300mm PRO lens reviewed by Digitalkamera Germany: “it’s the best MFT lens we tested yet”.

300mm

The German reviewers from Digitalkamera.de tested the new Olympus 300mm PRO lens. In short they say that this is the best Micro Four Thirds lens they ever tested. Focus is super fast, build and optical quality is superb. What’s best is that they managed to take sharp shots in conditions were usually you would need a Tripod with any other lens of that kind.

Olympus 300mm f/4.0 PRO lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus. In EU at Amazon DE. AmazonUK. WexUK.

P.S.: One more 300mm lens review in Thai at Pantip

Olympus PEN-F Hands-On Field Test by TheCameraStoreTV

TCSTV:The OMD E-M5 revitalized Olympus’ mirrorless camera line with it’s beautiful, classic styling, but the Pen series has failed to cause much excitement recently. Now, the new Pen-F camera bring gorgeous retro styling and a new sensor to the Olympus lineup. Is this the camera Chris has been waiting for?

PEN-F Store links: [shopcountry 58245].

UPDATE: Chris and I are always as transparent and accurate as possible when it comes to testing products for TCSTV. If we are ever looking at a pre-production camera, we will mention that during the episode. Recent examples of this include the Sony A6300 and Fuji X-Pro 2 episodes. For this reason, when Olympus approached us with the new Pen-F unit, we specifically requested that it was a production unit that the user at home would have access to. Olympus assured us that they had a production, reviewable copy of the Pen-F, so we told them to ship us the camera which is featured in this episode. After the episode was posted, Olympus contacted us to state that the camera we tested was indeed not final firmware. This apparently led to our issues with the continuous AF performance. This was their mistake, as we requested and were assured a production-level camera with final firmware. The good news is that Olympus says some of the issues we found are resolved in their final firmware. We are excited to retest this camera when it is available in a final production version. If the issues are addressed, it will be a much more capable camera than one we tested (and enjoyed) here. Thank you for continuing to support TCSTV with your views, comments and shares. We’ll do our best to bring you the consistent, reliable tests you’ve come to expect from Chris and I. Jordan @ TCSTV

PEN-F versus Fuji X-PRO size comparison

Bildschirmfoto 2016-01-27 um 16.34.07

My sources told me that the PEN-F is indeed a competitor of the Fuji X-PRO series. Both cameras aim to attract enthusiast photogrpahers who do care about design and usability. So let’s take a closer look the to size comparison made by Camerasize. From my personal taste point of you I do like the PEN-F design more. But the Fuji has some nice tech features I would love to see on a PEN, for example the hybrid viewfinder. But I admit I am a bit a nostalgic of rangefinder cameras :)

PEN-F Preorder links:
Silver PEN-F in USA/Canada at Bhphoto, Amazon, Adorama, GetOlympus, GetOlympus Canada.
Black PEN-F in USA/Canada at Bhphoto, Amazon, Adorama, GetOlympus, GetOlympus Canada.
Silver PEN-F in EU at Amazon Deutschland, FotoMundus, AmazonUK, WexUk, ParkCameras.
Black PEN-F in EU at Amazon Deutschland, FotoMundusAmazonUK, WexUK, ParkCameras.

Bildschirmfoto 2016-01-27 um 17.10.07 Bildschirmfoto 2016-01-27 um 17.09.40

Olympus also announced some other stuff:
Olympus E-M10 Mark II Limited at BHphoto and Adorama.
Olympus CBG-11 PR Premium Leather Camera Bag for PEN-F (Brown/Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus CS-48 PR Premium Leather Wrapping Cloth for PEN-F (Brown/Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus ECG-4 External Metal Grip for PEN-F (Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus CSS-S120L PR Premium Leather Shoulder Strap for PEN-F (Brown/Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus CS-47B Leather Body Jacket for PEN-F (Black) at BHphoto.

Kinoptik 100mm f/2.0 tested on the GH4

Next rare lens test from Annie Barton. She tested the [shoplink 56881 ebay]Kinoptik 100mm f/2.0 (here on eBay)[/shoplink] on the GH4.

“The 100mm behaves slightly better than the 150mm, yet we are not too crazy about it considering how this particular lens performs exceptionally well in still image. “

Check out the Panasonic 100-400mm image samples posted by Daniel J. Cox

pana100

Daniel J Cox (Click here) posted image samples shot on the new Leica 100-400mm MFT lens. Hard to choose between that one and the new 300mm Olympus lens!

