Should Olympus start a new f/2.8 prime lineup?

Tommi K1 wrote:

Now most of the Olympus primes are f/1.8 ones in their Premium line. But they had a 25mm f/2.8 in their 4/3 system and 17mm f/2.8 in m4/3. But both are gone.

Should Olympus revive that f/2.8 line with something new, special for cheaper prices?

Yeah, something special for low price. Right. I'd like that as well. For everything I buy, actually. A man can dream.

9mm f/4

This one might make some sense if cheap, small and good. But cheap small and good is like a unicorn. Realistically, you can only get two out of those three. So...

The simple fact that it would be a pancake UWA puts this thing immediately in a special category that demands a premium price.

17mm f/2.8

We had one, it was neither cheap nor good. Even making it cheap would not change a thing.

25mm f/2.8

We already have a cheap f/1.7. And we have a fairly affordable 20mm f/1.7, that's actually  good. There's also a cheap Sigma 2.8/30, which is smaller (shorter) than the 25 mm from Oly and Panasonic. So this is space is very crowded already.

75mm f/2.8

Maybe. But do you really believe Olympus could release such a lens for less than 200 EUR? You can already buy a Sigma for 190 EUR. And it's such a niche focal length as well.

120mm f/4 (Macro?)

If it's a macro then it's a specialty lens. And yes, we do need that one. But why would you expect it to be cheap? That's something that would probably land in PRO line anyway. At least that's what I would hope for, as I expect weather sealing in such a lens along with top optics.

The 9mm, 17mm and 25mm in pancake designs

Pancake UWA? And a cheap and good one? I guess one can dream.

If one could get a 17mm and 25mm f/2.8 for lets say 200€ each

200 EUR for niche lenses for a niche system? Sounds nice, sure. And we have some lenses that are normally or occasionally sold very cheaply, like Panasonic 1.7/25 and Olympus 3.5/30 (now for free with E-PL9). But a whole series of such cheap lenses? And I'd assume you'd want them to be better than a decent kit zoom as well.

Apart from not being realistic, I really doubt there's a market for such a thing.

, would it be worth to consider new users those, instead their f/1.8 Premium line that are 1.3 stops faster?

I don't think they would have any appeal to new users. They would be just f/2.8 so would not give them any big advantage over a kit zoom. And the f/1.8 ones are already very small anyway and all solid performers.

BTW, I did buy the 2.8/17 for below 200 EUR when it was on clearance sale. I don't even think it was worth that much, to be honest. And I'm super into tiny lenses, also having the Panny 14, 20 and 14-42 PZ.

Considering that 17mm and 25mm f/1.8 models costs like 350€. Being pancake models without any fancy clutches etc, it would be nice cheap set to buy someone to start with. Ie E-PL9 + 17mm and 25mm for lower price.

Assuming that people would choose those cheap f/2.8 lenses over the Premium ones as you suggest, that makes your idea completely unacceptable from business perspective. It would basically boil down to:

"Let's put resources into developing a series of super cheap lenses with tiny profit margins that will greatly reduce sales of our Premium lenses which can actually make us some profit. We are loosing money anyway, why not loose some more."

Doesn't sound like an enticing business proposition.

Some form of a small UWA prime and a long telephoto macro would be nice and would be popular among MFT users. They would play to the system's strengths AND could be sold at a premium. When you offer something unique, you charge more for it, not less.

jaeae wrote:

This forum seems biased to two user categories - some want bigger and better with good price/performance ratio, some want small, pocketable kits.

I think having a set for compactness seekers would not eat sales of lenses for people looking for bigger, higher quality cameras.

Every time someone suggests more compact lenses and cameras, the ideas get shot down. "it cannot be done", "not profitable", "who needs them"

Very open and positive

Used Pana GM5 cameras sell well and are expensive. Even Olympus film compacts like XA and weather-sealed Mju II see ever rising prices, they are so popular. Could it be that there's a market for quality compacts and small ILC kits....?

Pen F (or some of the even smaller bodies) with a pancake zoom 14-42mm is as pocketable as it gets. Or if you want to go to extremes, there are two "body cap" lenses. So how can it be made even smaller?

