CameraLabs 8-18mm review: “easy to highly recommend”

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CameraLabs tested the new Leica 8-18mm MFT lens:

The Leica may not be quite as sharp in the corners as the Olympus 7-14mm at wide apertures and it also lacks the constant f2.8 focal ratio, but in turn it’s smaller, lighter and cheaper. It also out-performs the older Lumix 7-14mm f4, while mostly avoiding the purple flare issues of that model. Throw in quick and quiet focusing, and a weather-sealed body with smooth focus and zoom rings and you have a lens that’s easy to highly recommend. It’s become my favourite ultra-wide zoom for Panasonic and Olympus bodies, and a tempting upgrade for owners of the Lumix 7-14mm f4 or Olympus 9-18mm.

Leica 8-18mm lens at  Adorama, BHphoto, Panasonic and Amazon. In Europe at Amazon.de.

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a bit of everything…

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Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4 Lens Unboxing & Test With Panasonic G85

Recommended Lenses for Shooting the Solar Eclipse on Any Budget (Explora).
Litra Led Lights, Cine Gear 2017 (Personal View interview).
Radiant Images 360 camera, Cine Gear 2017 (Video by Personal View)
Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Does Form Follow Function? (Photofocus).
A Portrait Photography Study with Swords and Light (Adorama Learning Center)
DigiKam 5.6 released (Mirrorlessrumors).

Plenty of news on the facebook E-M1II group and the GH5 group.

 

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Full set of E-M5 with lenses and accessories made of paper!

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Believe it or not, the OM-D E-M5, lenses, and accessories you see here are all made entirely of paper. Japanese paper artist Kamihasami (which means “Paper-scissors” in Japanese), wanted to see how far his paper-handling skills could go, so he used his spare time over three months to design, cut, and paste together an entire Olympus camera system, complete with battery charger and underwater case. The lenses can actually be attached to the OM-D body. His efforts paid off, and he won an award in the 26th Kamiwaza Grand Prix, which recognizes some of Japan’s greatest works of paper art. Click on the images (taken with his OM-D E-M5, of course) to see the incredible detail. Kamihasami did Olympus engineers proud.

Kamihasami website: http://www.kamihasami.com/
Kamiwaza Grand Prix website (Japanese only): https://www.tt-paper.co.jp/pam/kamiwaza/

via Olympus OMD

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a bit of everything…(GH5 underwater in Hawaii)

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Lumix LX10

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm F1.7 sample gallery (Dpreview).
Slow-Motion? Underwater? GH5? Hawaii? Yes Please (Wexphotographic).
New Gear from Tiffen: More than Just Filters (Explora).
Best Mirrorless Cameras for Travel Photography (Adorama Learning Center)
How to build a photo portfolio that gets you noticed (CameraJabber).
Giffords circus – a close encounter with the OMD E-m1 mark II (Olympus Imagespace).
Pro Capture On The Olympus E-M1 Mark II (Thewanderinglensman)

Plenty of news on the facebook E-M1II group and the GH5 group.

 

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Download for free: Beta version of Luminar for Windows!

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Macphun has released a free public beta version of their soon to be launched Luminar for Windows. You can download here. Press text:

Macphun makes free public beta of Luminar for Windows available for download
Macphun debuts its first-ever software for the PC, heralding a new era of cross-platform solutions for photographers

San Diego, CA – July 13, 2017 — Macphun, the California-based developer known for delivering award-winning products for Mac, today launched the free public beta of its award-winning photo editor Luminar for Windows. To download the beta, please visit macphun.com/beta.

Luminar is a powerful photo editor designed to tackle anyone’s photography needs, from correcting challenging image problems to artful stylizing. Users can choose between levels of image processing complexity based on their experience, and adapt the workspace controls to their skill level, moving up to more advanced modes as they learn. Luminar works in non-destructive fashion and aims to take “work” from photo editing “workflow” for photographers worldwide.

In April, only 5 months after its launch, Luminar for Mac won the prestigious TIPA award for Best Imaging Software 2017. This all-in-one photo editor is a cutting-edge solution for creating fascinating images without extra hassle. Luminar includes over 300 robust tools that make fixing, editing and perfecting a photo as easy as moving a slider.

“We are thrilled to release our first PC product today and give photography enthusiasts around the world the first taste of our best-selling Mac product,” said Kevin La Rue, Vice-President at Macphun. “By test-driving Luminar for Windows, beta testers can help shape our software and make the final release a perfect fit for everyone,” concluded La Rue.

The public beta is free of charge and already matches some of the most important features of Luminar, such as the newest and most advanced tool developed by Macphun’s Research and Development Lab – the Accent AI Filter, powered by artificial intelligence technology. The filter allows anyone to create stunning images with a single slider, substituting for dozens of traditional controls like shadows, highlights, contrast, tone, saturation, exposure, details and many others.

Admittedly, several features from the Mac version of Luminar remain in development for the Windows platform, among them workspaces, plug-in integration, object removal, noise reduction, and more. As these are completed, the public beta will be updated regularly leading to a full cross-platform release late in 2017.

Key features of the Luminar for Windows public beta:

Adaptive user interface – Exactly matching the Mac version, the software adapts to the skill level and preferences of the photographer.
One-click presets – Over 50 pre-defined styles for every photography style.
Photo Editing Filters – Over 40 custom filters, each with built-in visual tips and a unique set of easy-to-use controls for correcting, enhancing and stylizing images.
RAW file conversion – Support for the latest RAW file libraries.
Non-destructive workflow – Edit without fear.

Recommended System Requirements – Windows 10, Core i5 2.2 or better, 8GB RAM, 1GB GPU RAM, SSD with 20+GB free space.

Software download here.

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