Preorder links to the two new MFT lenses:
Panasonic-Leica 100-400mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic. In EU at Technikdirekt, Cyberport, WexUK. Fotosidan.
Olympus 300mm f/4.0 PRO lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus. In EU at Amazon DE. WexUK.

New PEN-F reviews…(Robin Wong, Atmtxphoto)

PEN_PEN-F_ET_M7518_2015-12_black_still__mood_11-1024x768

Olympus PEN-F part two review by Robin Wong:

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT PEN-F
The most beautiful Olympus modern camera.
Top notch craftsmanship and build quality
Excellent looking low ISO output, clean with minimal sharpening artifacts, yet still maintaining high level of details/sharpness
New 20MP Image Sensor has slight improvements in terms of overall image quality
5-Axis Image Stabilization
Built-in EVF
Feature packed: 50MP high resolution shot, monochrome and color profile controls, etc

WHAT I DISLIKE ABOUT PEN-F
I had higher expectations from the new 20MP image sensor, with higher jump in image quality (especially in high ISO shooting)
Handling was not as good as previous PEN cameras (eg, E-P5). However, this can be improved with the use of add-on grip ECG-4.
Some questionable dial placements that actually gets in the way of shooting comfort
Short battery life (400-500 shots per charge). Why can’t we get 800-1000 shots per charge?

Olympus PEN-F: Street photography on Austin’s 6th Street at Atmtxphoto:

Any additional tests will have to wait, unfortunately, I had to return the PEN-F to Olympus. I’m really missing the front control dial and the film simulations. My OM-D E-M5 Mark II is a great camera but the PEN-F is so much more fun.

Our reader AL sent us his full first impression review:

Pros
a. Ergonomic design (IMHO de-facto m43 Pen standard); for first-time m43 users, can be easily get addicted to this one
b. Typical OMD camera operation and functionality in a Pen body, customizable buttons and dials
c. Solid build (despite made in Viet), no noticeable screws
d. Excellent side articulating screen design (preferred over conventional tilt up/down design), first on a Pen model
e. Trusted Oly menu GUI and display, true live histogram (visible during EV shift)
f. Easy-to-access art filter effects options, durable art filter front dial design
g. Good design faux-leather (rubber?) wraparound allows for excellent slip-less grip even without dedicated grip add-ons (body has flat right grip by default)
h. Pleasant EVF design, bright by default and good in magnification
i. Feels camera-like, unlike the competition (eg. Pana)
j. Reasonably fast AF

Cons
a. Too much customization that may confuse the average Pen user; must have extensive OMD operation knowledge needed to effectively operate the Pen-F
b. No image processing improvements, still 12-bit A/D and TruePic VII (not sure why Oly is so insistent on the former)
c. Non-weatherproof design despite in pro-body form; exemplified by weak battery door without gasket or whatsoever
d. Inconvenient card insert position due to close proximity to battery door hinge
e. Easy over-dependence/exploitation of art filter functions; raw capture necessary to retain original color data/gamut
f. Annoying EVF/rear display flickering under artificial light
g. Grossly overpriced
h. Lens bundle: no normal-focal length 25mm F1.8 included, only wide 12mm F2.0 or 17mm F1.8 offered depending on region
i Too many dials; mechanical EV dial could be deleted and substituted by twin dial design augmented with frontal 2×2 flip switch design
j. Programmable mechanical EV dial can be confusing (IMO only electronic dials should be programmable)
k. No integrated flash (due to EVF integration)
l. Confusing video controls; frame rate selections controlled by “Video out” setting (NTSC/PAL); no mic-in/headphone jack, thus inability to integrate with Oly’s own PCM recorders for better audio capture on video

Conclusion:
a. Would pass the Pen-F for an E-M5-II (if not the E-M1) without hesitation
b. Pen-F’s design sets precedence to how future E-Px/E-PLx models could be improved, such as implementation of side articulating screen, compulsory twin control dial design, new processing engine, in-camera flash etc.

PEN-F Preorder links:
Silver PEN-F in USA/Canada at Bhphoto, Amazon, Adorama, GetOlympus, GetOlympus Canada.
Black PEN-F in USA/Canada at Bhphoto, Amazon, Adorama, GetOlympus, GetOlympus Canada.
Silver PEN-F in EU at Amazon Deutschland, FotoMundus, WexUk, ParkCameras.
Black PEN-F in EU at Amazon Deutschland, FotoMundus, WexUK, ParkCameras.