Despite all these nice deals it is the Olympus E-PL2 that is the most ordered m43 camera at Amazon (Click here). And speaking of the most popular camera there is certainly the just available Fuji X PRO 1 (Click here). Speaking of that camera I found something weird about it. A sniff test! I posted it on my sisther website MirrorlessRumors.com (Click here). Kinda funny what people invents to become famous :)
Short in Stock status update. Two local european dealers informed me that they will receive a very limited Stock of [shoplink 29074]Olympus E-M5[/shoplink] cameras next week. And now let’s check the latest E-M5 reviews coming mostly from Asia where the camera is already shipping at Amazon (Japan) and Digitalrev (Hong Kong).
Fullcirclepix (Click here) is testing the video quality of the E-M5: “This is certainly a huge improvement from my AVCCAM which is a semi HD and cost 4 times more than the E-M5. The E-M5 is also much less complicated to function and gained more points with me for its new IS.”
Amateur Photographer latest magazin issue contains a full E-M5 review. Adventurerob (Click here) posted some excerpts of the test: “The overall conclusion is for the utmost in image quality, you’d be better off with something else (I think they were hinting at the X Pro 1 (reviewed last month – I don’t know score) and NEX-7. But then said for it’s class of camera (micro-4/3) it is as good as it gets right now.”
There is a new full E-M5 review at Mobile01 (Click here). Our friend Jesper made the nice work to translate the conclusions:
Pros:
1. The battery grip is a exellent add-on. Featuring complete sets of function buttons, scroll wheels. But still keeps the size rather comapct
2. Weathersealed. Magnesium alloy body
3. Customizable real-time curve
4. Lots of customizable buttons, both scroll wheel are customizable.
5. The revolutionary 5-axis IS
6. 17 art filters
7. Tilt screen
8. E-M5 plus 12-50 (Macro, motor zoom, weathersealed) are perfect match
Cons:
1. The camera suffers of minor lags, starting up, button, scroll wheels are not as reponsive as Panasonic cameras. Especially the exposure compensation.
2. When recording, E-M5 does not support touch-toggle-focus.
3. Lowest ISO-value is 200.
4. The flash is external.
Yesterday I had a tuff day with the GF5 announcement at 6am in the morning and a full day of work here in Antwerpen (with cold windy shitty weather). I slept 10 hours and now I am ready to take a bit more serious look on the new GF5 image quality perfromance :)
Panaosnic claims that this is a new 12 Megapixel sensor based on the same technology of the 16 Megapixel [shoplink 22077]Panasonic G3[/shoplink] sensor. Does it show any advantage over the older GF2/GF3 cameras?
The polish website Lenstip (Click here) posted an interesting GF5 versus GF3 ISO comparison. I have to say the older [shoplink 23109]Panasonic GF3[/shoplink] looks better! Now, I hope for Panasonic that the polish reviewer made a mistake with the image description and maybe he switched the camera anmes. If that is not a mistake I would say don’t go for the GF5 and buy the cheaperr and now hackable GF3! There are two more ISO tests by Openpn (Click and scroll down) and Fotopolis. Before to start to blame Panasonic let’s wait and see more testing. Maybe some reviewer are not making a correct testing?
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Links to current hackable GF cameras:
Panasonic GF3 search links: [shopcountry 23109].
Panasonic GF2 search links: [shopcountry 17361].
Panasonic confirms at Amateur Photographer that the “new 12-35mm f/2.8 lens is expected out at the end of June, priced £1,000.” Interesting that Panasonic didn’t mention the other new 35-100mm f/2.8 X lens. Don’t know if they forgot to mention it or if that lens will arrive even later! I guess the price in Euro will be 1.100 and expressed in Dollars $1,150-1,200. That’s half the price of the Olympus Four Thirds 14-35mm f/2.0 ([shoplink 25320 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink]) and also a couple of hundred dollars less than a lens like the 24-70mm L f/2.8 from Canon.
