Two days ago we posted the Olympus E-5 review from the german magazine colorfoto.de (click here to read the google english translation). There were a lot of discussions because the E-5 had a better performance than the Nikon D7000 and the Canon 60D. I learned the measuring was done by one of (if not the) the most renowned laboratories in Germany: Image engineneering. They are engaged in DIN an ISO-Standards and do of lots of testing for manufacturers with pre-production-samples, too. See: http://www.image-engineering.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=102

You can see the the detailed results on the screenshot on top. Interesting, at 100 ISO the [shoplink 17163]Olympus E-5[/shoplink] has more resolution than the Nikon D7000 and Pentax K-5.

Image Courtesy: 3Dkraft.de

As you know Adobe announced the new Camera Raw 6.3 and DNG Converter 6.3. Support for the [shoplink 17163]Olympus E-5[/shoplink],  [shoplink 17361]Panasonic DMC-GF2[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 16254]Panasonic DMC-GH2[/shoplink] has been added. 3DKraft.de (Click here) tested the new Camera RAW with the Panasonic GH2. The Silkypix DS 3.1 software doesn’t retain the same detail as Camera Raw can do: “The guys at Adobe are master of their trade whereas the software engineers of Panasonic’s JPEG engine and SilkyPix’ raw processor still may have some homework left for my taste!”

One more news for us europeans. Pixmania will have the GH2 in Stock by next week! You can preorder now:
Pixmania.de (should be on list in a few hours). Is in Stock at Amazon.de!
Pixmania.fr
Pixmania.uk (should be on list in a few hours). Is in Stock at Amazon.co.uk!
Pixmania.it
Pixmania.pl
Pixmania.es
Pixmania.at (should be on list in a few hours)
Pixmania.be (should be on list in a few hours)
Pixmania.nl (should be on list in a few hours)

Our friend and 43rumors reader Thom Hogan posted an article sharing his “Short opinions about the current m4/3 lenses“.

Lenses that are highly recommended:
[shoplink 14822]Panasonic 7-14mm f/4[/shoplink] -> “Expensive. But it performs quite well in almost every situation I’ve used it in.”
[shoplink 14792]Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6[/shoplink] -> “This lens was the biggest surprise of the bunch for me. Optically it delivers very good performance for a low-cost telephoto.”

Lenses that are recommended:
[shoplink 14818]Olympus 9-18mm f4/-5.6[/shoplink] -> “As it turns out, the 9-18mm spends a lot of time on my m4/3 bodies.”
[shoplink 14816]Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6[/shoplink] -> “Optically very good, and a good match for most users.”
[shoplink 14796]Panasonic 20mm f/1.7[/shoplink] -> “Thus, this lens really starts to shine when you’re shooting in low light, as it slows you from bumping the ISO on the body too much.”

Lenses that are qualified recommended:
[shoplink 14814]Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6[/shoplink] -> “it’s a modestly specified lens.”
[shoplink 14802]Panasonic 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6[/shoplink] -> “The lens’ mediocre aperture specs do hurt low light use of the m4/3 bodies.”

Lenses that are not recommended:
[shoplink 14798]Olympus 17mm f/2.8[/shoplink] -> “All you get is a smaller, less flexible lens over the kit lens, and it doesn’t really seem like that’s worth the money.”
[shoplink 14794]Panasonic-Leica 45mm f/2.8 macro[/shoplink] -> “The question becomes one of price versus expected performance, and I think this current iteration fails.”

Read the full opinions at http://bythom.com/m43lenses.htm

Olympus E-5 Video Sample 1 from ykkok on Vimeo.

The next positive [shoplink 17163]Olympus E-5[/shoplink] review has been published by the German magazine colorfoto.de (click here to read the google english translation). The camera gains 73/100 points. By comparison the Nikon D7000 has 69.5/100 points only. The real strength of the camera is the new Truepic V+ imaging processor. And the only major weakness is the high price. You can download all image samples and chart results here: http://www.colorfoto.de/produkte/olympus-e-5-1036192.html.

Also the hungarian website Pixinfo.com posted a new E-5 review (google English translation toll doesn’t work here).

E-5 direct shop links:
Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon Deutschland.

over 2000mm@airport -Panasonic GH2 EX Tele-Con mode Trial

There are so many Panasonic GH2 news in these days that I can’t keep up with all new reviews and tests :)

The german website 3Dkraft posted a “3D comparison between Lumix 3D mFT lens on GH2 and Fujifilm Real 3D W3“. It looks like the Fujifilm 3D camera is currently a better choice than the GH2+3D lens combo.

Prolost.com wrote an article about the GH2 and the “Funky Frame Rates For Creative Effect“.

A few interesting user tests can be seen inside the dpreview forum:
– G1 vs GH2 vs FF Dynamic Range
– GH2 new low light ISO test, jpg.
– Autofocus speed GH2
– GH2 vs GF1 High ISO and Shutter speed

Oh for US readers: Amazon changed the GH2 availability from “1-3 months” to “1-2 months“. I know that’s only a negligible improvement but I am trying to give you a moral support :)

GH2 ETC Mode from Michael Reichmann on Vimeo.

I don’t know if Panasonic is really conscious about the fact that the 1:1 video crop mode could become one of the most popular features of the new [shoplink 16254]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink]! Vitaly (the hacker), Philip Bloom, EosHD and many other famous blogger are simply amazed about it! Not only, also Luminous Landscape posted an article about the Panasonic GH2 Extra-Tele Video Mode: “Its presence is hidden on the user manual page about digital zooming, and Panasonic makes no mention of it in their product promotion. This should have been a banner feature for the GH2, something that those shooting video would see as a huge differentiating feature. Being able to shoot uninterpolated Extra Tele Conversion output from the sensor, and have what is effectively a 2.6X tele-extender with no light loss and no image degradation – all available at the press of a button – is quite a big deal to my mind. Did the engineers at Panasonic not tell Marketing about this feature? If not, why not? Or, did Marketing not understand what this was all about? We’ll likely never know the truth. But now you know, and if like me you find this to be an exceptionally useful capability – pass it on.”

Panasonic GH2 direct preorder links:
Amazon US, Adorama, Amazon UK, Amazon France and [shoplink 17664 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].

One more deal: US readers might not get the GH2 soon but at least you can enjoy one low-price record after another!
The Panasonic GF1 with 20mm lens is now in Stock for $579 ony at Amazon (Click here).
And the Panasonic GH1 price is back at $959 at Amazon (Click here)

P.S.:Panasonic has set the price for the GF2+14mm lens in Hong Kong: HK $5,990 (That’s $771 US dollars)

I am convinced that following DxOmark test results will start a heavy discussion on 43rumors! A week ago the DxOmark test came to the conclusion that the “old” [shoplink 14826]GH1[/shoplink] sensor is better than the new [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] sensor. Yesterday DxO posted the [shoplink 17163]E-5[/shoplink] sensor results: The E-5 sensor is almost equal in performance with the older E-3 sensor! DxO doesn’t take into account the imaging processor. Probably all improvements on new cameras are archived with the use of new processors and algorithms.

UPDATE: Popphoto posted a new E-5 review: “For DSLRs in this price bracket, if you’re looking for a powerful imaging tool with rugged construction and a lot of versatility, the Olympus E-5 may be your match.“.

What do you think about those results?

Olympus E-5 direct shop links:
Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon Deutschland and [shoplink 18114 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].