OK, now I am sure that Olympus will soon announce one more thing along the already coming 17mm f/1.8 prime lens! I am working on the specs…but need some help from sources: Can you confirm me the specs and price and announcement date of that “thing”?  So that I won’t make any mistakes. You can contact me anonymously by just dropping a message via contact form you see here on the right. Thanks!!!

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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

We have to upgrade our Olympus lens rumor from FT4 to FT5. Other three sources (including Lepidi) confirmed that the 17mm f/1.8 lens will hit the stores in early-mid December. We expect an official Olympus press release any time soon. What I don’t know yet is if Olympus will announce “something else” along that lens…

As reported before the lens will have the same build quality of the 12mm lens and be priced at 550 Euro. I don’t know the price in Dollars yet but let’s make a rough estimation: The 12mm lens costs $799 at Amazon and around 620 Euro lowest price on eBay. Having that conversion rate as reference the 17mm lens should cost around $710.

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P.s.: Lepidi also got his 12mm Black limited lens.

Few weeks ago we got Yahoo Taiwan listed the new Olympus 17mm f/1.8. And now we got a more specific info confirming that the lens will hit the stores in mid December. The rumored price in Taiwan is $16,900 NTD and in Europe price will be around 550 Euro. Olympus already said that this lens will have the same build quality of the [shoplink 23576]Olympus 12mm f/2.0[/shoplink] lens. I will certainly grab one of these!

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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

Yesterday Panasonic announced the new MFT videocamera. So while the rumor about an early November Panasonic announcement were correct we are still missing the release of the new GX2. There is a weird silence around that product. Back in Spring Panasonic itself said that: “We will define more clearly what GH and GX means this year, so consumers have a better idea of what their characteristics are.” (Source: Amateur Photographer). And the GX1 price fell down at the same level of the GF5 (GX1 $460 Amazon and GF5 $449 again at Amazon).

But that weird silence may be a sign that something has changed within the Panasonic roadmap. And indeed Digicaminfo (translation here) got the info that Panasonic decided to release the GX2 in Fall 2013 only! This is not a rumor from their best sources, so it may be not correct. But according to the rumor the Panasonic decided to take time to develop the new GX2 so that it will have some features that “do not exist on current Panasonic MFT cameras“.

What these features could be we don’t know but I already spotted some patents about 1) rangefinder styled GX camera and 2) Built-in sensor stabilization. But we know, patent do not really disclose what’s coming in the near future.

The other info is that the GF6 and G6 will be released in Spring. That is definitely not a surprise. Panasonic is known for releasing the G and GF successors in Spring :)

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The Sony NEX-6/7 (Click here) and the Fuji X cameras (Click here) are for now the only mirrorless cameras with such a rangefinder styled design.
The [shoplink 23692 ebay]DMC-L1 eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
The [shoplink 26385 ebay]DMC-LC1 on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

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

UPDATED: On advice of the author Reinhard Wagner I corrected some statements:

Olympus camera book writer Reinhard Wagner (book list at Amazon Germany) wrote at OlyForum.de that “2013 will be an exciting year” and later in the post he writes: “Aber die FTs sind so dermaßen gut, dass ich lieber noch mit der E-5 und der E-M5 arbeite, bis dann die E-7 kommt. Denn die kommt.” Which in short (according to my knowledge of the language) means “The E-7 will arrive” (without to specify the data). Of course, this is not a surprise as Olympus itself admitted that they are working on such a camera. Reinhard is just repeating what we all already know.

I have no doubt FT lenses will be have new cameras to work with (with 100% compatible AF speed and functions). But I am also sure that Olympus is seeking for a way to have full FT lens support on a professional MFT camera. The E-7 may be the first hybrid FT and MFT camera? :)

Check out (and have fun with the sliding) the list of  SWD lenses on Slidoo US, Slidoo EU and Slidoo Worldwide. P.S.: It’s a little website we made to keep track of ebay auctions. You may register to save your searches and set your country!

Reminder: FT refurbsihed deals:
Save $2250 on the Olympus Zuiko 90-250mm f/2.8 ED at [shoplink 34573 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $650 on the Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm f/2.0 SWD ED at [shoplink 34575 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $700 on the Olympus 35-100mm f/2.0 ED at [shoplink 34576 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $900 on the Olympus 150mm f/2.o at [shoplink 34577 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.
Save $300 on the Olympus Zuiko 12-60mm f/2.8 F2.8 ED at [shoplink 34578 ebay]Camteacutions[/shoplink] or Cametastore. Original price (new condition) here at BHphoto.

Yesterday Patrick from FujiRumors wrote that Zeiss will release the new Fuji X and Sony E mount lenses in April. He also sent me an email to say that Zeiss representatives that were displaying the lenses in NYC told him that there will be definitely no MFT version of these lenses in 2013. And it hasn’t yet been decided if they will ever be released in 2014.

I hope Zeiss will change their mind soon. Can you leave out the biggest Mirrorless System? They are missing a big chance to make money don’t they? So here is a poll to show Zeiss managers if the little MFT community on 43rumors would buy some of their three lenses. Important to know. These are High Quality Lenses with full AF and Aperture control and priced at 1000 Euro.

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Comon Zeiss! We need you on board :)