First Olympus 45mm f/1.8 review by Pekka Potka

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The two new Oly lenses, the 45mm and 12mm (Clubsnap)

You can read a new Olympus 45mm f/1.8 review made by Pekka Potka (Click here and than click on the 45mm link under “latest”): “The sweet point is from 2.8 to 5.6. Contrast and sharpness are very good. Shooting JPEGs I didn´t notice any need to worry about distortion, vignetting or chromatic aberrations. Lens has problems with flare only with sun hitting front lens against or nearly against the light. It is optically a lot better lens than its price tag says“.

The lens will start shipping in very late September and there are only a few places now where you can preorder it:

Adorama (Click here), J&R (Click here), Amazon DE (Click here), Amazon FR (Click here), Amazon JP (Click here) and on [shoplink 24774 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

Reminder: Clubsnap (Click here) has been the very first to post some 45mm f/1.8 image samples.

E-P3 vs Leica M9 (Steve Huff) and manual focusing test (Digitalrev)


The video above shows a manual focusing test made by Digitalrev. They compared the [shoplink 23568]E-P3 vs [shoplink 23109]GF3[/shoplink] vs NEX-C3[/shoplink].

Crazy Comparison – The Olympus E-P3 with 12mm vs the Leica M9 with 24 Summilux by Steve Huff (Click here).

Peter Lueck (Click here to read the google english translation) tested the new [shoplink 23576]12mm lens[/shoplink].

REMINDER: Those are the direct search links to all the new Pana/Oly stuff:
Panasonic G3 search page at [shopcountry 22077].
Panasonic GF3 search page at [shopcountry 23109].
Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4 search page at [shopcountry 23110].
Olympus E-P3 search page at [shopcountry 23568].
Olympus 12mm f/2.0 search page at [shopcountry 23576].
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 page at [shopcountry 23577].

Leica 25mm now shipping to Europe (+Stock on eBay + new review)

Image on top: The 25mm Leica from Helge (3dkraft)

Our 43rumors reader and friend Helge just received the very first Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4 lens that has been shipped to Germany. And he already made a full sharpness and bokeh test on  3d-kraft (Click here /it’s in english!): “If you are looking for a bright standard focal length comparing to a 50mm at fullframe wth autofocus, perfect sharpness and already some potential to play with DOF, the Leica DG Summilux 25/1.4 is highly recommended. Also in video mode the autofocus performas very well. Used on the GH2 it is very silent and adjusts sharpness speedy and nearly without optical pumping.”

If you want to buy the lens now you can find it on eBay via Asian resellers [shoplink 24686 ebay]here[/shoplink] and [shoplink 24687 ebay]here[/shoplink]. Amazon Germany (Click here) still says the lens will be in Stock between the next 3-6 weeks. Amazon UK (Click here) says that the lens is temporarely out of Stock. Amazon US (Click here) shas some lenses sold by japanese resellers.

The Panasonic GF3 gets “dpreviewed” -> and talks about the GF7 ;)

[shoplink 23109][/shoplink] The detailed [shoplink 23109]Panasonic GF3[/shoplink] test has just been posted at Dpreview (Click here): “The GF3 is a camera that combines high image quality and access to advanced shooting options with a small form factor and simplified control layout. Enthusiasts may be disappointed with the relative paucity of direct controls, but the GF3 is a very easy to use camera that is capable of lovely images.”
The very interesting part is that Dpreview now started to talk about the GF7 (that’s the name we from 43rumors got form our sources): “This being said, given that Panasonic’s chief rivals (Olympus and Sony) have either released or at least talked about producing a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera targeted to the enthusiast market, we wouldn’t be surprised if Panasonic has similar plans. One could even argue that in positioning the GF3 so unambiguously as an upgrade for compact camera users, Panasonic creates a gap in its G-series lineup waiting to be filled by just such a camera.”
You can get the GF3 right now at [shopcountry 23109] (Click on shop names).

P.S.: You can also play with te GF3 vs E-PL3 vs NEX-C3 studio comparison (Click here).

Wanderlust, Toylens, XZ-1 and a Jupiter 8 rangefinder lens review!

The Jupiter 8, 50mm (Image courtesy NicoFoto)

NicoFoto (Click here) tested the Jupiter 8 (50mm)lens on the Panasonic GF1: “It is full of character, renders beautiful images, and fits Micro Four Thirds cameras such as the Panasonic GF1 like a glove. Works great for portraits. It is hardly an instant gratification tool, rather, it demands a learning curve that must be endured – and that’s exactly why it can help you improve your photographic skills.”
Usually you can find that lens on [shoplink 24651 ebay]eBay (Click here to see the search results)[/shoplink].

Outbackphoto (Click here) tested the Wanderlust Pinwide Pinhole for m43 cameras and the SLR Magic Toy Lens 26mm f/1.4.
The Wanderlust is available here wanderlustcameras.com.
You can find the SLR magic lens on [shoplink 18603 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

PhotographyBay (Click here) posted a full XZ-1 review: “Overall, the Olympus XZ-1 is a great little compact camera. I find it to be right up there with the Canon G12 as a serious compact shooter. The design is solid, with a slick metal body, the smart lens selection wheel and the signature Olympus Art Filters. The bright f/1.8 lens puts it at the front of the pack in this regard. The rest of the XZ-1′s features and performance considerations stack up nicely against any compact camera in its class.”
The XZ-1 is in Stock at [shopcountry 19904].

New Olympus E-P3 reviews at Pocket-lint and Stuff.

[shoplink 23568][/shoplink]

Pocket-Lint (Click here) posted a new [shoplink 23568]E-P3[/shoplink] review: “It’s a great camera to use, if not a little large compared to some of the competition, and produces among the best pictures of any Micro Four Thirds camera. However, the price and low shots per battery charge may be its comeuppance, and with the impending launch of the smaller, cheaper and almost-as-well-equipped E-PL3 and E-PM1 models there’s a chance the E-P3 may be overlooked.”

Also Stuff.tv (Click here) tested the new camera: “If you want full creative control in a cool but discreet package, the E-P3 is hard to beat. The Sony NEX-5 runs it close but is quite a different camera in use and further removed from the DSLR feel, while Panasonic’s GF2 and GF3 come up a little short in the style and usability stakes.”

Check the E-P3 in Stock status by clicking those search links: [shopcountry 23568].

Olympus 12mm f/2.0 videoreview at Digitalrev

I always enjoy to see those funny and not to much technical Digitalrev videoreviews reviews. They are good in highlight the “emotional” part of photography. The video on top shows their latest review of the Olympus 12mm f/2.0 m43 lens! Yeah, the price of that lens is a bit high but they liked it a lot! The lens is now in Stock in most stores. Check the availability and price by clicking those direct search links: [shopcountry 23576].

P.S: According to rumors the 50mm macro should be announced within the next couple of months but there is room for more of them! My suggestion to Oly…make a 17mm f/1.4 lens :)

P.S.S: Greetings to all the Digitalrev video team!!!

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