43 Rumors

The video on top shows a funny and not so technical comparison between the Panasonic GF2 vs Canon 600D .

M43photo.blogspot (Click here) posted a more detailed GH2 vs GH1 video quality comparison: “One could be tempted to think that the GH1 gives better video quality, due to the twice as high video bitrate. But the GH2 has other advances…it is reasonable to guess that it samples more pixels as a basis for the video output…the GH2 gives somewhat better contrast and sharpness. The GH1 has slightly washed out colours and that the compression algorithm is better. My conclusion so far is that the GH2, even with lower bitrate, gives slightly better video quality.”
GH2 direct links at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

One more thing…two lens reviews:
Zeiss (Rollei) 50mm F1.4 tested on the GH2 at EosHD (Click here). The Zeiss is only available on eBay (Click here).
Panasonic 8mm Fisheye Review at E-P1.net (Click here). Check price and availability of that lens at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

For all Lensbaby lovers there is a new toy for you! Lensbaby announced the Composer Pro. The new lens refines and enhances the classic Lensbaby Composer by upgrading the swivel ball and focus mechanism to provide professional performance. It now delivers an ultra-smooth focus and tilt control and you have a fluid and accurate dampened focus ring comparable to the focus mechanisms of the highest quality professional manual focus lenses. The lens is available for Four Thirds only. We don’t know yet if they will make a Micro Four Thirds version too.

The lens is already in Stock at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

Reminder: The long awaited Panasonic GH2 with 14-140mm lens kit is in Stock at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

UPDATE: J&R just changed the status and now says that the Fuji X100 will be coming soon (Click here to preorder on J&R). And Digitalrev says “Usually ships in 1-2 weeks” (Click here to order on Digitalrev). There are a few X100 on auction on eBay (Click here) but they are all very expensive.

Steve Digicam’s (Click here) posted a new Panasonic GH2 review: “Panasonic’s Lumix GH2 is a compact and powerful alternative to an entry-level or even some lower end mid-range dSLR cameras. Its outstanding image quality, powerful image processor, wonderfully easy automatic shooting modes and some of the best HD video recording on a digicam make this a powerful and versatile tool.”
Check GH2 price and availability at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

The Olympus XZ-1 has been reviewed by Buy-N-Shoot (Click here): “What Olympus has produced with the XZ-1 is a camera worth very strong consideration. Not just to be weighed up against its direct competitors (S95, G12, LX5, EX-1, P7000) but as an alternative to its own mirror-less PEN range.”
Also our friends of Quesabesde (Click here) tested the XZ-1:”"Despite these minor faults the XZ-1 one of the most desirable compact the moment, totally recommended for those advanced photographers who are looking for a pocket model with manual controls, RAW format and outstanding optics.”
Check X-Z1 price and availability at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

One more thing for german Fuji X100 lovers. Heise.de tested the camera!

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David Pogue from the New York Times (Click here) wrote an article about the new Micro Four Thirds revolution: “for years, there were two kinds of cameras: pocket models, with tiny sensors that produce blurry or grainy photos in low light and S.L.R. cameras, those big-sensor, big-body, heavy black beasts used by professionals. In the last couple of years, though, things have changed. There’s a new class of camera whose size (both body and sensor) falls in between those two time-honored extremes. They represent a rethinking of every single design element, a jettisoning of every nonessential component, in pursuit of a tiny, big-sensor camera. Because that, after all, is what the world really wants.”

Inside the article he focuses on two m43 cameras  the Panasonic GF2 and the Olympus E-PL2: “In the end, you can’t really cheat physics. Getting cameras this small means sacrifices. For example, both of these cameras have a pop-up flash — and it pops way up high, a trick that minimizes red eye in your subjects — but it’s weak, with only about a six-foot range.” and “The bigger loss is the optical viewfinder. Both cameras have bright, beautiful three-inch screens that do O.K. in sunlight. But they’re nowhere near as good as the eyepiece of a regular S.L.R., especially in low light. The difference in clarity and feeling is especially evident when you compare one of these Micro Four-Thirds cameras with an S.L.R. side-by-side.”

