New Olympus/Panasonic/Slrmagic reviews
SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6 Test from Bob Gundu on Vimeo.
Digital-photography-school (Click here) posted a full Olympus E-PL3 review: “very sharp pictures and excellent colour rendition.With noise and artefacts the camera is OK all the way to ISO 3200, with ISO 6400 showing trouble. By ISO 12,800 … forget it.”
E-PL3 shop links: Amazon.de, Pixmania.de, eBay.de.
There is also a new Olympus E-PM1 review at Digitalcamerareview (Click here): “If you’re already shooting a PEN camera you’ll be the best judge of whether the latest generation brings enough to the table to get you to move into a new body. If you’re looking to acquire your first mirrorless interchangeable lens model the field is getting more crowded with brands and models, but the PM1 offers some fairly impressive performance at a fairly bargain price“.
E-PM1 shop links: Amazon.de, Pixmania.de, eBay.de.
Dark, Gritty, Noisy. Sometimes it works. Teen boxing at the AZ State Fair and the Olympus E-P3 (Steve Huff).
E-P3 shop links: Amazon.de, Pixmania.de, eBay.de.
Photofocus (Click here) tells you the “Two Reasons I’m Loving The Micro 4/3 Format”….Size and Weight!
Testing the SLR Magic Noktor 12mm f1.6 on the Olympus EP3 (ThePhoBlographer).
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Recent comments
Comment from GreyOwl: +1 Looks like a very good lens to me....
Comment from elflord: I view it a little differently. In the s...
Comment from Mr. Reeee: Yeah! +10! I really like the look of it'...- Comment from Mr. Reeee: C'mon Esa, I see where you're coming fro...
bean5y
7 months ago |I don’t understand all the whinging about new m43 cameras. Just spend your cash on building the system of lenses and kit (tripod, filters, flashes etc) until they make that perfect camera.
A gh2 is good enough for anyone here, surely. If you really want one that looks like a rangefinder, buy an ep3. They are both good enough for you.
I can’t wait to get my hands on a Noktor 12mm, even though I have already bought an Olympus 12mm. They are two very different lenses.
My gf-1 is still very capable.
My opinion on gx-1: It looks like a very suitable advancement of gf-1. All you whingers should be complaining about the marketing department. The gf-3 should have had a different name, the gx-1 should have been called the gf-3.
Mr. Reeee
7 months ago |Some are whining/whinging/kvetching about the latest camera releases from both Olympus and Panasonic. I think the extreme reaction to the GX1 is system-wide.
Olympus has released essentially the same cameras, with minor cosmetic and feature updates for 3 generations. Panasonic took an extremely popular model, the GF1 and followed up with 2 releases that, in our view as “enthusiasts” were dumbed down and removed photographers’ tools in favor of more automation for a different targeted customer.
When we were waiting for 3d generation camera announcements, there was a lot of expectation for a compact body with a built-in viewfinder, like the X100 or Sony NEX-7. (Or at the very least, a tiltabke LCD like the NEX or the EPL3). That was seen as a natural evolution of awkward and bulky clip-on EVFs and GH/G Series style EVFs.
Olympus failed to deliver, sticking to their incrementalist program. We were dismayed and pinned our hopes on Panasonic. When the GX1 info was leaked and we saw the photos, I think a big chunk of the enthusiast wing of the platform went ballistic.
I have a GH2, but think that the M4/3 system should have ALL THREE body styles. The current P&S of the GF and EPx series, the DSLR style of the GHx and G series AND a compact, true rangefinder style body with a built-in EVF and movable screen. Having MORE choice in body styles coupled with the wide range of native lenses would only make the M4/3 system more vibrant and diverse.
So, it ain’t whinging, but outrage stemming from disappointment.
MikeS
7 months ago |It’s made worse by the fact that Fuji (X100, X10, future ILC) and Sony (NEX-7) acknowledge the enthusiast mirrorless market, while Panasonic and Olympus, who had the market cornered from the beginning, stubbornly refuse to release a camera that caters towards this market segment.
Olympus obviously has its internal problems, but Panasonic’s stinginess (arbitrary removal of camera features, imbalance in catering to beginners vs enthusiasts, as well as with sensor distribution to its supposed partner) is what really holds μ4/3 back. More disappointing is that Panasonic has shown in the past that is perfectly capable of designing innovative enthusiast products (LC1, L1, LX-3, GF1, 20mm f/1.7, 7-14mm), but seems currently afraid to directly build upon this base of customers.
I think it’s fair enough to have a whinge about it.
Esa Tuunanen
7 months ago |>M4/3 system should have ALL THREE body styles.
And proper selection of bodies to different classes.
If m4/3 wants to be replacement for serious DSLRs it needs body with proper ergonomy as GH2 falls seriously behind even the lowest end of 4/3 bodies.
Mr. Reeee
7 months ago |C’mon Esa, I see where you’re coming from, but the GH2 is a great size with very well placed controls, given it’s size. Yes, it could use a few minor tweaks, but it’s pretty successful, given the size restrictions and especially it’s reliance on physical controls unlike the G3. It manages to balance a slew of compromises very well. It really requires learning to hold it on IT’S terms not wishing for something else.
You keep complaining about a supposed lack of M4/3 ergonomics on par with supposedly superior DSLR ergonomics, but how does one achieve that without tossing M4/3′s size and weight advantage, which IS a major selling point? Your complaint is as preposterous as the people who will sacrifice everything for mythical “pocketability” with interchangeable lenses.
elflord
7 months ago |I view it a little differently. In the space of a few years, Panasonic and Olympus have developed a mirrorless system that is compatible with almost all other mounts, as well as a broad lineup of lenses and bodies to go with it. The lens lineup is starting to mature, with the release of a nice handful of fast primes this year (Oly 45 and 12, and the Pana 25)
It is a bit much to expect huge leaps in technology in the space of a few years. To put it in perspective, m43 came out at a similar time to the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D700, neither of which have been replaced.
Part of the reason that the changes to the bodies are so ” incremental” is that they took place over a very short time frame. Considering the time frame, the GF3, GH2 and EP3 are all very good at what they do. For those who think the GF1 is the best thing since sliced bread, they can still buy an original GF1 (no older than a D700 or 5D Mark II), or a GF1 with a firmware update, a new grip and maybe an improved sensor (e.g. the new Pany announcement).
Often, it seems that the complaints are simply uninformed. For example, some of the standard lens “wishes” (and the misplaced anger at panasonic and olympus for not accomodating these wishes) indicate a lack of understanding of the tradeoffs involved. To a large extent, I think the same thing is going on with camera bodies.
Simon
7 months ago |-1
If you buy a new car – would you want it to have the same engine, brakes and chassis, repacked into a new exterior design?
People are not complaining (whining is not the appropriate verb I think), most owners are very happy with their m43 cameras. But if new products are introduced you’ll want to have something new.
Svesjo
7 months ago |More often than not, a new car DOES have the same engine, brakes and chassis, repacked into a new exterior design. Very little innovation there.
But you may want your next car to be bigger or better than your old one. You don’t expect the manufacturer to develop your current model according to your wishes, so you buy a different model. Then it’s good that there are different models to choose from, small, simple and cheap ones as well as big, expensive ones.
There is definately a place for all the current m43 models, but we hope the future will bring more. Go and buy a G3 or GH2 in the meantime.
sparedog
7 months ago |hats off to slr magic, this lens is so cinematic! i want one
Mr. Reeee
7 months ago |Yeah! +10! I really like the look of it’s images. It seems like it’s analogue.
GreyOwl
7 months ago |+1 Looks like a very good lens to me.