Olympus

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New Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS Premium Waterproof Camera With f/2.0 Lens

By   May 08, 2012

 
New Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS Premium Waterproof Camera With f/2.0 LensJust in time for summer adventures, Olympus is introducing a first-of-its kind premium waterproof, shockproof camera, the 12-megapixel TG-1. The new Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS includes Olympus’ iHS technology, which makes it faster and gives it better image quality. But Olympus took quality a step further than any previous waterproof point-and-shoot by giving the TG-1 a super-bright f/2.0 aperture lens. Most rugged, waterproof point-and-shoot cameras have much slower (“slower” meaning they let less light in) lenses, in the neighborhood of f/3.5 to f/6.0. The TG-1’s 4x 25-100mm f/2.0-4.9 zoom lens sets it apart from the competition – way apart. The faster aperture means better low light photos and based on the way the Olympus reps are talking about the camera, I’m also hoping for better optical quality. I’ve been a fan of waterproof pocket cameras since they first hit the market, 9 or 10 years ago. They’re the best for rainy mountain bike rides, skiing deep powder days, and incriminating hot tub photos. But I’ve always been frustrated by the overall compromised performance and image quality. With the TG-1 iHS, it looks like Olympus may have finally built the waterproof, outdoor camera I’ve been waiting for!
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Camera Reviews | CSC | Featured | Olympus | Sample Photos

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Studio Sample Photos

By   May 07, 2012

 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Studio Sample PhotosMy reaction on looking at my first batch of Olympus OM-D E-M5 photos was, “this camera is better than it has any right to be.” I am really amazed by what Olympus has been able to get out of the E-M5’s new 16-megapixel Four Thirds sensor. I assumed we were reaching the point of diminishing returns with the 12-megapixel sensor in the last batch of Olympus Pen Micro Four Thirds cameras (read my Olympus E-P3 pro review). Apparently not, because the E-M5 has seriously surpassed the image quality produced by the last generation of Four Thirds sensors – even ISO 12,800 looks good to me in the right circumstance; and ISO 800 is rock solid. To my eye, ISO 3200 is where noise starts to really show itself. But the images are still sharp, with excellent detail.
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CSC | Featured | News | Olympus

The Olympus Fraud Scandal – What Does It Mean To Photographers?

By   February 20, 2012

 
The Olympus Fraud Scandal – What Does It Mean To Photographers?Unless you live in a cave, you must be aware of the huge financial scandal surrounding Olympus. And by huge, I mean HUGE – one-point-seven-billion-dollars-huge. I’ve been watching it all unfold but since I write about cameras not business I mostly kept my thoughts to myself. However, with Kodak’s recent reorganization and the generally poor global economic situation, the ongoing controversy has to have people wondering what the Olympus financial situation might mean to photographers. With the arrests last week of 7 key figures involved in the fraud, including the former chairman of Olympus, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, and a lawsuit against the company by the former President Michael Woodford, I decided it was time for me to dig into the story. Like I said, I’m no business or finance expert, but I do know a little about the camera business and maybe I can help put the Olympus controversy in perspective for photographers.
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CSC | Featured | News | Olympus | Videos

Olympus E-M5 Hands-On Video Intro

By   February 11, 2012

 
Olympus E-M5 Hands-On Video IntroThere’s a brand new Micro Four Thirds camera in town – the Olympus E-M5. It’s got a built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) and it’s dust and weather-sealed. Instead of making the E-M5 part of their Pen camera line, Olympus decided to differentiate it and pay tribute to their camera-making heritage by creating a whole new line of cameras named after their venerable OM 35mm film SLRs. The new Olympus OM-D line is spec’d more for the professional photographer and the E-M5 looks like a big leap forward for Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras. The main difference between the Pen cameras and the OM-D line is the built-in EVF and weather-proofing. Besides those two features, the Olympus E-M5 also has a new 16-megapixel sensor with a new 5-axis image stabilization system, a 3-inch tilting OLED display, improved auto focus and 9 frames per second high-speed burst rate. Not to knock the Olympus E-P3, my favorite new camera of 2011 (read my Olympus E-P3 review), but the E-M5 really takes things to a new level. Olympus was nice enough to send me a pre-production camera to play with for a few days so keep reading to see exclusive hands-on video and photos of the E-M5!
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Featured | News | Olympus | P&S | Underwater