AP posted other interesting news: 1) Panasonic says Mirrorless global market share (for all system cameras) will be at $50 in 2015 (it is 22% today). Currently it is 54% in Taiwan, 51% in Japan, 28% in UK and 18% in USA. 2) Panasonic lost some market share because of the growing competition (such as Nikon’s 1 system). 3) Sykes (Panasonic manager) said that “the continued loyalty of many photographers to major camera brands such as Canon, owing to their long photographic heritage, continues to pose a ‘massive challenge’ to Panasonic, despite the firm’s success in the CSC arena.” Panasonic expects Canon to launch its first CSC in 2012. One more little info: All m43 cameras are made in Japan, apart from the G3 which is produced in China.
Just my two cent: I wouldn’t fear the Canon competition that much. Canon always acts very conservative and I don’t expect anything revolutionary. And we already have tuff competitors like the top selling Fuji X PRO 1 (Click here) and Sony NEX-7 (Click here).
The upcoming new Olympus CEO Hiroyuki Sasa has been interviewed by Japantimes (Click here). He confirms the partnership interest from Fuji and Sony but also underlines the possibility that Olympus may can handle the current financial situation alone without any external help. The very interesting part for us is that Sasa wants to “narrow down our (digital camera) portfolio” and “we can make the (digital camera) business fully profitable.”
Some types of inexpensive compact digital cameras will be withdrawn but at the same time the company also intends to strengthen its popular mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (says Sasa).
As I already wrote many times here there is to much product reiteration and too many similar cameras. Ans example is the absurd triple [shoplink 23565]E-PM1[/shoplink], [shoplink 23567]E-PL3[/shoplink] and [shoplink 23568]E-P3[/shoplink] release. Could be that Olympus wanted to test which one sells more but as I think two PEN cameras would be enough. No need to waste time developing and producing three almost similar PEN cameras. A cheap entry level E-PM1 and an advanced E-P3 (with E-PL3 tilting screen) is all what we need.
For the most advanced user they already made a great camera like the [shoplink 29074]Olympus E-M5[/shoplink]. I don’t know if there is room for another m43 camera category. I would now focus on two aspects: 1) Sensor: Something special has to be done here like the Fuji X PRO 1 sensor did. 2) Connectivity and Applications: Just look at that new Polaroid camera. It is the future :)
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P.S.: Links to all current Olympus m43 cameras (Click on shopname to open the search page).:
E-M5 [shopcountry 29074].
E-P3 [shopcountry 23568].
E-PL3 [shopcountry 23567].
E-PM1 [shopcountry 23565].
This post will be continually updated! Keep reloading it from time to time :)
key info and specs
“Newly developed” 12.1 megapixel Live MOS image sensor, Venus Engine VII HD2 processor, ISO 160-12,800, 0.09 second Auto Focus, 1080p Full HD video with stereo sound, available in black, white, red (and in Japan brown and gold too) from June for $749.99 (£579 or 699 Euro) with the 14-42mm X lens and $599 (£449) with the standard 14-42mm lens. The GF5 sensor technolgoy is based on the 16 Megapixel G3 sensor. The new processor can treat highlights and shadows noise differently…it’s called “3DNR” (three-dimensional noise reduction system).
Actual Shooting Video on youtube.
Introduction Video on youtube.
preview and hands-on in dutch on youtube.
Test video on youtube.
Miniature Effect in Creative Control on youtube.
I just got some news from trusted sources saying that Panasonic will have a second product announcement next week. I guess this means that we will see a new GF5 camera tomorrow (April 5th, between 6-8 am London time). And a new Micro Four Thirds camcorder announcement next week.
Saty tuned on 43rumors tomorrow! Let’s see if the GF5 will be something good for us!
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Links to current hackable GF cameras:
Panasonic GF3 search links: [shopcountry 23109].
Panasonic GF2 search links: [shopcountry 17361].
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
In USA you can still take advantage of the $100 price drops on the GH2 and GX1!
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