The most unserious [shoplink 17163]Olympus E-5[/shoplink] review that I ever found!

Digitalcamerareview (Click here) posted a new Olympus XZ-1 review: “The Olympus XZ-1 would be a notable entry into the high end compact digital field if only for its fast lens, but throw in a dose of excellent still image quality and the camera commands serious consideration.”
Also the german website Dkamera (Click here) posted the XZ-1 review and got a very good rating 85,94% -> That’s a very german way to calculate and express a rating :)
Olympus XZ-1 direct links at [shopcountry 19904].

RegHardware (Click here) tested the new Olympus E-PL2: “The E-PL2 is a great camera. It’s a huge amount of fun, is highly usable, and I’m a big fan of its retro design. It’s also an enormously capable performer“.
Olympus E-PL2 direct links at [shopcountry 18844].

Panasonic GF2 review at Imaging Resource (Click here): “Performance is also somewhat of a mixed bag. Panasonic promises improved noise reduction across the board, and the GF2 does indeed improve chroma noise in shadows, but this comes at the expense of subtle image detail. The effects of noise reduction can be seen as smudging in images shot at all ISO sensitivities, although you’re not likely to notice this at the base sensitivity without pixel peeping.”
Panasonic GF2 direct links at [shopcountry 17361].

The fantastic 1:1 video crop mode of the Panasonic GH2 allows you to use C-mount lenses without having that huge vignetting. Seb Farges tested the Pentax 6mm f/1.2 lens: “AT LEAST I’ve found the PERFECT WIDE SHARP and CHEAP lens for the GH2 !!! It’s a [shoplink 20747 ebay]C-mount Pentax/Cosmicar 6mm 1:1.2 lens I’ve bought 9.99€ (12.50$) on Ebay[/shoplink]!
The rear barrel had to be modified for 20€ (watch pictures below) to fit on the [shoplink 20746 ebay]C-mount to micro 4/3 adapter (Kipon)[/shoplink].
This 6mm focal lenght on the GH2 gives a huge vignetting on micro 4/3 sensor, but thanks to the new crop 1:1 [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] function, the vignetting is disappearing completely !
This 6mm lens with the crop function gives nearly the same frame (same width but less height) than on the [shoplink 16258]Lumix 14mm 1:2.5[/shoplink], but much much more faster.
It’s a sharp lens, even with the crop. In 24X36 eq. it’s a 30mm.
This lens is incredible for GH2, there is no other competition for such a fast lens !

In this movie you will watch daylight tests (always @ 1:1.2, 1/50 shutter speed, 160 asa) with a 22€ Polaroid 43mm variable ND filter and a 40.5 to 43mm step-up ring, there’s my girlfriend preparing her new collection for children “Pitchoovintage”.
Then you will watch night test, from 160 to 3200 asa, always @ 1:1.2 and 1/50 shutter speed.”

Seb tested many C-mount lenses and is one of our daily 43rumors readers. Feel free to make him any question you want and he will answer you! Thanks SEB!

UPDATE: This is the original place where Seb got the lens on [shoplink 20770 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

Links:
– C-mount Pentax/Cosmicar 6mm 1:1.2 at [shoplink 20747 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
– Kipon C-mount to micro 4/3 adapter at [shoplink 20746 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
– Panasonic GH2 at [shopcountry 16254].
– Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 lens at [shopcountry 16258].

There are some lenses that are tested and reviewed by many websites and there are lenses nobody ever talks about. That is the case of the Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 ED M.Zuiko which has been recently tested by SLRgear (Click here): “The Olympus 40-150mm ƒ/4-5.6 M.Zuiko fared well in our tests, offering excellent performance up to 100mm, and above-average performance at 150mm. For the PEN system user looking for a portable telephoto option to supplement the 14-42mm kit lens, they should look no further.”

That is the very first test or article we found about that lens. Just a coincidence or nobody really cares about that lens? Who are the target buyers? The biggest plus point for that lens is the price in US. With $209 at Amazon (Click here) the lens is the cheapest Micro Four Thirds zoom. Sadly the price is almost double as high in Europe (244 Euro at Amazon.de). Would love to know what you think about the 40-150mm M.Zuiko!
P.S.: Check the price of the 40-150mm lens at [shopcountry 15864].

