Panasonic and Olympus — now OM System — jointly announced the Micro Four Thirds System standard in 2008. Since then, it has grown to more than 60 members, and it’s still growing. Lensmaker Guangdong Sirui Optical Co., Ltd. is the newest member of the standards group.
Commonly known as “Sirui,” the optics company promises to bring new Micro Four Thirds-compliant products to market, including “optical lenses, lighting equipment, and other products that support shooting for filmmakers.”
Sirui is no stranger to lenses, nor is it new to Micro Four Thirds lenses. Sirui has five distinct lens series: Night Walker, Saturn, Sniper, Venus, and Jupiter, and makes optics for a diverse range of camera systems, including Micro Four Thirds, Super35, APS-C, and full-frame mirrorless cameras.
So far, Sirui has two series that have Micro Four Thirds mounts. The Night Walker T1.2 cinema lenses, which come in 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 55mm, and 75mm focal lengths, are available for Micro Four Thirds. There are also the 1.33x anamorphic lenses explicitly designed for Micro Four Thirds, which come in 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm offerings. Of course, given the two times crop factor of Micro Four Thirds, these effectively range from 48mm to 150mm.
If Sirui is already making Micro Four Thirds lenses, it stands to ask: Why join the Micro Four Thirds System officially at all? While it is an open standard, there are benefits to being an official member, including access to critical research and development resources, which could be vital to Sirui as it expands its autofocus lens offerings. It currently has some autofocus lenses, although none for Micro Four Thirds cameras.
Sirui is not the only new Micro Four Thirds member this year, either. Logitech joined the Micro Four Thirds System in March when it announced its new Mevo Core Micro Four Thirds streaming camera.
It remains to be seen precisely what will come from Sirui joining the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group. Still, it’s a safe bet that Micro Four Thirds shooters will benefit from the company’s inclusion, especially regarding video-oriented lenses and other products.
Image credits: Sirui and Micro Four Thirds