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The last Photokina wrap up! (new Novoflex TS Bellows)

October 1, 2012
news
25 Comments

Novoflex Tilt- and Shift Bellows System for CSCs via Photographyblog.

And here is a new list of Photokina related news:
An image sample with the 15mm lens at TheDigitalStory. Nokton 17.5mm hands-on at ePhotozine. E-PL5 samples at ePhotozine. Nokton 25mm at ePhotozine. E-PM2 image samples at ePhotozine. E-M5 with the new 17mm f/1.8 lens by FourThirds-User. 35-100mm X at OpenPN. E-PM2 hands-on at Digitalcamerainfo. 35-100mm hands-on at m43.eu. DC.watch (Translation here) posted an Interview of Olympus. No bog deal here. It’s again obvious how Olympus wants to focus on the improvement of the EVF quality and dynamic range of the pictures (more than on the increase of Megapixels). Hands-on at DC.watch. Photokina impressions on Flickr. Shcneider Kreuznach won the Photokina Star Award. A roundup from ePhotozine. Swarowski lens on the G2 at m43.eu.

43rumors reader Nils wrote an interesting Photokina report:
“Just came back from Photokina. This is what I could find out about the GH3:
– Definitly the camera people where interested in at the Panasonic stand.
– Ergonimcs seem great to me. Feels like a real workpeace. Not overly big (exspecially if you compare to other Pro cameras) and just the right weight. Did compare it to an OMD with battery grip and the Olympus felt heavier and uncomfortable edgy in my hands.
– Firmware version was 0.4
– 5 copys made it to Photokina
– No information wether AF Light works with external flashs.
– ATM internal flash doesnt seem to work with electronic shutter, just as with the G5, might be due to early firmware.
– EVF is 16:9 ratio and gets cropped in other modes, making the viewable area rather small. Image is fast to respond no noticeable lag when moving fast. I could see the pixel grid the EVF picture. G5 EVF looked better in comparison. I hope its not the final version.
– Panasonic representatives reinforced that the sensor is multiaspect. With the current (0.4) firmware resolution is shown as 16M for 4:3, 14M for 3:2, 12M for 16:9.
– Reps only got their hands on the cam this morning.
– No words about XLR accessorie, wasnt on display either.
– Couldnt try and of the flash units whith the cam. Reps where afraid that it would freeze the cam due to early firmware.
– According to the guys filming the HDMI output looked great to them, and judging from the monitor they had hooked up to one cam the picture looked very clean with no discernable noise at ISO 1000. They hadnt tried out the clean hdmi mode, overlays where shown on the monitor.
– One rep hinted a kit with the 35-100mm 2.8 lens.
– Buttons felt nice and responsive not mushy like the OMD.
– No word about new version of the 7-14mm lens.
– Didnt try focus peaking, its not that important to me.
– Noticed with the “exploded” camera on display that the handgrip area of the cam seems to be rather hollow.
Maybe you can get more detailed info from the reps at the end of the exhibition when they got more time to play with the cam themselves.
With just 5 copys and firmware 0.4 it feels like the rushed quite a bit to make it to Photokina. The GH3 is clearly Panasonics headline for this show.
I really liked the cam. The EVF was a bit of letdown though. If it gets improved until the camera hits the shelves, along with the multiaspect part, its a definite buy for me. Otherwise I might wait for a GH3x.”

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Another smart E-M5 ad :)

September 30, 2012
news
51 Comments

Enjoy!
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For EU readers. back in Stock. E-M5 body for less than 900 Euro on [shoplink 33926 ebay]eBay Italy (Click here)[/shoplink].

Panasonic Interview at Imaging Resource.

September 28, 2012
news
62 Comments

Imaging Resource (Click here) interviewed a group of Panasonic managers (engineers). The focus is of course on the newly announced Panasonic GH3. Enjoy the reading you future Gh3 owners :)
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BIG shift lens is actually a Voigtländer lens

September 27, 2012
news
21 Comments

via Personal View.

Two readers and Digitfoto had a talk with the guys from the German B.IG. company that developed the BIG shift lens. They confirmed that the lens is indeed directly based on the [shoplink 33839 ebay]Voigtlander Heliar 15mm f/4.5 (here on eBay)[/shoplink].

Reminder…these are the specs:

Specifications BIG Shift Lens 4,5 / 15 mm MFT
Focal length	15 mm (equivalent to 30 mm film)
Luminosity	4.5
Minimum aperture	22
Lens construction	8 elements in 6 groups
Focus Limit	50 cm
Diameter	65 mm
Length	45.5 mm
Weight	200 g
Filter thread	52 mm
Lens hood	integrated
Price	999, –

So, was the Olympus 15mm cap lens a good idea?

September 26, 2012
news
96 Comments

Sometimes companies try to do things differently and Olympus is known for being very innovative. Back in early August the 15mm cap lens rumors I posted on 43rumors initiated huge discussions about the (non-)utility of such a lens. Now the lens is here for real and hands-on and/or first pictures have been posted at Popphoto, Photographyblog, Thedigitalstory and PetaPixel. The lens is now available for preorder at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and Bhphoto (Click here). But the question is:

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Also Hasselblad cheats on the Micro Four Thirds sensor size :)

September 25, 2012
news
59 Comments

We saw this many times. And it happens always again. The companies competing with the Micro Four Thirds system are often cheating on the Micro Four Thirds size. And this time Hasselblad really invented a new kind of MFT sensor with soemthing like 27:9 size. Funny or not? Don’t think this kind of advertising will help them to sell that super expensive Nex-7 alike camera.

Source: Hasselblad-Lunar.

Sony to buy 10% of Olympus shares.

September 25, 2012
news
28 Comments

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Photokina is over and we can talk again about the Olympus fraud story. Some of you may read that this morning three former Olympus executives plead guilty in fraud trial (Source: Reuters). Our reader Michael underlined that “Sentencing will occur at a later date. Typically Japanese executives in business scandals get fined and receive suspended sentences rather than being sent to jail.”

That said there is one more very important news. Reuters reports that “Sony Corp will likely approve a plan this week to invest 50 billion yen ($642 million) in cash-strapped Olympus Corp, becoming its biggest shareholder with around a 10 percent stake. Sony will set up a joint business with Olympus to develop new medical equipment, and next year will send an executive to join its board of directors. Sony wants to nurture new businesses, including medical equipment, to increase revenue as it draws back from loss-making televisions. Olympus, seeking to retain a high degree of independence, may favor a capital injection from Sony rather than offers of closer business ties from rivals such as medical device maker Terumo Corp and camera maker Fujifilm Holdings Corp.”

There is no info about how the deal will effect the camera business. I don’t think Sony will join the m43 system nor do I think that Olympus will join the NEX system. Sony wants to have their hands on the medical business. I hope Sony will keep doing great sensors for Olympus cameras like the one we had inside the [shoplink 29074]Olympus E-M5[/shoplink]. That’s all we need!