Olympus Japan just issued version 1.1 firmware for the new E-Pl5 and E-PM2. It fixes the following issue:
– Unstable exposure, while using lenses that cannot communicate with cameras (such as OM or body cap lenses), has been improved.

Thanks to our reader Nicolas work many people is now trying the focus peaking trip. And here is one of the new videos!

Another anonymous hacker contacted me to give us some update about the E-M5 hack possibility. It sounds like it will be a hard work to realize a project like this. Here is what he wrote:

“– A hack, or hacks, are by all means doable, but would require a similar, if not more, effort than VK’s Lumix hacks. The camera runs uITRON realtime OS
– I was able to download the BIN versions from the following URLs:
http://dl01.olympus-imaging.com/OLYMPUS_MASTER/FIRMWARES/0001/0970/OLY_E_097_[version]_0000_0000.BIN – [version] is 1300 for 1.3, 1500 for 1.5 etc.
This firmware can still be unpacked and analysed with tools found in this thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?215943-E-P1-E-P2-E-PL1-hack-research – it can also be successfully re-packed after modification. This shows that the firmware format hasn’t changed since it has been figured out first, which is 2010 or earlier. A child could download the firmware and analyse it.
– After unpacking the firmware I spent some time searching for clues in various strings found in language files and executable code. Plenty of traces of debug mode and debug command shell, but no trace of focus peaking or any other “hidden” features. Also no obvious signs of new Accessory Port gadgets. There are however references to AVCHD folder structure. The camera also uses open source libPNG for PNG file handling, and uses OpenGL runtime and/or a 3D chip from Digital Media Professionals, inc.”

I am sure many E-M5 owners would support the hacker group working officially on such a long project. Let us know if you need some kind of support!

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E-M5 at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

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E-M5 Case:
There is the official [shoplink 31898 ebay]CS-36FBC Olympus case[/shoplink]. A [shoplink 31899 ebay]leather half case from Hong Kong[/shoplink]. A full [shoplink 31900 ebay]leather case with strap from Cina[/shoplink]. Than we have half cases from two well known producers, [shoplink 31901 ebay]Zelenpol[/shoplink], [shoplink 31906 ebay]Kaza[/shoplink] and [shoplink 31902 ebay]Gariz[/shoplink].

E-M5 Batteries, and other things:
The [shoplink 31905 ebay]Olympus GS-4 strap[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 31903 ebay]DSTE E-M5 batteries[/shoplink] you have to use with an extra charger. There is an [shoplink 31903 ebay]E-M5 car charger[/shoplink] a [shoplink 31908 ebay]new E-M5 LCD screen[/shoplink] and a [shoplink 31909 ebay]Front Cover+ Top Panel[/shoplink].

SLR Magic 35mm t1.4 – Boat Shop from scumliner media on Vimeo.

Reviews and News:
The E-M5 is the readers choice at Gizmodo.
Olympus E-PL5 – Assessment and Conclusion at Soundimagesplus.
E-PL5 review at Digitalcameraworld.
Olympus E-PL5 Digital PEN Camera Review at Steve Digicams.
Holiday 2012: Recommended Lenses for Micro Four Thirds (ThePhoBlographer).
Olympus Stylus XZ-2 review at ThePhoBlographer.
Micro 4/3 Year in Review by AdmiringLight.
Journées portes ouvertes Olympus (Lepidi).
Olympus OM-D + Voigtlander 20mm (Soundimagesplus).
Review: J.B. Camera Designs Grip for Olympus OM-D EM-5 (ThePhoBlographer).
Olympus bundle deal in Hong Kong.

Readers mail:
Matthew: “Thought I’d pass along a short I directed for the Toronto 48 Hour Film Project: https://vimeo.com/54608167 Shot on a hacked GH2 with Panasonic & Olympus primes
Alexander: “maybe you know that since 2009 there were a few attempts to reverse engineer the distortion and CA correction data saved in the Panasonic and Olympus raw files. Today I have also joined and created a program called M43RawAnalyzer, whose purpose is to extract the raw distortion correction data from Panasonic Raw files (I hope to find the place in the Olympus raw files so that I can support ORFs, too) and writes it into a text file. I am hoping that someone will see some patterns if we have lots of data from different cameras and lenses. Here is the link to the program: http://www.mirrorlessdb.com/knowledgebase/2012/11/30/m43rawanalyzer/“.
Amjad: “I’ve just uploaded a video I shot using the OMD. https://vimeo.com/54563139 I shot the same scene with the D600 to compare the video features on both cameras”
Nam: “I would like to share a video I made shot entirely on the OM-D with various m43 lenses. All handheld. The OM-D’s strong point isnt video but it does have great IBIS and manual video controls so it gives really good results without the need of sliders or steadicams. https://vimeo.com/54653386”
Justin: “I’ve always been a fan of vintage cameras and camera gear from the post war era, my beloved 1957 leica m3 can vouch for me! And so I decided it was time to put my passion to good use using my professional skills as a designer and craftsman. The result is the birth of a new camera gear brand: TAP & DYE.
Its a one man operation and the focus is simple — Camera straps. Durable. Rugged. High Quality handmade straps for the aspiring street photographer or the seasoned veteran photojournalist. They are compatible with all round lug-mount digital DSLR, M43 and film SLR & RF cameras. The premier unit as of right now is the ready to wear LEGACY wrist strap, dyed in Antique Tan color with a modest pricepoint of $38. I am currently working on a fixed length neck/shoulder strap that will be available for pre-order next week for $50 as well.
More information including a complete list of compatible cameras can be found on our online shop: http://tap-dye.myshopify.com
I would love to have my work featured on your blog if possible! I recently just met with Chris Gampat, who had mentioned I should reach out to you as well as he saw it a good fit for the M43/compact mirrorless community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
regards,
Justin
tap-dye.myshopify.com
info@tapanddye.com
www.justinwaldinger.com”
Anonymous: “Just a reminder for Aussies. Buy your Olympus lens before 31st Jan, then take a trip overseas within 30 days and get a massive 30% off.”
Stefan: “Microsoft released an update for the Camera Code Pack for Windows 8 and Windows RT: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2779444 New supported models are:
Olympus: OM-D E-M5, PEN E-PL2, PEN E-PL3, PEN E-PM1, XZ-1
Panasonic: Lumix DMC-FZ150, Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix DMC-GF2, Lumix DMC-GF3, Lumix DMC-GH2“

