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Wow! Three exciting new items at once! Yesterday, Fujifilm announced their next-generation EXR sensor, now based on CMOS technology, backside illuminated and sporting 16 (8 effective) megapixels. Today, Olympus announced their (previously leaked) new and improved E-PL2 entry-level Micro Four Thirds camera as well as their new XZ-1 high-end compact. Read on to learn all about these new models! Continue reading News: Olympus E-PL2, XZ-1 and next-gen EXR sensor Hello everybody! I’m back, christmas is over and I have (partially) recovered from the festivity hassles … Panasonic/Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 for Micro Four Thirds PhotographyBLOG have reviewed the only currently available macro lens for Micro Four Thirds, the Panasonic/Leica Macro-Elmarit 45/2.8, which is being built by Panasonic in Japan, whereas the optical formula has been developed in cooperation with Leica. The lens has a 90mm-equivalent focal lenght and is capable of true 1:1 magnification. With its aperture rating of f/2.8 it is rather fast for a macro lens. PhotographyBLOG rate its optical performance very highly. The only drawback seems to be its mediocre sharpness at f/2.8. But for macros shots you will want to stop down anyways in order not to get too shallow depth-of-field, and at f/4 the lens is as sharp as it gets. Leica M9 silver chrome limited edition Finally, the Leica M9 is available with a silver chrome body as well! So far, the M9 was available in black or silver paint, which is prone to wear with time and expose the bare brass body. The chrome finish however, which was standard with the M8, won’t wear off as quickly. This limited edition also sports the sapphire glass display covering which was introduced with the M8.2, but dropped for the standard M9. This edition of the M9 is limited to 50 pieces, so be quick if you want one! Leica M8 vs. Sony NEX-5 comparison And here’s one for those crazy about crazy comparisons: Steve Huff wrote an article on how the Leica M8 and Sony NEX-5 compare. This is a question regularly asked in forums: Should I get a Leica M8, or will a Sony NEX-5 with M-mount adapter do? Well, Steve’s got the answer! Just a quick note on some new articles that are worth taking a look at. Soundimageplus have been testing the Panasonic GH2 and the Sony α55 extensively during the past weeks, and have now published a comparison between the two. Their verdict: “Both cameras (A55 and GH2) are bristling with quality and innovation, in small, light and relatively inexpensive packages. I’m not talking about gimmicks introduced to grab a few headlines, but genuine, useful, well thought out and implemented photographic innovation that assists us as photographers to both take better pictures and extend the scope of what its possible for us to do.” What? There is no clear winner? How can that be! 😉 There’s been another review written of the Voigtländer Nokton 25/0.95, the king of “available darkness” for Micro Four Thirds. Yes, we all love this lens. But what do Lens Tip have to say about it? Read their take on the Über-Nokton here. The PhoBlographer has started an ongoing field review of the new Pentax K-5, which turned out to be quite a surprise. Coming in the same weather-proof, compact and functionally designed body as its predecessor the K-7, it ups the ante by sporting a new Sony CMOS sensor that delivers outstanding image quality, surpassing even the rivals from Canon and Nikon. What we would have though impossible just a couple months ago has become true — Pentax has brought a product that can not only compete with the major players in DSLR world, but that even surpasses them in several respects. If you’re curious to know what the guy from The PhoBlographer think, follow their multi-part field review here. News from the world of Micro Four Thirds! First, I’ll start with two recent reviews. Reviewed item #1 is the Voigtländer Nokton 25/0.95, currently the fastest dedicated Micro Four Thirds lens. Yes, this lens has been reviewed many times already. No, we can’t get enough of it Reviewed item #2 is the new Panasonic GH2, of which not as many reviews have been written so far. Soundimageplus have recently received their GH2, and are currently writing an ongoing multi-part review, comprising 10 parts so far. Check out their blog here. They’ve been testing the GH2 with a number of lenses, also with aforementioned Nokton 25/0.95. New item #1 is a lens adapter from Kipon, which allows you to use your Canon EF lenses on your Micro Four Thirds body. The problem with Canon EF lenses is that their aperture is controlled electronically — there is no mechanical link at the outside of the lens. Thus, so far you could only use the lenses wide open. The Kipon adapter now comes with its own integrated iris, which you can use to reduce the amount of light transmitted to the sensor. See the announcement on EOS HD here. New item #2 is an adapter for the Sony NEX system, which allows you to use Micro Four Thirds lenses on Sony’s NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras. Indeed! Using an MFT lens on a camera with an APS-C sensor is a bit like using a C-mount lens on MFT — it will cause severe vignetting, as the imaging circle needed to illuminate an MFT sensor is smaller than the one needed for an APS-C sensor. Still, this could be interesting for some, and it sure sounds like fun! See the news on 43rumors.com here. Olympus E-PL1s The Olympus E-PL1s was announced this week, together with a new version of the 14-42mm kit lens. While the camera really hasn’t much new to offer (6400 ISO and a new battery), the lens seems to be a promising evolutionary step of the old version. According to Imaging Resource, it is a completely new technical and optical design, now featuring the “Movie & Stills Compatible” fast and silent internal focusing. It’s also lighter than the original version. Imaging Resource have a preview of the camera and lens with all the technical details for those interested. Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95 for Micro Four Thirds The new “poor man’s Noctilux” for Micro Four Thirds has been reviewed twice this week. One is a first-hand user review from Andrew Fildes, published on cameraquest.com, accompanied by a gallery. The other one comes from our friends at DC Watch, Japan, and features — as always — many beautiful pictures showcasing the len’s beautiful shallo depth-of-field when used wide open at f/0.95. Sigma DP1x The Sigma DP1x was announced earlier this year, together with the DP2s, as the third iteration of Sigmas popular large-sensor wide-angle compact camera series. The DP1x is a minor evolutionary step from the DP1s, which was a minor evolutionary step from the original DP1. The major changes are software-wise, with some different labelling of the controls on the rear of the body. TrustedReviews have taken a look at it, and aren’t really thrilled with it: “While it can certainly take a very good picture under the right circumstances, it is beaten soundly on features, performance, handling and image quality by cameras costing half as much.” Leica M9 Titanium Much more positive is Edmond Terakopian’s take on the Leica M9 Titanium, with which he was granted some hours of fondling. While the camera is technically mostly the same as the standard M9 (apart from the red LED-illuminated framelines), it features a full titanium body and completely new carrying concept designed and developed by Volkswagen’s chief designer Walter de’Silva. It is also limited to 500 pieces. (The one Terakopian used was not actually for sale, but a pre-production model.) Terakopian’s verdict: “I can’t think of anything that can make an M9 feel cheap, but the M9 Titanium does just that!” The review is also accompanied by a gallery.  November 20th, 2010, 1:39 pm |  leica, micro four thirds, nokton 25/0.95, sigma |  Archived |  Leave a comment |  |
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I’m still on vacation until new year, but couldn’t resists writing a short update on the latest news. So here’s something to feed your Leica addiction!