43 Rumors – Page 2027 – Panasonic and Olympus Digital Camera News

(FT4) Pentax will not join m43 (and leaks the ugliest mirrorless camera ever made)

March 30, 2011
Rumors
48 Comments

On MirrorlessRumors.com you can see and read the specs of the new Pentax NC-1 system. The NC-1 features a 1:2.33 small sensor. If you wonder about the design of the camera it is based on the popular [shoplink 110]Pentax Auto 110 system (Click here to see camera and lenses on eBay)[/shoplink]. Not a big deal in my opinion but I have been told that Pentax will also launch a second mirrorless system with APS-C sensor. If that rumor is true than we can exclude Pentax joining the Micro Four Thirds group. Bad news :(

Who remains that could now join the m43 world as a camera maker? Come on Fuji! The [shoplink 19929]X100[/shoplink] is selling like hotcakes and we want a m43 version of it! By the way, Fuji resumed the X100 production (preorders on [shopcountry 19929])

Reminder: Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct

SLRmagic announces (an expensive) 11mm f/1.4 Micro Four Thirds lens.

March 30, 2011
news
13 Comments

[shoplink 21181 ebay]

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UPDATE: Sorry guys, I had the wrong links on the lens. If you click now you will land on the correct ebay page. Thanks!

SLRmagic announced a new [shoplink 21181 ebay]11mm f/1.4[/shoplink] wide angle lens with Micro Four Thirds mount. But there is a big disappointment. The price is incredibly high…$210!!! It would be a fair price if the lens would have at least a decent optical performance. But from the first images we have seen on [shoplink 21181 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] we can see heavy vignetting and unsharp results.

If you really need a fast wide angle lens get the [shoplink 16968 ebay]Computar 12.5mm F1.3[/shoplink] which is much cheaper (Read the review at EosHD).

Nokton 25mm, Olympus E-PL2, XZ-1 and Fuji X100 reviews (Black GH2 in Stock at BH)

March 29, 2011
reviews
8 Comments

[shoplink 15659 ebay]

[/shoplink] Short US deal update: You can now get the black GH2 at BHphoto (Click here)

EosHD (Click here) posted a new Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95: “All in all this is currently THE best investment you can make in the Micro Four Thirds system and it will be in your possession long after the GH2 has been consigned to history. It is the best all-round lens you can buy for Micro Four Thirds and it is unique.”
The only place where you can get the lens is on [shoplink 15659 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

Focus Numerique (Click here) posted the full E-PL2 review: “When asked the E-PL2 is it a worthy successor to the E-PL1 we answer yes!”
Get the E-PL2 at [shopcountry 18844].

Pocket Lint (CLick here) posted a Fuji X100 review: “For the niche market it’s aimed at, the Fujifilm FinePix X100 delivers in droves. Those aspiring to own a Leica camera may consider, and not just for the sake of their bank balance, to give the X100 a whirl. Indeed, in almost all areas, the X100 is a far better offering than the mighty-similar Leica X1 for example.”
Get the X100 at [shopcountry 19929].

Thedigitalstory (Click here) posted an Olympus XZ-1 poadcast.
Get the XZ-1 at [shopcountry 19904].

(FT2) Photoradar says there will be three new PEN cameras (the first in April)

March 29, 2011
Rumors
73 Comments

[shoplink 16885]

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According to PhotoRadar “Olympus plans to release a high-performance PEN camera with touchscreen technology – possibly the PEN Pro reported earlier this month – as well as a mid-range PEN camera with a tilt screen and a PEN camera with flash in the original [shoplink 16885]PEN EP-1 design[/shoplink].” and they “were told we can expect an announcement of the mid-range PEN camera possibly as soon as April.”

You already know that our sources told us there will be no(!) new PEN camera in April. We expect an Olympus announcement by end of May/early June. We are sure there will be new m43 lenses and there is also a fair chance to see he new [shoplink 14830]E-P2 successor[/shoplink]. That’s why I post the rumor with a low FT2 value. Be warned!

I got some rumors about the future cameras and lenses and I am working on it. What I can say now is that there will be many new interesting Olympus products. More about that soon on 43rumors!

New Panasonic GH2 and Olympus XZ-1 reviews (GH2 in Stock at Amazon & BH)

March 28, 2011
reviews
7 Comments

[shoplink 16254]

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Short UPDATE: The Silver GH2 is in Stock at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and J&R (Click here).

