Lens Talk: Olympus 17mm F1.2 PRO

Shooting Video With Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III (Robin Wong).
Laowa 17mm f/1.8 MFT Sample Images (Photographyblog).
Choices for Building a Portable Videography Kit with New Products (Explora).
E-M5III test at Xitek.

Plenty of news on the facebook E-M1II group, Panasonic FF and the GH5 group.

Robin Wong:

Olympus announced an updated lens roadmap with a few interesting new items, and I am drawing the attention specifically to 12-45mm F4 PRO lens. I think something else is happening here, and I am exploring the possibilities of a new PRO lens line-up from Olympus!

Mitakon released the new Creator 85mm f/2.8 1-5X Super Macro lens which is also available as native MFT mount option:

Panasonic sold their 49% share in the TowerJazz joint venture. It means i will no more play any part image sensor production. I don’t think it means the end of their organic sensor development. Probably TowerJazz or Sony or Samyang will produce those future sensors for them.

Reuters reports:

TOKYO, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Panasonic Corp said it would sell its loss-making semiconductor unit to Taiwan’s Nuvoton Technology Corp for $250 million as the Japanese electronics giant struggles to lift its profit amid a lack of growth drivers.

The sale is part of Panasonic’s plans to cut fixed costs by 100 billion yen ($920 million) by the year ending in March 2022 by consolidating production sites and overhauling loss-making businesses.

Panasonic has already divested most of its chip business as it lost to more nimble Korean and Taiwanese rivals, and has shut down or shifted its manufacturing facilities to its joint venture (JV) with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor.

Its semiconductor unit currently focuses on designing power-management chips and sensors for smartphones, cars and security cameras. It sold part of the power management chip business to Japan’s Rohm Co this month.

The latest deal includes the sale of the entire JV, which is owned 51% by Tower and 49% by the Panasonic chip unit. The JV operates three Japanese chipmaking facilities.

Panasonic said the sale will not have any significant impact on its earnings. The value of the deal that Panasonic has announced excludes the amount Nuvoton would pay for Tower Semiconductor’s stake in the joint venture.

Nuvoton said in a statement the all-cash transaction was expected to close by June 2020, and would “increase Nuvoton’s presence in the global semiconductor industry through greater scale and volume of semiconductor solutions”.

Nuvoton, which was spun off from Winbond Electronics Corp in 2008, supplies chips for electronic devices including computers and audio products.

Panasonic has turned its focus away from low-margin consumer electronics and bet on businesses that sell to automakers, as well as to corporations such as factory-owners and firms that automate processes.

But the shift has failed to lift profit at a time when the U.S.-China trade war has hit industrial purchases and output, and the global car market is contracting. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei, Neha Malara in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

This is what National Geographic had to say about the two cameras:

The OM-D E-M1MKII is the best wildlife camera in the bunch. The combination of dials, buttons, and lever toggles lets you change settings faster than on most other imaging systems, compact or professional grade. The weather sealing rivals that of top-tier professional DSLRs with a fantastic grip for its size. And the lenses! All the pro line lenses have a high-build quality that can take whatever you throw at them and sport wonderful features, such as integrated lens hoods, smooth zoom/focus rings, and round bokeh, or background blur. As a micro four thirds (MFT) camera, its sensor is small, giving you long reach from physically smaller lenses, such as the 300mm (600mm equivalent). The ability to carry a small backpack with a few small lenses, fantastic ergonomics, excellent image stabilization, all-weather durability, and high-speed performance means a potent wildlife photography kit that won’t weigh you down when you’re on the go.

The DC-G9 is comparable to the Olympus OM-D E-M1MKII but comes out ahead in video. This camera has a full-size HDMI, better ergonomics for waist- and chest-level video shooting, and more options for capture rates and color profiles, plus a convenient electronic viewfinder and roomy eyecup. And unlike the more classical AF system found in the OM-D E-M1MKII, the DC-G9 uses Panasonic’s DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology, which provides better results in photos of people, still subjects, and animals with a firmware update, though there can be issues in high-speed situations. Another perk for videos and stills? The IBIS system, which integrates well with Panasonic’s stabilized lenses. The DC-G9 is larger than other cameras on this list, but a pro-style top-down info screen makes up for its size.
Tip: Pair the DC-G9 with the wonderful 12-60mm (24-120mm equivalent) kit lens, and you’re good to go for most subjects on your travels.

Click on image to enlarge

Olympus added info about three new lenses:

– 12-45mm f/4.0 PRO
– Telephoto zoom lens (no specs)
– 150-400mm f/5.0-6.3 IS

Official press text:

We are pleased to announce three lens model updates to the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital Lens roadmap, including the addition of the ultra-compact M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4.0 PRO and super-telephoto M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS lenses. We have also added a PRO series telephoto zoom lens. All lens models are compatible with the Micro Four Thirds® System standard.

These lenses are in addition to the previously-announced M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO super telephoto zoom lens. It features a 1.25x built-in teleconverter and covers a focal length range of 300 – 1000mm (35mm equivalent). The combination of this lens with the MC-20 2.0x teleconverter makes handheld super telephoto shooting possible at 2000mm (35mm equivalent).

With these new products Olympus will further expand its telephoto lens lineup, maximizing the advantages of the Micro Four Thirds® System, including excellent image quality, compact lightweight systems, and superior image stabilization performance.

Meike 35mm T2.2 MFT Cine lens key features:

• Aperture: T2.2-T22
• Focal Length: 35mm
• Focus Rotation: 270°
• Filter Thread Size: 77mm
• Weight (Approx.): 660g
• Minimum Focusing Distance: 0.42m
• Lens Structure: 8 groups 10 elements
• APS-C Angle: diagonal 44.4° horizontal 36° vertical 27.2°
• M43 Angle: diagonal 37° horizontal 29.7° vertical 22.4°

It will cost $359.99.

via ePhotozine