Olympus [ib] updated (+40-150mm lens review)

Olympus [ib] version 1.3 has been released today (Download at Olympus Japan). Following features have been added:

– Added the function to upload images to Flickr.
– Added the function to upload movies to YouTube.
– Added the function to upload images to “Private Space” on [ib on the net].
– Added the function to upload images to “Share Space” on [ib on the net].
– Added the function to back up images to “Photo Bank” on [ib on the net].
– Added the function to order online-prints (Photo Print, Photo Book) on [ib on the net].

Meanwhile DC.watch posted a new Olympus 40-150mm lens review. Reminder: The new Olympus Lens is in Stock at Amazon (Black lens) and Adorama (Black and White lens).

Also Hitler complains about the missing 25p for the GH2 (Barry Greens explains why)

Barry Green (DVXuser forum) explains why the Panaosnic didn’t add 25p recording: “I was floored when I asked them where in the world 25p went, and the response I got from one of the Lumix reps from a PAL territory was basically “what are you talking about? It has PAL support, it does 50i!” Because they think they’ve gone beyond that. They offer 50i, 60i, 50p, 60p, and 24p.
It doesn’t help the PAL users who want/need 25p, but … near as I can tell, this is their thinking. They’ve gone and enhanced the camera beyond that stuttery film-look 25p, and added 50i for the “live” video look. And frankly, for the vast majority of their customers, that’s probably true — they will probably prefer that. For PAL users who want 25p, we’re left with either a case of use 720/50p and drop every other frame, or use 1080/24p and speed it up by 4%.

Panasonic GH2 preorders at: Amazon US, BHphoto, Amazon UK, Amazon France.

New worldwide Amazon mirrorless rankings!

Amazon recently added a new bestseller category for mirrrorless cameras! That’s one more proof for the success of such cameras. But there is one BIG mistake. Amazon US names the category “Micro Four Thirds cameras” unlike other Amazon Europe stores where they call it “Compact System Cameras”. Is that a mistake or a Panasonic/Olympus marketing action?

Check out the current rankings:
– Mirrorless camera ranking at Amazon US (Click here)
– Mirrorless camera ranking at Amazon Deutschland (Click here)
– Mirrorless camera ranking at Amazon UK (Click here)
– Mirrorless camera ranking at Amazon France (Click here)

Amazon Canada and Amazon Japan do not offer the new ranking system.

What can we learn from those rankings? Generally spoken Micro Four Thirds is winning the game against Sony and Samsung. In UK and Germany, Samsung is doing surprisingly well and in France the NEX cameras are on top of the list. And the most popular camera is (as usual) the [shoplink 14828]Panasonic GF1[/shoplink].

Transform your Micro Four Thirds camera in a digital Holga.

[shoplink 16969][/shoplink]

I was one of those guys that played some time with the old medium format Holga Pinhole camera. What I didn’t know is that there are [shoplink 16969]Pinhole kits on eBay[/shoplink] that do tranform your Micro Four Thirds camera in a digital Holga. [shoplink 16969]Check out the current auctions on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. You can also find some image samples!

Is the Panasonic AG-AF100 the future of video (and the death of VDSLR)?


Panasonic AF-100 Hi-RES Extended RE-Cut evaluation by CREWS.TV from Yves Simard on Vimeo.

With the release of the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D MarkII (over two years ago) the age of the VDSLR (DSLR with video cameras) began. But according to the director Frank Glencairn that age is already past: “Okay, this is it. VDSLR is dead. It was cool, it was fun, it was great but it was also a major pain in the ass. It´s over. Panasonic came out with the [shoplink 16841]AF100[/shoplink] at IBC and then there is Sony and the Scarlet soon. We finally come back to real camcorders, without moire and all the other problems to deal with. Sorry Zacuto.”

Panasonic is about to release the very first professional (bye bye Sony NEX-VG10), useable (bye bye Canon 5D) and cheap (bye bye RED) big sensor videocamera. I am one those guys that shot documentaries and I really like that camera. That’s why my production company preordered the AG-AF100 ([shoplink 16841]at BHphoto[/shoplink]). It’s great news for the Micro Four Thirds folks (even if you don’t care about video). I hope the success of that camera will push Olympus-Panasonic and other third party lens makers to delivers us new lenses!

A message to our european readers: BHphoto is the only worldwide store accepting preorder. [shoplink 16841]Click here to add the camera to your basket and select your country[/shoplink]. They have an online calculator that tells you how much taxes you have to pay for your country and they will manage all the burocratic stuff!

One more video: http://vimeo.com/15107117

What’s the future for the E-system? (Biofos interviews Terada)

Biofos published a very interesting interview with Mr. Terada from Olympus! De facto Olympus confirms that the classic Four Thirds system will continue and every customer will be supported for a very long time.

