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Olympus Pen System Gets Firmware Update

Olympus has pre-announced (seriously, guys, what’s up with pre-announcing firmware these days? How’s that even work) new firmware for the entire Pen system due out one hot week from today (that’d be April 22, don’t say I ever made you do math on a weekday).

From the press release:

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., April 15, 2010 – Olympus today announces the release of new firmware that improves auto focus performance for still images and high-definition (HD) video recording for the Olympus PEN E-P1, E-P2 and E-PL1 cameras. The firmware update will also enable the menu and recorded image to be displayed on the E-P2 and E-PL1 LCD while the VF-2 electronic viewfinder is in use.

The firmware update improves the autofocus speed for the E-P1, E-P2 and E-PL1’s still image capture with all Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds lenses. In addition, the update improves auto focus tracking in continuous auto focus (C-AF) mode when shooting movies and using the new M. Zuiko Digital™ ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 and M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 lenses. These lenses are Olympus’ first movie and still [picture] compatible (MSC) lenses and are optimized to achieve accurate and silent auto focus while shooting HD videos.

“This firmware update makes the popular PEN series cameras even more functional for photo enthusiasts and movie-makers alike,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager, PEN & E-System, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “The improved auto focus speed will make it even easier to capture outstanding, high-quality images and HD videos.”

The new firmware will be available on Olympus’ Web site starting on April 22, 2010. Click on the following link to learn more about the update and gain access to the firmware updater application:http://www.getolympus.com/penupdate.

The M. Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 lens will be available in May 2010, and the M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 lens will be available in June 2010.

Journalists interested in more information, review units and high-resolution images of the Olympus PEN series cameras, M. Zuiko Digital lenses and E-System accessories should contact Jeff Hluchyj, Mullen Public Relations, (617) 226-9939 or jeff.hluchyj@mullen.com, or Jennifer Colucci, Olympus Imaging America Inc., 3500 Corporate Parkway, Center Valley, PA 18034, ph: (484) 896-5719 / (800) 622-6372 orjennifer.colucci@olympus.com, or visit the Olympus website: www.getolympus.com.



Olympus E-P1 Gets Firmware Update

Olympus has issued a firmware update for it’s E-P1 M43 shooter. According to their site:

E-P1 Firmware Ver1.3 has incorporated the following upgrade.

[Modification]

  • Resolved issue in firmware version 1.2 where LEVEL GAUGE display did not move when using MF (manual focus).

If you’ve never updated an Olympus before, you’ll need to dig up the USB cable that shipped with your camera, plug it into your computer, then fire up either Olympus Studio or Master. The firmware updates will be in the menus of either of those programs, be sure to follow all the on-screen instructions and leave your camera turned on and plugged in until clearly told it’s OK to do otherwise.



Olympus’ New PEN: E-PL1

So, if you read any of the same blogs I do, you’ll have already read about this many times by now, but for those of you who haven’t, or just really want my input on the matter, Oly announced a third sibling in the PEN line-up today.

This new one, the E-PL1, is already being billed as “the affordable PEN,” although in fact it’s the most mainstream of the three that sets it apart. It adds a pop-up flash, and retains the E-P2′s wonderful support for that hot shoe-mounted EVF. The core specs remain in the usual ballpark: 12.3 megapixels on a 4/3 sensor, in-body IS, art filters, and 720p HD video (now with a dedicated record button. Ooh, shiny).

The major changes really are in the design, which doesn’t really sacrifice anything to looks (although a Mr Charlie Sorrel over at Wired seems to be of quite the opposite opinion), with this camera clearly being the true entry-level PEN we’ve been waiting to see ever since it became clear the E-P1 wasn’t gunning for a pro market.

How can I tell? It’s the controls on the rear here. Gone are the “advanced” jog wheels, and enter a few buttons which leave it looking…. yup, like a modern point and shoot. Go ahead, click the image there to see them large. Again, and maybe it’s just my familiarity and love of the E-3 (itself widely known for having a friggin lot of buttons), but I’ll have to disagree with Mr. Sorrel’s assessment of this being a button-heavy mess here too. It’s controls are clearly designed to provide a smooth transition from high-end point and shoots.

Anyway, we’ll have more to come on this shooter soon, but, if you don’t need jog wheels and have been eyeing the Pen system waiting for a cheaper option, it looks like your time is finally coming.



Samsung announces NX10, will Dick estate sue?

While I think it sounds like an advanced model of Sean Young’s role in Blade Runner, it’s really a new mirrorless interchangeable lens compact from Samsung. Competing with Olympus and Panasonic for small size and a narrow profile it sports a 14.6MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor (not the 4/3 size of the Oly or Panny), an electric viewfinder, and a 3″ OLED monitor.

They’ve also launched their own mount, the NX-Mount with three lenses out of the gate -a 30mm f/2 pancake, an 18-55 OIS, and 50-200 OIS. According to the specs sheet on DPReview (who have their hot little hands on a pre-production copy) there’s an adapter for Pentax K-mount lenses in the works.

I wonder if Olympus’ E-P1 commercial with Kevin Spacey was the harbinger of a mirrorless compact invasion.



Olympus E-P2 Available Here

e-p2Engadget has today pointed out that the Olympus E-P2 has started shipping out. Well ha! We already had some available!

The E-P2, for those who missed it, it the somewhat bigger step-brother to the E-P1. It’s not meant to have the more pro features its cousin the Panasonic GF1 has, but is instead still aimed at the higher end of the consumer market, gaining a very attractive new purpled-black metal body and includes an vari-angle hotshoe-mounted EVF. It is of course compatible with all Micro Four-Thirds lenses, all Four-Thirds lenses with adapter (and provided you don’t mind giving up AF on most of them), just about every other lens ever made (again with no AF and adaptor) by anyone, and all Four-Thirds flashes.



