New GH5 and Leica 12mm reviews

Imaging Resource posted the full GH5 review:

The Panasonic GH5 is a wonderful successor to an already great hybrid still & video camera, and the new features and performance make it far more valuable than its $2000 price tag. We have no doubt that this will become one of the most popular video cameras for independent filmmakers and videographers thanks to its stellar video quality, extended list of video features and options, long battery life and excellent durability.

Lenstip tested the Leica 12mm lens:

It’s worth emphasizing the fact that full frame 1.4/24 lenses are not only more difficult to design but also, unlike the Panasonic, their optics is responsible for distortion correction without any help from camera’s software. In that light even if the results of the Panasonic were outstanding in every category it still should be criticized for its exorbitant price.

CameraLabs 8-18mm review: “easy to highly recommend”

CameraLabs tested the new Leica 8-18mm MFT lens:

The Leica may not be quite as sharp in the corners as the Olympus 7-14mm at wide apertures and it also lacks the constant f2.8 focal ratio, but in turn it’s smaller, lighter and cheaper. It also out-performs the older Lumix 7-14mm f4, while mostly avoiding the purple flare issues of that model. Throw in quick and quiet focusing, and a weather-sealed body with smooth focus and zoom rings and you have a lens that’s easy to highly recommend. It’s become my favourite ultra-wide zoom for Panasonic and Olympus bodies, and a tempting upgrade for owners of the Lumix 7-14mm f4 or Olympus 9-18mm.

Leica 8-18mm lens at  Adorama, BHphoto, Panasonic and Amazon. In Europe at Amazon.de.

Leica 8-18mm review at Focus Numerique

The French version of Dpreview is Focus Numerique. And they just tested the new Leica 8-18mm lens. Here is the google translated text:

Impossible not to recommend this ultra wide-angle zoom that combines qualities in all points of view.
The weight is very contained, the grip is excellent, as are the adjusting rings. We would have liked a third to manually adjust the diaphragm. The quality of construction is perfect and the design, very successful.
Finally, on the optical quality side, it is very good. The lens delivers rich images in fine detail at all focal lengths, from the largest openings. In addition, the objective has a beautiful homogeneous behavior. It suffers however from a lack of homogeneity between the center, two thirds and the extreme edges of the images.

Leica 8-18mm lens at  Adorama, BHphoto, Panasonic and Amazon. In Europe at Amazon.de.

Dpreview says “The Olympus TG-5 is the best rugged compact you can buy right now”

DPreview tested the new TG-5 and concluded:

The Olympus Tough TG-5 stands alone in its ability to stand up to the elements and get you photos in situations where no other camera could (or situations where you simply wouldn’t be willing to bring a dedicated camera at all).
And the TG-5 doesn’t feel like just a tool to use because you need it; it’s genuinely fun. It’s responsive, handles great, has a decent amount of controls and a reliable ‘auto’ mode for when you hand the camera off to your friends. It’s practical in that it also offers USB charging, so you can use any USB power bank to charge it up off the grid, and then you can Wi-Fi transfer images to your phone for easy sharing without lugging a laptop along.

Get the camera at at Amazon, Getolympus, BHphoto, Adorama and ParkCameras.