43 Rumors – Page 1799 – Panasonic and Olympus Digital Camera News

Body Cap lens gets dismantled. New E-PM2 test images and GH3 menu shots.

October 16, 2012
reviews
27 Comments

That tiny Olympus body cap lens got dismantled at Siammirrorless. It’s really a cheap plastic toy but still a nice lens to use. Just see the images at Ming Thein, Digitfotopro, Pekka Potka. and Peter Norman.

And here is a short roundup of more new reviews and tests:
Olympus 60mm macro review at Photoreview.. Some E-PM2 night shot at Siammirrorless. E-PM2 image samples with f0.95 C-mount lens again at Siammirrorless. GH3 Menu screenshots at Slashcam. There will be only fifty 12mm limited black lenses for sale in France (Lepidi).

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Olympus E-M5 hack: Clean Hdmi 4:2:2 and focus peaking possible?

October 16, 2012
Rumors
115 Comments

I got an anonymous mail from a hacker. Be aware that I don’t know yet if what he tells me is correct or not but I hope other hackers or sources can confirm or deny this.

Here is the text I got. Be aware that he is not a native English speaker:

“After a long investigation I can say the OM-D EM5 can be hacked (with Olympus Studio and the Bin version of a OM-D EM5 Firmware that is only available somewhere here http://dl01.olympus-imaging.com/OLYMPUS_MASTER/FIRMWARES/).
How the update firmware work on OM-D. First the update firmware check the revision of your camera and check the firmware (last firmware, don’t update, new firmware, update)
if the update firmware find that your camera don’t have the last firmware, the update firmware take the last firmware revision in here http://dl01.olympus-imaging.com/OLYMPUS_MASTER/FIRMWARES/
We call that a silence update. You can easily hack the OM-D EM5 if you have the bin one, as you know many dev in the past was doing some decrypt olympus firmware work

First – We need the firmware.BIN it would be more easier this way
Second – you can use Olympus Studios or SDK to push the OM-D into the service and debugger mode that let you to work on it
Third – we can after really exploit the OM-D EM5 capabilities

Just to keep you informed. The debugger mode is available. The OM-D has a clean HDMI 4:2:2 ! but locked by Olympus. I saw that the OM-D have also a locked focus peaking functionality (beta feature revision probably, they should add on the next firmware revision not sure about it). For the rest… the OM-D is clearly more powerful than the GH2 and maybe the GH3, that the image processor can calc more information. For example the OM-D can easily support a 1080p120p ! i wonder why they blocked the OM-D to 30p…

But for know, you really need to find the firmware.Bin OM-D (it’s more easier) than using USB programming (on my way, it was a fully success and also need to be more experimented) but i expect to modify the firmware.BIN directly and not programming in fly.”

I ask the anonymous hacker to send me more details about the project at 43rumors@gmail.com. We may can help you to go one with the hack project!

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Refurbished E-M5 is also back via Cameta:
Silver Olympus E-M5 for $849 at Cameta (Click here).
Black Olympus E-M5 with 12-42mm lens for $949 at [shoplink 34210 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
Silver Olympus E-M5 with 12-50mm lens for $1149 at [shoplink 34211 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
Black Olympus E-M5 with 12-50mm lens for $1149 at [shoplink 34211 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).

Panasonic LX7 gets Dpreviewed (and Gariz case)

October 16, 2012
reviews
11 Comments

[shoplink 34270 ebay]

[/shoplink] Let’s make a short break from (m-)43 related news. Dpreview (Click here) posted the full Panasonic LX7 compact camera review: “There’s very little to dislike about the LX7, with my main issues being redeye, slow buffer flush times when shooting RAW images, and vertical lines in panoramas. Aside from that, the LX7 is a first-rate camera that I can highly recommend.”
The second LX7 related news is that the Gariz case is now available on [shoplink 34270 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

Enough LX7 news. Here are the search links for the LX7 at [shopcountry 34271].
And now back to m43 news…

Panasonic GH3 video test roundup!

October 16, 2012
reviews
16 Comments

GH3 real 24p f1.4 Test-Video Nummer 1 from ADAM MADA on Vimeo.

We have some new video shot on the new GH3. The first one is her eon top and two more can be found on Vimeo/youtube: link one and link two.

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GH3 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here), Panasonic US and in Europe at Wexphotographic UK, Photogalerie FR and Technikdirekt.

Woodford book about the Olympus scandal.

October 15, 2012
deals
64 Comments

Woodford is now selling his book about the Olympus scandal on Amazon (preorders here). As you know the whole story ended with Sony buying a 10% stack, some Olympus managers got a fee to pay (and no jail) and Woodford won a likely multi-million dollar settlement of his claim for unfair dismissal (Source: Huffingtopost).

New Lens tests (75mm and body cap lens)

October 15, 2012
reviews
37 Comments

Image courtesy: Quesabesde.

Quesabesde (translation here) tested the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 lens. Like any other review we have seen before Quesabesde likes the lens a lot. The optical quality is impressive. But when looking at the camera and lens pictures posted by Quesabesde I simply can’t get it why Olympus didn’t make a Black version of the lens. And if they plan to do it please don’t make it “Limited edition” like the expensive 12mm Black lens! No need to extra charge $300 for this :(
Olympus 75mm price check at [shopcountry 31284].

Ming Thein also posted a short Olympus 15/8 Body Cap Lens review: “At just US$60, it’s a no-brainer recommendation for anybody who owns a M4/3 camera, especially if you’ve got a older or spare one lying around.“. Also Digitfotopro tested the tiny lens.
Body Cap Lens preorders at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here) and in Europe at Amazon DE (Click here) and Amazon UK (Click here).

Surprise: E-PL5 has one stop more Dynamic Range than the E-M5 at Low ISO!

October 15, 2012
reviews
80 Comments

Image courtesy: m43.eu.

Our polish friends at M43.eu (Translation here) are the first to compare the image quality of the new E-PL5 with the current high end Olympus E-M5 camera. Both use the same sensor but according to m43.eu test the E-PL5 is slightly less noisier than the E-M5. I guess the image processing workflow has been improved over the E-M5. And it doesn’t end here because here comes the “WOW” surprise: They even tested the E-PL5 dynamic range (Click here) and the said that the E-Pl5 is: “shockingly better” (at Low ISO) than the DR measured for the E-M5 (here it is). The E-M5 still has the edge on High ISO but there is 1 EV difference in favour of the E-PL5 at ISO 200 and ISO 400.

If these tests will get confirmation by other websites too than we have really a major surprise. I really can’t figure out how the E-PL5 dynamic range can be that much better!

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New PEN camera preorders:
E-PL5 at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto. In EU at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Amazon France,
E-PM2 at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto. In EU at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Amazon France.

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Refurbished E-M5 is also back via Cameta:
Silver Olympus E-M5 for $849 at Cameta (Click here).
Black Olympus E-M5 with 12-42mm lens for $949 at [shoplink 34210 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
Silver Olympus E-M5 with 12-50mm lens for $1149 at [shoplink 34211 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
Black Olympus E-M5 with 12-50mm lens for $1149 at [shoplink 34211 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).