“Thanks for the message. The company is very real. There are a couple photographers with lenses now, so there will be a lot more images and footage along with the product launch next month. The info from google’s cache is incorrect. It was placeholder text while the site was developed. The main corrections are 480g weight and 23° Angle of View.
Goals? Develop and sell the fastest lens possible :) ”
UPDATE5: Just received an email form the company: “Thanks for the message. The company is very real. There are a couple photographers with lenses now, so there will be a lot more images and footage along with the product launch next month. The info from google’s cache is incorrect. It was placeholder text while the site was developed. The main corrections are 480g weight and 23° Angle of View.
Goals? Develop and sell the fastest lens possible :) ”
Noktor will launch the fastest Lens for Micro 4/3rds on March 1st! They also have some image samples here: http://twitter.com/noktor. It is a dedicated MicroFourThirds lens! No Adapter needed!
UPDATE4: The main reason why I gave the FT5 value (which means there is a 90% the rumor is true) is that the website uses the official MicroFourThirds logo. The logo is trademarked and nobody can use it without the permission from Olympus/Panasonic! UPDATE3: Message to the Noktor company: Can you contact me at 43rumors@gmail.com? Have some questions for you! Thanks UPDATE2: New sample image here: http://noktor.com/stills/noktor_2.jpg UPDATE: A new tweet form the company says: “Yes, it will be priced MUCH lower than the Noctilux :)”
Google cache saved this data about the lens:
With a maximum aperture of F/0.95, the Noktor Hyperprime is the fastest lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras. At open aperture, the lens renders pictures and video with extreme shallow depth of field for a unique aesthetic. Extreme Low-light Shooting
In low-light photography and cinematography, the lens exceeds the perception of the human eye. From nightscapes to campfires, now you can shoot in situations that are often impossible to capture with a normal lens.
Technical Specifications
Focal Length 50mm
Maximum Aperture F0.95
Minimum Aperture F16
Autofocus No
Internal Focusing No
Rear Focusing Yes
Minimum Focus Distance 1.9 ft. (0.6m) Corrected -> Angle of View 23°
Lens (Elements) 8
Lens (Groups) 7
Dimensions 2.9×2.1 in. Corrected -> Weight (480g)
Mount Type Micro Four Thirds
Accepts Filter Type Screw-on
Filter Size 62mm
UPDATE: I didn’t find any information about the company and their products in Ebay or google.
“For a couple of months now, I am closely following an Olympus- Authorized marketplace on Ebay.de, which recently increased significantly the offers of B-ware E3+12-60 & E3+14-54 kits.
Items are auctioned.
The E3+12-60 sells for about 1100 to 1200 EUR. The E3+14-54 – for less than 1000.
Last night I purchased one. Waiting for delivery.
The sales agent in Germany is LIMAL and here is what it says on their website:
“Olympus chose LIMAL to operate the German eBay-Shop OlympusMarket and handle all logistics and sales transaction”
The items are claimed to be “Manufacturer Checked and Approved” and looking at the feedback on the seller it seems to be confirmed.
For me, it is a clear sign that Olympus is cleaning out the stocks. Hopefully, making space for the successor of the E-3 monster.
I was also told that the Panasonic 20mm lens will be in Stock in most US shops by the end of February!
P.S.: For europeans. There are no big deals on the Panasonic GF1. If you find one please send me an email. Anyway I noticed that Pixmania has the lowest price in most european countries.
UPDATE: I recieved following two mails:
1) “Hey I thought you might like this. I just preordered the 20mm lens through Panasonic direct which list the lens on back order. On the confirmation email they sent back they listed the estimated ship date of 3/10”
2) “I ordered a GF1 kit w/ 20mm lens two days ago (Feb 10th). Delivery estimate was March 3 – 10. So 3-4 weeks. Just got this email:
“Hello from Amazon.com.
We are writing about the order you placed on February 10 2010 (Order# xxxx). The item(s) listed below will actually ship sooner than we originally expected:
“Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 12.1MP Micro Four-Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Lens”
Previous estimated arrival date: March 03 2010 – March 04 2010
New estimated arrival date: February 18 2010″
So it looks like they are shipping out much faster than the “usually ships in 2-4 weeks” estimate they have on the page.”
Today we will switch on a new server. Could be that the website will be offline for few minutes!
With the new server we will never again have database crashes. And next week we will start to add the new 43rumors content (photocontest-forum and other stuff).
——————————————————- Digital Camera HQ Grades the Trends of 2010
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My E-P2 photo with paint peel off (dpreview forum)
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e-p1 iso 1600 raw vs gf-1 iso1600 raw with correct EV adjustment comparison! (dpreview forum)
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Attention – Slippery Inspiration (Pen advertising on flickr)
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The Lumix ZR1 Vancouver edition (Fotoactualidad)
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will be in Stock in most US shops by the end of February!