TCSTV Jpeg test: Panasonic beats Olympus


The Great JPEG Shootout! (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, iPhone, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic)

TheCameraStoreTV tested the JPEG quality of all major manufacturers. And for them Panasonic those a better job than Olympus! Watch the video to find out their reasoning behind that conclusion.

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 hands-on reviews

I am pretty sure the new Olympus 12-100mm PRO lens is going to become our favorite travel zoom lens. The lens is set to start shipping next week. And here is a quick review, with a lot of photos, of the 12-100mm by Pattayadays.com:

It’s a day since the postman delivered this lens, and so far I am very happy with it. The extra reach, the ability to get close to your subject, the confidence you can have in the IS; all provide expanded opportunities for shooting. It’s going to be an excellent walk-around companion for the next few years.

More short 12-100mm PRO hands-on:
Allan Weitz hands-on on Explora.
Olympus 12-100mm PRO lens review by Lydogbilde.no.
Olympus M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Sample Photos (ePhotozine).

12-100mm f/4.0 PRO at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, GetOlympus. Amazon.de. PCHstore.

New E-M1II videos


Testing the Olympus E-M1 MK II – On the Go Ep. 40 – feat. Janne Amunét

New set of E-MII tests:

M1Mark2 Vs Profoto ProB4 by Rachan Koomkong
OM-D E-M1 Mark II Overview with Olympus Visionaries (Youtube)
Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II review: 4k video compilation (Youtube)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II vs Panasonic GH4 – video 4K and stabilization comparison (Youtube)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II vs E-M5 Mark II – short video comparison (Youtube)

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

 

Panasonic G85 is the best $900-1200 Interchangeable Lens Cameras for Dpreview

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For Dpreview the new Panasonic G85 is the best camera you can buy in the $900-1200 Interchangeable Lens Camera category:

The G85 (or G80, or G8, depending on where you live), is our recommendation not only because it’s extremely good in terms of image quality, autofocus and video capabilities but because the user interface makes it easy to use these capabilities to the full.

And Steve Digicams just published the G85 review:

The Panasonic Lumix G85 is a powerful and lightning fast mirrorless camera that is perfect for anyone looking for still image and video capture with full manual control.

G85 in USA at BHphoto. Adorama. Amazon.
G80-G81 in Europa at Amazon Germany, ParkCameras.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Review Extension by Robin Wong

e-m11

Here is the extension to the original Robin Wong review, with specific tests on the High Resolution Mode, Jello effect/rolling shutter, more explanation on Continuous AF and also more sample photos! Among the infos I missed to report yet Robin mentions this:

Olympus claimed that the new Truepic 8 processing engine can recognize the subject movement area in the image and correct it by superimposing the same area with a 20MP original image. The downside is that the “corrected movement area” will have reduced resolution since it was taken from a single shot, but this should not pose an issue especially in typical situations with subject motion, such as moving water or leaves. I was curious on how effective this new methodology is and did some quick tests.

One more E-M1II test by Ugo Baldassarre.

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

Dissonant view: Sylvain Duford explains why the E-M1II $1,999 pricing might be right

capture-decran-21

We read many complains about the pricing of the new Olympus E-M1II. So I thought be fair for once to offer an opposite view from Canadian photographer Sylvain Duford:

But as much as I would have liked this camera to be priced lower, is it really overpriced? Just the fact that almost 4 years of inflation have passed since the original E-M1 plus the fact that the Japanese Yen has appreciated about 20% in the last few months, this alone nearly justifies the entire 33% price hike. Add to this the Japanese earthquake that has caused a rise in sensor prices…

And than there are all the new class leading new features:

I say the technology alone and the amazing capabilities that this camera provides justify the price of entry. These things require a lot of R&D and manufacturing and miniaturising this kind of power isn’t trivial either. Is there any other camera that provides this combination of functionality, speed and ruggedness in such a compact package? I don’t know of any at this time. This is market-leading capability.

I still do believe the price is a big hurdle for many who would have loved to buy the camera. But in Olympus defense I will also say this: Expect ALL camera manufacturers to raise their prices on future new cameras by a 20-30% margin. In a shrinking market and strong YEN perspective things are going to cost more.

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

Olympus E-M1II accessories:
HLD-9 Power Battery Holder at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
BLH-1 Lithium-Ion Battery at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
BCH-1 Battery Charger at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
AC-5 AC Adapter at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
CBG-12 System Backpack at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
CB-USB11 USB Cable at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
CC-1 USB Cable Holder at BHphoto and Adorama.
RM-CB2 Release Cable at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
PT-EP14 Underwater Housing at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
PPO-EP03 Underwater Macro Lens Port at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
Underwater Diffuser Plate at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
O-Ring at BHphoto and Adorama.
LCD Hood at BHphoto and Adorama.
STF-8 Twin Flash at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.