This Saturday

Housekeeping note: TOP won't be updating today, while the proprietor pretends to take a day off (although new comments will be posted).

Tomorrow, we will publish "Kirk's Take" by Kirk Tuck—this month, a review of the Leica/Panasonic 25mm ƒ/1.4 Summilux lens for Micro 4/3 which has apparently just been discontinued. (That's unconfirmed. It's out of stock at B&H; Amazon no longer lists it as current; and it's backordered on the Panasonic website. All of which usually means tha-tha-tha-tha-that's all, folks!)

[UPDATE: It's probably more likely that this is just one of Panasonic's periodic supply irruptions. Adorama has the lens in stock (link removed—see below), for a good price. —MJ]

[UPDATE #2: Reader Joe Kashi writes to say: "It is not in stock at Adorama. Their web site representation to the contrary is not correct. They took my order and then converted it into a backorder." Caveat emptor, and sorry for temporarily steering you awry. —MJ]

If you'd like something to mull over today, try John Bates' "No Emus on the Airplane!" from June 2006. Fair warning, though—it's a piece to read slowly and carefully and think about, not one to skim.

Enjoy our day off....

Mike, TOP's One-Man Sidewalk Band

Send this post to a friend

Please help support TOP by patronizing our sponsors B&H Photo and Amazon

Note: Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. More...
Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Comments

[bruce]

great timing, to review something that immediately gets discontinued. cause and effect, or effect and cause?

Now, what we really need, is to get Nikon and Canon to manufacture things based on somebody publishing a (p)review of them... i really need to know the buffer capacity on the D400 NOW!!

[CMS]

You wrote: "That's a stuffed emu on an airplane, above right. Picture by Catherine Warren. Stuffed emus demonstrably cannot, and can, fly."

Objection. There is no evidence in the Warren picture showing that the plane was actually flying at the time of capture. (satire alert)

[Benjamin R. George]

It might just be that Panasonic is bad with supply-related issues (they've acquired a certain amount of infamy in this area, especially with respect to the US market). Note, in particular, that Amazon .co.uk, .fr, .co.jp, and .de all appear to be ready to ship that 25mm.

...although some of those indicate that they've only got a few in stock, so maybe it is all over.

[John Krumm]

Panasonic is notorious for letting their stocks run out. They did that with the regular 4/3 25 1.4 too. Then it comes back a couple months later. This is a fairly new, popular lens, and they likely need to churn out a new batch.

[Mark Harrington]

Probably more likely that it's just the usual Panasonic supply shortfalls. It's cuurently showing as in stock on a few UK sites.

[gbc]

It is probably the older 4/3rds one that is discontinued.I doubt the new micro version is.

The old version is a great lens.

[David H.]

No. That cannot be true. The Leica/Panasonic 25mm 1.4 cannot be discontinued as it is the lens I need to complete my m43 set. In fact, it is the one that I will probably use most and I plan on buying it in May. So it cannot possibly be discontinued.

[kirk tuck]

I checked with my local merchant and they are still an order-able item from Panasonic. The do tend to do things in batches. The GH2 has similarly gone in and out and back into stock at Amazon. It's too good a lens to discontinue...

[Paul Amyes]

You've never met an Emu. Emus are big enough and menacing to do whatever they want.

Also technically penguins can fly, just not in air.

[Joe Kashi]

It is NOT in stock as Adorama. Their web site representation to the contrary is not correct. They took my order and then converted it into a backorder.

[Paris]

The 25/1.4 is an item that, if discontinued, will be more expensive used than it was new.

Only Panasonic could screw up the marketing/advertising/supply of a product like this.

Kirk was wondering why nobody loved the G3. I think it was because Panasonic did almost zero advertising for it..

They basically threw away all of the development costs for the GH-2 by not producing any for almost a year. (I had one back-ordered for months and then gave up, and bought something else.)

There are more examples, but that's enough.

Great products, hopeless company.

[John Robison]

From all the comments here about Panasonic supply problems it seems a golden opportunity for Cosina to introduce some little optical gems in precise manual focus mounts. A few of the prime angle of view selections, all f2, would be a dream come true.