I am not certain yet about the exact announcement hour. But usually Olympus announces the new stuff at 6am in the morning (London time). Panasonic should also announce the new compact cameras very soon (no Micro Four Thirds camera form them).
As usual I will collect al interesting news and reviews in one post. If you found something I didn’t already post here drop me a line! Thanks!
Those are the three new Fisheye, Wide-Angle and Macro converters. You can fit them on the new 14-42mm II lens, on the [shoplink 14800]14-150mm[/shoplink] and [shoplink 15864]40-150mm[/shoplink] lenses. I don’t know if you can use it on the current kit lens (I guess and hope yes). I have no price indication yet.
A source had the chance to touch the new Olympus XZ-1. He confirms that it is a little bit smaller than the [shoplink 17288]Panasonic LX5[/shoplink]. There are plenty of manual controls. You can control the speed or the aperture (in A-mode) directly on the lens. The menu system is different than on other Olympus compacts (it makes more sense now). The OLED screen is awesome, you can see images even in bright sunlight. AF feels quick. Image quality is very good and the lens has no noticeable distortions or vignetting (I guess there is some kind of in camera correction). All in all a very good package and worthy Panasonic LX5 or Canon S95 competitor. Real price should be around $450 (The LX5 costs $400)
The real strength of that camera is that it will be able to use all current (like the external Flashes the SEMA-1 Mic the VF-2 viewfinder) and upcoming PEN accessories. Well done Olympus!!!
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UPDATE:GH2 is out of Stock again
As usual the deal will not last so be hurry! Amazon has two silver GH2 cameras in Stock (Click here). The GH2 in Stock status is continually changing so keep checking those three websites from time to time: Amazon US, Adorama, BHphoto.
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That’s bad news. The very popular Panasonic GF1 has been now discontinued. The source is BHphoto (Click here). And Adorama (Click here) doesn’t list any kit version! Also Amazon is selling the GF1 via third party resellers only. But at least they have a very good deal. The Panasonic GF1 Body only is in Stock for $299 (Click here).
Like you I don’t believe the GF2 has to be seen as the real GF1 successor. My bet is that there will be a GF3 soon!
More deals news:
It’s almost impossible to find the Panasonic GH2 in Stock. That’s why third party resellers on Amazon are selling the camera for $2,399.99! That’s a $900 extra price…be warned! You pay a similar extra on GH2 cameras that are on auction on [shoplink 18595 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].
In those days the real deals are on lenses:
– The Panasonic 100-300mm lens is in Stock for $565 at Amazon (Click here). That’s a 35 dollar discount.
– Panasonic 7-14mm f/4.0 for $849 at Amazon (Click here).
– Not a deal but an in Stock alert: 3D lens now at Amazon and Adorama.
You asked me to find a picture of the back of the new Olympus E-PL2. This is all I got, a small 200px picture. It shows a blue E-Pl2 with the Penpal module attached. If you have better images feel free to share them using imageshack!
P.S.: You can also use the Penpal module on the [shoplink 14832]Olympus E-PL1[/shoplink] and [shoplink 14830]Olympus E-P2[/shoplink].
P.P.S.: You should watch this http://www.differentbypentax.com/#/video/4d2323b0bf950 ;)
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[/shoplink]We have two new Panasonic GF2 and two new Olympus E-5 reviews!
1) Trustedreviews tested the GF2. The camera earns 8.5 out of 10 points. Verdict: “While the [shoplink 17361]Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2[/shoplink] is a worthy successor to the existing and soon to be phased out GF1, it’s not the most direct, like-for-like replacement. This means that existing owners may well want to hang on to the camera they’ve already got – especially if they value the tactile nature of a chunky physical shooting mode dial over a virtual screen-based equivalent.”
2) Photoreview Australia also tested the GF2. Also in that case the score is very good 8.5/10. Verdict: “Snapshooters looking for a pocketable camera with a large image sensor and support for raw file capture and Full HD video recording may find the [shoplink 17361]GF2[/shoplink] an attractive option. Serious photographers who want a compact camera as an adjunct or alternative to a DSLR will probably need to keep looking.”
3) SLRclub posted a very long and korean written only [shoplink 17163]E-5[/shoplink] review. As usual they do post everything as a jpg image so google translate can’t work. But there are plenty of test images, charts and videos you can analyze for yourself.
4) There is also an english written [shoplink 17163]E-5[/shoplink] review at Pixiq: “If you already own Zuiko Digital lenses the cost of trading up to this camera will pay off, providing the most effective Olympus technology and the greatest versatility. ”
Reminder: According to Amazon UK the Panasonic GF2 should be in Stock on January 24. And you get a free photography gift pack worth £150 when you preorder the camera now. If you are non-japanese the only way to get the GF2 now is through [shoplink 18595 ebay]ebay where they have a few items in Stock (Click here)[/shoplink].
