, as long as m4/3 is charging full-frame prices for lenses it will never get very popular.
amalric
8 months ago |Horses for courses. Clearly I can see two paradigms. Zooms for dSLR/P&S owners, primes and pancakes for faux rangefinders lovers.
m4/3 has a double soul. Since I belong to the latter wide primes are my trip. I find that a small camera/lens allows me to get closer to my street subjects, and have more social interaction.
Therefore the ‘humble’ 17/2.8 is my most used lens. Would I trade it for something more flexible? A 12-35 might be the answer, but I always consider that a carry everywhere camera must have a pancake first.
I also concur with those who say that m4/3 lenses are too expensive. Until we have a range of ‘honest’ lenses people will keep buying dSLR.
After the demise of the 4/3 system having to fork for disposable lenses makes me umconfortable. So I am back to basics: 2 or 3 primes and 2 zooms for the extreme ranges.
Bodies are even more disposable: my shutter failed after only 1 1/2 year. So my priority would be to get a semipro body with a good shutter life.
I don’t care about the sirens of marketing. They are really vampires draining our blood. I need to concentrate on photography and not be distracted by people who change cameras and lenses like they change clothes.
The saving grace of mirrorless, any brand, is that it can use legacy lenses so easily. So the most humble are the most secure investment
...
8 months ago |what about a 14mm panckake for more ”cosumers” the new x lens samed perfect but it grow up when is on….
a panckake x lens with power o.i.s… JUST A DREAM ???
Miklós Rabi
8 months ago |Yes.
Miklós Rabi
8 months ago |14-140 is a better range. Period.
Auchit Ch
6 months ago |12-35/f2.8 and 35-100/f2.8 are great combination, I have been waiting these lens for a long time.