The video on top is one of the best digital camera commercials I have ever seen. Well done Oly!

Ferdzdecena (Click here) posted a short E-5 review: “For it’s price range, which is rather high since it’s on the pro/semi-pro line, there are a lot of competitive options out there so it’s hard to decide on jumping into this system. But for those who have already invested on a good amount of Zuiko lenses, which by themselves are exceptional, the Olympus E-5 can still squeeze out excellent images until it runs out of juice in the coming years.” (link found at noisycamera)
Check the E-5 price by clicking those direct links: [shopcountry 17163].

Neocamera (Click here) posted an E-PL2 express review: “The Olympus PEN E-PL2 proves to be an interesting camera with more capabilities and sophistication than expected from an entry-level model. The Micro Four-Thirds sensor used in the E-PL2 delivers excellent results with low image noise and good sharpness. Exposure and color are also quite good. AWB is not so reliable but custom white-balance renders whites impeccably and the one-touch white-balance function makes it a breeze to use. The true weakness of this digital camera is its autofocus system which is slow and not entirely accurate. It is serious enough to make it miss our highest digital camera rating.”
Check the E-PL2 price by clicking those direct links: [shopcountry 18844].

Photographyhappenings (Click here) tested the XZ-1: “If you are comparing to the Panasonic LX-5 or Canon S95, the Olympus XZ-1 will be a good choice if lens specification is your key consideration. The Olympus delivers strong performance over the competitors in good light and moderate distance, but fails to shine in poorer light condition and closer to infinity. Both competitors offer credible lens performance and good max aperture as well as distinctive advantages, with the Canon S95 in a truly small chassis and the LX-5 delivering native 16:9 panoramic images. They are definitely no pushovers in this battle of digital compacts, and these three cameras cater to different crowds.”
Also Digital Photography School (Click here) posted a XZ-1 review: “I find it hard to say that image quality is exceptionable. About average. Why you’d buy it: exciting range of accessories to expand your picture making opportunities; fast lens. Why you wouldn’t: you want Full HD video.”
And the third website to test the XZ-1 is Pdnonline (Click here): “As an outdoor shooter in good light, the XZ-1 shined, producing high quality images on par with those you get from a DSLR. But I really expected the camera’s f/1.8 lens to do better in low light. The same goes for the XZ-1’s 10-megapixel, 1/1.63-inch CCD, which produced noisy images at high ISOs with aggressive smoothing that squished detail. I hope Olympus sticks with this category though; the XZ-1 a good start that just needs some further tweaking.”
Check the XZ-1 price by clicking those direct links: [shopcountry 19904].

David Pogue from the New York Times (Click here) wrote an article about the new Micro Four Thirds revolution: “for years, there were two kinds of cameras: pocket models, with tiny sensors that produce blurry or grainy photos in low light and S.L.R. cameras, those big-sensor, big-body, heavy black beasts used by professionals. In the last couple of years, though, things have changed. There’s a new class of camera whose size (both body and sensor) falls in between those two time-honored extremes. They represent a rethinking of every single design element, a jettisoning of every nonessential component, in pursuit of a tiny, big-sensor camera. Because that, after all, is what the world really wants.”

Inside the article he focuses on two m43 cameras  the [shoplink 17361]Panasonic GF2[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 18844]Olympus E-PL2[/shoplink]: “In the end, you can’t really cheat physics. Getting cameras this small means sacrifices. For example, both of these cameras have a pop-up flash — and it pops way up high, a trick that minimizes red eye in your subjects — but it’s weak, with only about a six-foot range.” and “The bigger loss is the optical viewfinder. Both cameras have bright, beautiful three-inch screens that do O.K. in sunlight. But they’re nowhere near as good as the eyepiece of a regular S.L.R., especially in low light. The difference in clarity and feeling is especially evident when you compare one of these Micro Four-Thirds cameras with an S.L.R. side-by-side.”

But despite the sacrifices you have to make:  “These miniature Micro Four-Thirds cameras cost as much as a real S.L.R., and they teem with compromises. Still, if the world craves a solution to the small camera/big sensor challenge, these models offer some novel solutions to the puzzle.”

Like David I do believe the need for “mirrorless” (or I should say the need for compact cameras with image high quality) will increase and the competition will become bigger and bigger. Let’s see how Panasonic and Olympus will exploit the momentum to gain more market shares.

Check the current Panasonic GF2 price at [shopcountry 17361].
Check the current Olympus E-PL2 price at [shopcountry 18844].

Steve Digicam’s (Click here) posted a new Panasonic GH2 review: “Panasonic’s Lumix GH2 is a compact and powerful alternative to an entry-level or even some lower end mid-range dSLR cameras. Its outstanding image quality, powerful image processor, wonderfully easy automatic shooting modes and some of the best HD video recording on a digicam make this a powerful and versatile tool.”
Check GH2 price and availability at [shopcountry 16254].

