The new E-M1II is shipping! And this is the very first unboxing video. More unboxing reports can be read on our E-M1II facebook group.

Olympus E-M1II preorders:
In USA at BHphoto, Amazon, GetOlympus and Adorama.
In Europe at ParkCameras. WexUK. Digitech.ch.

Imaging Resource’s camera of the year is the new Olympus E-M1II:

Sporting a new 20MP sensor, vastly more on-chip AF points and an updated image processor with a *dual* quad-core design, the E-M1 II feels nimble and capable no matter what you’re photographing. With a single quad core dedicated just to AF and the other image processing, the camera can just chew through images shot after shot — up to a whopping 60fps with S-AF with RAW! Continuous AF, more importantly, is just fantastic. In our testing, the E-M1 II was able to keep up with moving subjects nearly flawlessly, even at its fastest C-AF burst rate of 18fps.

Olympus E-M1II preorders:
In USA at BHphoto, Amazon, GetOlympus and Adorama.
In Europe at ParkCameras. WexUK. Digitech.ch.

Jordan and Chris tested the new Panasonic FZ2500. Check out the video to hear if they like they cam!

Panasonic FZ2500 at BHphoto.

A few weeks ago Dpreview tested the LX10/15 and concluded:

A 1″-type sensor, excellent autofocus and solid 4K video make the LX10/LX15 Panasonic’s most capable pocket camera yet. The ergonomics aren’t all we were hoping but a good degree of customization and a responsive touchscreen make it quick and easy to use.

Panasonic LX10 is in Stock for the first time at BHphoto.

The E-M1II should start shipping out next week according to Amazon.

Dpreview posted a new E-M1II image gallery shot in British Columbia:

Many of the images shot in back country were done so under extreme conditions: sub-freezing temperatures, blizzard-like snowfall, avalanche warnings and the like. This in particular should demonstrate just how tough this this camera is, even if the photographer who shot the images was less so.

Imaging Resource published the E-M1 II Field Test for C-AF ().

Using C-AF, I’m happy to report that the E-M1 Mark II’s continuous focusing performance is excellent. Based on both in-the-field experience and after some in-house testing here at IR, I am definitely impressed by the speed, accuracy and overall keeper rate from C-AF. In my swamp adventure, many of my fast-moving subjects were flying birds. Armed with the relatively short 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens for this type of subject matter, I was impressed with how well the camera did on focusing these small objects. Not every frame in a short birds-in-flight sequence was in crisp focus, as I undoubtedly had a few shots where the subject moved out from under my AF point. Overall, though, I walked away pleased, without any sense of frustration or any notion that the camera’s AF system couldn’t keep up. I feel like any missed shots were more user-error than a camera-related fault.

Olympus E-M1II preorders:
In USA at BHphoto, Amazon, GetOlympus and Adorama.
In Europe at ParkCameras. WexUK. Digitech.ch.

One more small thing: Over at E-M1II facebook page someone reports there is a code to save 10% on the new E-M1II on the Olympus Poland store. Not sure if that code works in other Olympus EU stores too!

Back at Photokina Venus Optics announce the Laowa 7,5mm f/2.0 MFT lens. This is the “World’s Widest f/2 Lens for Micro Four Thirds Camera”. The lens will be available in early 2017 and there is ye no info on the price. But today Venus Optics posted that video sample. Looks good so far!

To get an overview of the OMD camera system you can check out the comparison table published on GetOlympus.

Álvaro Sanz just sent me this:

I’m Álvaro Sanz, photographer, film director and Olympus Visionary.
Since 14th of november I have been photographing southern Chile and the antarctic lands with the new Olympus camera OM-D EM-1 MarkII. I will continue my trip for one more week testing this new camera and enjoying one of the most remote places on the planet. Attached to this email you can find a dossier with more details.
I’m travelling with one more videographer equipped with another EM1 MkII. Our aim is to create a small documentary to test this camera and some of its new features. If you want to see how it works, you can view a teaser recorded in the Drake Passage, the most dangerous sea in the world: https://vimeo.com/193866270

The full picture gallery (And spanish text) can be seen at antarctica.esolympus.es

That’s the kind of story that tells I like to see more than any camera review!

Olympus E-M1II preorders:
In USA at BHphoto, Amazon, GetOlympus and Adorama.
In Europe at ParkCameras. WexUK. Digitech.ch.