Damian MCGilliCuddy just “confessed” that he is testing the new Olympus cameras. He writes: “I know its an age since my last update… simple fact is we have been VERY busy working on a few “secret” projects for Olympus and Ephotozine… August will see these start to come to light ;0) ”

I can tell you that he is for sure testing the new PEN cameras and the info he got us is that very likely the announcement will be made in late August, a few weeks before the Photokina event. I am right now working on the PEN camera rumors and hope to share some reliable FT4-FT5 rumors as soon as I can.

P.S: I am working in unusual conditions with slow connections form the Pyrenees. Please excuse me if I am not answering all your emails :=)

Over one year ago a top source sent me the info about two Four Thirds camera prototypes. It may be useful to repost it to discuss what of the mentioned features could be implemented in the future E-7. I doubt both prototypes cameras will ever get on market:

“1) The E-P3 prototype (fake name) has a new 15 Megapixel sensor produced by Panasonic. It has a new focus-system with 19 points in continuous mode and 11 points in single mode. The eight new points are just assisting and cannot be selected manually. The new autofocus is very good, but not as good as the professional Nikon or Canon cameras. It has 8fps (frames per second). The viewfinder is the same us the [shoplink 15032]E-3[/shoplink] but it has a kind of “translucent overlay”. That makes it possible to see the histogramm, gridlines and the digital level. The Design of the camera is an evolution of the E-30 design. There is also a new HDvideo mode.

2) But there is also a second FourThirds prototype that he is testing. The name is E-P330 (again a FAKE name). It is be very similar to the current E-330. It has a similar technology to the Sony A33/55, but it does not have a translucent mirror, it has some kind of liquid chrystal mirror. The advantage is that you have no light loss when you take the real picture. The mirror can electronically change between 50% translucent and 100%. When you don’t take pictures it uses 50% of the light for the AF-system and 50% for the sensor. When you take the picture it uses the full 100% alight source. The disadvantage is that it is not as fast as the Sony technology and you do not have any AF if the mirror is at 100%. The prototype iuses the same E-620 AF-system. The viewfinder is integrated in the body and has the same specs as the VF2 for MicroFourThirds. The LCD can be tilted and it uses the same [shoplinkshoplink] sensor. It takes movies with 720p. You can use an external microphone. [shoplink 14826]Panasonic GH1[/shoplink]”

That second model sounds particularly intriguing. Early this year Olympus chiefs unveiled that one of the key technologies they are working on is the Viewfinder.

Weeks ago you suggested plenty of possible lenses Schneider could realize for the Micro Four Thirds system. I summed and simplified your suggested list and it’s time for you to pickup the favorite options. Please keep in mind that the lenses will be expensive (around 1.500 Dollar/Euro/Pounds) they will have AF but no in body stabilization. When voting the lens please think if you would REALLY spends that money for the lens you chose!

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P.S: Some of the current Schneider lenses makes for other mounts:

The image you see here on top shows you the new super quality (and a bit expensive) [shoplink 31284]Olympus 75mm f/1.8 lens[/shoplink]. One of my sources now unveiled that also Panasonic will unveil a fast tele prime lens at Photokina. I have no specs yet but I hope it will be a bit cheaper so that we can put some pressure on Olympus 75mm price. This is not the only lens Panasonic will announce at Photokina but I have no reliable info about these lenses…for now!

Olympus 75mm preorder and price check at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon Germany and Amazon UK.
Panasonic 12-35mm X lens preorders at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Fotohanskeuzekamp, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

Egami spotted a new Olympus patent describing a 25mm f/2.8 macro pancake lens. It’s also collapsible, when you use the macro function the lens gets larger. As you may remember last week there was a rumor about a possible 25mm f/1.8 lens.

At 25mm focal length we can chose between the [shoplink 23110]$599 Leica 25mm f/1.4[/shoplink] and a [shoplink 15659 ebay]$900 Nokton 25mm f/0.95[/shoplink]. Both options, a pancake 25mm and a cheap and fast f/1.8 variation would be a welcome addition to the m43 lens system.

I finally got the final release date of the new Panasonic G5, 45-150mm m43 lens, LX7 high end compact camera (and other cheap compact cameras). All that stuff is going to be announced on July 18th (Tokyo time). It will be July 17th in USA.
As you know the G5 will feature the same [shoplink 22077 ebay]G3[/shoplink] 16 Megapixel sensor but there will be lots of minor improvements (and small design changes). I still don’t know if the 45-150mm lens is a pancake lens. And as I told you before the LX7 (although not a m43 camera) may be the major interesting news here. It should get a larger sensor like the Sony RX100. This is a very profitable market and the Sony camera is the most sold digital camera of the moment at Amazon (here is the overall ranking).

[/shoplink] WIll the new 45-150mm lens be a pancake like the current [shoplink 25104]14-42mm X lens[/shoplink]?

And yet we will see the light of another zoom lens! Along the G5 (to be announced within 1-2 weeks) expect the release of a new 45-150mm lens. Now, we already have a 45-200mm and a [shoplink 25103]45-175mm[/shoplink] lens so I really hope this lens has something special that makes it worth to be released. I am not sure but this could be a pancake zoom. If it is I will happy, if it is not than I can’t figure out why Panasonic is doing this. Bye the way, the lens is not fast (I have been told so).

Stay tuned on 43rumors! There might be a Panasonic announcement within this week!

UPDATE: Curious…the 45-175mm X lens had a $70 price drop via Samys at Amazon (Click here).