First E-M10 camera and 25mm lens reviews!


Olympus OMD E M10 First Look by What Digital Camera.

This morning I posted a big E-M10 and lens roundup in this post: https://www.43rumors.com/live-olympus-e-m10-and-lenses-announced. A special page with all new products can be seen at Amazon (Click here).

Now let’s take a closer look to the first reviews:

Cameras Reviewed is the first site posting a full E-M10 review. They write:

Even though this version of the sensor includes an AA filter, we noticed no appreciable lack of sharpness when compared to the filter-less sensor in the E-M1.
Continuous shooting is a cinch thanks to the inherited E-M1 processor. Olympus promises 8 frames per second in continuous shooting, and we found that the E-M10 delivered; we measured exactly 8 fps in our standard test..

Quesabesde (translation here) is the only site in the world that got the permission to share some E-M10 RAW samples. And they checked if the E-M10 can outperform the E-M5 (ISO comparison table can be see here):

As expected, at 200 ISO there is no difference. But the improvement at ISO 6,400 is evident both in terms of reducing image noise and the level of detail that it retains.

DLSRmagazine (translation here) is the only site having tested the new 25mm f/1.8 lens (resolution table can be seen here):

As you can be seen from the resolution graph the lens offers a very high quality straight from the full f/1.8 aperture, which peaks at f/2.8. This is accompanied by good contrast, almost negligible astigmatism, limited chromatic aberration and almost absent vignetting and distortion.

For the reviewer the lens price is ok because you absolutely get what you pay for!

Preorder links for US and Europe:
Special page with all new products at Amazon.
E-M10 Black at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
E-M10 Silver at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaGetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
E-M10 with 14-42mm lens Black at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama , GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
E-M10 with 14-42mm lens Silver at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaGetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
25mm f/1.8 Black at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
25mm f/1.8 Silver at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
14-42mm Black at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
14-42mm Silver at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex UK, Amazon Germany.
Olympus SP-100 at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama.
Olympus TG-850 iHS at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama.
Olympus ECG-1 Black Camera Grip for E-M10 at Amazon, Adorama.
Olympus 9mm f8.0 Fisheye Body Cap Lens at Adorama, GetOlympus. In EU at Wex Uk.
Olympus V321200BW000 Macro Converter MCON-P02 (Black) at Amazon,

E-M1 camera of the year at Photographyblog! And one fixed and one non fixed issue report

The E-M1 keeps receiving awards as best camera of the year 2013. The E-M1 has now been chosen as mirrorless camera of the year at Photographyblog too!

Some more E-M1 tests:
E-M1 vs GX7 at BestMirrorlessCameras.
Can the OM-D E-M1 Replace Your DSLR for Sports Photography? (TheDigitalStory).
Sam:Not a rumor, but I’ve posted some thoughts about shooting action with the E-M1, including some photos and some criticisms regarding shooting in the “Hi” and “Lo” FPS modes that I don’t hear anyone else really grumbling about – an area of improvement I think Oly needs to work on. http://www.flickr.com/groups/om-d_user/discuss/72157639712733065/

Not everything about the E-M1 is perfect:
There is one unsolved issue: Phase detect AF strips showing up in Olympus E-M1 video (EosHD).
And one solved: Tim told me that “a good number of us with E-M1’s had a pink color shift in the Apple RAW processor. It’s now been fixed with the latest Raw update.

E-M1 Store Links:
Olympus E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto, Amazon DE (via DL), Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL), WexUK, Topshot FI, CameraWorldUK.
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, AmazonDE (viaDL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-40mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK and CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-50mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK, CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus EP-13 Eyecup for E-M1 at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus HLD-7 Battery Grip for E-M1 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LC-62D Metal Front Lens Cap for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LH-66 Lens Hood for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.

Nocticron preorders at Amazon US! And new reviews at CameraLabs, Photographyblog and Focus Numerique.