It is not that some may not want them, or need them, tha fact is, we already have them. So it is probably better for Olympus and Panasonic to work on lenses we don't have (as opposed to make existing lenses even better).

Sigma does it - and actually very well!

19mm.

30mm.

60mm.

A 120mm f/4 macro would interest me, but not any of the others.

Tommi K1 wrote:

Now most of the Olympus primes are f/1.8 ones in their Premium line. But they had a 25mm f/2.8 in their 4/3 system and 17mm f/2.8 in m4/3. But both are gone.

Should Olympus revive that f/2.8 line with something new, special for cheaper prices?

9mm f/4

This would be a lens I would have a need for.

17mm f/2.8

I have this lens, it is a dog on most lumix bodies, but is sharp and great for street.

25mm f/2.8

you do not need this lens as there is the 30mm 3.5 macro, which I have to replace this one.  I also have other 25mm lenses. so no reason to make this one.

75mm f/2.8

if this was a macro sure. they have the 75-300 for the 75 lovers. if you dont want the 1.8

120mm f/4 (Macro?)

they are more likely making a 100mm and a 150mm, but maybe you get your wish.

The 9mm, 17mm and 25mm in pancake designs, and 75mm to be made as small as possible. The 120mm f/4 macro in quality of 60mm Macro.

The only ones I'd be remotely interested in are <10mm and >100mm. The 1.8 primes are pretty small already, and realistically, no body/lens combo aside from a body cap on a E-PM or GM can fit in a jacket pocket anyway.

A small weathersealed 17-25/2.8 prime might be interesting if I'm too lazy to carry the 12-40 in the wet, but even then I'd rather get a brighter lens.

Lastly, I'm not sure the aperture really dictates the size of these primes anyway - if you look at the P14, P20, and O17, there's a huge plastic baffle around the front element - the actual front element is much smaller than the 46mm filter size these lenses have. I think these lenses just happen to be that big around because 46mm happens to be close to the diameter of the mount.

25mm f/2.8

Opteka 28mm f/2.8 Lens + Kit for Panasonic

was found on a bay site and pancake.

Dunsun wrote:

Paulmorgan wrote:

photofan1986 wrote:

No. 2.8 is to slow for m43 (for a prime).

Jeez how can f2.8 be to slow for any format let alone m4/3.

For m43 it really is too slow. By the way that's why I do not get any of those 2.8 PRO zooms. For a pure daylight shooting and deep DOF they are OKish.

In that case, you have chosen the wrong system.

Ron Zamir wrote:

Sigma does it - and actually very well!

19mm.

30mm.

60mm.

This, plus my Pentax 40/2.8 Limited, smc.m 100/2.8 and Tak 135/2.5 will keep me out of any future f/2.8 prime market. Maybe with wx seals.. Nah probably not.

Tommi K1 wrote:

Now most of the Olympus primes are f/1.8 ones in their Premium line. But they had a 25mm f/2.8 in their 4/3 system and 17mm f/2.8 in m4/3. But both are gone.

Should Olympus revive that f/2.8 line with something new, special for cheaper prices?

9mm f/4

17mm f/2.8

25mm f/2.8

75mm f/2.8

120mm f/4 (Macro?)

The 9mm, 17mm and 25mm in pancake designs, and 75mm to be made as small as possible. The 120mm f/4 macro in quality of 60mm Macro.

If one could get a 17mm and 25mm f/2.8 for lets say 200€ each, would it be worth to consider new users those, instead their f/1.8 Premium line that are 1.3 stops faster?

Considering that 17mm and 25mm f/1.8 models costs like 350€. Being pancake models without any fancy clutches etc, it would be nice cheap set to buy someone to start with. Ie E-PL9 + 17mm and 25mm for lower price.

I wrote an ad for these new lenses:
"Do you like the f1.8 primes that already exist for m43, but sometimes just wish that you could switch to a different lens instead of stopping down to 2.8 in those clutch moments? Introducing the new 75mm f2.8 from Olympus! Similar to the fabulous 75mm f1.8, but inferior."