Just Posted: Olympus PEN Mini preview and video. Behind the bluster of the latest announcements, the Olympus E-PM1 has started hitting the shelves. In many respects it’s pretty similar to the E-PL3 (and it features most of that camera’s enhancements over the previous PEN models). It’s built around the familiar 12MP sensor, shoots 1080i60 HD video and features an array of Olympus’ Art Filters. It stands out in one respect though – it’s the least expensive mirrorless interchangeable lens camera we’ve yet seen (in terms of list price). We’re working on a review but, in the meantime, have put together a preview article and video.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Posts Tagged ‘Olympus’
Just posted: Olympus E-PM1 (PEN Mini) preview and video
05
Oct
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm F1.8 first impressions and samples
23
Sep
Olympus 45mm F1.8 first impressions and preview samples. The recent spate of camera and lens announcements has given us the chance to use the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm F1.8. Given how long we’ve been asking manufacturers for a portrait lens in the 100mm-equivalent region, we pounced on this when it came into the office. As well as a preview samples gallery, we’ve also prepared some first impressions of shooting with the Micro Four Thirds ‘Family Portrait’ lens.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Just posted: Our in-depth Olympus E-PL3 review
20
Sep
We’ve published our Olympus PEN Lite/E-PL3 review along with studio comparison shots fron the Sony NEX-5N. The E-PL3 squeezes much of the capability of its big brother, the E-P3, into a smaller, simplified body. It gains the faster autofocus and Full HD (60i) video of the third-generation PEN models, while it also adds a tilting LCD and 5fps burst shooting mode. These all represent significant improvements over the larger, heavier E-PL2 it replaces. Could this be the mirrorless model that would-be compact camera upgraders should be looking to?
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Olympus US announces PEN Mini (E-PM1) pricing
25
Aug
Olympus has announced pricing and availability for its forthcoming PEN E-PM1 entry-level mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The camera with the latest MSC II R version of the company’s collapsable 14-42mm kit lens will cost $ 499.95. The smallest of the PEN familiy of Micro Four Thirds cameras, the PEN Mini includes many of the features of the more expensive E-PL3 but with a simplified user-interface. It will be available in the US from September 2011.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Just posted: Our in-depth review of the Olympus E-P3
18
Aug
Just Posted: Although it retains its predecessor’s styling, the Olympus PEN E-P3 shares very little else with its forebears. There’s still a 12MP Four Thirds-sized sensor at its heart, but its autofocus, rear screen and movie capabilities have all been radically overhauled. Crucially, Olympus has also managed to squeeze a flash into the body. Now sitting at the top of a three-model range, the E-P3 is clearly positioned as a camera for enthusiasts. So, do its third-generation refinements and promises of world-beating AF performance make the E-P3 into the camera that the PEN series always promised to be?
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Olympus UK announces pricing for PEN Lite (E-PL3)
10
Aug
Olympus UK has announced its recommended pricing for the PEN Lite E-PL3. The MSRP will be £549.99. Olympus US has not yet announced pricing but, to put the UK price in context, it is around the same list price as Nikon’s D3100 kit or the Panasonic GF3, 14mm lens combination – both of which have recommended selling prices of $ 699 in the US. Neither territory has yet given details of the even simpler (and less expensive) PEN Mini (E-PM1). Olympus UK says the PEN Lite will be available from ‘late summer.’
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Olympus quietly unveils SZ-11 and VG-145 compact cameras
08
Aug
Olympus has announced the SZ-11 and VG-15 14MP compact cameras. The SZ-11 is a compact superzoom that manages to squeeze a 20X wide-angle zoom (25-500mm equiv.) into a relatively compact body. Despite the numbering, it appears to have more in common with the SZ-30H than the SZ-10, seemingly using a shorter version of the SZ-30’s lens. This means a maximum aperture of F3.0-6.9, rather than the SZ-10’s rather more impressive F3.3-4.4. The SZ-11 also has 10 Art Filters, rather than the eight offered by existing SZ models. Meanwhile the VG-15 is a budget compact with a 26-130mm equiv. unstabilized zoom lens. It has the same 14MP sensor as the SZ-11 and includes a 3.0" 230k dot LCD, rather than the SZ-11’s 460k dot panel.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Olympus announces SP-810UZ with the world’s longest zoom lens
08
Aug
Olympus has announced the SP-810UZ superzoom with a 36x (24-864mm equiv.) zoom lens – the world’s longest optical zoom in a compact camera. Successor to the SP-800UZ, the SP-810UZ also boasts a 14MP CCD sensor, 3.0" LCD and 720p HD video recording. Also included are a 3D capture mode, AF Tracking and Magic Filters including a new ‘reflection’ effect. Priced at $ 329.99, the camera will start shipping from September 2011.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Olympus launches VF-3 and announces E-PL3 US pricing
27
Jul
Olympus has announced US pricing and availability for the PEN Lite E-PL3. The E-PL3 will be available from September at a suggested retail price of $ 699.99. As previously announced, the MSRP in the UK market will be £549.99. The camera will be shipped as a kit with either the M.Zuiko 14-42mm lens or the M. Zuiko 17mm pancake lens. The company has also introduced the VF-3 electronic viewfinder for its PEN series of Micro Four Thirds cameras. This is a smaller, slightly lower resolution (0.97x magnification, 920k dot, rather than 1.15x, 1.44M dot) alternative to the existing VF-2. Compatible with all PEN cameras that have an accessory port, the VF-3 has a street price of $ 179.99, offers a 100% field of view and can be tilted by up to 90 degrees.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Olympus E-P3 samples gallery updated with revised settings
07
Jul
We’ve added three additional images to our samples gallery for the Olympus E-P3 with revised processing. Following concerns expressed about the levels of noise reduction and sharpening being applied by the camera’s default settings, we have re-processed the images with the sharpening and noise reduction minimized. Having confirmed that re-processing raw files in-camera gave the same results as shooting natively at these settings, we re-processed three of our gallery images to allow side-by-side comparison with the default settings.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)