Samyang launched the new 100mm macro lens in two versions. You can read all about them here:
100mm f/2.8 macro at Syopt.com. Preorder now at Amazon (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).
100mm T/3.1 macro Cine version at Syopt.com. Preorder now at Amazon (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).

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found via Dicahub.

You can now share your photos at the Four Thirds Day page at four-thirds.org/en/special/fourthirdsday.html:

To commemorate Four Thirds’ Day (April 3), we will be hosting an online photo exhibition in showcasing the photos you take on Four Thirds Day.
Just take pictures using your Four Thirds lens or Micro Four Thirds lens on April 3, 2015, and share them with everyone
around the world. All photos posted will later be exhibited on the Four Thirds website. Take pictures of whatever you want –
stunning landscapes, your favorite places or things, or things that happen to you during the day.
Be part of a worldwide celebration of photography and share your joy of photography with people around the world
through your photos.

Right on April 1 (what a day to announce a new product) Rokinon released a new 100mm f/2.8 macro Micro Four Thirds lens. You can already preorder it at BHphoto (Click here).

Here comes the full official presentation text:

Home in on close-up subjects with the Micro Four Thirds mount 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens from Rokinon, which affords life-size 1:1 magnification along with a minimum focusing distance of 1′. This manual focus portrait-length lens also incorporates one high refractive index element and one extra-low dispersion element into its design to reduce chromatic aberrations and distortions throughout the focusing range. An Ultra Multi-Coating has also been applied to minimize flare and ghosting for increase contrast and color neutrality. A long focal length lens with close focusing abilities and a high magnification ratio, this macro lens is ideal for making close-up, detailed images of nearby subjects.

This 100mm f/2.8 lens features a Micro Four Thirds mount, and is compatible with Micro Four Thirds sensors where it will provide a 200mm equivalent focal length.

A bright f/2.8 maximum aperture is useful for working in a variety of lighting conditions and the minimum f/32 aperture helps to attain a long depth of field when working with close-up subjects.

One high refractive index element and one extra-low dispersion element help to control chromatic aberrations and minimize distortions throughout the focusing and aperture ranges.

An Ultra Multi-Coating has been applied to lens elements to reduce lens flare and ghosting for increased clarity, contrast, and color fidelity.

Featuring a macro design, this lens affords a 1:1 maximum magnification ratio along with a minimum focusing distance of 1′.

Benefitting working with especially close subjects, this manual focus lens features an internal focus design to maintain the overall lens length during use. Additionally, the front filter mount does not rotate when focusing to better enable the use of polarizers, graduated ND, and other filter types that require precise positioning.

A rounded nine-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing out-of-focus quality when using selective focus or shallow depth of field techniques.

More info and preorders at BHphoto (Click here).

Reuters reports that Sony has sold 50% of their Olympus stakes. The company share Sony owns now dropped from 10% down to 5%. Sony said this will not affect the partnership with Olympus. But Sony needed the money to make new investments in their profitable sensor and Playstation business.

I don’t know what kind of effect this will have on the digital camera business of the two companies. So far we haven’t seen any major collaboration project so far. Even the A7II image stabilization system is completely different from the one used by the E-M5II…

Goodbye No More (4K Street Video) – GH4 and Atomos Shogun from Nick Driftwood on Vimeo.

Olympus OMD EM10 Short Review at Yannickkhong.com.
Stunning photos (with MFT cameras) of the American desert from an Instagram artist who just raised $13,000 (Businessinsider).
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5 II And The M4/3 ‘Benefits’ (Soundimagesplus).
2.5K BMCC Gets Compressed RAW Recording – How Much Does it Save? (Cinema5d).
Smart cap for the LX100 (DC.watch).
E-M5II test at Polish Optyczne.

Dario Viola‎: “Gh4, Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 , Panasonic 7-14mm f4, Carbon Fiber Jib. https://vimeo.com/123280243“

The Mirrorless Party 2015

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II review at DigitalCameraWorld.
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5 II – The Bad News – Manual Focusing 3rd. Party Lenses (Soundimagesplus).
Reader Comment: Olympus E-M5 Mark II High-Res Mode (Diglloyd).
E-M5II test at Mynavi Japan.
Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II: Hi-Res Sensor Shift Mode vs Standard-res, NOISE Compared (Diglloyd).
11 tips for capturing Sping at Olympus.
Setting Up Back Button Focus for Olympus OM-D (TheDigitalStory).

Mesq: “This musical youtube channel, only use M43 cameras, GH2, Gh3 and GH4. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ju1UFNx1VI“

Mirrorlessons published the content of an interview with Mark Baber from Panasonic UK.

1) 4K acceptance by customers: “The reaction has been incredible. Many object by saying they’ve been shooting video for years but they’ve never had this quality.”

2) 8k: “We have to be very careful as a manufacturer that we don’t confuse the customer by bringing in 8K in tomorrow. I think 8K will be the future a good few years from now but it will target a higher broadcast level.”

3) Video and Stills: “The culture of consumers is changing and we’re in the marketplace to help them understand that we have a system made up of high-performing stills camera. But because of our heritage and legacy of being predominantly focussed on video, we’re never going to get away from that. I actually think that gives us a platform to shout even more about and Sony have got the same kind of opportunity.”

4) About mirrorless “perception”: “There isn’t any snobbery when it comes to buying a mirrorless system anymore.”

5) About a possible PRO service program: “I think that with the changes in our technology and game-changing products like the GH4, there’s a huge overlap between consumer and broadcast. I can’t tell you unfortunately if professional support is happening or not but if we continue to produce these kinds of products, it makes sense that we would do something like that”

6) About the GH4 firmware update: “I don’t know what the limits are of the GH4 but I suspect our engineers are currently working on something that will enhance our cameras for existing users and new users. But at the same time, we don’t want to release firmware updates just for the sake of it. It may be that the GH4 is at its limit. I don’t think it is, but again that’s my own personal opinion. “