From the press release: Is It a Body Cap or a Lens? It’s Both. Olympus also introduces an intriguing new lens for its Micro Four Thirds line. The BCL-15 f8.0 Body Cap Lens serves as a body cap when carrying the camera around without its interchangeable lens, and transforms to become a pan-focus snapshot lens to capture images. The lens is so thin – just 9mm thick – that it can easily be mistaken for a camera-mount body cap. With three glass lens elements in three groups, it can be used as a wide-angle lens equivalent with a single focal length of 30mm (35mm camera equivalent). In addition to daily use as a “pan-focus” lens featuring a wide angle, fixed f8 aperture and shallow depth of field, it is compatible with manual focusing using a lever and capable of close-up shooting as close as 30 cm. A lens-protection barrier is provided so the lens can be mounted permanently on the camera and even put in a pocket together with the camera.
Note of clarification: The BCL-15 is not included with any of the new Pen cameras. I didn't see the price in any of the press materials but was told that it will be "very affordable" and available in October. Update: UK pricing has been indicated as £70. ------ Product images: {} {}
That's wonderful. Fast lenses are great, but as long as this is sharp and clear this will be an amazing daytime, outdoors lens. I only hope it's successful enough that they do a few, maybe a 30mm and 50mm or thereabouts.
LOL. This is the only new release I want! I like my OMD and am set on lenses. I'd just like this to play with Maybe get an EPL5 later to go with it.
I look forward to seeing some images taken with this lens. This lens could be either great or the complete opposite.
I don't think it stops down anyway, right(?) so it's likely tuned at just before the diffraction point, I would think at least (and with no other aperture, I guess you can't test it, lol).
I was really hoping they were going to include this in kits. Even if it's not a great performer, it's a unique option to have. Leave it on the camera and you're always ready to shoot.
I've been thinking about this and it would be great to stick on my E-P1 to have a nice portable camera to keep with me in a coat pocket or belt pouch. I used to carry a small Panasonic P&S all the time - this would be a solid replacement.
Doesn't look like the lens has any filter threads, so probably means no way to attach a hood or a filter.
a lightly focusable 100mm equiv stuck at f8 wouldnt be as useful as a wider lens stuck at f8 that you can barely adjust focus on... am i right? wider = more in focus, tele = less in focus so a 50/f8 lens would have some random weird spot in focus... i think that would be awkward id go for a 12 and 18 version tho
isnt f8 the very teeeeeeency bit of diffraction, and its just beyond that that youd actually notice it?
This would be a nice complement to my "fun" lenses- the Wanderlust Pin Wide, Holga, and the 25mm + 35mm CCTV lenses. It would be the TSHG lens of that bunch though (toy super high grade )
