43 Rumors – Page 1934 – Panasonic and Olympus Digital Camera News

Olympus scandal news roundup

November 14, 2011
news
32 Comments

Finally I can give you some positive news about Olympus. Koji Miyate, Senior Exectuvie Managin Officer from Olympus toke action in defense of Olympus employees. He created the website olympusgrassroots.com and wrote the following text:
“To All Olympus Employees,
I cannot sit by passively and witness the demise of a company that I love. My perspective outside the company affords an objective view of the depth of the crisis that Olympus faces. It also offers a glimpse of the very real potential for overcoming the present adversity. Please join me in expressing your support for concrete measures to revitalize the company that we all love.
Koji Miyata
koji@olympusgrassroots.com
Former Senior Executive Managing Officer, Olympus Corporation
Former President, Olympus Medical Systems Corporation”

I wish all Olympus emplyees the best and I am sure Olympus has the chance to recover from the crisis!

More Olympus “fee scandal” news:
The Shareholders Foundation is collecting info about Olympus (pr-usa.net).
Corporate Japan Rocked by Scandal at Olympus (New York Times).
Falsche Bilanzen bei Olympus (Spiegel.de).

SLRmagic reviews from the production version.

November 12, 2011
reviews
28 Comments

SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm / F1.6 (black ring version) – short review from Hacky on Vimeo.

Helge Hackbarth form 3D-kraft sent me the link to his SLRmagic 12mm f/1.6 review. Why is it important? Unlike all other reviewers he tested the final production lens which is less affected by flare issues. YOu can read the full review at 3D-kraft. HIs conclusions are quite positive. This is definitely the first seriously good and interetsing [shoplink 26928]SLR Magic[/shoplink] lens!

P.S.: Ther eis one more review of the production version lens at theeditman.

Other SLRmagic lenses for Micro Four Thirds:
SLR Magic 12-36×50 ED Straight Spotting Scope lens (w/ hand grip) is now available on [shoplink 25887 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
SLR magic 11mm f/1.4 lens you can preorder on [shoplink 22154 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Toy Lens 26mm f/1.4 lens on [shoplink 18603 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
SLR Magic 35mm f/1.7 MC lens on [shoplink 14881 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

New reviews roundup (E-P3 wins award in UK)

November 12, 2011
reviews
10 Comments

[shoplink 23567]

[/shoplink] Cameralabs (Click here) posted the full Olympus E-PL3 review: “And though the extension of the ISO sensitivity range enhances the E-PL3’s low light capabilities, the lack of composite modes made popular by Sony’s NEX is something Olympus is going to have to address in the future. But those are fairly minor points that do nothing to dim an otherwise shining performance from the Pen Lite E-PL3 and one thoroughly deserving of our Highly Recommended award“. And a spanish review of the E-Pl3 is available at Quesabesde (Click here).
The E-PL3 price check links at [shopcountry 23567].

There is a new E-P3 review written by David Lee Tong (part one and part two): “I do not hesitate recommending this to any serious buyer who’s looking for a better-than-point-and-shoot camera that offers interchangeable lenses, fast focus, and great out-of-the-box image quality. If you’re after a travel camera where all you need to do is to put the camera in the right metering mode and ISO, you’re bound to get a lot of keepers with the Olympus E-P3 Digital PEN camera.“. And Amateur Photographer (Click here) reports that the E-P3 won the Staff Gadget Award.
The E-P3 price check links at [shopcountry 23568].

There is a new Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Zoom Lens Review at ePhotozine (Click here): “The performance of the lens is good too. Although it isn’t the highest performing lens Panasonic make, it is certainly adequate, producing sharp contrasty images“.
100-300mm lens price check links at [shopcountry 16261].

And there is one more Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens Review again at ePhotozine (Click here): “Many look to this lens as a better quality alternative to the current 14-42mm lens and although it does turn in better sharpness across the frame, and lower distortion, the difference isn’t massive. As the other lens is much cheaper when bought as a kit with the camera, that makes the decision between them much harder to make“.
14-45mm lens price check links at [shopcountry 14814].

New need for speed lens: Canon 77mm f/1.1

November 11, 2011
deals
22 Comments

[shoplink 26881 ebay]

[/shoplink]

“jieying-usa” reworked the [shoplink 26881 ebay]Canon 77mm[/shoplink] mount to fit native (without the use of any adapter) on Micro Four Thirds cameras. The question is, how does that extremely fast lens perform on m43 cameras? I didn’t find any image sample of that lens attached on m43 cameras. Have you any idea? Could be a cheaper alternative of the [shoplink 25691 ebay]Noktor 50mm f/0.95 lens[/shoplink].

The 77mm Canon costs $600 on [shoplink 26881 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] while the Noktor costs $1.070 on [shoplink 25691 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. WOuld be nice to see is there is any quality difference. Drop me a message or comment this post if you can send me some test!

P:S.: “jieying-usa” also offers a [shoplink 26882 ebay]Kowa 50mm f/1.0 lens with m43 mount on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

New PTool 3.63d brings Timelaps and 12.800 ISO recording to the GH2!

November 11, 2011
news
36 Comments

Darkness Seeker from Andrew Reid on Vimeo.

