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All posts tagged "m43"


Friday, May 25, 2012

Olympus Announces M.Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 Lens

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/0...zuiko-75mm-F1-8

Micro Four Thirds shooters, there is yet more good news for you! After Panasonic's 12-35/2.8 lens, Olympus has announced a 75mm f/1.8 lens, which translates to a 150mm lens on a 35mm camera. I actually managed to spend some time with a pre-production version of the lens, and I was very impressed with it. Due to the pre-production status of the lens, along with the pre-production OM-D E-M5 it was on, I did not get any images from it, but reviewing the results on the rear OLED screen showed promise. Get ready your wallets, for this lens ships in Summer 2012 for US$900. DPReview has a hands-on at the read link.


Monday, April 30, 2012

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Reviewed by Digital Photography Review

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusem5/

DPReview.com has a review of the latest Micro Four Thirds camera, the E-M5. I'll spoil it a little: It's the best rated one yet. I have spent some time with the E-M5 and I have been quite impressed with many aspects of it, though the up-close and personal experience with what Olympus fans call the "Olympus Colour" did not leave me quite as impressed. It consists mainly of a very aggressive tone curve that pulls the upper-midtones and overall increases contrast to deliver a very punchy yet natural look. I think I prefer to process my raw files and their colours myself, thank you. The rest of the camera, including its low-light high-ISO noise, its AF speed, the user interface, were really good. My only quibble was with the rear command wheel, which being placed closer to the viewfinder meant I had to stretch my right thumb more than normal compared to the Lumix Micro Four Thirds cameras or Nikon DSLRs. Overall, a great performance. Now Panasonic, where is that GH3?


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Olympus Announces OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds Camera

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 10:46 AM

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/0..._E-M5_announced

The big news of the past 24 hours is Olympus's E-M5 camera, which is part of the OM-D line. For the uninitiated, Olympus used to make small and very well-made film SLRs back in the day, under the OM moniker. I myself started photography using dad's OM-1 almost two decades ago. Ah, the memories!

Well, while Olympus is trying to stir feelings of nostalgia, I can say that the OM-1 and this E-M5 are quite different beasts once you get past the superficial. The E-M5 is a digital camera through and through, with the controls pretty much geared towards an electronically-controlled lens mount, unlike say, the Fuji X100. Still, it does look good, and the accessory battery grip is really retro; I have not seen something like that since the old motor winders back in the days of manual focus SLRs.

The camera itself is made from the best Micro Four Thirds has to offer. Highlights include a sensor that is the 16 megapixel Live MOS affair that goes from ISO 200 to 25,600 (presumably from Panasonic; about time Olympus ditched that old 12 megapixel sensor), a contrast-detect system that Olympus promises to be world's fastest (challenging cameras like the mighty Nikon D3S and Canon EOS 1DIV), an improved sensor-shift stabilisation system that promises to keep track and correct movement in five different axis, 1080i video at up to 60 FPS, continuous shooting at 9 FPS with single AF, 4.2 with continuous AF, 3" tilting VGA (presumably using a Pentile arrangement) OLED screen, a great SVGA EVF and a weather-proofed body that offers complete weather-proof capabilities when used with the right lenses. Despite that faux pentaprism hump (it is its successor, the EVF hump), there is no built-in flash, just like the old OM cameras.

Other niceties include things like a Live Bulb mode, so you can keep track of the exposure when it is progress. Ever shot in bulb and have no idea how long to open the shutter for, especially in conditions where the light level is rapidly changing? This is the crutch. There is also a tone curve overlay for finer control over how the camera handles shadows and highlights, though I suspect that is more for JPEG shooters.

All that nice stuff does not come cheap. The camera will ship in April for US$1000 for just the body, $1100 with a 14-42mm kit lens, and $1300 with the new 12-50 powerzoom lens (which is weather-proof). Along with the camera, Olympus also announced a 75mm f/1.8 lens, a 60mm f/2.8 macro, and a new flash with an LED for video work, the FL-600R. The FL-600R will ship in April for US$300, while pricing information for the lenses are not available.

More details and photos at the link, along with a preview! Be sure to see the grip, it just so old school!


Monday, July 18, 2011

Lifehacker's Guide to Choosing Cameras

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 10:00 AM

http://lifehacker.com/5822098/how-t...-for-your-needs

"Choosing a digital camera used to be a simple process that was heavily dictated by the amount of money in your pocket. Now the same money can buy you different benefits and compromises, making the decision much more complex. Here's a look at your camera-buying options, the pros and cons of each, and some specific suggestions to help you pick the perfect camera for your needs."

Lifehacker has a long article on how to choose a camera (and it even includes a guide on cameras in phones), but I recommended not going through the recommended picks just because they are there. Seriously, a Sony NEX-3?