M43photo.blogspot.com posted a very interesting article about the geometric distortion correction of current Panasonic lenses: “Many Micro Four Thirds lenses feature in-camera geometric distortion correction. Two examples are the Panasonic pancakes, [shoplink 16258]Lumix G 14mm f/2.5[/shoplink] and [shoplink 14796]Lumix G 20mm f/1.7[/shoplink]. Both have pretty similar distortion corretion needs. When converting the sensor output to the out of camera JPEG image, around 10% of the pixels in the border area are lost. This is somewhat controversial. Some feel that a quality lens should not require further software correction. In fact, the lack of geometric distortion is a traditional sign of a high quality lens.” Read the article to see the comparison of the uncorrected and corrected images for some lenses!

There are not many videos out there which have been shot with a f/0.75 aperture lens(!) and a Micro Four Thirds camera. The maker of the video is seelling that [shoplink 20634 ebay]Kowa 44mm f/0.75 on eBay[/shoplink]: “This is a very unique and beautiful lens that produces a soft blur due to its fast aperture.I tried it also with the HD video mode on my [shoplink 17361]Panasonic GF2[/shoplink] and the result was stunning. This lens can be adapted to almost any camera as far as you buy the right adapter for it, I previously used it on my [shoplink 20637]Canon 50D[/shoplink] and on a [shoplink 20638]Sony NEX 5[/shoplink]. I can say that due to the sensor size and distance from the back of the lens, you will get better results with the NEX but any mirrorless camera (EVIL camera) is good to use with that ultra fast lens.”

P.S.: Panasonic GF2 is in Stock at [shopcountry 17361]

Also Enticingthelight (Click here) tested the E-PL2: “Olympus have built a beautiful-image maker with this E-PL2; if you like shooting JPEGs, you’ll love this camera. It is also a camera that is simple to operate, yet can be customised in hundreds of ways, thus appealing to both the newbie and the experienced shooter.”

The Japanese website DC.watch.impress (Click here) tested the three new E-PL2 converters. There are many full size image samples you can analyze!

Click those links to visit the E-PL2 product page: [shopcountry 18844].

Reminder:
The new Olympus E-PL2 accessories are on auction at eBay and in Stock in some stores:
– MAL-1 Led Light at [shoplink 20217 ebay]eBay[/shoplink], Amazon US, Amazon Deutschland, Amazon UK, Amazon France.
– PenPal bluetooth module at [shoplink 20218 ebay]eBay[/shoplink], Amazon Deutschland, Amazon UK, Amazon France.

Where does it fall short? “Overall we’d say the [shoplink 18844]Olympus E-PL2[/shoplink] has a slight edge over the GF2. The GF2 crops look less contrasty and softer than those from the E-PL2“. Interesting: “With a larger sized sensor you might expect the [shoplink 20638]Sony NEX-3[/shoplink] to produce superior result to the micro Four Thirds cameras, and it does, but the differences aren’t that marked at least at this lowest sensitivity”

Panasonic GF2 direct links to [shopcountry 17361].
Olympus E-PL2 direct links to [shopcountry 18844].

DCresource (Click here) posted their Olympus XZ-1 review: “The XZ-1 is Olympus’ best compact camera in many years. It offers a good design, super-fast lens, beautiful OLED display, manual controls, and plenty of point-and-shoot toys. It does have its share of annoyances — perhaps more so than its competition (at least those cameras that I’ve used) — though I have to cut Olympus some slack, as this is their first generation model. The XZ-1 is absolutely worth your consideration — just be sure to check out the other models in its class before you buy.”
Click those links to visit the XZ-1 product page: [shopcountry 19904].

Trustedreviews (Click here) posted their Olympus E-PL2 review: “Taking everything into account, we’d still be hard pressed to choose between this and the GF2, which only falls down in comparison because unlike the E-PL2 it doesn’t feature body integral anti shake, but is otherwise we feel more streamlined and slightly easier to use. The Olympus counters with its impressive and fun Art Filters, so ultimately a personal hands on is going to be the best way for you to make this particular purchase decision.”
Click those links to visit the E-PL2 product page: [shopcountry 18844].

Reminder:
The new Olympus E-PL2 accessories are on auction at eBay and in Stock in some stores:
– MAL-1 Led Light at [shoplink 20217 ebay]eBay[/shoplink], Amazon US, Amazon Deutschland, Amazon UK, Amazon France.
– PenPal bluetooth module at [shoplink 20218 ebay]eBay[/shoplink], Amazon Deutschland, Amazon UK, Amazon France.