Olympus E-PL1 for $488 (+ Sunday deals summary)

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Hot new deal. The Olympus E-PL1 with 14-42mm Lens (Black) is in Stock for $488 at Amazon.

And those are ll the other current deals:
CAMERA DEALS (As usual click on store names to see visit the relative product page):
1) The Panasonic GF1+ 14-45mm lens is in Stock for $649 at Amazon.
2) The Panasonic GH1 with 14-140mm lens is in Stock for $999 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto. A real deal!
3) Olympus E-P2 with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder for $779.00 at Amazon.
4) The new Panasonic AG-AF100 Micro Four Thirds camccorder is available for preorder at BHphoto.
5) Panasonic G2 for $633 at Amazon.
6) Not a Micro Four Thirds camera but the Panasonic LX5 is in Stock for $442 at Amazon and BHphoto.

LENS DEALS:
1) Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 for $328 at Adorama and BHphoto.
2) Panasonic 7-14mm for $999 at Adorama and BHphoto.
3) The new Panasonic 8mm fisheye is in Stock for $784 at Amazon
4) The Olympus 9-18mm lens is in Stock for $555 at Amazon and BHphoto.
5) Out of Stock but available for preorder: The Panasonic 45mm lens for $819 at Adorama and BHphoto.

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What’s the future for the E-system? (Biofos interviews Terada)

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Biofos published a very interesting interview with Mr. Terada from Olympus! De facto Olympus confirms that the classic Four Thirds system will continue and every customer will be supported for a very long time.

This are the most interesting parts of the interview (but please read the complete interview because there is really a  lot of information!):
– Asked if Olympus is contractually tied to Panasonic MR. Tarada answered that “We always look for all possibility to have better product” and “We will choose whatever we think is best for our products. We are free and have selected current sensors as the best ones for our products.
– “We said pixel race was becoming less significant than before, and thought 12MP would be able to satisfy most of the customers. But we are not sticking to any specific MP.
– “Although there are no Four Thirds lenses currently under development, it does not mean that there will be no future lenses based on this technology.
– He gave a “positive answer” when asked if there could be a Pro-level, weather-proof m4/3rds body and lens(es) at some point.
– “Having a large magnification optical finder with small body is a difficult to design. One of the benefit to have a EVF is to overcome this difficulty.
– About the high price of the new Olympus E-5: “The price reflects both the performance we believe the camera delivers and the cost of producing it. To meet the professional level of robustness, we pay some costs on it.
– When asked about the modular camera concept he said that “We can’t say concrete product plan.”

Thanks Biofos!

More E-5 news:
Zone-10 published new articles
Photographyreview has new image smaples
– At Pixiq: Digital Infrared Photography and the Olympus E-5

Olympus E-5 preorders at Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama

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(FT3) New rumor about a Ricoh GXR Micro Four Thirds module.

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Image courtesy: Photoscala

Mobile01 went to the GRD 5th Anniversary Party in Tokyo and they interviewed many RICOH employees and photographers. Unofficially they got the information that RICOH will launch the new Micro Four Thirds sensor module for the GXR system during 2011. Their goal is to move Micro Four Thirds fans to the [shoplink 16935]RICOH GXR system[/shoplink].

This is not the first time we hear that RICOH is preparing a Micro Four Thirds module. Ricoh has already shown a “mysterious” Expansion Unit on their road map but without specifying what kind of mount it will use.

Found via Mirrorlessrumors.com

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a little bit of everything…

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LUMIX GH2 40 fps super high speed burst shooting mode

Poor quality of new 14mm f2.5 lens? (Dpreview forum)

The E-P1.net Design A T-Shirt Contest (E-P1.net forum)

My first look at the Gh2…Clean HDMI out?! (Philip Bloom)

E-P2 + Hexanon 40mm f1.8 my PAD project (Brian Mosley on dpreview forum)

In Germany dealers voted the best camera manufacturers using 10 different criteria ike  sales support, conditions, margin, product range, delivery etc. The results are based on a nationwide survey of the photo-retailing to its industry partners. Panasonic holds the first place! (Source: Photoscala)

A new Olympus interview at onfoto.ru.

A Year with the GF1 (Sam Bennet)

Lumix DMC-LX5 on Flickr

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The need for speed: Taylor Hobson Vidital 30mm f/1.3 for M4/3

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The [shoplink 16930]TTH Cooke Vidital 1.3/30mm lens[/shoplink] is handamade lens and this is the first time we see a UK made lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera! As the author says: “You can´t find a second of this lenses in a helix like this, it is nearly unpossible to find a 30mm Vidital. It is a really unique lens.” You can see a set of image samples on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cinegon/

That is the tetx posted by the author on [shoplink 16930]eBay[/shoplink]: “I made a helicoil by my self, I´am using a brass/alumium combination to make it very solid, this helix allows a focus range between infinity- ~ 12cm. So it is useable as a macro lens too. The helix has no stop position to close focus, so it is possible to use the full lenght of it, for the future it is easy to unscrew it when a cleaning or new lube is needed. The focus ring has six screw sticks for an easy handling, the aperture ring has a large diameter too, believe me, it is perfect for handlig, specially for movie making. The lens is useable with MFT cameras without any dark corners in all modes. The lens has a wonderfull bokeh, better then the Speed Panchros has. The lens is 100% made in England.