This are the most interesting parts of the interview (but please read the complete interview because there is really a  lot of information!):
– Asked if Olympus is contractually tied to Panasonic MR. Tarada answered that “We always look for all possibility to have better product” and “We will choose whatever we think is best for our products. We are free and have selected current sensors as the best ones for our products.
– “We said pixel race was becoming less significant than before, and thought 12MP would be able to satisfy most of the customers. But we are not sticking to any specific MP.
– “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.
– He gave a “positive answer” when asked if there could be a Pro-level, weather-proof m4/3rds body and lens(es) at some point.
– “Having a large magnification optical finder with small body is a difficult to design. One of the benefit to have a EVF is to overcome this difficulty.
– About the high price of the new Olympus E-5: “The price reflects both the performance we believe the camera delivers and the cost of producing it. To meet the professional level of robustness, we pay some costs on it.
– When asked about the modular camera concept he said that “We can’t say concrete product plan.”

Thanks Biofos!

More E-5 news:
Zone-10 published new articles
Photographyreview has new image smaples
– At Pixiq: Digital Infrared Photography and the Olympus E-5

Olympus E-5 preorders at Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama

Panasonic AG-AF100 will start shipping on December 27th.

The Panasonic AG-AF100 will start shipping on December 27th. Reminder: [shoplink 16841]BHphoto is the only shop accepting preorders (Click here)[/shoplink].

PANASONIC PRESS RELEASE:

SECAUCUS, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Panasonic Solutions Company today announced that the AG-AF100, the industry’s first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-definition video recording, will start shipping on December 27th at a suggested list price of $4,995. Highly anticipated since its introduction at NAB earlier this year, the AF100 is poised to set new benchmarks in digital cinematography.

“The design of the AF100’s best-in-class 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera body”

Targeted at the video and film production communities, the AF100 delivers the shallow depth of field and wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of a growing line of professional quality, industry-standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full HD 1080 and 720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.

“The design of the AF100’s best-in-class 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera body,” said Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Line Business Manager, Panasonic Solutions Company. “What’s more, Panasonic engineering ingenuity has resolved the aliasing and moiré that has haunted the DSLR shooter. Indeed, the proof of concept of the AF100 was based on what we heard from and saw customers doing: purchasing DSLR cameras because they liked the look of the image, but then agonized over all of the workarounds required to come out with an acceptable high definition recording.”

The AF100 incorporates a large 4/3-inch,16:9 MOS imager that minimizes skew with fast imager scanning, and incorporates low pass filters for elimination of aliasing and moiré. Additionally, it has a built-in optical ND filter. The camcorder records 1080 at 60i, 50i, 30P, 25P (Native) and 24P (Native), and 720 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p native,in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). The AF100 also records in AVCCAM’s HA (17 Mbps) and HE (6Mbps) modes, 1080i only. Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable. Equipped with an interchangeable micro 4/3-inch lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.

Variable frame rates are available in 1080p, selectable in 20 steps from 12p to 60p at 60Hz and 20 steps from 12p to 50p at 50Hz. Standard professional interfaces include uncompressed 4:2:2, 8 Bit HD-SDI out; HDMI out; and USB 2.0. It records SMPTE timecode and is able to perform timecode synchronizing via the video output seeing timecode in. It has a built-in stereo microphone and features two mic/line, switchable XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability. The camera can record 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio recording (in PH mode only) and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3 in any of the modes.

This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support. SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB and up to 2TB. With two SD slots for continuous recording, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode, with automatic clip spanning across the two cards.

Weighing only 3.5 pounds (without lens or battery), the AF100 is packed with high-end features including Dynamic Range Stretch in all modes and frame rates; six built-in, customizable scene files that are exchangeable for quick and easy matching between multiple cameras; seven built-in gamma curves with four selectable color matrices; Syncro-scan shutter; and a high-resolution LCD and viewfinder.

It also offers a focus assist that can be used while recording, which is color-on peaking and a focus bar; two sets of adjustable zebras; two manual black and white balance choices, and preset White Balance at 3200K, 5600K or variable; a waveform monitor and vectorscope for more accurate monitoring of broadcast safe levels. Other essential features include pre-record; an intervalometer function that can be set for up to 24 hours, programmable User Buttons; a Smart Battery interface for recording up to four hours with a 5400mA battery; metadata recording; and a wireless infrared remote controller.

Panasonic will support the AF100 with a three-year limited warranty (one year plus two extra years upon registration).

Preorder the [shoplink 16841]Panasonic AG-AF100 at BHphoto (Click here)[/shoplink].