Thursday, June 30, 2011

Olympus Announces PEN E-P3 Camera

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:17 AM

http://www.dcresource.com/news/news...tem.php?id=4333

It is a big day for Olympus here, as they launch a total of THREE new Micro Four Thirds cameras. The first is the leading PEN camera, the E-P3. This is a bigger overhaul than the "upgrade" that the E-P2 was. There is a new 12 megapixel sensor (with the by-now usual Olympus sensor-shift stabilsation), an upgraded AF engine with 35 points that is touted to be even faster than the phase detect systems used in SLRs, a very nice 3 inch OLED touchscreen with 614k dots (I still am not certain of the resolution yet), 1080i60 movie mode with manual controls, a popup flash handy for daytime fill flash, and a removeable grip when you want the camera to look sleeker. DCResource.com has a review up, so go check it out. I think it is looking very promising, and might even be an upgrade for GF1 users or photographers looking for something like the GF1. Ships in August at US$899 for the camera and a kit lens, with a choice of either the 17/2.8 pancake or the 14-42/3.5-5.6 zoom.

More Coverage:

DPReview.com


Olympus Announces PEN E-PL3 and E-PM1 Cameras

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:16 AM

http://www.dcresource.com/news/news...tem.php?id=4332

Next up are the smaller versions of the E-P3. In a way they are Olympus's answer to Sony's tiny NEX cameras; this time the E-PL3 has been given a diet, and is made smaller and lighter. As a result, it loses the nice handgrip found on the E-PL2, along with the built-in flash. That is now an external accessory, like the NEX cameras, but at least it uses a standard hotshoe. That said, it gains a flip LCD, which is a nice bonus. The LCD itself is a standard 3" HVGA affair, so it is not quite as nice as the one on the the E-P3. The rest of the camera reads pretty much like the E-P3 specifications-wise, with the same revamped 12 megapixel sensor, the same fast 35 points AF engine, and the added bonus of having a faster continuous shooting speed of 5.5 FPS compared to the E-P3's 3 FPS. I think Olympus has come up with a nice compromise in both the E-P3 and E-PL3 that satisfies the enthusiasts while attempting to capture the market Sony is going for with the NEX. Price and availability is unknown.

The E-PM1, dubbed the "Mini", is essentially the E-PL3 with fewer buttons and a fixed LCD to get the size down even more. Without having seen either camera in the flesh, I wonder if the sacrifices are worth the space savings, not to mention the need to market and sell another product in the lineup. Again, price and availability are unknown. Photo of the E-PM1 after the break, and check out the link for full specs and more photos!

More coverage:

DPReview.com

Read more...


Monday, June 13, 2011

Panasonic Discusses Future of Lumix GF and GH Micro Four Thirds Cameras.

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 07:13 PM

http://www.techradar.com/news/photo...-to-come-964524

"Panasonic intends to release a Lumix GF camera aimed at advanced photographers, the company has confirmed to our colleagues at PhotoRadar. Speaking exclusively to PhotoRadar, Panasonic's Director of DSC Business unit Ichiro Kitao said that although he was unable to confirm a date for such a camera, Panasonic plans to split the GF series into two lines and release a GF camera aimed at experienced photographers."

After the rather disappointing (to me anyway) GF3, there is some good news that Panasonic does intend to follow up on the GF1 rather than just having the simpler cameras to carry the GF line. Also interesting news is that the GH3 is going to be important for the company. Being a GH1 user myself, I am interested to see what Panasonic can do to the GH line to make it more appealing to the enthusiast crowd.


Panasonic Announces Lumix DMC-GF3

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 12:30 PM

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF3, which continues Panasonic's strategy of making the Micro Four Thirds cameras more accessible for compact camera users, with even more features being cut from the the already shrunken- down GF2. Gone is the hotshoe along with the rear thumb-operated command dial, accessory jack and stereo microphone. There is now a combination directional pad and dial, but those are generally inferior to a dedicated command dial. All-in-all, Panasonic is gunning for the crowd targeted by Sony's NEX line (the GF3 is smaller than the NEX-5), but it means for now, there is no real successor to the GF1; a compact interchangeable lens camera for photography enthusiasts. Personally I am not impressed; the GF-series is no longer something I would buy to use.

The rest of the camera remains the same as the GF2; same 12 megapixel sensor with the ability to churn out 1080p videos in AVCHD at 30 or 25 FPS (depending on your region) and a 3" touchscreen LCD. What is new is yet another battery (I can hear the groans at having to buy yet another expensive Panasonic battery), along with more built-in effects. The camera is available with the cheaper 14-42/3.5-5.6 OIS lens for US$599 in late August, and the 14/2.5 pancake lens for US$699 in July. Press release after the break.

More Coverage:

DPReview.com Preview

DCResource.com Preview

Read more...


Panasonic Announces Leica Summilux DG 25mm f/1.4 for Micro Four Thirds

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 12:30 PM

Along with the GF3, Panasonic also announced the Leica co-branded Summilux 25mm f/1.4. For fans of overpriced stuff, this offers a fast f/1.4 aperture at a normal focal length. The lens features a new coating dubbed "Nano Surface Coating", which no doubt means the price is going to be really high (see Nikon charging as much as twice the price for the same lens with their Nano Crystal Coating). Availability in August, with pricing information to be out in July. Press release after the break.

Read more...


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