Photographyhappenings reviewed the new [shoplink 19904]Olympus XZ-1[/shoplink]: “If you are comparing to the [shoplink 16886]Panasonic LX-5[/shoplink] 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.”

But there are more testes: First look at Neutralday. Olympus XZ-1 Camera Studio Sample Photos (Photographyreview). Olympus XZ-1 Photo Gallery at letsgodigital.

A 43rumors reader sent has his first hand impression with the Olympus XZ-1 (Image samples at Picasaweb):

“I’ve had my XZ-1 for a few days now and I thought I would summarise my thoughts.

Plus points.
1) The image quality is excellent. Sharp everywhere. Certainly better than I need. Portraits look very nice at 112mm equiv with very good DOF for a compact.
This is a major point for me. Nice portraits from a compact. Who knew?
2) The menu is a lot simpler than an [shoplink 14832]E-PL1[/shoplink]. Less is more.
3) The controls work well and are quick to learn. I had it 3 days before I even bothered to look at the manual and that was only curiosity.
4) The performance is good. Focusing seems faster and better in practice than the E-PL1. Especially in poor light.
Thank heavens for the AF lamp.
5) The image stabilisation works very well. But then I don’t drink much coffee. :)

Minus
1) Auto ISO is plain STUPID. It will happily let you take shots at 1/10 second and ISO 200 rather than raise the ISO. Result? On Auto ISO you get a LOT of motion blurred subjects.
This would be the first thing I would fix if it were my design. It’s such a dumb mistake.
2) When you change mode with the dial, a message comes on screen to tell you what new mode you are in and stays there FAR TOO LONG. Irritating.
3) The lens cap is a bit of a bore.
4) YOU MUST use the strap. The front is slippery with no grip. I’ve put little grippy pads on mine.
5) Be nice to be able to assign AEL to the Movie button, or a LONG press of OK. But you can work around it.

I don’t think I’ll be using the E-PL1 much now I have the XZ-1.
Maybe I should sell it and save the money for a new toy when it FINALLY happens.

RR”

Direct product XZ-1 preorder pages at [shopcountry 19904].

There is a new article about the GH2 written by Luminous Landscape (Click here). I am going to post only a few key points of his review but I higly recomment to read the full text!

Video: “Let it be enough to say that with a fast lens (for shallow DOF) it is to my mind the best video capable DSLR type camera on the market. ”
Viewfinder: “In fact, I would say that it is an many instances preferable to the dismal (meant literally) and small optical viewfinders found on the smaller and usually inexpensive DSLRs.”
Ergonomics: “It doesn’t have the elegance and stark simplicity of a [shoplink 17844 ebay]Leica M9[/shoplink]; in fact quite the opposite. But, given that it is a small form factor DSLR style camera with full features, not only for still photography but for video as well, it does a remarkable job of satisfy sometimes contradictory needs.”
Reliability: “I’ve owned the [shoplink 14826]GH1[/shoplink] for a couple of years and now the GH2. Both have been totally reliable, as have all the Panssonic lenses that I own, with the exception of the new 100-300mm. It failed just a few days after I got to Mexico, with a locked-closed aperture”
Focusing: “Though the [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] uses contrast detection AF, you wouldn’t know it from its speed.”
Mirror Vibration: “There is no Mirror Vibration”
Image Quality: “The difference between APS-C and MFT is de minimis.”
Battery: “poor battery performance”
The biggest issue? “The biggest issue with the Panasonic GH2 is that a great many people that want to buy one, can’t, because these cameras seem to constantly be in short supply” (P.S.: Amazon US (Click here) says “Usually ships in 1 to 2 months”)

Do you agree with the LL analysis?

And you can check if the GH2 is in Stock by visiting the direct product pages at [shopcountry 16254].