The Olympus XZ-1 has been reviewed by Buy-N-Shoot (Click here): “What Olympus has produced with the XZ-1 is a camera worth very strong consideration. Not just to be weighed up against its direct competitors ([shoplink 21015]S95[/shoplink], G12, [shoplink 21136]LX5[/shoplink], EX-1, P7000) but as an alternative to its own mirror-less PEN range.”
Also our friends of Quesabesde (Click here) tested the XZ-1:””Despite these minor faults the XZ-1 one of the most desirable compact the moment, totally recommended for those advanced photographers who are looking for a pocket model with manual controls, RAW format and outstanding optics.”
Check X-Z1 price and availability at [shopcountry 19904].

One more thing for german Fuji X100 lovers. Heise.de tested the camera!

The video on top shows a funny and not so technical comparison between the [shoplink 17361]Panasonic GF2[/shoplink] vs [shoplink 21330]Canon 600D[/shoplink] .

M43photo.blogspot (Click here) posted a more detailed [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] vs [shoplink 14826]GH1[/shoplink] video quality comparison: “One could be tempted to think that the GH1 gives better video quality, due to the twice as high video bitrate. But the GH2 has other advances…it is reasonable to guess that it samples more pixels as a basis for the video output…the GH2 gives somewhat better contrast and sharpness. The GH1 has slightly washed out colours and that the compression algorithm is better. My conclusion so far is that the GH2, even with lower bitrate, gives slightly better video quality.”
GH2 direct links at [shopcountry 16254].

One more thing…two lens reviews:
Zeiss (Rollei) 50mm F1.4 tested on the GH2 at EosHD (Click here). The Zeiss is only available on [shoplink 21329 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Panasonic 8mm Fisheye Review at E-P1.net (Click here). Check price and availability of that lens at [shopcountry 14820].

The Olympus E-PL2 has been tested by Electronista (Click here): “We suspect the intended audience will be very happy with the E-PL2. Apart from its jewel-like construction and finish, it’s an amazing piece of hardware for the price and size. The image quality is good for the class, and we saw some important steps forward in the control and visual output. [shoplink 21320]Penpal[/shoplink] is something of a novelty, especially at its $60 price, but it could be handy if you’re more interested in uploading to Facebook than an edit in Aperture or Lightroom”
Check the current E-PL2 price by clicking those direct links: [shopcountry 18844].

The Fuji X100 has been reviewed by Trustedreviews (Click here): “The Fujifilm X100 certainly isn’t for everyone with its fixed lens, sizeable body and even more sizeable price tag. However, its rock-solid build quality, superb image quality – with exceptional low light performance – and more compact stance than an equivalent DSLR means it will have pride of place for many enthusiasts and pros as a back up to their main kit. However, if in the unlikely event that you’re considering this camera without already owning a DSLR, then we’d have to concede that any one of many low- to mid-range DSLRs, such as the Nikon D3100 or Canon EOS 550D, would be a more sensible bet. ”
Check the current X100 availability at [shopcountry 19929].

The Hong Kong website DC.Fever (Click here) posted a full Noktor 25mm review.
Check the current Noktor auctions on [shoplink 15659 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

The japanese website Trendy.Nikkeibp (Click here) tested the new Olympus lens converters. You can find image samples starting from page three of the review.

Olympus started to ship the converters and some of them are already in Stock! Check out those direct links:
Olympus Macro Converter at [shopcountry 21293] Olympus Wide Lens Converter at [shopcountry 21292] Olympus Fisheye Converter at [shopcountry 21289]

Luminous Landscape (Click here) posted a [shoplink 19929 ebay]Fuji X100[/shoplink] Field Test review. And the tester is quite frustrated: “In reviewing what I’ve written above, you’ll have noted that I am overtly critical of some aspects of the X100’s user interface. Indeed it is because the camera is otherwise so good, and the image quality so exceptional, that its UI flaws are all the more glaring. But – let me be clear about this. My UI complaints are based on a personal bias in favour of cameras having smooth and seamless control interfaces. I hate anything that gets in the way of my being able to change a camera’s settings quickly and transparently when the situations demands. If I’m using a technical or view camera I have endless patience for slow setting controls. But not on a camera designed for street or documentary style shooting. Even one extra button press, or needing to scroll down a menu to find a needed setting can cause the shot to be lost, and that’s unacceptable. I suppose that it’s my background as a photojournalist that brings out this frustration.”

Michael Carpentier (Click here) compared the Fuji X100 with the Panasonic GF1. The article is in french and the conclusion is “the X100 may offer a better IQ than the GF1 in SOME cases, but the m4/3 gives it a serious run for it’s money and is faster and generally more usable.”

You can preorder the Fuji X100 at Amazon US, Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon UK. And if you want it NOW than the you have to place your bid on [shoplink 19929 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. Good luck!

P.S.: To bad the GF1 is now discontinued. Only a few stores do have it in Stock now: [shopcountry 14828].