Vitaly released the new PTool 3.63d for hacked GH2 cameras. You can find the official news at personal-view (Click here). The coolest new features are the ability to remove the ISO 3.200 limit for video recording and the new time lapse feature. The video on top made by Andrew Reid from EosHD is the first video showing the (astonishing!) video quality at 12.800 ISO.

The video below shows the new MJPEG variable frame rate feature. The video has been taken at 2fps!

GH2 first Timelapser test from Mark Nicholson on Vimeo.

That’s why I love the GH2 we have at work. I can always expect some nice new features! Hope Panasonic realizes the value of Vitalys work! Sooner or later you have to create an appropriate API to allow everyone to customize the camera software!

GH2 in Stock status and price check: [shopcountry 16254].

Olympus announces a Silver XZ-1 with special cap.

November 11, 2011
news
34 Comments

[shoplink 19904]

[/shoplink]

Olympus announced a silver version of the popular Olympus XZ-1. The more interetsing news is that it has a new lens cap which opens automatically when you POwer on the camera. The XZ-1 will ship in December.

XZ-1 price check: [shopcountry 19904].

One more thing: The price of the white XZ-1 dropped down to $399 at Amazon (Click here).

SLRmagic Hyperprime 12mm f/1.6 lens officially announced (Bye bye Noktor)

November 10, 2011
news
44 Comments

The new SLR Magic Hyperprime 12mm f/1.6 has now been officially announced. As you see the “Noktor” name is gone and so the not so nice green ring you always saw on the lens (now it’s black).

PRESS RELEASE
NEW: THE SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6
SLR Magic expands its micro four thirds lineup with new ultra wide angle lens

Hong Kong, China (November 11, 2011) – SLR Magic expands the micro four thirds lens lineup with the new SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6 ultra wide angle lens. With this latest addition, the portfolio of lenses for the micro four thirds system is now comprised of five focal lengths. The world’s fastest lens in this focal length, the SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6 will be available in November 2011.
The field of view of this new HyperPrime Lens corresponds to a 24mm lens in 35mm format and this ultra fast wide angle of view opens up many new creative composition opportunities, particularly in the fields of interior, architectural and landscape cinematography and photography. Additionally, an ultra fast max aperture of F1.6 makes the SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6 ideal for available-light photography.
We place our highest priority in the development of all HyperPrime lenses to fulfill the demands of professional cinematographers and photographers. The design and build of the SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6 is solid and reliable.
The SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6 will be available from authorized SLR Magic dealers end November 2011.

Technical Data of the SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm F1.6
Lens Type: Ultra Fast wide-angle lens with three Tantalum glass elements to ensure superior cinematic performance.
Compatible Cameras: All micro four thirds mount cameras
Optical Design: 12 elements in 10 groups
Distance Settings: Distance range: 0.15m to ∞, combined scale meter/feet
Aperture: Manually controlled diaphragm, 12 aperture blades (circular), Lowest value 11
Bayonet: micro four thirds
Filter Mount: internal thread for SLR Magic 58/77 RING (optional) lens hood for 77mm filter; filter mount does not rotate.
Lens Hood: SLR Magic 58/77 RING (optional)
Surface Finish: Black anodized
Dimensions:
Length to bayonet mount: approx. 73/81mm (approx. 2.87 /3.18in) (without/with lens hood)
Largest diameter: approx. 60/79mm (approx. 2.36 / 3.11in) (without/with lens hood)
Weight: approx. 330g (approx. 11.64oz)

Andrew Chan
Product Manager

List of all lens reviews
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/10/20/the-slr-magic-12mm-f1-6-hyperprime-lens-review-for-micro-43-by-steve-huff/
http://www.thephoblographer.com/2011/10/09/review-slr-magic-noktor-12mm-f1-6-for-micro-four-thirds/
http://bertstephani.com/2011/10/05/rso-first-impressions-noktor-hyperprime-12mm-1-6/
http://bertstephani.com/2011/11/07/rso-slr-magic-12mm-1-6-hyperprime/
http://www.beeldlab.nl/new-noktor-hyperprime-12mm-1-6/
http://www.eoshd.com/content/4435/slr-magic-noktor-12mm-f1-6-gh2
http://web.me.com/deepravine/Don_Ravine,_Photographer/A_Deeper_Perspective/Entries/2011/10/13_SLR_Magic_Noktor’s_new_HyperPrime_12mm_f1.6_micro_four_thirds_lensPart_One%3A_First_Impressions.html
http://theeditman.com/blogg/2011/11/03/NewLensSLRMagicHyperprime1216.aspx
http://implausibleblog.com/2011/11/04/slr-magic-12mm-f1-6/
http://3d-kraft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=105:slrmagic-hyperprime-12mm-f1-6review&catid=40:camerasandlenses&Itemid=2

Video test by Adam Troup from Scotland
http://vimeo.com/31696376

Video test by Bob Gundu from Canada:
http://vimeo.com/30872948

Video test by Seb farges from France:
Video comparison with Olympus 12mm f2: http://vimeo.com/30233622
Day Test: http://vimeo.com/30097165 Night test : http://vimeo.com/30165718