Panasonic today announces the new firmware updates for the interchangeable lens Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm / F4.0-5.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. and the camera DMC-G2 of LUMIX G Micro System. The included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition is also going to be updated.
Firmware Ver.1.3 for LUMIX G VARIO HD 14-140mm / F4.0-5.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S.
Improved AF performance in speed is available
Reduced start-up time (lens)
Firmware Ver.1.1 for DMC-G2
Compatibility with the new interchangeable 3D lens LUMIX G 12.5mm / F12 (H-FT012)
PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition (Ver.1.1)
Compatibility with the image shot with DMC-G2 and the new interchangeable 3D lens LUMIX G 12.5mm / F12 (H-FT012) for loading and sorting the 3D image or converting it to 2D image or writing it back to the SD Memory Card.
The Firmware Ver.1.3 for Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm / F4.0-5.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. will be released at the beginning of October, 2010 and the Firmware Ver.1.1 for DMC-G2 and PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition update program will be available in November 2010.
Our friends from ForumOlympusFrance found the Olympus has firmware update! The update on following lenses “Improves sequential shooting speed on E-5 cameras.”
Quesabesde just published following text:
“After the traffic generated by the interview published yesterday by QUESABESDE.COM, we have been contacted by Olympus to clarify some ideas explained in the interview. The translation to different languages seems to have distorted the original meaning – according to the company.
This morning Miquel Angel Garcia stated during a conversation on the Olympus photokina booth: “Of course we will not stop the production of Four Thirds lenses of our current catalogue”
The original statement included the words “right now” – and Olympus wants to emphasize this temporal term. In other words, although there are no Four Thirds lenses currently under development, it does not mean that there will be no future lenses based on this technology.
“We are currently concentrating on developing Micro Four Thirds lenses, but the Four Thirds System Technology is alive and we will use it whenever necessary”, they insist.
In line with this, the company underlines its commitment to the E-System users. As an example, the spokesperson reminded us that even today Olympus just launched a firmware update for some of its professional lenses which promises a much better performance with E-5.”
That’s good news!
43rumors thanks Olympus for the clarification.
Keep following us! We will update this post with all links to reviews, hands-on, images samples and more! Feel free to send me links to interesting stuff. Thanks!
PREORDERS:
[shoplink 16254]Amazon (Click here to preorder now!!!)[/shoplink]
WHAT’S HOT!!!:
– Body only option is available!!! +option with 14-42mm or [shoplink 14802]14-140mm[/shoplink] kit lens!
– The 1080i output is derived from 60p or 50p capture, rather than doubled-up from 24p or 25p on the GH1!
– 1080 60i with variable frame rate (80%,160%,200%,300%)!!!
– 24p native option available at 24 Mbps AVCHD
– 40fps mode using electronic shutter mode
– In Germany the price will be 900.- EUR for body-only. With the kit lens (14-42mm) will be about 1000.- EUR and twith the 14-140mm zoom lens about 1550.- EUR. According to Enagdget “The GH2 will ship in black and silver by “early December,” with a body-only model going for $899.95, a 14-42mm bundle going for $999.95 and a 14-140mm bundle for $1,499.95.”
– 3CPU In order to achieve high quality processing. Compared to the conventional engine with 2CPU it boasts the power of approximately 1.8 times.
– LVF has 0.71× magnification (1.42 × 0.5)
– It can do 3D
– 3 new lenses: 14mm, 100-300mm and the 3D lens. The 14mm lens will be available late October. The other two by early November.
SPECS and INTERESTING NOTES:
– First preview on DPreview
– Akihabara has been the first to report the GH2 press release: “Announced to be sold in Japan later this october, the GH2 comes with a 16.05Mpix Live MOS Censor, direct support of 3D video! Full HD Video recording at 60fps (1080/60i), Video with AF (like on the [shoplink 14826]GH1[/shoplink]), SDXC Support, an ISO Speed from 160 to 12800, and an impressive ultra fast AF capable to give you the correct focus in just 0.1sec.“. It also has a 460,000 dot 3-inch wide-view touch panel and 1.5 M dot EVF. 5fps.
– First image samples on Panasonic website: click here and here!
– Special digital zoom in FHD – 2.6x and 3.9x in other modes. Shooting still during video (with evry small video freeze).