Olympus Announces E-P2 Micro Four-Thirds Shooter

Olympus E-P2

Olympus E-P2

Olympus today announced their newest MFT shooter, the E-P2. Seeming to be a single step up from the E-P1, it sports many of the same features, adds AF tracking, manual controls to movie mode, a new black finish, and the availability of a sweet tilting LCD viewfinder (an oft criticized “omission” in its very entry-level oriented brother). The body, other than the new finish, will look very familiar to anyone familiar with the E-P1, and with two bodies in the same style I think I can now call it a pedigree.

We’ll have more info soon. Continuing the now beloved tradition of manufacturers everywhere we don’t even get the information on these things until the day they’re out and every tech blog and their brother have already been unable to run the rumors and have the specs up at midnight. Whereas Nick and myself still can’t see clearly for the lack of coffee and now there’s a camera.

Oh! And some lenses! Oly announced a new 9-18mm for the Micro Four-Thirds format, and a new 14-150mm for it as well. I’d say between Panasonic and Olympus this new platform is developing pretty rapidly.

More pictures of this new beastie, including the tilting EVF and the obvious E-P pedigree after th jump.

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Oh, Lensbaby

The fine people at Lensbaby were kind enough to loan some of their new line to us during the months of September and October. I know I walked around with the 4/3 Composer for a few weeks and if you trundle over to our YouTube channel, you’ll see me fumbling with Derek’s E3, a Composer, and swappable optics.

More about the babies, and some pics, after the jump…
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Jeff Keller Reviews Pansonic GF1

Pansonic Lumix GF1

Pansonic Lumix GF1

Jeff Keller, founder and reviewer over at DCResource, has completed another one of his hands-on, everyday-use-oriented camera reviews. This time he tackles the highly-awaited Panasonic GF1. Panasonic, who not so long ago was a fairly criticized underdog in the camera world has really made some unbelievable leaps and bounds since I’ve been here and are now one of the strongest imaging companies I can think of, with such stellar offerings over the years as the LX3, the TZ5, the GH1, and now, apparently, the GF1. WHat’d Jeff think about it? ‘ll save you some tension and quote this from his conclusions, but for the rest you should over and read his many-page in-depth review.

I’ll start off this conclusion with a personal story. In a matter of days, I’m headed off to Asia for a three week vacation. In the past, I’ve taken my digital SLR with me, and while I love the picture quality and selection of lenses, carrying all that gear around gets a little tiring after a while. I could bring a compact camera, but the photo quality often disappoints, especially in low light. When the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 came out last year, I was intrigued — it had the flexibility and performance of a D-SLR, but in a smaller body. But it was still a bit larger than I wanted. When the Olympus E-P1 showed up I’d found what I had been looking for. Unfortunately, I was let down by its slow autofocus system. Enter the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1: it’s roughly the same size as the E-P1 and has better AF performance, a built-in flash, a higher resolution LCD, and a nicer movie mode. Add in full manual controls, a second-to-none live view experience, great photo quality, and lots of bells and whistles and well, I was smitten. Not only do I highly recommend the DMC-GF1 — I can tell you that I bought one to take on my trip.

DCResource Review

Preorder a GF1 @ Roberts



Panasonic’s New 20mm f1.7 Pancake Getting Solid Reviews

From Imaging Resource's Tests

From Imaging Resource's Tests

Having survived the slings and arrows of both DPReview and Imaging Resource, the new 20mm f1.7 pancake for Micro Four-Thirds from Panasonic comes out pretty well. There’s a bit of a discrepancy between the sharpness results from DPReview and IR, with Imaging Resource showing it far more favorably (might’ve been the body it was tested on, apparently that E-P1 has some chops as well).

Now, we just finish the wait for them to come in. Want one complete with the sexy new GF1 body? Best get on our wait lst, do that here.



Potpourri

Aaand here we have a few exciting notes for those of us online and shutter happy. Anyone who so far has had the clam for an E-P1 can rejoice at a firmware update (1.1) which will improve the Continuous AF mode. Also, they’ve updated firmware for the 14-42 and 17mm pancake. To update your Oly gear, just connect the camera to your computer and boot up Olympus Master. Derek says, “Key here is: Follow the instructions on screen -don’t turn it off until it says you can turn it off!” Funny, he tells me I turn it off by walking into the room.

Also, Adobe has passed beyond the release candidate stage on Lightroom 2.5 and Camera Raw 5.5 -yup your D300s, D3000, DMC-GF1, and E-P1 RAW files are now supported. Literally, now. The DMC-FZ35 is supported as well, but only in the US version. As I check our sales history that’s less than 20 days from when the D300s and D3000 bodies hit our shelves to Adobe supporting their RAW.

Aaaand I’m going to fill out this survey: http://survey.pmai.org/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.cgi?idx=QYAG8E because DPreview and PMA wants the Amatuer’s opinion on equipment and usage. While I might make my bread selling camera gear (and annoying Derek, Jody, et al) I certainly don’t do it taking pictures. C’mon guys, own up to having a day job and let them know we want 75 megapixel sensors that record zero noise at 180000 iso on a twenty minute exposure of the night sky. For under $1000. Bwahahahaha. Ok, it’s not really my hobby to try and skew survey data, but there is something (fundamentally broken, to be sure) in me which delights in the idea.

PhotoWalk on Thursday in Broadripple Park or surrounding environs. 7:15PM -and e-mail me if the calendar says 8:15PM ’cause that’ll be wrong.




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