Olympus 12-45mm f/4.0 PRO Review at ePhotozine: “very useful standard zoom with good solid performance”

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Olympus 12-45mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus.

ePhotozine tested the new Olympus 12-45mm f/4.0 PRO lens and concluded:

The standard zoom has much merit, saving us changing lenses constantly and offering a versatile set of focal lengths. The focal length is a vital aspect and here the usefulness of have that ultra-wide 12mm (24mm-equivalent) cannot be underestimated. The 45mm long end (90mm equivalent) is an ideal portrait length, although of course, being MFT format, we might wish for a much wider aperture to obtain the best out of focus background effects. The very close focusing is an added bonus.

However, the sacrifice for compactness and a lower price is that maximum aperture, and f/4 is really quite modest. There are plenty of f/4 lenses on the market and size, weight and price are the usual benefits.

Depth of field is an issue, but as well as a disadvantage for perhaps portraiture, equally well this could be an advantage for other types of photography. Perhaps close sports, groups of people, landscape and travel, in general, will benefit from more extended zones of focus.

The quality is there if we choose our apertures, and is definitely there in terms of distortion, flare and CA. The lens is very suitable for architectural shots, again perhaps coming under the umbrella of being a travel lens.

Olympus 12-45mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus.

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Samsung S20 Ultra Vs Olympus E-M5 Mark III – Will The USD1400 Smartphone With 108MP Camera Win?

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Robin Wong made this interesting test:

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra boasts one of the best, if not the best camera in smartphones today. The S20 Ultra features 108MP main camera that has F1.8 lens and is optically stabilized. I managed to get my hands on a loaner unit from Samsung Malaysia and I thought why not make a quick comparison test against my own trusty Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III? I am genuinely curious to see how far has the smartphone consumer imaging technology has improved and what the gap is between a smartphone best camera versus a Micro Four Thirds system. Will the 108MP with advanced computational photography tricks win the battle?

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Masanori Sako from Olympus: We plan to launch many new cameras and lenses in 2020!

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On March 3 the French magazine Photorend interviewed Masanori Sako from Olympus. Here are the highlights:

2020 goal:
Our objective in 2020 is to stabilize and strengthen our position on the market. To achieve this objective, we are actively carrying out marketing activities and have also set up a roadmap of interesting products. We will continue to develop future technologies for photographers and videographers, such as new cameras and new lenses in 2020.

E-M1X sales:
E-M1X, but it is selling pretty well. The addition of the Starry Sky AF function on the OM-D E-M1X is under consideration.

Full Frame:
Full format is interesting in many cases, but many customers are looking for a more compact and lighter interchangeable lens system and we are almost the only ones able to offer this kind of product on the market. In fact, we are not afraid to be “alone” and we are proud to have the Micro 4/3 and to offer unique features for photographers.

Camera business shutdown rumors:
Some people thought that Olympus was planning to reduce or even close its imaging business, but that is not the case. Imagery continues to play an important role in the business, by being at the forefront of technologies or innovations. We will therefore certainly maintain the imaging activity as an important part of Olympus society. The rapid pace of technological development could help accelerate certain developments in medical devices or life sciences. The photo division is also our public face, and contributes to the fact that many people know about Olympus, which should promote the presence of the brand.

Coronavirus effect on Olympus camera business:
Olympus has been affected to some extent. We don’t see any significant impact at the moment, but we will see. Our factories are now in Vietnam, although some parts are purchased from Chinese companies, so there could be some impact.

New higher resolution MFT sensors:
We are also studying how to use higher resolution sensors in the future. There is no limit, but our priority is to obtain a final image of quality and usable.

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