43 Rumors – Page 1805 – Panasonic and Olympus Digital Camera News

Olympus: There will be an E-P3 successor.

September 26, 2012
Rumors
157 Comments

Olympus keeps sending messages about the future development. In an interview made by DigifotoPRO Toshiyuki Terada from Olympus confirmed that there will be an E-P3 successor. At that point I remind you that trusted sources that the E-P series as it was is will not continue. The new camera will be very different. Of course the first idea that will come into your mind is a PEN with integrated viewfinder. Taking inspiration from the past we can expect a sort of digital [shoplink 33877 ebay]Olympus PEN EM (they are here on ebay)[/shoplink]. A camera like that would have to compete against the very good Fuji X-E1 and Sony NEX-6.

The question is, what would you expect from a high End PEN camera to be competitive against the Fuji/Sony?

Also Hasselblad cheats on the Micro Four Thirds sensor size :)

September 25, 2012
news
59 Comments

We saw this many times. And it happens always again. The companies competing with the Micro Four Thirds system are often cheating on the Micro Four Thirds size. And this time Hasselblad really invented a new kind of MFT sensor with soemthing like 27:9 size. Funny or not? Don’t think this kind of advertising will help them to sell that super expensive Nex-7 alike camera.

Source: Hasselblad-Lunar.

First 35-100mm X lens review (and more lens tests)

September 25, 2012
reviews
100 Comments

Note: There was an error in the Olympus and Panaosnic lens deal linking. Here are the correct links:
$200 price drop on the 12-35mm X lens at Amazon (Click here) and Bhphoto (Click here). If you recently bought that lens you can ask the $200 back from your store!
Olympus 75mm in Stock at Amazon (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).

Panasonic 12-35mm X:
Photographyblog (Click here) posted the first full 35-100mm X lens review: “Optically the lens is a great performer. At all focal lengths, wide open at f/2.8 the center sharpness is perfectly acceptable, but for edge sharpness it’s best to stop down by two f-stops for optimum results. Chromatic aberrations are only noticeable by their almost complete absence, while distortions are automatically corrected on both Olympus and Panasonic bodies.”
The lens earns an “Essential” Award and has as only real problem…the high price! $1399 at Amazon (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).

More Lens Reviews:
Panasonic 45-150mm Lens Review at ePhotozine. Optyczne posted the Nokton 17.5mm lens test. English version of the test will be posted soon on Lenstip. Lens in Stock at Amazon (Click here). Cheapest price in EU on [shoplink 33865 ebay]eBay lettland (Click here)[/shoplink]. Some 60mm amcor samples have been posted by Damian McGillicuddy on his blog and on Facebook.

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Sony to buy 10% of Olympus shares.

September 25, 2012
news
28 Comments

Photokina is over and we can talk again about the Olympus fraud story. Some of you may read that this morning three former Olympus executives plead guilty in fraud trial (Source: Reuters). Our reader Michael underlined that “Sentencing will occur at a later date. Typically Japanese executives in business scandals get fined and receive suspended sentences rather than being sent to jail.”

That said there is one more very important news. Reuters reports that “Sony Corp will likely approve a plan this week to invest 50 billion yen ($642 million) in cash-strapped Olympus Corp, becoming its biggest shareholder with around a 10 percent stake. Sony will set up a joint business with Olympus to develop new medical equipment, and next year will send an executive to join its board of directors. Sony wants to nurture new businesses, including medical equipment, to increase revenue as it draws back from loss-making televisions. Olympus, seeking to retain a high degree of independence, may favor a capital injection from Sony rather than offers of closer business ties from rivals such as medical device maker Terumo Corp and camera maker Fujifilm Holdings Corp.”

There is no info about how the deal will effect the camera business. I don’t think Sony will join the m43 system nor do I think that Olympus will join the NEX system. Sony wants to have their hands on the medical business. I hope Sony will keep doing great sensors for Olympus cameras like the one we had inside the [shoplink 29074]Olympus E-M5[/shoplink]. That’s all we need!

One more pro Four Thirds statement form Olympus. Working on new Four Thirds solution…

September 25, 2012
Rumors
88 Comments

Olympus is also using social networks to reaffirm the Four Thirds commitment. Olympus Nordic (facebook) wrote that “As of today, a new camera is under study in order to optimize the Four Thirds lenses. Unfortunately we cannot disclose any further information before official release dates.”

Please note the subtitle info they gave us. They said “a” and not “a Four Thirds” camera is under study to optimize the Four Thirds lenses. So it could be also a MFT camera with full FT lens support?

Catching up with news….

September 24, 2012
reviews
14 Comments

Rockumentary :: RØDE from 444-films on Vimeo.

I have to catch up with tons of news and here is a first part. Before that I kindly invite you to watch the video I embedded above. It has been made by a 43rumors reader with a hacked GH2. If you like it vote the video at Rodemic (Click here). You may help a 43rumors reader to become famous :)

Micro Four Thirds news list:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 at Photoreview.
Lumix X PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Review at M43photo.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 at the seaside at Soundimagesplus.
LX7 review at Digitalcamerainfo, ePhotozine and DC.watch.
Olympus XZ-2 hands-on by Quesabesde.
Panasonic GX1 plus 12-35mm f/2.8 (Soundimagesplus).
Details on Panasonic 1.12um SmartFSI Pixel (Image sensor world).
Panasonic 20mm test at m43.eu.
Sony NEX-6 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 Comparison (ePhotozine).
Olympus OM-D E-M5 and some cheap zooms (Soundimagesplus).
Full review of the GF5 sensor at DxOmark.
75mm lens test at Photokina by Pen And Tell.

Olympus E-M5 gets DxOmarked. Best m43 senser ever made!

September 24, 2012
reviews
169 Comments

DxOmark finally published the full Olympus E-M5 sensor test (Click here to read it). And the conclusion couldn’t be any better: “These Olympus high-end compact hybrids achieve scores that approximate those of their APS-C rivals (such as the Sony NEX). Simply put, the OM-D E-M5 is equipped with the best sensor we have ever analyzed for a micro 4:3, and to date the closest to that of the Sony NEX.”

Cameras like the Sony NEX-7 still have a small edge but than as usual you have to consider the lens quality too and the story will look even better for Olympus as we know that most E-mount lenses aren’t that good (with the only exception being the Zeiss 24mm lens). I had some fun trying the comparison tool and the E-M5 beats cameras like the Leica M9, Canon 7!

If you consider the quality of the sensor even the not spectacular new E-Pm2 and E-PL5 cameras do look much better than we initially thought they would be! So here are the store links to all three Olympus camera using the same 16 Megapixel Sony sensor:
E-M5 at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.
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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E-M5 Case:
There is the official [shoplink 31898 ebay]CS-36FBC Olympus case[/shoplink]. A [shoplink 31899 ebay]leather half case from Hong Kong[/shoplink]. A full [shoplink 31900 ebay]leather case with strap from Cina[/shoplink]. Than we have half cases from two well known producers, [shoplink 31901 ebay]Zelenpol[/shoplink], [shoplink 31906 ebay]Kaza[/shoplink] and [shoplink 31902 ebay]Gariz[/shoplink].

E-M5 Batteries, and other things:
The [shoplink 31905 ebay]Olympus GS-4 strap[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 31903 ebay]DSTE E-M5 batteries[/shoplink] you have to use with an extra charger. There is an [shoplink 31903 ebay]E-M5 car charger[/shoplink] a [shoplink 31908 ebay]new E-M5 LCD screen[/shoplink] and a [shoplink 31909 ebay]Front Cover+ Top Panel[/shoplink].