Future of f1.2 primes?

[Danny_SWE]

What about the f/1.8 primes then? When they came they was very well received. Now they seems forgotten.

 

[PakkyT]

What about the f/1.8 primes then? When they came they was very well received. Now they seems forgotten.

They still are well received and certainly not forgotten. They simply are very nice little primes that are well priced for the features you get, so not as much agonizing or worrying about cost to features/quality ratios when you consider going to the rather large and expensive f/1.2s. The f1.8 primes are a pretty easy buy to talk yourself into if you want to try them since you can normally buy all three of the f/1.8 primes for the price of any single one of the f1.2 primes.

I suspect many people considering the f/1.2s already have the f/1.8s are are thinking, ok I like the focal length, so what do these ones offer me for lot more dollars I will need to spend to get one.

 

[Danny_SWE]

They still are well received and certainly not forgotten. They simply are very nice little primes that are well priced for the features you get, so not as much agonizing or worrying about cost to features/quality ratios when you consider going to the rather large and expensive f/1.2s. The f1.8 primes are a pretty easy buy to talk yourself into if you want to try them since you can normally buy all three of the f/1.8 primes for the price of any single one of the f1.2 primes.

I suspect many people considering the f/1.2s already have the f/1.8s are are thinking, ok I like the focal length, so what do these ones offer me for lot more dollars I will need to spend to get one.

Well written Pakky. I am not really a primes shooter. For me they are fantastic but I can understand the need for brighter models if you find you like a particular focal length. Guess the step from f/1.8 to f/1.4 are considerable when compared to f/1.4 to f/1.2.

 

[Aristophanes]

Overall for the sake of camera industry, let's all hope Olympics are going to happen next summer 2021.

I don't know why people think that events like the Olympics benefit all players like this.

I worked Olympic venues. Only sponsor brands can be used for official functions. All photographers must wear a sponsor singlet and sponsor ID, and may even have to cover their non-sponsor logos if in a viewing angle.

It's all Canon as they are the imaging sponsor brand. I saw a handful of Nikons, their users wearing Canon identifiers. No other brand. No other brand can piggyback or even associate with the Olympics. It does nothing for other brands as the Canon noise drowns out all else. Canon is likely to provide a small warehouse of rental or free equipment and a repair service at large venues even, and probably at the media centre.

The Olympics provide no advertising space for non-sponsor brands. They provide no ability for non-sponsor brands to be used. And frankly, it will be 90% Canon equipment in any case, as it has been for decades. The rest will be Nikon from the few remaining pros in accredited media. A brand like Olympus which has no professional profile will be non-existent.

 

[barry]

Although the 16 is a huge lens for the focal length (essentially a Sony APS-C lens repackaged for MFT mount), IQ is excellent. I also discovered rather serendipitously that it produces sunstars, which I understand the 17 does not.

Hi, it does for me...

posting this just for the starburst example...
View attachment 695283

 

[bargainguy]

Thank you @barry13, I stand corrected!

 

[YeahNah]

I thought quite a bit about this when the EM1.2 was packaged with a free pro 1.2 lens of choice. For me, the 25 was the middle ground I wanted. A “normal” field of view with environmental portrait capabilities, bokeh easier to achieve than the 17 though less so than the 45. And the 3rd party sigma 1.4s look great.

 

[JonSnih]

Rather than going for the 45 and 17, though, I went for Sigma lenses: 16/1.4 and 56/1.4. They cost about half the Pro equivalents.

The 56 is also a joy.

I agree. The S 56mm F1.4 is an example of excellent optical formula in a small package. I would also mention the P 25mm F1.4. I can only hope we will see more of such primes in the future. The m4/3 would deserve a 14mm and a 20/21mm F1.4 primes, I guess. And some ppl dream about a 10mm as well.

 

[RichardC]

14mm f1.2 would be a welcome addition.

 

[barry]

Here's another starburst example:

I've noticed some nice starbursts with the Oly 17 Pro, even though I haven't been trying... this one was is at f/6.3 and is a 100% crop of a larger composition; please ignore the noise and other problems:
View attachment 720443

 

[Interceptor121]

I have the 17mm 1.2 I got it as gift when my wife wanted a camera recently. I previously had the Sigma 16mm that was equally bulky not just in weight but in length
If the Panasonic 15mm was weather sealed I would immediately sell the olympus lens and replace it

 

[Clint]

I don't know why people think that events like the Olympics benefit all players like this.

