Olympus has unveiled an interesting new portrait lens: the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm Micro Four Thirds.

Micro Four Thirds format cameras have been steadily gaining traction for a while now and anyone who has had to lug around a heavy DSLR and a bunch of lenses for any length of time will have a good idea why. While camera manufacturers have done a lot to build up the format, any photographer worth his or her weight in salt would think twice about pulling out a Micro Four Thirds camera in a professional setting. With lenses like this, that may start to change.

Aside from the fast aperture, the lens offers a few other perks. It has a full metal housing, which should help it to cope with a bit of abuse. The center of the lens features a manual focus ring, helpful in lowlight situations or when you just feel the urge to focus by yourself. Other features include an extra-low reflection optical coating, which is designed to keep down ghosting and flare in bright light settings, circular bokeh, and a high-speed (silent) autofocus.

As you would no doubt expect, if you want a lens like this you are going to have to pay a lot. The projected price, for when it becomes available in July is in the vicinity of $1,255. Now all one of the big manufacturers needs to do is to release a monochrome camera and Leica might start to get worried. [Source]