Apologies if this was already posted: The Olympus Lens Cap Auto Open LC-37C threads on and works as desired on the Panasonic GM1 kit 12-32 mm. The cap is not electrically controlled - there's just a simple mechanism that opens the cap when the lens is extended. I could not discern any vignetting, even though the cap is designed for a 14-42 mm lens. For my wife, it actually makes the camera quite a bit more fun to carry and use. The old drill: 1. extend lens 2. remove thin lens cap (a bit fussy) and stash it 3. turn on camera 4. fire, hoping your subject is still there. 5. undo 3-2-1 Unexpectedly, omitting step 2 made all the difference. Hope this helps someone. {}
Thanks for the tip! I think my wife would appreciate this... doesn't look like it adds much bulk. Looks like Amazon has both black and silver in stock.
I actually use this for my Olympus 17mm f2.8, and I love it. Is it strictly necessary at $40? Definitely not. Is it handy? Oh man. Not having to fiddle with a tiny 37mm lens cap is great, plus I think the black one adds a lot to the looks of my black GX1 and black 17mm. Being able to instantly have the lens covered/not covered when I switch it on and off is awesome.
How does it work? Does it thread onto the filter threads? I guess what I'm asking is, will it work on all 37mm threaded lenses and when its on, can a filter still be threaded?
It does remove the ability to use filters when it's threaded on. This only works with lenses which extend slightly from the lens barrel when the camera is powered up (and I'm not sure, with some such lenses it might not "sit" in the right place when it's powered off). Basically the lens has blades, which are linked to a couple of little prongs that stick out towards the lens body. When the camera is off, the prongs are depressed, which keeps the blades closed. When the lens extends, the prongs pop out and the blades open up. It's a smart piece of engineering!
