Our reader YouDintYouDo noticed that yesterday Panasonic launched a new free iPad App (Click here to see the app). I haven’t an iPad so I cannot tell you if that is something useful and interesting or not. So may you download it to see what it looks like. The description says that this is what it contains:
• A matter of size – find out about the LUMIX G Camera System
• Learn all about the LUMIX G models GF3, G3, GH2 and GX1
• Discover the range of available lenses
• Find out all about the technologies behind
• Enjoy real stories with professional photographers using LUMIX G
Anyway, If you are a dynosaur like me and don’t have an iPad you may look at normal paper books for Panaosnic. Like the GH2 guide (Click here).. :)
As you remember Emanuele from Nexthardware collected your questions for Mr. Terada. Some have been answered here on youtube. But Mr. Terada didn’t have time to answer all your questions as he had to talk with EVERY journalist that toke part at the Amsterdam event. Mr. Terada proved again to be very nice and available person and he answered more of your questions in a second session. As you can read below Mr. Terada obviously couldn’t unveil any future product strategy and development. But he focused on their efforts to try to “see the market demand”:
Q. 1. E-M5. Functionality. Is it possible to have live histogram, electronic level and AF square simultaneously? A. Histogram and level gauge can’t be seen simultaneously, but AF frame can be seen with histogram or level gauge.
Q. 2. E-M5. Functionality. Tethered Shooting. Most users are very sensitive about this issue. A. E-M5 does not support tethered shooting.
Q. 3. OM-D Line-Up. VIDEO. Could it be possible to have uncompressed FullHD stream from the HDMI port in future high-end model(s)? A. We have no plan to have it, we’d like to see the market demand.
Q. 4. OM-D Line-Up. VIDEO. Are you planning to introduce global shutter on your OM-D line? A. We can’t refer to the concrete plan, but we are always studying any possibility for future products.
Q. 5. M4/3 System. Lenses. Is it possible to give us black versions of the metallic-look primes in near future? Q. 6. M4/3 System. Lenses. What about a fish-eye zoom? Q. 7. M4/3 System. Lenses. Weather sealed pancakes? Q. 8. M4/3 System. Lenses. Micro4/3 converters? Any plans? A. 5,6,7&8. We can’t refer to the concrete product plan but your requests are noted.
Q. 9. M4/3 System. Under-water. Scuba-divers ask for a new more powerful underwater strobe with a wide beam. Is it coming? A. Our concept of underwater flash is small amount of light with red color compensation by strong auto white balance function. (I guees they’re studying it. Emanuele.)
Q. 10. M4/3 System. Under-water. Is a PT-E08 port for 60 mm macro coming? A. We are studying it to meet the demand.
Q. 11. M4/3 System. Future. Will future PENs or OM-Ds have a multi-aspect ratio sensor? A. We have no plan to have it at this moment. We’d like to see the market demand.
Q. 12. M4/3 System. Future. Will Olympus introduce a center image crop for extended zoom like the Panasonic GH2? A. E-M5 has had digital teleconverter function. We like to see the market demand of zoom function.
Olympus (Click here) announced that the new Olympus E-M5 worldwide shipment will start on March 31st. As usual Asian countries should receive the first stock first with Amazon Japan (Click here) saying that the camera will ship on the same day. But unlike Panasonic Olympus does a pretty good job with worldwide shipments and we should expect the E-M5 to be available in USA stores around mid April. BHphoto (Click here) says they will have it on April the 10th. In Europe Amazon UK (Click here) says that the camera will arrive on April the 1st.
There are new and actually (very good looking) image samples taken with the Sonnetar 25mm f/1.1 prototype lens on the GH1. You can see them at KTFdesign (Click here) and KTFturbo (Click here). A japanese source confirmed that it will have the same $650 price of the [shoplink 29387 ebay]Pentax Q mount version (here on eBay)[/shoplink]. It will be a more compact and cheaper alternative of the [shoplink 15659 ebay]Voigtländer 25mm f/0.95 lens[/shoplink]. No matter if you like the new Sonnetar or not it is great to see such a busy buzz of new third party lenses for the m43 system. Sigma, Voigtländer, Schneider, Zeiss and SLRmagic…that makes the system great!
Speaking of SLRmagic, you can see some image samples taken with their new scoope lenses on Flickr (Click here). Their 12-36×50 ED (420-1260mm) lens is available on [shoplink 29411 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] for US $549.00.
The only thing we know about the GH3 is that 1) It is weather sealed 2) It will very likely arrive at Photokina in September. Now a new asian source sent me a list of specs of the GH3. I don’t know if these are real specs but I thought it’s good to post it here to see if my trusted anonymous sources can confirm and deny the spec list. And I am also curious to read your opinion about these specs: Sensor: 15.5 mega-pixel sensor Iso: Iso 160-12800, extends to 80-51200 Speed: 6.7fps Body: Magnesium alloy body, weather sealed, thinner and lighter than GH2 LCD: 3.2″ ips, 1050k-dots, with capacitive touch screen (multi-touch depending on final setting in firmware). LCD tilt-able EVF: new EVF with 2.06 mega-dots
Message for the anonymous source that send me this: Thanks for sending me the info. Sorry If I post it with a low rumor value but I had no chance to verify your info. Hope you will send me more details in future :)
In USA the GH2 now sells for $200 less than usual at Amazon (Click here). And thanks to the super hacking work from Vitaly you can enjoy a continual improvements. So the GH2 still remains a highly recommended camera particularly if you work a lot with video. I only hope those two nice X zoom lenses will arrive soon. No more prototype shows please Panasonic! :)
Panasonic GH2 shop links: [shopcountry 16254].
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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
What a timing! Both m43 partners announced a new CEO and President.
Olympus named Hiroyuki Sasa (medical equipment marketing) as president and Yasuyuki Kimoto (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.) is the new chairman. Sasa said: “My duty is to win back as soon as possible the trust from everyone and repair this damaged brand.” (Source: Engadget)
Panasonic named Kazuhiro Tsuga new CEO of the company. He was the one guy pushing Panasonic to support Blue-ray in the famous HD-DVD versus Blue-ray battle. You know who won :) So this may be a good sign for his talent. (Source: Engadget)
Anyway, hope both companies can recover from their recent financial (and not only) issues.
I am in terrible stupid troubles :) Should I get the Black or the Silver E-M5? The Silver probably looks better with silver lenses and reminds me more of the [shoplink 28222 ebay]OM film camera tradition[/shoplink]. But the all black version looks very sexy and less….”old”. Looking at Amazon US ranking (Click here) buyers seems to like both equally. So I ask you, which one (and with or without lens) did you preorder?
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If you ask me why I still haven’t preordered the camera yet the answer is easy…I haven’t found any preorder option in Belgium yet.
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A fake rendering of the GH3 made by our friends at 