Cosina is joining the Micro Four Thirds standard, announcing its first lens for the rapidly evolving system – a fast-aperture Nokton-branded 25mm f/0.95 standard prime, equivalent to 50mm in 35mm format.

Expected to go on sale in October, priced around £695 +VAT, the lens will be followed by further optics from the Cosina and Voigtländer families.

Constructed from eight groups and 13 elements, the lens has a smallest aperture of f/16, has 10 aperture blades, and has a picture angle of 47.3°. It has a macro ratio of 1:3.9, and a nearest distance focus of 17cm. The lens weighs 410g, has a diameter of 58.4mm and a length of 70mm, accepting a filter size of 52mm. A lens hood will also be available.

Robert White, the distributor for Cosina in the UK, says it has placed an order for the lens, and a spokeswoman told BJP that further new lenses are due.

In a statement from Olympus (who along with Panasonic are the joint founders of the standard), the company said:

“With Cosina Ltd coming on board, consumers will now be able to take advantage of the company's unique traditions and advanced optical technology as it will now be possible to use Voigtländer and other renowned lenses with any camera compliant with Micro Four Thirds System standard.”

Wired commented on the news: "This is pretty big news. While the lens line-up for the large-sensor mirrorless cameras is growing, with even a Leica-branded lens on sale, it is doing so rather slowly. Adding Cosina to the team means that we should soon see a whole lot of interesting glass which will work fully with the cameras, and without adapters...

"It’s possible that we could see a Voigtländer camera-body in the near future, too. Given that Voigtländer is a name closely associated with rangefinder cameras, which are the spiritual ancestor of the Micro Four Thirds cameras, this is pretty exciting stuff. An MFT camera with chunky metal body and all-manual knobs and dials? Yes please!"