These are the pros and cons from Cameralabs

It took a while but now you can preorder the new crazy good and a bit crazy expensive Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 lens at Amazon US (Click here). And these are the new lens reviews:

Cameralabs (Click here) writes:

Unlike many fast primes that have come before it for various systems, the Nocticron is not about delivering a dollop of creamy bokeh at the cost of soft details once you move away from the center. It’s not about suffering from slow autofocus, nor having to worry about camera shake. It’s not about having to stop-down to achieve the sharpest results. No, the Leica Nocticron is about having your cake and eating it – and what a delicious cake it is too

Photographyblog (Click here) says:

$1599.99 is undoubtedly expensive for an 85mm lens for any system, but given the excellent image quality, creamy bokeh and snappy performance, we feel that it’s just about justified and a good investment for Micro Four Thirds users who require a fast portait prime lens.

And we also have a test by the French site Focus Numerique (google translation here):

The first results with this new 42.5 mm are quite good without being outstanding. The images are crisp and stitched in the center at full aperture of f / 1.2. This sensation of sharpness fades as one approaches the edges.

In USA the lens can be preordered at Amazon US (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). In UK at Wexphotographic (Click here)

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony RX100 Mark II Shootout by TheCameraStoreTV

TheCameraStoreTV team tried to answer a simple question. Is the tiny Panasonic GM1 really a better camera to use than a proper high end compact camera? Watch the video to get their answer!

Reminder: You can find the new Gariz GM1 leather case in [shoplink 43805 ebay]Black or Brown on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]

SLRgear reviews the Nocticron and says it’s “a phenomenal lens”

SLRgear (Click here) posted the full Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 lens review and writes:

All in all, the Panasonic 42.5mm ƒ/1.2 ASPH POWER OIS Leica DG NOCTICRON is a phenomenal lens; one of the best we’ve ever tested. It’s definitely not your everyday pocket prime (the $1,600 price tag can attest to that) but I can definitely see this being the go-to lens for wedding, portrait and studio shooters, as well as concert photographers who need a fast-focusing, artistic lens with excellent bokeh and low-light capabilities all while producing stunningly sharp photos.

You can also see more image samples at Photographyblog and at at Sulanto Blog.

In USA the lens can be preordered at Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). In UK at Wexphotographic (Click here)

SLRgear tests the 12-32mm Panasonic lens. Says: “small on size, but big on quality”

12-32mm vs 20mm size comparison. Image courtesy: ePhotozine.

SLRgear (Click here) tested the Panasonic 12-32mm lens. And their conclusions are pretty positive:

The new Panasonic 12-32mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 ASPH MEGA O.I.S. Lumix G Vario lens is a stellar companion to the tiny GM1. It produces excellent, sharp photos at all focal lengths, even wide open, and has minimal distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration. And while the lack of a dedicated focus ring is a little disappointing, as manual focusing using the touch screen is a little slow and awkward, overall there’s not much to complain about with this lens. The Panasonic 12-32mm is the perfect match for the powerful and pocketable GM1 thanks to stellar optics and a super-lightweight, ultra-compact design.

You can buy the lens separately from the GM1 at Amazon (Click here).

GM1 kit store list:
In US at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
In Europe at Amazon Germany, Wex Germany, Amazon UK, Fotohanskeuzekamp, Cyberphoto Sweden and Wex UK.

First full Nocticron review at Lenstip!

The lens resolution chart (Source: Lenstip)

Lenstip (Click here) is the first site posting a full Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 lens test. These are some of their key findings:

– The tested stabilization efficiency is about 3.5 EV (which is a good result says Lenstip).
– The resolution at medium aperture is almost as high as the best lens of the class, the Nokton 25mm f/0.95 (80 lines per mm vs 82 lines per mm)
– At f/1.2 aperture the center performance is said to be “brilliant” and on par with the Voigtlander 0.95/25 and the Olympus 1.8/75.
– At f/1.2 the corner performance is “positive”
– Chromatic Aberration is present at wide apertures while the lateral chromatic aberration and spherical aberration are well corrected.
– Negligible distortion
– The lens corrects the coma in a splendid way. The astigmatism is not a problem either.
– Bokeh is pleasing and at f/2.5 the bokeh effect is very similar
– at f/1.2 aperture the lens shows a very strong vignetting (-2.23 EV)
– it has a good resistance against ghosting and flares.
– Autofocus is fast and very accurate

Overall the only big negative is the high vignetting at f/1.2 aperture. That said I would have loved to see a comparison between the Nocticron and the 42,5mm Voigtlander to see who delivers the best image at f/1.2 aperture! Maybe some reviewer is reading this and will make a comparison for us :)