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ePhotozine (Click here) compared the Olympus E-P2 and Fuji X100 image quality at ISO 100. What do you think? The X100 shows a very sharp and detailed image!
You can get the Fuji X100 at Adorama, Amazon UK and [shoplink 19929 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].
Olympus E-P2 at [shopcountry 14830].
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Now it’s becoming very unfair! While we europeans can get the Olympus 40-150mm lens for over 250 Euro only you US guys can get it for $150 (110 Euro) only!!! Check out BHphoto (Click here) to get the lens. That price makes it the cheapest Micro Four Ghirds lens on market. And we are not talking about a bad quality lens. DiwaLabs and SLRgear alredy tested the lens and said that it has an “excellent performance”. If those price drops will continue next month you will only have to buy a coffee for the BHphoto storekeeper to get the lens for free :)
Check the price and availability of the lens at [shopcountry 15864].
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A short update from our sources about the future Panasonic lenses. Panasonic should release three new and two reworked lenses within 2011. One of the new lenses is the 25mm f/1.4 that will be released soon. Another two new lenses should be announced in August (one wide angle lens and a tele lens). Two current lenses will be updated. The 7-14mm lens (with OIS) and a second lens (the source didn’t tell me what lens).
Reminder: Panasonic will have an announcement in April and we hope to receive more info about that soon! Olympus will announce new lenses in late May/early June.
Links:
The current Panasonic 7-14mm f/4.0 at [shopcountry 14822].
The current 25mm f/1.4 Four Thirds lens at [shopcountry 16340]
Gianni Galassi (Click here) is a well known italian photographer and he started to use the [shoplink 14830]E-P2[/shoplink] instead of the [shoplink 14828]GF1[/shoplink]: “The main reason of this purchase is the poor definition of my Panasonic GF1 electronic viewfinder. I tend to use bigger focal lengths lately, so I can’t risk to get motion-blurred photographs by holding the camera with my arms stretched out -which is a good way to frame with wide angles, on the other hand-. I need a “real” eyepiece so that I can push the unit onto my face and fine-tune my framing with no shake. And, most of all, with the capability to reliably manual-focus, when required.”
He likes the Olympus cameras a lot but there are some complains:
“-Why in the hell the live view system of the E-P2 cannot visualize the EV alterations set by the photographer? No matter how I tweak aperture values in manual mode, or exposure compensation in any mode, the displayed image remains the same and, worst of all, even the histogram doesn’t show any change (which makes the histogram display totally senseless). This function is implemented in most (and cheaper) compact cameras. Why E-P2 users aren’t entitled to it, whereas [shoplink 18844]E-PL2[/shoplink] (fortunately) are?
-Why in the hell the endless E-P2 and E-PL2 menus don’t allow users to configure live-view screen according to their needs? For example, I can not have the histogram and the grid shown in the same view, nor I can move the histogram wherever I’d like it to be. No, I’m obliged to toggle between different modes by countlessly pushing the “display” button: it’s crazy.
-Why in the hell the E-P2 histogram is so big it hides most of the framed image, whereas the E-PL2 one is so poorly outlined that I have to guess what it says?
-Why in the hell the button layout of the E-PL2 is so totally (and crazily) different from the E-P2? Do those cameras belong to different lineups? Perhaps Olympus designers have fun every time I mistake the “menu” button for the “info” button, or the “playback” button for the “trash can” button. Or maybe Olympus R&D department is outsourced (an euphemism for “subcontracted”) to anonymous (and different) external camera makers, with no coordination or briefing coming out of the brand’s management?
-Why in the hell the “Fn” button configurability is restricted to such a few options?
-Why in the hell the [shoplink 21035]VF-2 electronic viewfinder[/shoplink], notwithstanding its price, has got to be so flimsy and poorly built?
-Why in the hell the two cameras don’t share the same battery (and charger) notwithstanding their identical battery size?”
Read the full article at Gianni Galassi’s website (Click here).
What do you think?
Links to the discussed Micro Four Thirds products:
VF-2 electronic viewfinder at [shopcountry 21035].
Olympus E-P2 at [shopcountry 14830].
Olympus E-PL2 at [shopcountry 18844].
Panasonic GF1 at [shopcountry 14828].
Sorry if I had to post two DEALS related posts one after another but I just saw a deal the US readers can’t miss. The Panasonic GH2 with 14-140mm lens is in Stock at Amazon (Click here). It’s the first time I see that combination in Stock at Amazon for the normal price ($1499). It’s sold and shipped by Amazon itself!
UPDATE: Deal is DEAD now!
P.S.: There are now over ten Fuji X100 cameras on auction on [shoplink 19929 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. All priced over $2000!!!
What happened with Noktor? A year ago they launched their Noktor 50mm f/0.95 lens for Micro Four Thirds but the lens is out of Stock since May of last year. I tried to contact them but I didn’t get any answer. So I am asking you if you were able to get some news. It’s impossible to find that lens on [shoplink 15629 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] or in any other store. The website itself hasn’t been updated since a long time! it’s a bit pity because they really had a good start with a lot of viral advertising on forums and blogs. It was the first non Olympus/Panasonic lens with Micro Four Thirds mount and it has that amazing f/0.95 aperture (although the image quality is low). I am surprised to see that they stopped to ship the lens without any explanation.
Check out: http://noktor.com/
There are many other 50mm f/0.95 lenses on eBay but you need an adapter to use them and they are expensive:
– Navitron 50mm f/0.95 for $700 [shoplink 21028]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
– Canon 50mm f/0.95 for $2500 on [shoplink 21030]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
– Schneider 50mm f/0.95 for $4500 on [shoplink 21029]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
– Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M for over $10000 (!) on [shoplink 21031]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
At least in US Olympus is playing a very aggressive pricing against the immediate competition. The Olympus E-PL2 just dropped by $40-50 on Amazon (Click here). The price now is $549 ($560 for the black model). That’s $150 less than the price of the Panasonic GF2 (Click here) and Sony NEX-5 (Click here). There is only one compact mirrorless camera that costs less, the Samsung NX100 (Click here). But for some reasons you might can explain it is not selling well. It has to be seen if Panasonic and Sony will “react” and lower the price too. In Europe the price difference between those cameras is very minimal. They all cost around 500 Euro.
Check price differences for yourself:
Olympus E-PL2 at [shopcountry 18844].
Panasonic GF2 at [shopcountry 17361].
Sony NEX-5 at [shopcountry 20638].
Samsung NX100 at [shopcountry 20762].
P.S.: I didn’t mention the NEX-3 because it has been discontinued at (Check [shopcountry 21021]).
