Our sources are pretty exited with the new upcoming Olympus 12mm f/2.0 high grade lens. First the build quality is amazing, it’s an all metal piece of goodness! And the lens has a distance scale! According to my sources the lens has the best image quality (resolution, color rendering) tested to date. Someone said there is nothing to envy to any Leica lens! Compared to the Leica 24mm f/3.8 ([shoplink 23253 ebay]Click here to see that lens on eBay[/shoplink]) the Olympus will cost $1.700 less and has a much faster aperture! Another source that this is one of the lenses that will birng new sex appeal to the Micro Fur Thirds system (yes he used those words). The 12mm lens will be available a couple of weeks after the June 30th announcement. So check your piggy bank savings, you need around $850 for that lens!

In summary:
– Olympus 12mm f/2.0 coming on June 30th
– It’s the very first High Grade lens for Micro Four Thirds and is made in Tatsuno (Japan)
– All metal construction with distance meter.
– Lens size similar to the new Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4.
– Filter size 46mm
– Already in production since April and will be in Stock in July.
– Close focusing 20cm (0.67 feet)

Reminder -> 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

Engadget Chinese (Click here) spotted that Olympus invitation card for an even on June 30th during 14:00 ~ 16:30 (Taiwan GMT+8). The event starts with speeches from Olympus managers and Photographers. At the end of the event there is a testing part with new products. No products have been specified in the invitation. But we already know what’s coming:

Three Pen cameras, the E-PM1, E-PL3 (with tilt lcd) and E-P3. Two new lenses, the 12mm f/2.0 and 45mm f/1.8. But there will be some other new stuff to and I am working to get details about that.

The rumor:
Some of my sources read your comments and sent me some of the answers you were looking for. The Olympus 12mm f/2.0 High Quality lens should cost around $800-$850. It’s not exactly cheap but this lens is supposed to be the first ultra-high-quality lens from Olympus. It should be just a bit less long than the mockup lens Olympus showed in February (see the image on top). Filter size is 46mm. As you know the production of the lens began in April and the lens will should be in Stock a short time after the announcement on une 30th. The lens will be made in Tatsuno. it’s the plant that realizes the high quality lenses from Olympus like the crazy expensive and crazy high quality Olympus 300mm f/2.8 ([shoplink 22138 ebay]Check the scary price on eBay[/shoplink]).

The second news is that the 45mm f/1.8 lens is not a MACRO. I guess that it’s ok for a lens that costs 299 Dollars/Euro only!

I guess we have now plenty of awesome new lenses for our Micro Four Thirds camera. If I could I would buy all three new lenses, the 12mm f/2.0, the 45mm f/1.8 and the Leica 25mm f/1.4! By the way, preorders of the Leica lens are still available on Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here) notifies you when the lens will be in Stock.

So let’s start a poll:

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Reminder -> 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