Get sharp shots with the Panasonic LUMIX 100-300mm f4-5.6 G MFT Lens

Olympus 75mm lens tested at Photographyblog and Thedigitalstory.
Panasonic GH3 review at ThePhoBlographer.
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS tested at Dpreview.
E-P5 image samples at Fotopolis.
Les Rencontres d’Arles et Olympus (Focus Numerique).
ZZ top testing the OMD (Facebook).
There is a new Apple Digital Camera RAW update on OSX that adds support for the G6 and GF6.
Silkypix added support for the E-P5

Mathieu: “I just wanted to share an article I wrote about using the Olympus OM-D E-M5 as my primary work camera, and how I made the switch from DSLRs. The article covers a number of possible work scenarios including weddings, event reportage and theatrical performances. http://www.bestmirrorlesscamerareviews.com/2013/07/02/mirrorless-on-the-job-episode-1-working-with-the-olympus-om-d-e-m5-as-my-primary-camera/”

Rohith Thumati: “I just published a post comparing the Leica X2, Fujifilm X100S, and Olympus 17mm. It is probably a more controversial post than my last one :)
thumati.com/chronicle/x2-x100s-olympus17mm-test”

Worldwide shipments of DSLR and MR like cameras

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Vitaly from Personal View (Click here) analyzed the worldwide shipment data from Japanese companies and made those graphs.

It looks to me that the Mirrorless sales are stagnating while DSLR is doing pretty well. I have not the experience to tell you why it is so. Certainly Mirrorless lacks in some areas like:

– missing FF mirrorless cameras (except of course the super expensive Leica M niche).
– people perception that “Bigger is Better”.
– Nikon and Canon conservative approach to the mirrorless world.
– Limited marketing resources of companies like Panasonic-Olympus-Pentax compared to Canon-Nikon impressive PR machine.
– limited lens range compared to DSLR systems.
– lack of optical viewfinder tech (except Fuj X PRO 1 hybrid solution).

Shipping by type in Americas and Europe.

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If things will keep going like that Panasonic and Olympus may should consider to reinvest in the DSLR business. Although I don’t think that’s their plan (at least for now). Olympus is supposed to launch a new E-5 successor in early September while Panasonic quietly stepped out of the DSRL market. Maybe they should just make Mirrorless cameras…bigger? ;)

More graphs at Personal View (Click here).

If you own Nikon G lenses you can finally grab the just launched Speed Booster adapter for MFT! It’s in Stock on Metabones website. This si their second adapter for Micro Four Thirds after the Leica R version. And soon to come is the third adapter for OM lenses. The Metabones adapter may be pricey but do deliver a far better quality than the Lens Turbo (coming soon) or Vizelex (in Stock at Amazon) alternatives.

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Click on the link to check the OM lens price and auctions on eBay: [shoplink 28869 ebay]21mm f/2.0 and 21mm f/3.5 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28870 ebay]24mm f/2.0 and 24mm f/2.8 and 24mm f/3.5 shift lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28871 ebay]28mm f/2.0 and 28mm f/2.8 and 28mm f/3.5 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28872 ebay]35mm f/2.0 and 35mm f/2.8 and 35mm f/2.8 shift lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28873 ebay]40mm f/2.0 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28874 ebay]50mm f/1.2 and 50mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/2.0 macro and 50mm f/3.5 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28876 ebay]55mm f/3.5 macro lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28880 ebay]85mm f/2.0 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28881 ebay]90mm f/2.0 macro lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28882 ebay]100mm f/2.0 and 100mm f/2.8 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28884 ebay]135mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/3.5 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28885 ebay]180mm f/2.0 and 180mm f/2.8 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28886 ebay]200mm f/4.0 and 200mm f/5.0 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28887 ebay]250mm f/2.0 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28888 ebay]300mm f/4.5 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28889 ebay]350mm f/2.8 lens[/shoplink],, [shoplink 28890 ebay]400mm f/6.4 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28891 ebay]500mm f/8.0 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28892 ebay]600mm f/6.6 lens[/shoplink], [shoplink 28893 ebay]1000mm f/11 lens[/shoplink].

Michael Woodford and Tsuyoshi Kikukawa (smiling the days before the fraud scandal)

It ended like we expected it: The three Olympus managers that were convicted in the famous Olympus accounting fraud scandal will definitely not go in jail. Engadget reports that Tsuyoshi Kikukawa received a three-year suspended sentence, in light of the fact that he didn’t make the original decision to hide the firm’s financial losses. And Masatoshi Kishimoto and Toshiro Shimoyama, have escaped all charges because, as reported by Kyodo News a couple of months ago, too much time has elapsed since the original crime.

Meantime Michael Woodford the ex-CEO that discovered the fraud wrote a book you can find at Amazon (Click here). More important The Financial Times speculates Woodford got $15.5 million from Olympus to avoid any trial.

The story is now over (from a legal point of view) and Olympus new management has to focus on strengthen the camera business. Let’s hope the soon to be announced new OMD and FT cameras will help them to achieve their goals!

Source: Bloomberg.

Broadcast Asia 2013: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema and 4K camera update from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

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Blackmagic manager confirmed in that video that the new Cinema Pocket Camera will ship this month (July 25 according to BHphoto). Watch out for the postman! :)

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema preorders in USA at Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and in Germany at Technikdirekt, in France at pbs-video. In Sweden at macoteket, scandinavianphoto, protel.jetshop, webhallen.

First news: The Olympus E-P5 superkit (with lens and EVF) is in Stock via third party resellers at Amazon (Click here).

Second news: The brand new Panasonic G6 got tested at DxOmark (Click here). The camera may be new but the sensor is already well known. That’s why it earns the same score of the predecessor. We have to wait for the GX7 to see a brand new sensor in use!

As you all know phase detection focusing is one of the main area of interests that Olympus and Panasonic are focusing on. Particularly Olympus needs that to have full Four Thirds lens support on Micro Four Thirds cameras. And the next MFT cameras are “rumored” to have on sensor phase detection. We already had a couple of cameras from Sony, Canon, Nikon with such AF pixels on sensor. But there was always a trade off. You have to “give-up” some space and therefore sacrifice resolution for the dedicated AF pixels. More AF pixels you add (to increase the AF performance) more RGB pixels you loose. That was the equation until today:

Canon just announced the new 70D ($1199 DSLR). We wouldn’t care about it if there would not be a new amazing feature. The 70D features a “Dual Pixel CMOS AF” sensor. And the amazing thing is that every pixel can do both at the same time: Capture the light for the actual image, and act as phase detection agent! A detailed description can be read at Dpreview: According the Canon the EOS 70D’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF system has the following key characteristics:

• Usable phase detection AF area covers 80% of the frame horizontally and vertically
• AF works at apertures down to F11
• AF works in light levels as low as 0 EV
• Can work with face detection to keep moving subjects in focus

This sounds like a great solution! I am sure Sony sensors will have a similar solution that will be implemented by future Olympus cameras.