I worked Olympic venues. Only sponsor brands can be used for official functions.

https://petapixel.com/2018/02/12/canons-nikons-crazy-dslr-stockpiles-2018-olympics/
and https://fstoppers.com/originals/if-...how-will-photographic-industry-respond-467781

Someone is providing less than accurate information!

And for all the f/1.2 gloom sayers - recheck your local stores. It seems as it doesn't matter whether it is England, Germany, Japan, UAE, US, etc. that the 3 Olympus f/1.2s are in stock, shipping and have a reduced price thru the 31st.

 

[Paul C]

and now - just as we thought the excitement about F1.2 lenses had died down - yet another 50mm F1.2 native M4/3 lens is launched to brighten up Christmas

• the ttArtisans 50mm F1.2. in native M4/3 mount
• made at the DJ Optical factory to ttArtisan's design spec'
• and at a remarkable <$100 USD / <£75 GBP

It is a sonnar design - so that means small size, cheap to make, with high contrast. Compared to Planar designs the Sonnars had more aberrations, but with fewer glass-to-air surfaces it should have better contrast and less flare.

An Joy - and it has "clickstops" set in 1/2 stop increments !!!

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Now that is the sort of lens that might just make me put down my 42mm F1.8 prime to fit an an even wider aperture portrait lens !

It wouldn't have to be the best lens - soft edges and lower contrast goes with the subjec matter this lens would be used for. How it performs at smaller than F2.8 doesn't really bother me - this only has to be a wide aperture one-trick pony.

For amateurs, fast portrait primes are a godsend to blur backgrounds - we don't have painted backdrops or long studios to work in. I couldn't justify an F1.4 when I already have an AF F1.8 42mm and a slew of adapted 50mm legacy lenses from F1.7 to F2.0. But F1.2....now that is something else.

How well it focuses on M4/3 bodies will be crucial - as for a 3/4 length portrait at F1.2 we are talking a 5-6cm DoF at about 1.5m distance to work with. My guess is that with that aperture the focus should "pop" when used wide open.

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Please MU43 readers - if Sanata brought you one of these - please post us a review !

++++++

Now can another best value lens maker take the same design spec' approach with a fast aperture rectilinear 10-12mm at F1.8 - 2.0 for M4/3? (ttArtisans are you listening?) CA, moderate barrel distortion and vignetting are no longer much of a dealbreaker now we can correct them in post-processing. The Laowa 10mm f/2.0 is wonderful - but the price is just too much. A less "optically perfect" but affordable verson would be a smart move.

Happy Christmas to you all - Paul C

 

[comment23]

...How well it focuses on M4/3 bodies will be crucial...

Not sure if you realised but it’s a manual focus lens.

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[Mack]

When does the aperture really matter?
F1.4, 1.2 and then more - what about those F0.95s, and then surely someone will make one even wider........?

Can I suggest readers have a try on the excellent website - "DoF Simulator" at https://dofsimulator.net/en/

View attachment 858687

This helps you visualise every lens and aperture combination for different subjects on different camera formats. It can cure or confirm your lust for fast glass!

It killed my want for fast wideangles and standards - but made me do the right thing in spending on a fast 42mm - what a wonderful lens !

Best wishes to you all - Paul C

I also have their downloadable one.

I found you can also type in values that the sliders may not allow for, e.g. a 420mm FL for the 300mm+TC1.4x. At the bottom DOF window, it will show you your amount ahead of subject in focus and another for behind as you play with the f/stops slider and distance. Seeing only 0.1 inches makes you aware how critical it is and if moving up to maybe f/11 would be any better.

I've used it for setting up bird shots with flash units to determine how much output power I may need to cover the DOF.

 

[Paul C]

Not sure if you realised but it’s a manual focus lens.

absolutely - my 42mm F1.8 on AF with face recognition does a wonderful job of autofocus on a Lumix body - but a lens like this relies on me getting it right - and now you see the weakest link:

• F1.2 aperture x
• My human error
• + only 5-6cm DoF
• x manual focus control
• / moving human subject
• = heaven, or hell !

 

[Ghostbuggy]

I just wanted to update this thread, it seems like my worries were unfounded. Quite some sources got new stock of the 17mm 1.2 and the 1.2 primes in general are sold out and available again every now and then. For example Amazon has the 17mm back in stock and in good quantities that is, the 45mm on the other side is currently not available, however another shop just got new stock which was previously sold out.