Panasonic GH3 Micro Four Thirds camera specs leak

News

  • September 9, 2012 at 11:48 am

0

Panasonic GH3 rumor

With Photokina 2012 only a breath away, camera fans are gearing up for some exciting announcements. One of the most anticipated cameras is the Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GH3, and it really couldn’t come soon enough. The widely popular Panasonic GH2, having been announced at Photokina 2010 two years ago, has not only proved an incredible stills camera but has also won the hearts of videographers everywhere — just have a look at some examples here and here.

The GH series sits at the top of Panasonic’s mirroless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) line with integrated electronic viewfinder, DSLR-style body and handling and top of the line specs. However, although Olympus presented the incredible OM-D E-M5 this year, Panasonic has been quiet on the high-end front.
continue reading

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 Micro Four Thirds lens announced, already receiving flying colors reviews

News

  • May 21, 2012 at 4:35 am

0

Panasonic Lumix G X VARIO 12-35mm f/2.8 lens

We first saw the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 Micro Four Thirds lens at CES this year, but back then it was still a concept. Today Panasonic has officially announced the new lens which should begin shipping in late July, though the US release date seems to fall sometime in August.

This is the first fast constant aperture zoom lens for the Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera system, so this is big news for fans of the system. The Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 lens belongs to the Panasonic’s premium X lens series and with an equivalent 24-70mm focal length on a full-frame camera it covers a nice range from wide to short telefocus.
continue reading

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is here: first impressions

FeaturedThe Lab

  • May 2, 2012 at 3:41 pm

0

Olympus OM-D E-M5 digital camera right front

We finally have the Olympus OM-D E-M5 with us, and anyone not familiar with this small Micro Four Thirds wonder camera can check out our entire coverage here. Note that we’ve opted for the $1,099 kit with the 14-42mm lens and we’ll be taking the camera through its paces over the coming weeks.

As we like to spend some time with a gadget before we review it, I thought it would be wise to bring you some first impressions of this mirrorless interchangeable lens camera after a few days of use.

There’s a lot to like with this camera, Olympus has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into it, and it’s a serious contender against even much bigger DSLRs. Still there are a couple of niggles, but read on for our first impressions.
continue reading

Panasonic confirmed 12-35mm f/2.8 MFT constant aperture zoom lens coming in June

News

  • April 10, 2012 at 4:38 am

0

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8mm and 35-100mm f/2.8 X-series Micro Four Thirds lenses

Micro Four Thirds camera users are spoiled for choice when it comes to lenses compared to other mirrorless system cameras. However, there is a big gap for bright quality zoom lenses. Panasonic had shown off a pair of large aperture ‘concept lenses’ at CES this year, the 12-35mm f/2.8mm and 35-100mm f/2.8 X-series lenses.

Unfortunately there was no indication on when the two lenses would be hitting the market or on pricing. Well it now seems that this information has slipped from the mouth of a Panasonic representative interviewed by Amateur Photographer. The information that was posted and later removed from the UK magazine’s website stated that the, new 12-35mm f/2.8 lens is expected out at the end of June, priced £1,000.
continue reading

PSA: Olympus OM-D E-M5 shipping date delayed until April 23 in the UK

News

  • April 2, 2012 at 3:01 pm

0

Olympus OM-D E-M5 wet - water drops dripping off

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is already shipping in Asia and we’ve seen the first unboxing photos here. We had high hopes that the rest of the world would be receiving their new Micro Four Thirds wonders soon as Amazon UK had been listing the E-M5’s shipping date as April 1st.

Well, April 1st is now history and Amazon UK has been sending emails to early pre-orderers letting them know that the new shipping date is now April 23rd — unfortunately that’s no April Fool’s. We’ve received the below email from Amazon:
continue reading

Olympus OM-D E-M5 going for a dive, PT-E08 underwater housing to be released July 2012

News

  • March 26, 2012 at 3:56 am

0

Olympus PT-EP08 underwater housing for OM-D E-M5 front

We can’t deny that we are anxiously waiting for Olympus’s upcoming high-end Micro Four Thirds digital camera. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 should start shipping any day now if Amazon UK‘s 1st of April ship date pans out, while BHPhotoVideo has the camera shipping on April 16 in the US.

