The M-mount module from Ricoh (no m43 module)

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I received the rumor two weeks ago and I didn’t post it because I wanted to check the rumor. But there is no need anymore for that because today Ricoh officially announced the development of a Leica M-mount unit for its [shoplink 16935]GXR camera[/shoplink] system. So that was the mysterious “Expansion Unit” displayed on the roadmap and the Micro Four Thirds module we saw many times ghosting around the web was simply fake (but we already suspected that!).

P.S.: I think I should post more of this FT2-FT3 rumors I do receive. Because sometimes they turn out to be correct and if I wait to much time someone else will post them before me :(

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New Olympus XZ-1 reviews!

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We have found so many new reviews today! Now it’s time for the Olympus XZ-1 which is not a m43 camera but definitely something we are interested to hear about!

1) ePhotozine tested the XZ-1: “The lens is an excellent performer that breaks new ground for a compact camera and offers unique benefits of its own. Although not perfect in terms of its handling the results are worth it and the XZ-1 is Highly Recommended.”

2) Photographyblog posted a set of image samples.

3) There is one more review at iantan.org The author makes an interesting statement and I would love to hear from you what you think about: “Now you can see why that I think the XZ-1 might actually cannibalize the Pen camera range, especially at the EPL-2 range (sub S$1,000). It shares similar color rendition, similarly restrictive manual exposure controls (you need to upgrade to the Pen EP2 for better manual use), and most potential buyers will be happier with the XZ-1′s solid zoom range and “fast” apertures.

Note: Adorama (Click here) now added the white XZ-1 preorder option.
Olympus XZ-1 direct shop links: Amazon US, Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR

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GF2 at DxOmark (+ DxO analysys by Van Den Hammer)

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We already knew it and DxOmark confirms it. According to DxoMark there is virtually no difference between the GF2 and GF1 RAW image quality. Color depth, dynamic range and ISO performance are exactly on par. By far more worth to read is the article written by Peter van den Hamer and posted on Luminous Landscape. Peter explains how DxOmark works and how reliable it is: “Probably every image quality expert would have a somewhat different personal preference for a benchmark like this. But my impression is that the benchmark is pretty useful: I analyzed the model and the data, but didn’t find any serious flaws.

He gives many hints about how DxOmarks works and one was particularly interesting: “It should be clear by now that larger sensors (rather than larger pixels!) can produce less noisy images. This is simply because a larger sensor area can capture more light – and for reasonable resolutions this is pretty independent of the amount of MPixels the sensor’s surface has been divided into.

Click on the store name to directly check price and availability of the GF2: Amazon US , Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon UK, Amazon DE and [shoplink 19414 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].

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Olympus E-5 tested by Letsgodigital!

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[shoplink 17163][/shoplink]

Letsgodigital tested the new Olympus E-5 flagship camera: “When we only look at the specifications, it seems as if the Olympus E-5 has been surpassed on all sides by most camera manufacturers. However, practice leads to a completely different conclusion.“..:”the Olympus E-5 has improved or renewed its finest details. It is very solid, very complete and very versatile. “. The final verdict is EXCELLENT! I repeat it again. It’s amazing to see how a 12 Megapixel sensor can be optimized to deliver a top image quality (at leats at Low ISO!). Read the full review at Letsgodigital!

Click on the store name to directly check price and availability of the E-5: Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR.

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For US/Canada readers: How to buy the GH2 at Digitalrev (Hong Kong)

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Digitalrev is also known for their video reviews (the video above shows a [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] vx 60D comparison)

Our US/Canda readers are very frustrated because the GH2 isn’t in Stock at Amazon US, Adorama and BHphoto. That’s why the well know online store Digitalrev contacted me. They wanted you to know that they have the GH2 in Stock (Click here) and you can order it right now. They ship it to US and Canada too! Here is the text they wrote to me:

Since each state in the US has different tax system, the import handling cannot be pre-applied for US customers. Therefore, the tax will be applied when the camera imported to the specific state. We will provide a photocopied version of the English menu as the cameras are considered as grey import that come with non-English manual, such as Japanese or Chinese. The camera itself would be in English or if just in case, the manual (the booklet) will tell how to change it into English.

Click here to visit the digitalrev GH2 site and order the GH2!
And here is the link to the Panasonic GF2 which is also in Stock.

Feel free to comment this post to share your experience with Digitalrev. The shop owners are reading your comments!
Bye the way, digitalrev ships worldwide. So everyone can buy at Digitalrev. But I know US and canadian readers are particularly in need for the GH2! :)

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US deal: Panasonic 45mm for sub $700 (+ more lens price drop)

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The Panasonic 45mm lens is now in Stock for less than $700 at Amazon and BHphoto. That’s a much more affordable price than the almost $900 we had to pay for it months ago. You can read a review of the lens at Photozone.

And also the new Panasonic 100-300mm lens gets a new discount. It’s in Stock for less than $540 at Amazon (Click here). Combine those deals with the recent Panasonic 7-14mm price drop and you will notice that Panasonic is lowering the price of some of their best lenses. To bad the prices in Europe and Asia are still high. Look at the price trend of the 7-14mm lens in Germany:

Pretty boring :)

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