GF2 preview…in french ;)

The french website hybridcams previewed the new Panasonic GF2 (Click here to read the google english translation). And Pixinfo posted a detailed ISO image table. A full review has been written by David Babsky (at stevehuff.com): “Its drawbacks are very few ..far, far fewer than I’d expected.. and it certainly APPEARS simpler to use for a novice. It’s a very nice little interchangeable-lens compact camera. But I’m not a novice. So I’d use it for movies (or for the 4/3 Leica 14-50mm f2.8 low-light portrait zoom) but otherwise I’ll stick with the [shoplink 14828]GF1[/shoplink] (the “Leica M9.5″) for stills. Out of 10? Eight-and-a-half ..and I can hardly wait for a HI-RES clip on viewfinder, to match the resolution of the GH2 SLR.”
Check price and availability of all GF2 combos at [shopcountry 17361].

Steve Huff had a lot of fun testing the new [shoplink 16258]Panasonic 14mm f/2.5[/shoplink] pancake: “I found it performed excellent every time it was slung around me on the E-P2. What else can I say besides I LOVE IT! Over 500 frames shot with it and I found no issues or problems so I really have nothing bad to say about it. Is it as good as a Leica lens? NO, but this is under $400, not $4000  If you want a wide angle prime that is lightweight, thin and not so expensive then this one should be on your short list without question.”
Click on the shop names to visit the direct 14mm pancake page and check price and availability: [shopcountry 16258].

As you know Zeiss AG joined the Micro Four Thirds System group and the first products are the adapted [shoplink 15756 ebay]CP.2 lenses[/shoplink]. One of our readers just sent us the link to the very first image sample taken with the [shoplink 16254]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink] and the $3.900 Compact Prime CP.2 85mm/T2.1 Cine Lens!

Click here: Portait sample at Flickr. You can enlarge the picture to his original size to check the sharpness. You can also see an image of the lens attached on the GH2. Huge!!!

Links: Compact Prime CP.2 85mm/T2.1 Cine Lens at Bhphoto (Click here).

Image courtesy: Quesabesde.

Quesabesde (Click here) had the pleasure to test the new [shoplink 19929]Fuji X100[/shoplink] with the firmware 0.69.
And those are a few of their findings:
– They found the menu a bit quirky
– Startup and shutter response is fast
– One of the major strengths of the cameras is the very silent (or “stealthy”) shutter!
– Autofocus of the X100 performs well in terms of speed and accuracy. Even in poor lighting conditions and with the assist light turned off, the reaction is correct.
– The camera supports up to 3,200 ISO smooth and even further if the conditions are not very critical.

But visit their website to check the JPG and RAW image samples. You can download the full size images!

And don’t forget to preorder the Fuji X100 at [shopcountry 19929] (no proerders in Europe yet).

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Panasonic GH2

Trustedreviews tested the GH2: “The [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] is an incredibly versatile camera, offering image quality that comes close to a DSLR but in a body that’s lighter and more compact. What’s more, the flip out touchscreen, mass of manual controls, and instant-on video capabilities make it not just a jack but nearly a master of all. However, there is one whopper of a stumbling block, and that’s price. ”
Teh australian magazine Pcworld also tested the GH2: “The bottom line is that the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH2 Micro Four Thirds camera is an excellent product. Its combination of manual and automatic features make it ideal for any type of user and if you want to make the most of its manual features the learning curve isn’t too high”
And at last Digitalcamerareview posted a first look article and Fourthirds-user posted JPG and RAW samples on their website.
You can check price and availability at [shopcountry 16254].

Olympus E-PL2

Steve digicams finished his Olympus E-PL2 review: “Olympus has taken an already awesome camera (the [shoplink 14832]E-PL1[/shoplink]) and made it even better. The [shoplink 18844]E-PL2[/shoplink] has some note worthy improvements that add to the appeal of this series, with the addition of the control dial, beefier hand grip, new conversion lens options, and the PENPAL being my personally favorites.”
You can check price and availability at [shopcountry 18844].

In a presentation made in Tokyo Fuji announced the [shoplink 19929]X100[/shoplink] will start shipping on march 5th in Japan. Fuji also said the X100 is the first of a series of X cameras.

Leonard Goh from CNET Asia unboxed and tested the Fuji X100 (see video on top).

You can preorder the X100 at [shopcountry 19929]. And that is the result of the poll on 43rumors:

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