43 Rumors – Page 2231 – Panasonic and Olympus Digital Camera News

Press release: Zeiss CP.2 lens for Micro Four Thirds

March 30, 2011
news
6 Comments

[shoplink 15756 ebay]

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We were all very excited when Zeiss announced that they will become part of the Micro Four Thirds group. But I do hope they will go much further with their “intentions” because those [shoplink 15756 ebay]CP.2 lenses[/shoplink] aren’t really what we amateurs are waiting for. These manual lenses ideal for professional filmmakers but also to expensive for us amateurs. One more thing, they are not designed from scratch for m43 cameras. They “only” made a new adapter to make it fit on professional cameras like the [shoplink 16841]Panasonic AG-AF100[/shoplink].

Check the availability (and huge price) of those lenses at [shopcountry 15756].

That’s the official press release (via Dpreview)

“OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 30.03.2011. : During the NAB Trade Show in Las Vegas from April 9-14, 2011, Carl Zeiss will present two new mounts for the Compact Prime CP.2 lenses: the E mount and the MFT mount. The MFT mount is particularly suitable for the new corresponding professional camcorders, while the brand-new E mount is perfect for the new Sony cameras like the Super 35 mm NXCAM camcorder. The MFT mount has been available since March.

The new E mount is expected to be available beginning in June. Exactly a year ago, Carl Zeiss introduced the Compact Prime CP.2 series during the NAB Show in Las Vegas. They are the first lenses with interchangeable mount developed specially for filming with HDSLR cameras. Since then, there has been significant demand for these lenses among cinematographers and still photographers adding new video services. Carl Zeiss is now adding a new chapter to its Compact Prime CP.2 success story.

“With these new mounts, we respond to many of our customers’ wishes asking to use the lenses on these new HD video cameras,” said Holger Sehr, Product Manager for Cinematography lenses at Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division. “Thanks to the interchangeable mounts, now for five different camera systems — PL, EF, MFT, F and E mount — our Compact Prime CP.2 lenses deliver superb flexibility, can be used in many different market segments, and are attractive for both end-customers and rental houses.”

With the interchangeable mount and the 24×36 mm full-format image circle illumination, these latest members of Carl Zeiss compact lens family are extremely versatile. During the NAB Show, Carl Zeiss will present all nine fixed focal lengths of Compact Prime CP.2 series from 18 to 100 mm, which thanks to the new mounts can be used for a wide range of cameras — from SLR to professional camcorders through to professional cine and television film cameras. Moreover, the Compact Prime CP.2 lenses are highly compact with a robust construction, so that they can withstand any demand of cinematographers and photographers on the set.“

(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

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[/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

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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

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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].