As you know I am on vacation in Tuscany. I still working on rumors and news but it is not funny having such slow Internet connection. The good news is that my leg is healing and I can almost walk normally. I am a little bit frustrated because I lost almost the entire summer because of the broken ligament. I was supposed to travel to Ghana first and Malawi than (for work). NIET!
Once back from my vacation (soon) I will work fulltime on 43rumors. There is still a lot to do! I am finally getting very good rumors and I bet we will have an exciting time all together ;)

What I am expecting from Photokina? I don’t need a new MFT camera. The Olympus E-P1 is good enough for my needs. The 17mm f/2.8 is perfect for everyday use and the Noktor 50mm is also nice for low-light shots. But I would love to see some nice fast MFT primes ;)

In the meanwhile I am sharing some unprocessed and very simple images. Here is where I am now :)

Have a nice weekend 43rumors folks!

Me

Cosina-Voigtlaender just announced the newHeliar classic 75mm f/1.8. Expected release in September with a price of ¥ 75,000 ($880 or Euro 700). That’s a lot cheaper than the APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 Aspherical Lens or the even more expensive .

Focal length / 75mm
Aperture ratio / 1:1.8
Minimum aperture / F16
Lens Construction / Angle of group 6 3 / 33.2 °
Number of diaphragm blades / Minimum focusing distance pieces 10 / 0.9m
Integration range rangefinder / ∞ ~ 0.9m
Diameter × length / φ57.9 × 73.8mm
Filter size / φ52mm
M-Mount / VM mount lens hood / hood attached can reverse

The new AF-S and AF-1 flashguns are now available for FourThirds cameras. Detailed product descirptions are available at Metz.de

The creator of CameraKompare (J.D. Hodges) sent me following text:

“I’ve just released a new free update to Camera Kompare which includes the Panasonic LX5 and 24 other new cameras, plus optimizations for the iPhone 4 retina display.

Now I need to decide which features to implement first in the next free update. Your readers seem to have a really good grasp of what they’d like to see in a mobile camera app, so their feedback would definitely help me improve the app!”

 Loading ...

*This will increase the app download size from approx 12MB to approx 34MB.

NOTE 1 APERTURE – the next version (1.3) will compare apertures between cameras with fixed lenses (since it’s a definite include, that’s why it’s not on the poll).
NOTE 2 LENS COMPARE – How useful would a interchangeable lens comparison feature be? The idea would be that users could compare for example the 17mm Olympus m43 lens vs. the Panasonic 20mm m43 lens etc. If readers care to leave comments on this, that would help me gauge interest (it’s not in the poll b/c this feature will take a while and wouldn’t make it into the next immediate upgrade).
NOTE 3 ANDROID – if you’d like to see an Android version, please leave a note in the comments!

Thanks in advance to all your awesome readers!!!

Mirrorlessforum is currently collecting readers questions to Olympus and Panasonic: “Next month in Germany two big events will take place: The IFA in Berlin (September 3rd – 8th) and the photokina in Cologne (September 21st – 26th). All manufacturers will use these opportunities to present new products. Of course we will visit both events and will have interviews with product managers at Panasonic and Olympus.”

Feel free to add yours on http://mirrorlessforum.com/panasonic-g1-g2-g10-gh1-gf1/2419-ifa-photokina-your-questions-olympus-panasonic.html

Like every year EISA (european imaging and sound association) assigned the prices for the best products 2010-2011.

Olympus won the following prizes:
European Micro System Lens 2010-2011 – [shoplink 14818]Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm F4-5.6[/shoplink] European All-Weather Compact Camera 2010-2011 – Olympus µ Tough-8010

Panasonic won the following prizes:
European Multimedia Camera 2010-2011 – [shoplink 14834]Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2[/shoplink] European Travel Compact Camera 2010-2011 – Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10

PRESS RELEASE

Olympus Puts Purchasing Power In The Hands Of Consumers With Robust New E-Commerce Site

The Olympus Store’s Live Chat and Advanced Search Make Online Shopping Fun and Easier Than Ever Before

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., August 9, 2010 – Today, Olympus Imaging America Inc. is proud to announce the launch of the Olympus Store, a new, e-commerce website that makes shopping for Olympus products fun and easier than ever before. The site is easy to navigate and helps consumers find the right product by giving them access to knowledgeable customer care representatives, through live chat, e-mail and phone support. In the future, the e-commerce website will offer consumer reviews and recommendations on what products would best fit their lifestyles. At the Olympus Store you will enjoy a hearty shopping experience, utilizing the site to research and purchase a wide selection of products, including digital cameras, lenses, underwater housings, audio devices, binoculars and limitedly available accessories, allowing you to capture it all.

The Olympus Store has a variety of other features to make shopping simple, including:

* Advanced search capability to find the right product in a flash;
* An account dashboard to keep track of multiple orders and view past order history; and
* A wish list that enables visitors to choose and highlight their ideal Olympus presents, making gift shopping a breeze for their friends and family.

“Through every step of the purchase process, the Olympus Store makes shopping fun and easy by giving people all the facts they need to make an informed purchase,” said Dan Mastellon, vice president—operations, customer care and repair, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “With Live Chat, visitors to the site can instantly communicate with a customer care representative who will answer questions and help with selections. The site also lists accessories that can sometimes be hard to find making it a one-stop shopping experience for our customers.”

To access the Olympus Store and start the e-shopping adventure, please click here: https://us.buyolympus.com/.

Found via Photographyblog

The release of the Sony NEX cameras boosted the mirrorless market share up to 40% (in Japan). Interesting to see that MicroFourThirds didn’t gain any market share but they also didn’t lose anything because of the NEX cameras. Does it mean there is still room for growth? It would be nice to know the market share in Europe and US (My guess is that it is 15-20%).

Let’s see if Photokina will boost the mirrorless success story…

Source: Mirrorlessrumors