– Panasonic will produce 5,000 units per month. Is that enough? :)
– The official Panasonic GH2 page on Panasonic Japan websites
PREVIEWS and HANDS-ON
First preview on DPreview
Test on SystemKameraForum (you need a registration and test is in german!)
KEY DIFFERENCES COMPARED TO THE [shoplink 14826]GH1[/shoplink]:
* New sensor with 18.3 million total pixels
* ISO range 160 – 12800 vs 100-6400 form the GH1
* Sensor outpus of 1080p at 60 or 50 fps (GH1 24 or 25 fps)
* Faster sensor read-out promises faster AF and smoother viewfinder image (less tearing)
* Larger EVF (852 x 600 rather than 800 x 600 pixels)
* Touch-sensitive LCD screen
* New, more modern looking menu screens
* G2-style combined AF mode/pattern control on top plate
* Direct movie shooting button moved to top plate from rear of camera
* Control dial moved from front of handgrip to rear of camera
* Dedicated metering and ‘film mode’ buttons replaced by highly customizable Fn buttons
* Q menu button moved from top plate to rear of camera
* New battery (DMW-BLC12E) with fractionally smaller capacity (1200mAh vs 1250mAh)
* Slightly heavier (394g compared to 385g body only)
USER REACTIONS:
GH2 official discussion thread at DVXuser-forum (With the GH1 hacker as moderator!) E-P1.net
IMAGE SAMPLES:
More images samples on Panasonic.net
On Panasonic website: click here and here!
VIDEO SAMPLES:
Presentation by Panasonic Germany on Youtube
First video samples on Panasonics Japan!
GH2 first look on youtube
UPDATE: Quesabesde (google english translation) had a small talk with Miguel Garcia (Marketing Managing Director Olympus Europe). He confirmed that “we are not developing more Four Thirds optics” He also said: “It is true that perhaps the E-5 lacks specifications to some expectations, but you just can not give everything“.
The german website Systemkameraforum followed the Olympus press conference at Photokina.
The most important news:
1) Miguel Garcia (Marketing Managing Director Olympus Europe) said the focus is on MicroFourThirds
2) the Olympus E-5 is NOT the last Olympus FourThirds camera
3) There will be a professional MicroFourThirds camera at 2011
4) The low-end MicroFOurThirds cameras will also be updated in 2011
5) Prime lenses will come in 2011 “We can assure that in 2011 we are going to launch very interesting Micro Four Thirds lenses. Spectaculars for all levels, not only for the consumer market.”
6) There will be new features like “Geotagging”
Olympus just announced the development of the new high-end compact camera (for enthusiasts) with fixed lens.
Quesabesde has been told that it will use a fast zoom lens. Quesabesde assumes the lens will start at least at 28 mm. It will not use a MicroFourThirds sensor! It has a fixed 3 inch screen, a button to record their own video and HDMI connections. SO it looks like we have to do with a camera that is aimed to compete against the Panasonic LX5 and Canon S90/95.
UPDATE: CNET Asia “spoke to Olympus Singapore, who told us that this camera is expected to have a zoom lens and a large sensor like the LX5. It also confirmed this shooter won’t employ a Four Thirds sensor.”
Let me say this: “Damn that is a cool camera!”. Fuji just announced the FinePix X100, a rangefinderstyled 12.3MP APS-C-based camera with Hybrid Viewfinder! The “Hybrid Viewfinder that enables users to toggle between optical and electronic viewfinders and display intricate shooting information right into the OVF” (Source: Engadget). That’s what I call “Innovation”! I hope Olympus and/or Panasonic will show us a similar concept soon (Hey Olympus, wouldn’t that be a perfect PEN? You did awesome rangfindercameras in the past like the [shoplink 16136]Olympus RC (Click here to see the camera design on eBay[/shoplink]!). The bad news is that it uses a fixed 23mm f/2.0 lens (The lens itself is gorgeous). There is no price indication yet but you can bet that that camera will be a lot cheaper than the direct competitor the Leica X1 ($1.995 at Amazon)!. The FinePix X100 will be in Stock by early 2011.
P.S: Again, can someone explain me why Fuji uses a fixed lens? Why not make it interchangeable???
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