So what if you want to get this 16.1-megapixel, 5-axis in-body image stabilization shooter underwater? Well Olympus has you covered. Together with the E-M5, Olympus had announced the PT-EP08 underwater housing. The PT-EP08 is rated waterproof for up to 45 meters and you can use it together with the M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm II, 14-42mm IIR and ED 9-18mm lenses using the separate PPO-EP01 lens port. Olympus will also release a lens port compatible with a couple of Four Third lenses like the Zuiko Digital ED 50mm f2.0 Macro and 35mm f3.5 Macro.
continue reading

Panasonic Lumix GF5 Micro Four Thirds camera leaked

News

  • March 18, 2012 at 4:31 am

0

Panasonic GF5 leaked image

An image of a new model in Panasonic’s entry-level GF series of Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless cameras has just emerged. Skipping number four, which is an unlucky number in Asia, the Panasonic GF5 looks very much like its predecessor the GF3, but with a more substantial rubber grip. In the image you can see it together with the Lumix G X VARIO PZ 14-42mm collapsible zoom lens.
continue reading

PSA: Olympus OM-D E-M5 now up for pre-order from Amazon UK with free battery grip; shipping April 1st

News

  • February 24, 2012 at 6:50 pm

0

Olympus OM-D E-M5 MFT digital camera - black - top

Amazon UK now has the newly announced Olympus OM-D E-M5 up for pre-order here. The 12-50mm lens kit goes for £1,150, while you can get the body only for £999 here.

Though British Micro Four Thirds friends will have to shell out more than their counterparts across the pond, Olympus is offering a nice sweetener to the deal. Anyone ordering the Olympus E-M5 in the UK before the 30th of April will get the HLD-6 battery holder and grip for free. The HLD-6 kit contains both the landscape grip and the portrait grip with extra battery holder. Considering that otherwise you would be looking at around £200-250 for the grip only, it’s not such a bad deal.
continue reading

Gadget lust: five new official videos on the Olympus OM-D E-M5

News

  • February 22, 2012 at 3:54 pm

0

Olympus E-M5 Micro Four Thirds digital camera front

Olympus Australia has posted five new videos covering every facet of the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera. The demo videos cover the 5-axis in-body image stabilization, the camera’s superfast autofocus with 3D object tracking, 9 frames per second burst shooting and the new electronic viewfinder.

We’ve especially noted how much Olympus has improved on the software for the camera. There are three different styles of information overlay in the EVF and some innovative creative controls, like an adjustable highlight and shadow curve. The latest info point to an early-April shipping date for the camera, which can be pre-ordered now in the US here and here, UK here and Germany here.
continue reading

Olympus E-M5 destroys the PEN E-P3 in high-ISO tests

News

  • February 20, 2012 at 10:09 am

0

Olympus OM-D E-M5 MFT camera in black side with 12-50mm lens

We’ve been covering the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera ever since it was initially rumored and following the official announcement two weeks ago, we now have a long wait until it finally ships this April. We’ve already done a spec comparison to other high-end mirrorless cameras and we’ve seen how it sizes-up against the competition, but of bigger importance is how it actually performs and especially in low-light — a sticking point for the otherwise excellent MFT format.

The first high-ISO test of the Olympus E-M5 showed some promise, with little noise or artifacts up to ISO 3,200. During the weekend, Four-Thirds User has posted a high-ISO comparison between the E-M5 and the previous generation Olympus PEN E-P3. As previously, the test was done with a pre-production version of the E-M5 but the results are impressive.
continue reading

First high ISO test images from the Olympus OM-D E-M5 digital camera

News

  • February 13, 2012 at 1:33 pm

0

Olympus OM-D E-M5 wet - water drops dripping off

We can’t deny that the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera stole our hearts. However the big question in our minds has been on how the camera would perform at low light and/or high ISO. Typically, Micro Four Thirds cameras have lagged other mirrorless cameras with larger sensors, like Sony’s NEX series, in this regard.

We’re still far off from the April ship date of the Olympus E-M5, so we can’t yet test the low light and high ISO performance on a production unit, however a number of high ISO shots taken with a pre-production model have been doing the rounds.
continue reading

Panasonic hints at new G series Micro Four Thirds digital camera

News

  • February 10, 2012 at 1:42 pm

0

Panasonic Espana tweet on new G series camera

Panasonic had its turn in the spotlight with the new GX1 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera, but now with all the attention the Olympus E-M5 is getting, it must be feeling left out.

So here comes Panasonic Spain teasing us on a potential new G series MFT camera. The tweet goes along the lines of no GX2 yet, but another G… enjoy the weekend!. Though everything is pretty speculative right now, we could soon be looking to either a GH2, G3 or GF3 successor.
continue reading

Olympus E-M5 vs. Fujifilm X-Pro1 vs. Panasonic GX1 vs. Sony NEX-7 comparison

The Lab

  • February 9, 2012 at 5:36 pm

0

Olympus OM-D E-M5 back black

We needn’t say much on the state of the competition in the compact mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILCs) space. In the short period of a few months we’ve seen the release of some pretty amazing high-end mirrorless shooters with very distinct design and engineering decisions and featuring a number of innovations.

The latest entrant is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera that has claimed a number of firsts. It’s the first MFT rangefinder-style camera with a built-in EVF and the first with a weather-sealed body, it is also the first ever camera with 5-axis image stabilization, while Olympus is claiming that the camera has the fastest autofocus of any interchangeable lens camera.
continue reading