The lens were made in a time when TTh and the American lens makers decide to engrave the lenses with the transmitted speed, so it is marked with T1.5 the F speed is F1.3 Later TTH went back to the F stop engraving because the Japanese and German lens makers do it also and a lens with F1.3 is better for selling than one with T1.5.

[shoplink 16930]Click here to see the current Vidital lens auction on eBay[/shoplink]!

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Panasonic AG-AF100 will start shipping on December 27th.

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The Panasonic AG-AF100 will start shipping on December 27th. Reminder: [shoplink 16841]BHphoto is the only shop accepting preorders (Click here)[/shoplink].

PANASONIC PRESS RELEASE:

SECAUCUS, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Panasonic Solutions Company today announced that the AG-AF100, the industry’s first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-definition video recording, will start shipping on December 27th at a suggested list price of $4,995. Highly anticipated since its introduction at NAB earlier this year, the AF100 is poised to set new benchmarks in digital cinematography.

“The design of the AF100’s best-in-class 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera body”

Targeted at the video and film production communities, the AF100 delivers the shallow depth of field and wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of a growing line of professional quality, industry-standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full HD 1080 and 720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.

“The design of the AF100’s best-in-class 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera body,” said Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Line Business Manager, Panasonic Solutions Company. “What’s more, Panasonic engineering ingenuity has resolved the aliasing and moiré that has haunted the DSLR shooter. Indeed, the proof of concept of the AF100 was based on what we heard from and saw customers doing: purchasing DSLR cameras because they liked the look of the image, but then agonized over all of the workarounds required to come out with an acceptable high definition recording.”

The AF100 incorporates a large 4/3-inch,16:9 MOS imager that minimizes skew with fast imager scanning, and incorporates low pass filters for elimination of aliasing and moiré. Additionally, it has a built-in optical ND filter. The camcorder records 1080 at 60i, 50i, 30P, 25P (Native) and 24P (Native), and 720 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p native,in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). The AF100 also records in AVCCAM’s HA (17 Mbps) and HE (6Mbps) modes, 1080i only. Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable. Equipped with an interchangeable micro 4/3-inch lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.

Variable frame rates are available in 1080p, selectable in 20 steps from 12p to 60p at 60Hz and 20 steps from 12p to 50p at 50Hz. Standard professional interfaces include uncompressed 4:2:2, 8 Bit HD-SDI out; HDMI out; and USB 2.0. It records SMPTE timecode and is able to perform timecode synchronizing via the video output seeing timecode in. It has a built-in stereo microphone and features two mic/line, switchable XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability. The camera can record 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio recording (in PH mode only) and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3 in any of the modes.

This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support. SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB and up to 2TB. With two SD slots for continuous recording, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode, with automatic clip spanning across the two cards.

Weighing only 3.5 pounds (without lens or battery), the AF100 is packed with high-end features including Dynamic Range Stretch in all modes and frame rates; six built-in, customizable scene files that are exchangeable for quick and easy matching between multiple cameras; seven built-in gamma curves with four selectable color matrices; Syncro-scan shutter; and a high-resolution LCD and viewfinder.

It also offers a focus assist that can be used while recording, which is color-on peaking and a focus bar; two sets of adjustable zebras; two manual black and white balance choices, and preset White Balance at 3200K, 5600K or variable; a waveform monitor and vectorscope for more accurate monitoring of broadcast safe levels. Other essential features include pre-record; an intervalometer function that can be set for up to 24 hours, programmable User Buttons; a Smart Battery interface for recording up to four hours with a 5400mA battery; metadata recording; and a wireless infrared remote controller.

Panasonic will support the AF100 with a three-year limited warranty (one year plus two extra years upon registration).

Preorder the [shoplink 16841]Panasonic AG-AF100 at BHphoto (Click here)[/shoplink].

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New list of US deals (GF1, GH1, G2, E-P2, and many lenses)

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I guess that with the release of the Sony NEX and Samsung NX100 cameras Olympus and Panasonic cannot afford to keep the prices high. I made a check of the current deals at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto. And I found many price drops on cameras and lenses. Most of the stuff has the lowest price ever!

CAMERA DEALS (As usual click on store names to see visit the relative product page):
1) The Panasonic GF1+ 14-45mm lens is in Stock for $649 at Amazon.
2) The Panasonic GH1 with 14-140mm lens is in Stock for $999 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto. A real deal!
3) Olympus E-P2 with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder for $779.00 at Amazon.
4) The new Panasonic AG-AF100 Micro Four Thirds camccorder is available for preorder at BHphoto.
5) Panasonic G2 for $633 at Amazon.
6) Not a Micro Four Thirds camera but the Panasonic LX5 is in Stock for $442 at Amazon and BHphoto.

LENS DEALS:
1) Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 for $328 at Adorama and BHphoto.
2) Panasonic 7-14mm for $999 at Adorama and BHphoto.
3) The new Panasonic 8mm fisheye is in Stock for $784 at Amazon
4) The Olympus 9-18mm lens is in Stock for $555 at Amazon and BHphoto.
5) Out of Stock but available for preorder: The Panasonic 45mm lens for $819 at Adorama and BHphoto.

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