Our reader Klaus sent me the picture of the new Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens he just got from a store in Hamburg! And French readers should be even more happier because they got a 50 Euro cashback on that lens (read at lepidi).

And we have some small news:
1) Olympus Japan announced the availability of the 17mm acceccories and E-PL5 water housing (both sceduled for a December 21 release).
2) Panasonic Japan released the new firmware update for the 35-100mm X lens. The update enhances the AF (auto focus) performance with the sensor drive at 240 fps for use with DMC-GH3.
3) New Lightroom 4.3 update brings support of the E-PL5, E-PM2, XZ-2 and GH3.

There is still no store showing the 17mm as in Stock. You can save this Slidoo search to get notified when it will be on eBay (login to change country of reference). Preorders at at Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon DE.

First unboxing pics have been posted at Mobile01. Click on the green links to open the images. And Olympus OMD facebook posted the text from Planning Manager Eiji Shirota and Development Leader Kazuya Nishimura. Both developed the 17mm lens. They say: “Although a large front element may provide an attractive exterior appearance for a lens, we decided on an efficient aspherical front element which minimizes thickness and diameter, helping us achieve the compact size of the M.ZUIKO DIGITIAL 17mm F1.8 lens while providing extraordinary picture quality. We urge you to confirm this image quality with your very own eyes.” As you know this lens left some mixed feelings on reviewers like Ming Thein, Robin Wong and Pekka Potka. Hmmm….does it really have an extraordinary picture quality??? A good lens it is…but extraordinary probably nope :)

Shipping status: The lens will ship on Dec. 20th at Amazon Japan. It’s still uncertain when the lens will be available in US and EU. BHphoto removed the shipping date (which was mid December) and Amazon US even doens’t even list the lens. The new Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens can now be preordered at Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon DE.

We finally managed to make a small update on the 43rumors theme. Right in time before Christmas and before my baby will keep me away from 43rumors for a few days :)

So what changed?
1) We reduced the width of the website to allow a better reading experience on tablets. The latest comments and related posts can now be seen on the bottom of each article. Twitter and Facebook like and retweet buttons are on top of the main title. And surfing on the iPhone and Android cellulars shoudl also work flawlessly.
2) The contact form to Share rumors and news is now smaller and attached on the border of your browser.
3) Top Links to Fuji rumors and Slidoo have been added. Fujirumors is actually written by my close friend Patrick. He writes in a completely different style than me and has a more journalistic (and complete) style.

Some more hints about MirrorlessRumors and Slidoo:
If the baby permits it I will for the first time realize a long (very long) dream of mine. Mirrorlessrumors will become a completely new website. It should become a place where we can collectively write news and share stories realized with our mirrorless cameras. It is the “story” part that drives me to make the change. In these years I met many good filmmakers and photographers doing great work with mirrorless cameras. That should hopefully become the place where we can share this experience. That idea of a website is also much closer to what I really am. It will be a long work and as soon as the website will be online I will need your help to make it better any day.

Make it better any day is also the slogan for Slidoo.com. The ebay search and notification tool that will soon be extended to amazon. Keep in mind that this is an officially approved ebay APP. We have 100% full access. In these weeks we did a lot of bug fix work on the notification part and added some small features (like the markings on newly added products). One of the major new features will be the category addition (coming in January). For the full presentation of the website read that article on 43rumors.

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So that’s it. Now let me take a few hours of sleep before I go back on rumor work. Want to see if that E-M5 firmware update is really coming this week! :)

Early 2013 sounds quite promising for us. The first half of the year we expect the release of the new GF5 and G5 successor along a new kind of PEN made by Olympus and maybe a new OMD too. I am still not sure if the GX1 successor is coming In February or in late 2013. So before to get into the next rumor storm we may decide what MFT camera was the most exciting event release of the year 2012.

Take time to think and pick up the one camera that is the most important addition to the system.

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Feel free to comment this post to explain the reason for your vote!