Panasonic Unveils New 8mm Fisheye Lens Today

Panasonic 8mm Fisheye

The lens is finally officially announced. Should be out in July at £729.99.

Too sad that I simply can't afford this lens :/ I'm really lusting for a good fisheye, I think I'll just have to make do with a Samyang.

More at

Panasonic unveils 8mm fisheye for Micro Four Thirds: Digital Photography Review

 

Where's *MY* 14 ???

 

The Panny 14mm f/2.8 was redesigned to be a 14mm f/2.5 and is due for release later this year. The release keeps getting put back. It was June-July before the change in specification, then the northern hemisphere autumn, and now summer.

 

Crazy money for what it is, I am gong to pass on this.

 

i am disgusted by the greed of both panasonic and olympus when it comes to the price of lenses for the micro 4\3 system

the early press releases from the micro 43 makers promised smaller lighter and less expensive lenses for both telephoto and wide angle optics
to date any lenses offered have been offensively overpriced ,this slow fisheye at
1070.00 dollars [converted from GBP] is the latest insult
the 6 ounces of plastic and glass of the panny fisheye can be contrasted with the nikon
10.5 mm f2.8 about 10 ounces of metal and glass that sell for 659.00 dollars at B&H in new york


the normalish decently fast 20 1.7 is the m4\3 equiv to a fast normal for apsc or 35mm the panny is 400 dollars... but glass with optic to do the same thing for nikon or canon full frame is about 130 dollars, bear in mind that a full frame must be built with optics
to cover about 4 times the area of m4\3 sensor

the 9-18 micro 4\3 is 35% more expensive than the regular 4\3 offering a larger
more robust and larger optical surfaced lens

from wikipedia:....

"The system, unlike Four Thirds, does not postulate telecentricity as a key design rule This, combined with the much shorter flange-sensor distance enabled by the removal of the mirror, allows normal and wideangle lenses to be made significantly smaller and cheaper because they do not have to use strongly retrofocal designs......Shorter flange-focal distance means that practically all manual lenses can be adapted for use...........Smaller sensor size allows for cheaper, smaller and lighter telephoto lenses
Shorter flange-focal distance allows for cheaper, smaller and lighter normal and wide lenses"


enough is enough

 

For whatever reason, the micro four thirds lens market seems to be settling into lenses from Panasonic that tend to be wider aperture, faster focusing, slightly to somewhat better optically and more expensive while Olympus has chosen to offer similar focal lengths that are lighter, smaller and cheaper.

We can fuss about the prices, but Oly and Panasonic have the market to themselves at this point and that tends to breed higher prices. A few of us "enthusiasts" may hunt down older lenses and four thirds lenses that can be used with adapters in a somewhat limited capacity, but the wider market will not do so.

This lens offers great potential for underwater and some other uses and I suspect Panasonic knows that. The prices of these lenses have little to do with the cost of raw materials, it is supply and demand. You want a micro four thirds mount fisheye? Buy this or go without (at the moment).

 

i hope no one buys this lens for the first months it is offered so we may see its real price

 

Apart from the kit lenses the other Panasonic Lenses are crazily overpriced. Makes me think I will stop buying native lenses and stick with what I've got plus legacy lenses.

Might pick up an SLR at some point (which will cost me about the same as one of these lenses) with better options at the longer and wider ends.

 

I agree that the len's prices are too high and is better suited with legacy lenses like I do.

1,000 dollars for a fisheye is really too much.

Buy the Samyang.

 

It is expensive for what it is and compared to other lenses in the lineup but it's not $1000.

Amazon is taking pre-orders at $799 -- which based on some quick calcs minus VAT off the EU price plus an average sales tax in the US is about exact same thing as the € price at current exchange rates.

 

well mat that would be alot better, but i still think these lenses are overpriced for what they offer


thats 150 dollars more than the nikon or canon , with optics designed for a larger image circle and better speed [nikons is 180degrees fov and f2.8!]

730 gbp =n 1070 us dollars........... that alot of tax! also when i speak of prices in the usa its before tax......... i guess in the uk its after vat [ wince!]

 

I also didn't expect this kind of price for a lens that does not see much general use

Now I'm also thinking of just getting the Samyang... or wait and have fun with legacy glass

 

I kind of knew that it would be very expensive. It always seems that the lens companies are ripping off the small market for fisheyes. I have always made do with the cheaper russian/asian/not-famous manual lenses. Since huge DOF of fisheyes doesn't really need AF.

Now the only thing I would buy the Panasonic is the small size of the lens. All other fisheyes are huge on micro 4/3s.

But all this doesn't stop me from craving this lens

 

729 pound to Au dollars = $1286

ouch.

 

thats what i said!!!

 

Personally, I am not interested in an 8mm and certainly not at that price!

I like many others am waiting for the ever more elusive 14mm f2.5/2.8? and would also love a nice fast 45mm prime (not the expensive 45 Macro).

I am concerned that Panasonic appear to be capitalising on the success of the micro 4/3rd system and instead of continuing to make quality affordable lenses they are now stepping into the realms of the big boys with very high prices, people purchased the system as a small affordable quality system and bringing out these super expensive lenses could be their downfall as people will not pay the premium price - if they could afford that much they would buy DSLR's / Leica's with high quality glass.

Come on Olympus/Panasonic - don't cut off your nose to spite your face it could lead to your downfall in the growing challenge from new comers - fast primes at affordable prices with a balance of good zooms that are affordable is what we want (well I do and I suspect many others).

 

You got the point. If they want too much then maybe they will finish with nothing.