Let’s have a closer look on the new Olympus 25mm f/1.2 PRO lens. The lens can be preordered now at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, GetOlympus. Amazon.de.
It is the first f/1.2 lens from a new line of lenses. More lenses will be released in 2017. The full presentation page of the lens can be found at GetOlympus (Click here).
The Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO lens is an incredibly high performing lens, delivering high level of contrast and sharpness even shooting at wide open F1.2. The bokeh is smooth and creamy, rendering images with great depth and 3D look. Lens technical flaws are well suppressed and controlled, exhibiting almost no trace of distortion, chromatic aberration or flare issues. Having a minimum focusing distance of 19.5cm from the front of the lens can create some dramatic close up shots.
I foresee size and weight to be a popular complain, but honestly, it is almost impossible to create a compact-sized F1.2 lens that is super sharp at F1.2 with superbly fast autofocus. Also, price will be an issue, and this is a subjective comment which I will avoid.
Its combination of extreme sharpness, contrast and creamy bokeh means that you end up with consistently beautiful results. Using it, I certainly felt I could do justice to my subjects better than with any other lens I’ve previously used.
Lars Johnson writes:
I shot some of these photos with manual focus because focusing in auto mode was difficult having a see through curtain covering the models face. Worked very nicely even the depth of field is super narrow at f/1.2.I’m very happy with the sharpness even at aperture wide open. Also nice tones and good contrast.
Few more image samples got at Dpreview. A chinese review can be read at Sapphire Kerr. And below the official introduction video:
The Dutch Store Fotokonijnenberg.nl listed the new Olympus E-M1II with a price of €1.999,00. I am not sure if that’s the real price or just a guess from the store.
All we know for sure is that the E-m1II price will be higher than the E-M1 price when at launched three years ago (€1.499).
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Of the three newly announced Olympus lenses the 12-100mm PRO is the best-selling according to Amazon US ranking (Click here). We got an opposite result at the Amazon Germany ranking where the 30mm macro leads surprisingly.
Setsuya Kataoka (left) and Takahiro Tosaka from Olympus
Russian interviewer Kroupski (google translation here) asked Olympus one very specific question about their Full Frame intention. And Setsuya Kataoka answer is:
SK – (laughs). Firstly, we are quite confident in his current platform Micro 4/3. We identify further medium-term strategy for its development. In any case, we focused on it. As for the launch of new directions … then, of course, nothing is impossible for our developers. However, the particular future has not yet been determined.
As you kow Olympus filed many fast Full Frame lens patents. But it’s unclear yet if they have a serious intention to join the crowded Full Frame world…
If you want the flexibility of a zoom with top quality optics, build and features, the Leica 100-400mm is the way to go. Like other Leica / Panasonic collaborations, it’s priced at the premium-end, but you’re getting a step-up over budget zooms in almost every regard: range, sharpness, contrast, focusing, stabilisation, weather-sealing, zoom lock and tripod mounting options. As such it’s a classy addition to the Micro Four Third catalogue and fills an important gap for a high-end super-telephoto zoom.