Digital-photography-school (Click here) tested the Panasonic GH2: “This is a very sophisticated camera, with a bevy of external controls and a big pile of finder menu options. It would suit those with previous experience of DSLR useage. One sour note: you may, as I did, grow increasingly annoyed at the rear control buttons which are nearly flush with the camera body surface and hard to activate with certainty.”
Click those direct links to check the GH2 price: [shopcountry 16254].

Digitaltrends (Click here) tested the Olympus XZ-1: “When you’re ready to move past the temporary pocket digicams but not quite ready to lug around a big-bodied DSLR, it’s difficult to justify the purchase of an “in-between” camera. But in this case, it’s an easy decision. Once you’ve outgrown pocket cams that either fall apart or are outdated in a year, it’s time to invest in a machine that you can discreetly use and won’t need annual replacing. The XZ-1 is such an investment, and yes, at nearly $500 it’s a solid one – but it will keep users of various skill levels interested all while delivering impressive quality photos.”
Also PCmag (Click here) tested the Olympus camera: “There’s no denying the fact that the Olympus XZ-1 is a fast camera that produces top-notch pictures. But it’s big, and at $500, it’s pricey for a compact-class camera. On performance alone, though, it edges out our Editors’ Choice Canon PowerShot S95, which is much smaller and less-expensive. The problem is that that the XZ-1 is too big and expensive to compete with compact cameras, and lacks the features and performance to measure up to D-SLRs or interchangeable-lens cameras.”
Click those direct links to check the GH2 price: [shopcountry 19904].

(FT5) A “special” Lumix Micro Four Thirds camera to be announced in Q3.

March 28, 2011
Rumors
87 Comments

[shoplink 21158 ebay][/shoplink] Image on top: The first Panasonic Lumix camera, the [shoplink 21158 ebay]LC5[/shoplink].

According to our very reliable sources Panasonic wants to celebrate the 10 years of Lumix by introducing a new “special” Lumix model in Q3. We were told that is certainly NOT a GH camera and the sources didn’t tell me what’s so “special” with that camera. There will be also two new lenses announced along that camera. Announcement is expected in Q3 (August). As you know I am a big fan of the [shoplink 20740 ebay]Panasonic L1[/shoplink] and would love to see a m43 version of it. But that’s just my personal wish. What do you expect?

A short note about the 10 years of Lumix:
The first Lumix product has been announced in 2001 and it was the Panasonic LC5 [shoplink 21158 ebay](Click here to see that camera on eBay)[/shoplink]. It was codeveloped with Leica and had a f/2.0 lens! In 2006 Panasonic unveiled the first Lumix-DSLR with Four Thirds sensor, the [shoplink 20740 ebay]Panasonic L1 (Click here to see that camera on eBay)[/shoplink]. The first Micro Four Thirds camera has been announced in 2008, the [shoplink 20741 ebay]Panasonic G1 (Click here)[/shoplink].

A must read! Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95 tested at Photozone.

March 26, 2011
reviews
10 Comments

[shoplink 15659 ebay]

[/shoplink]That is going to be a must read review for everyone! Photozone (Click here) just published the [shoplink 15659 ebay]Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95[/shoplink] review. We are talking about a Micro Four Thirds lens that is highly requested and sadly almost nowhere available. Those are the key conclusions of the review:
– “Technically the lens is capable of delivering a sharp image center at very large apertures but the borders are fairly soft here.”
– “The quality of the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is generally impressive although you can push it into producing some less than pleasing highlight artifacts at f/0.95”
– ” Bokeh fringing is visible at large apertures but this is true for the vast majority of ultra-large aperture lenses. Lateral CAs are minimal and there isn’t really any significant amount of distortion to worry about either.”
– “The mechanical quality is outstanding thanks to an all-metal lens body and a dampened focus ring. Only a weather sealing is missing here.”

He tested the lens on the [shoplink 14828]Panasonic GF1[/shoplink]. Read the full review at www.photozone.de

Reminder: The lens is sold out in most worldwide shops. The next Stock of lenses will be shipped in late April only. You can get the lens at [shoplink 15659 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] where there are a dozen auctions ongoing right now.

You can read the 43rumors user reviews of the lens here at https://www.43rumors.com/cameras/voigtlander-nokton-25mm-f0-95/#submitownreview