GH2 ETC Mode from Michael Reichmann on Vimeo.

I don’t know if Panasonic is really conscious about the fact that the 1:1 video crop mode could become one of the most popular features of the new [shoplink 16254]Panasonic GH2[/shoplink]! Vitaly (the hacker), Philip Bloom, EosHD and many other famous blogger are simply amazed about it! Not only, also Luminous Landscape posted an article about the Panasonic GH2 Extra-Tele Video Mode: “Its presence is hidden on the user manual page about digital zooming, and Panasonic makes no mention of it in their product promotion. This should have been a banner feature for the GH2, something that those shooting video would see as a huge differentiating feature. Being able to shoot uninterpolated Extra Tele Conversion output from the sensor, and have what is effectively a 2.6X tele-extender with no light loss and no image degradation – all available at the press of a button – is quite a big deal to my mind. Did the engineers at Panasonic not tell Marketing about this feature? If not, why not? Or, did Marketing not understand what this was all about? We’ll likely never know the truth. But now you know, and if like me you find this to be an exceptionally useful capability – pass it on.”

Panasonic GH2 direct preorder links:
Amazon US, Adorama, Amazon UK, Amazon France and [shoplink 17664 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].

One more deal: US readers might not get the GH2 soon but at least you can enjoy one low-price record after another!
The Panasonic GF1 with 20mm lens is now in Stock for $579 ony at Amazon (Click here).
And the Panasonic GH1 price is back at $959 at Amazon (Click here)

P.S.:Panasonic has set the price for the GF2+14mm lens in Hong Kong: HK $5,990 (That’s $771 US dollars)

I am convinced that following DxOmark test results will start a heavy discussion on 43rumors! A week ago the DxOmark test came to the conclusion that the “old” [shoplink 14826]GH1[/shoplink] sensor is better than the new [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] sensor. Yesterday DxO posted the [shoplink 17163]E-5[/shoplink] sensor results: The E-5 sensor is almost equal in performance with the older E-3 sensor! DxO doesn’t take into account the imaging processor. Probably all improvements on new cameras are archived with the use of new processors and algorithms.

UPDATE: Popphoto posted a new E-5 review: “For DSLRs in this price bracket, if you’re looking for a powerful imaging tool with rugged construction and a lot of versatility, the Olympus E-5 may be your match.“.

What do you think about those results?

Olympus E-5 direct shop links:
Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon Deutschland and [shoplink 18114 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].

Thom Hogan posted a new “Mirrorless Shootout“. He tested four compact mirrorless cameras, the [shoplink 14832]Olympus E-PL1[/shoplink], [shoplink 14828]Panasonic GF1[/shoplink], Samsung NX100 and the Sony NEX-5.

“The Panasonic and Samsung are the two serious photographer-friendly cameras in this bunch, while the Olympus has a little more compact gimmicky and the Sony is way over the top in changing the way you interact with a camera.”

Thom also explains why you shouldn’t wait for Canon, Pentax and Nikon to enter the mirrorless battle: “At the moment, neither Nikon nor Canon have chosen to play in the mirrorless arena. Nikon is likely to be the next entrant, and I expect to see their model hit the shelves by about March 2011. Ditto Pentax. No word on Canon. Frankly, I think waiting for a maker to enter this market is probably a waste of time. Why? One word: lenses.”

Conclusion? “I can wholeheartedly recommend the Panasonic GF-1” and there is a surprise: “I can’t really recommend the Sony NEX-5 directly“.

Read the full review at http://www.bythom.com/compactmirrorless.htm