You can now preorder the Olympus E-PL1 For Dummies on amazon (click here)! The book will be available on July 26, 2010. “For dummies” is a very popular series of instructional books and the fact that they publshed a book for the Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1 prooves once again how popular the camera is. The same book is also available for pre-order on Amazon UK (click here) and Amazon Canada. I hope there will be soon translation in other languages.

But there are more new books coming (click on the link to visit the product page on amazon.com):
– David Busch’s Olympus PEN EP-2 Guide to Digital Photography
– Olympus Pen Series Tutorial DVD, including E-PL1 (E PL1) by QuickPro
– David Busch’s Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Guide to Digital Photography

One thing we noticed is that in Germany you have tons of books about FourThirds and MicroFourThirds cameras. Check out the book list for Olympus PEN (click here) and Panasonic (click here) cameras.

The last new entries are the Olympus PEN and Profibuch Panasonic Lumix G.

The Olympus PEN book will be soon available in Amzon UK (click here). And click here to read the full list of books of Olympus and Panasonic books on amazon UK.

I only found Panasonic related books on Amazon France.

Do you have some book suggestions?
Thanks!
Ale

Most über-fast lenses (with f/1.1 or faster aperture) do have a focal length between 25-50mm. But there are some (crazy) exceptions. Take a look at the follwoing four items (clicking on the link will show you the lens on eBay):

1) FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0FJW Industries Lens 90mm f/1.0

2) Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0Leica Leitz 90mm f/1.0

3) Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0Varo Optical Inc. High Speed Lens 90 mm f:1.0

4) Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0Canon XI 90mm f/1.0 -> Images samples on flickr

I found image samples for the Canon lens only and I don’t know if you can use all of them on a MicroFourThirds camera. Let us know if you ever used one of those lenses on your camera!
Thanks!

The Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1Olympus E-PL1 will now be sold in a new kit version with the 17mm lens and optical viewfinder. According to DC.watch the kit will cost 80,000 yen. That’s exactly $891,216 but consider that prices in US will be much lower.

The “CAMERA GRAND PRIX 2010” jury has choosen the Olympus E-P1 as “Camera of The Year“. And The E-P1 also won the “Readers Award“! Last time Olympus won the price was in 1998 and with the “OLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400LOLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-1400L“!!!
Source: http://www.cjpc.jp/gra/2010/grandprix10E.html

Yesterday (read here) we told you that the Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3Olympus E-3 successor could become Olympus first “modular” camera.

With the help of our readers we discovered that our Olympus guru Maitani had already developed such a prototype long time ago (for film cameras).

You can find more about it here: maitani-fan.co.cc
“The MDN prototype was the first Olympus SLR designed to be a full-featured, multi-functional system that could be used for a wide range of purposes by assembling different units, each with a single function. It was developed before the OM-1.
For example, the film is in a single film pack, and the shutter provides just the focal plane shutter function. The mirror is a mirror and has just one function. The user can combine the desired functions to create a single camera.
In designing a system that can be put together in any configuration, it is extremely difficult to design the mounts used to connect the items.
There is also a cheap, mass-market camera as one of the units in the system. Three units are combined together to create a camera. This is the MDS. This camera is made first and later becomes the M-1 or OM-1.
M=Maitani, D=dark box, N= normal, S=simple”

43rumors wants to thanks the Maitani Fans for mantaining such an important website about our legendary inventor!

Our friend Tyson Robichaud analyzed the current situation of MicroFourThirds and in general mirrorless system. He ends his post with an open request to Panasonic and Olympus:

“My plea to both Panasonic and Olympus:
Panasonic: Now offering 3 different “small” dSLR style body lines that are barely smaller than a Rebel? Really? This is ludicrous in my mind….Please continue to advance the GF platform
Olympus: Please oh please have someone redesign your menus and interface.
To both (my rant): For the love of all that is holy, get some new, fast, reasonably affordable, small lenses to market to compliment the kit lenses you’ve already released.”

I do agree with his “analysis” and you?

Read the article: tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com