But despite the sacrifices you have to make:  “These miniature Micro Four-Thirds cameras cost as much as a real S.L.R., and they teem with compromises. Still, if the world craves a solution to the small camera/big sensor challenge, these models offer some novel solutions to the puzzle.”

Like David I do believe the need for “mirrorless” (or I should say the need for compact cameras with image high quality) will increase and the competition will become bigger and bigger. Let’s see how Panasonic and Olympus will exploit the momentum to gain more market shares.

Check the current Panasonic GF2 price at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Check the current Olympus E-PL2 price at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

Yesterday we reported the rumor about Fuji making an interchangeable lens version of the X100. A few hours after I received a message from one of my best sources. He told me a short and interesting story. He said Fuji met some of the m43 group members back in October-November 2010. Fuji was evaluating the advantage and disadvantages of joining m43. The company that is working very hard to find new members is Olympus. He also said that unlike Panasonic, Olympus is pushing a lot to find new m43 members. So what about Fuji? He doesn’t know if Fuji will join m43 but he believes the chances are low   Hope he is wrong!

P.S.: Image has been taken at http://www.four-thirds.org/en/index.html

P.P.S.: J&R is accepting Fuji X100 preorders -> “will be coming soon” (Click here to preorder on J&R). And Digitalrev says “Usually ships in 1-2 weeks” (Click here to order on Digitalrev). There are a few X100 on auction on eBay (Click here).

The video on top is one of the best digital camera commercials I have ever seen. Well done Oly!

Ferdzdecena (Click here) posted a short E-5 review: “For it’s price range, which is rather high since it’s on the pro/semi-pro line, there are a lot of competitive options out there so it’s hard to decide on jumping into this system. But for those who have already invested on a good amount of Zuiko lenses, which by themselves are exceptional, the Olympus E-5 can still squeeze out excellent images until it runs out of juice in the coming years.” (link found at noisycamera)
Check the E-5 price by clicking those direct links: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

Neocamera (Click here) posted an E-PL2 express review: “The Olympus PEN E-PL2 proves to be an interesting camera with more capabilities and sophistication than expected from an entry-level model. The Micro Four-Thirds sensor used in the E-PL2 delivers excellent results with low image noise and good sharpness. Exposure and color are also quite good. AWB is not so reliable but custom white-balance renders whites impeccably and the one-touch white-balance function makes it a breeze to use. The true weakness of this digital camera is its autofocus system which is slow and not entirely accurate. It is serious enough to make it miss our highest digital camera rating.”
Check the E-PL2 price by clicking those direct links: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

Photographyhappenings (Click here) tested the XZ-1: “If you are comparing to the Panasonic LX-5 or Canon S95, the Olympus XZ-1 will be a good choice if lens specification is your key consideration. The Olympus delivers strong performance over the competitors in good light and moderate distance, but fails to shine in poorer light condition and closer to infinity. Both competitors offer credible lens performance and good max aperture as well as distinctive advantages, with the Canon S95 in a truly small chassis and the LX-5 delivering native 16:9 panoramic images. They are definitely no pushovers in this battle of digital compacts, and these three cameras cater to different crowds.”
Also Digital Photography School (Click here) posted a XZ-1 review: “I find it hard to say that image quality is exceptionable. About average. Why you’d buy it: exciting range of accessories to expand your picture making opportunities; fast lens. Why you wouldn’t: you want Full HD video.”
And the third website to test the XZ-1 is Pdnonline (Click here): “As an outdoor shooter in good light, the XZ-1 shined, producing high quality images on par with those you get from a DSLR. But I really expected the camera’s f/1.8 lens to do better in low light. The same goes for the XZ-1’s 10-megapixel, 1/1.63-inch CCD, which produced noisy images at high ISOs with aggressive smoothing that squished detail. I hope Olympus sticks with this category though; the XZ-1 a good start that just needs some further tweaking.”
Check the XZ-1 price by clicking those direct links: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

The commercial is great! If they had the same creativity on the R&D department.