New 45mm, E-PL3, AF100 reviews and Noktor 12mm hands-on.

EosHD (Click here) tested the Noktor 12mm f/1.6 lens: “So far I love the lens but one area for improvement that I can see at this early point is to reduce the amount of distortion which can be quite noticeable on very straight horizontal lines right across the frame. But given how wide the lens is that is pretty much to be expected.”

Cnet (Click here / via noisycamera) reviewed the Olympus E-PL3: “The E-PL3 isn’t the best at anything in its class. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 is faster, smaller, and cheaper; the Sony Alpha NEX-5N has better photo and video quality. But I like the E-PL3 for its balance of features, performance, photo quality, and design that makes many of the tradeoffs worth it for the enthusiast.”

Monumentphoto (Click here) tested the new Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens: “From my quick and dirty review, this lens is a must have for any M43 user.  In my opinion if you have M43 and you don’t have this lens, you are not maximizing the system’s potential.  I would have to agree with many who have reviewed this lens that indeed it is one of the best lenses in the M43 lineup at this time.”

Travis (dpreview forum) tested both new Leica 25mm f/1.4 and Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lenses: “I think they did just fine for both video and stills. However, I did have issues with getting the 45mm to focus for both stills and video at one point. Restarting the GH2 resolved those issues.”

Philip Bloom (Click here) shot a documentary with the Panasonic AG-AF100: “We also used the AF100 for all the handheld work? Why? Well because the handheld work was actuality following people around so a good zoom lens was needed with nice range. I didn’t have one for the F3 or the Epic so we used the AF100 as Kessler have the rather lovely Olympus 14-35 F2 lens. Perfect for handheld work. Using a Zacuto rig at first then a new Shape rig which I was just sent to try out Preston shot the actuality stuff beautifully with this camera.”

Shoplinks to mentioned cameras and lenses:
Olympus E-PL3 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Panasonic AG-AF100 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.