Will we ever see an F1.2 4/3 lens ?

[HarjTT]

I've been checking on the guys over at http://www.flashflavor.com/ (wedding photographers) and noticed that they are using the Canon 85 and 50 F1.2 lenses on Canon 5D's. Now I'm wondering if we will ever see a lens as fast as the F1.2 on 4/3 ? Is it technically possible ? We have the Leica D 25mm 1.4 but would it be possible to have a f1.2 version of it ? The cost of the two canon lenses is most probably shocking and I thinka Leica D version would be just as costly but if such lenses were to be made and it was within a reasonable price would any one be interested in them ?

Cheers

Harj

:? :O

[tkurkowski]

If they made one it sure would be a big lens -the Leica 25mm f/1.4 itself takes a 67mm filter. And you're right that it wouldn't be inexpensive for a non-zoom lens - the Canon 50mm f/1.2 is about $1,400USD.

You raise an interesting question about whether is is feasible.

Ted

[HarjTT]

Hi Ted

Thanks for the reply to this. I've been really wondering if we will see an F1.2 lens for the 4/3 mount. I'd really like to see us have that option, even if it takes a 72mm filter and I know it'll be a big beastie. Somehow I can't see Oly creating the equivalent 50 and 85 mm F1.2's so that would leave just Sigma and PanaLeica . I wonder if Panaleica are working on such a leica D - I could see them pairing them up to their Pro cam when they introduce it.

Cheers

Harj

:? :O

[tkurkowski]

Hi, Harj,

I looked at the list of Canon lenses and of some100 lenses they sell, only 2 are f/1.2 (a 50mm and an 85mm). A newLeica 25mm f/1.4 is impossible to find, at least in the U.S. So I think there's not a perceived demand for very fast fixed focal length DSLR lenses. I'm not thinking the odds are good for a Leica or Oly f/1.2 lens.

Ted

[gwillys]

[tkurkowski]

Not a bad idea if Harj can live with a manual focus lens.

Ted

[HarjTT]

I can live with one of those lovely F1.2! Its just I was wondering whether we'd get a f1.2 version of the Leica D 25.

Just wish Oly would push out a FW update to allow focus comfirmation with manual lenses. I'm going to e-mail them and tell them to pull their finger out and do it. If Panaleica can do it as a f/w update then Olys got no excuse not too.

[tkurkowski]

tkurkowski wrote:

Hi, Harj,

I looked at the list of Canon lenses and of some100 lenses they sell, only 2 are f/1.2 (a 50mm and an 85mm). A newLeica 25mm f/1.4 is impossible to find, at least in the U.S. So I think there's not a perceived demand for very fast fixed focal length DSLR lenses. I'm not thinking the odds are good for a Leica or Oly f/1.2 lens.

Ted

Oneother thing -the Pana-Leica partnership sure isn't setting the world on fire in the DSLR arena.Their old lens roadmap showeda 14-150, 50-150, 45mm f/2 macro, and a 25mm f/1.4. I can understand that they might have dropped the plan for the 45mm f/2 macro since Oly produced the 50mmmacro but still, only the 25mm showed up and even it ultimately disappeared. And they're not exactly cranking out new DSLR models.

So I'm wondering if Panasonic's sales of non-DSLR cams are keeping them happy and their DSLR products are turning out to be a niche market. Certainly you'd be using your old E-1 for a long time if you had waited for a new Lumix DSLR instead of getting the E-3.

Ted

[dnas]

gwillys, that looks like a Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm F1.2 lens to me!!!

I found a Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm F1.4 lens yesterday for about $5 !!!

Not that many people know, but when Minolta changed their lens mount in 1985 (when they went AF), the old MF Minolta lenses were no longer usable on any new AF Minolta SLRs. The reason was because the MF Minolta bodies were so slim from lens mount to film plane, that if you mounted a MF Minolta lens on any other SLR body, it wouldn't focus to infinity.

That was, until the 4/3 lens mount system came along!!! Because the sensor & mirror are small, the distance from lens mount to sensor plane is less than the old MF Minolta standard.
Why am I saying this?? Because MF Minolta lenses are supposedly "unusable", they are VERY cheap!!!! All you need is a Minolta MC/MD to 4/3 adapter, and you are on your way! You can use Manual or Aperture priority, and you need to use "stop down" metering, and of course, manual focus.

**** One other thing, if you have an E300 or E330, you need to modify the stop down pin on MF Minolta lenses.

[gwillys]

hi dnas, heres the hot ticket --> http://tinyurl.com/6r8oyo