I always enjoy to see those funny and not to much technical Digitalrev videoreviews reviews. They are good in highlight the “emotional” part of photography. The video on top shows their latest review of the Olympus 12mm f/2.0 m43 lens! Yeah, the price of that lens is a bit high but they liked it a lot! The lens is now in Stock in most stores. Check the availability and price by clicking those direct search links: [shopcountry 23576].

P.S: According to rumors the 50mm macro should be announced within the next couple of months but there is room for more of them! My suggestion to Oly…make a 17mm f/1.4 lens :)

P.S.S: Greetings to all the Digitalrev video team!!!

Mike Kobal is having fun with his new toys (Click here to read his E-P3 and 12mm lens article).

Olympus E-P3

The New York Times (Click here) wrote about the new [shoplink 23568]Olympus E-P3[/shoplink]: “micro-S.L.R.’s use the same slow focusing system as pocket cameras (the ones that miss so many split-second opportunities). So saying that the EP-3 focuses faster than professional cameras would be like saying that Ford’s newest pickup truck gets better mileage than the Toyota Prius. You can turn this camera on, focus and snap in under a second. The blackout time between photos has been cut in half. And when capturing its gorgeous hi-def 1080p video, the camera refocuses smoothly, quickly and silently as you zoom and pan, exactly like a camcorder. That’s extremely rare in still cameras.”
Steve Huff (Click here) posted his final E-P3 review: “The E-P3 is a camera like no other though. When I shoot with any PEN camera I have FUN. The camera inspires me to take it with me at all times. Its small, sleek, thin and light. The out of camera JPEGS are very good and many times I shoot it just with the B&W art filter as I really love the look it gives. But the big question is IMAGE QUALITY! How does the E-P3 compare to the other cameras? Well, in all reality it is up there and close but you will still get better overall image quality from the X100, X1, and Ricoh GXR.”
You can check the E-P3 price and availability by clicking those direct search links: [shopcountry 23568] (Click on shop name).

Panasonic GF3

Digitalcamerareview tested the Panasonic GF3 (Click here): “The GF3 is capable (with very little effort on the part of the user) of consistently and dependably delivering “pro” quality images. The GF3 successfully combines the look and P&S simplicity of a compact digicam with the larger sensor and lens interchangeability of a DSLR. To put that another way, the GF3 looks and behaves like a compact P&S digicam, but it performs like a DSLR.”
You can check the GF3 price and availability by clicking those direct search links: [shopcountry 23109] (Click on shop name).

Panasonic G3

There is also a new Panasonic G3 review at DC.watch (Click here).
You can check the GF3 price and availability by clicking those direct search links: [shopcountry 22077] (Click on shop name).

Mixed

Mobile01 posted a triple review. They tested the GF3 (Click here to read the google english translation), the E-P3 with the 12mm lens (Click here to read) and the Leica 25mm (Click here to read).
Dirk Weber sent me this: “I’m a regular reader of your site and this time I’d like to share a personal experience. ;-) Just for fun I tried a fashion shoot with the [shoplink 19904]XZ-1[/shoplink] a few days ago and it did a great job there. Here you’ll find pictures and a short review in German and some sort of English. If you like, just have a look at my wedding photography website http://www.brautrausch.de – all Olympus – featuring a 3 minute clip showing work with E-Cameras and PENs. ;-)”

REMINDER: Those are the direct search links to all the new Pana/Oly stuff:
Panasonic G3 search page at [shopcountry 22077].
Panasonic GF3 search page at [shopcountry 23109].
Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4 search page at [shopcountry 23110].
Olympus E-P3 search page at [shopcountry 23568].
Olympus 12mm f/2.0 search page at [shopcountry 23576].
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 page at [shopcountry 23577].

Image courtesy: DSLRmagazine

Once again DSLRmagazine (Click here to read the google english translation) is the very first website to post an Olympus product review. This time they tested the [shoplink 23567]Olympus E-PL3[/shoplink]. In short:

– it has very favorable balance between physical dimensions and overall performance.
– Although the folding screens are nothing new to the E-PL3 gives a remarkable charisma.
– they miss an enhanced grip.
– The final opinion is that the E-PL3 deserve a great success of acceptance and sales. In fact, we seem to be technologically more advanced than the [shoplink 23567]E-P3[/shoplink], despite the OLED display and most complete control of it, it simply inherits the [shoplink 14830]E-P2[/shoplink].

The tester Valentin Sama did highlight one particular problem (google translation): “why provide an index of ISO 12,800 if you have no sense to use given the poor quality it offers? A little common sense, please. Each system has its limitations and it has been demonstrated that trying to cover an APS-C sensor with a 16 mm compact is foolhardy, just will recognize that the Micro Four Thirds System offers a compromise between optical quality (image) and weight , volume and price are unbeatable, but for now, with current sensors, providing EI values ​​over 3,200, with picture quality seems just a pipe dream. And why pretend otherwise if the rest is superb?”

Yeah, that’s the power of marketing!

E-PL3 are only available at Amazon Deutschland (CLick here), Digitalrev (Click here) and notfying service at BHphoto (Click here).