Panasonic GH3 – Review and User Experience – Part 8 at Soundimagesplus.
Hitler is unhappy about the Panasonic Lumix GH3 on youtube.
GH3 test , a file in Apple ProRes 422 – A first test low light on vimeo.
The E-M5 is the most voted and best camera of the year at DC.watch.
Olympus XZ-2 vs Nikon P7700 review at Camerahoarders.
New set of refurbished PEN cameras of all kind at [shoplink 22691 ebay]Olympusmarket[/shoplink].
Three E-M5 lens and flash kits sold for 900 Euro on [shoplink 35797 ebay]eBay UK[/shoplink]. Gerhard: “Just shoot a video on the new FUJI X-E1 and like to post the link on 43rumors if it fits the content. I used Olympus glass on a hacked GH2. https://vimeo.com/54762320” Tennyson: “I’ve done a comparison between the 60mm macro and 75mm for general shooting: pattayadays.com” Jackson: “Thought you might like this. According to this item, OM-Ds were used in making the latest Mad Max movie! http://if.com.au/2012/12/17/article/Mad-Max-Fury-Road-completes-principal-photography/RDSOIKXNKS.html“
Here is a short roundup of MFT related news:
Win An Olympus OM-D And More With Team McGillicuddy (ePhotozine).
Olympus 15mm f/8 Body Cap Lens review at SLRgear
Olympus 75mm mini review at Photofocus.
Low price camera grip for “E-PL5” (DC.watch).
Panasonic changing photography report at Quesabesde (translation here).
Panasonic GF5 Review at Sansmirror.
You remember the weird camera patent from Panasonic? It may be a Bird cam (they are here on Amazon).
A Panasonic lens patent describing manual control function (Freepatentsonline PDF). Lorenzo: “I thought you might be interested in knowing I recently took a GH2 to Burkina Faso for my PhD research. I worked with it for a whole year and it always performed well, even with the high humidity levels and terrible fine dust. All my videos here are shot with it in the course of that year: https://vimeo.com/lorenzoferrarini/videos“
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!
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].
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.