Olympus TG-820 iHS Tough Camera – Faster & Better Image Quality

By   February 09, 2012

 
Olympus TG-820 iHS Tough Camera – Faster & Better Image QualityOlympus just introduced a new waterproof, shockproof “Tough” camera, the TG-820 iHS. Those of you who read my articles and reviews are probably aware I’ve been critical of Olympus waterproof point-and-shoot camera image quality for the past couple of years (see my Olympus TG-610 Review). I’ve also seen a lot of user reviews complaining about the slow reaction time with the Olympus Tough cameras and I can’t say I disagree. The TG-820 iHS brings good news, though. Olympus has made some major upgrades to the guts of the TG-820, switching from a 14-megapixel CCD sensor to a 12-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and giving it TruePic VI processing – just like they use in their powerful new OM-D Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens camera (Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera intro). Thanks to those two changes, the TG-820 iHS should be quicker and have much better image quality, hopefully putting it back up on the rugged camera top shelf.
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Camera Reviews | CSC | Featured | Olympus | User Reviews

Olympus E-PM1 Pen Camera – Featured User Review

By   January 23, 2012

Olympus E-PM1 Pen Camera – Featured User ReviewThe smallest interchangeable lens Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera yet, the Olympus E-PM1 definitely deserves more attention. So I was really happy to see this fine review show up a few days ago. It’s our first user review for the E-PM1 and the author, Anbesol, has supplied a lot of well-informed detail about the E-PM1’s performance – both positive and negative. This review is a textbook example of how a great user review should be written and it’s very deserving of Featured User Review status.

If you’re an Olympus E-PM1 owner, or any other Micro Four Thirds camera for that matter, please write a review so other photographers can learn from your experience. Your reviews are one of the most valuable parts of this site! It only takes a few minutes to write a review that could help hundreds or even thousands of other photographers.


Write A Review

Featured Review: Olympus E-PM1 Pen

by Anbesol (Expert)

Price Paid: $450.00 from N/A
Review Date: January 19, 2012
Used product for: 3 Months to 1 year

Overall Rating: 5 of 5
Value Rating: 5 of 5

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2012 PMA | Featured | News | Olympus | P&S

Olympus VR-340 Camera Includes A Fashion Stylist

By   January 17, 2012

 
Olympus VR-340 Camera Includes A Fashion StylistWith Olympus’s new pocket superzoom camera you can bypass the shower and the mirror in the morning. Well, maybe not the shower. But the new 16-megapixel Olympus VR-340’s new Beauty Mode includes a purse-load of in-camera makeup tricks: “Laid out like a cosmetic toolbox, it lets you apply everything from eyeliner and eye shadow to rouge for skin blemishes. You can even lift cheekbones and morph your subjects to give them a cover-model look.” Unfortunately, it probably doesn’t brush your teeth and make coffee for you. The VR-340 does, however, include a super-versatile 10x 24-240mm (equivalent) optical zoom lens with dual image stabilization, 720p HD video and a 3-inch 460k-resolution LCD display.
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2012 PMA | News | Olympus | P&S

New Olympus VG-610 – Pocket Point-and-Shoot For Under $100

By   January 17, 2012

 
New Olympus VG-610 - Pocket Point-and-Shoot For Under $100Introduced last week at the annual CES tradeshow, the new 14-megapixel Olympus VG-160 digital camera offers a 5x zoom lens, 720p HD video, creative “Magic Art Filters,” Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode, a 3-inch LCD display and more in an ultra-compact pocket-sized camera – for less than US $100! You sure get a lot more for your money with digital cameras these days. A few years ago, a camera like the VG-160 would have cost at least twice as much – and it probably would have been a fair bit larger, too.
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2012 PMA | News | Olympus | P&S

Olympus SP-620UZ Ultrazoom Camera – 21x Zoom Lens

By   January 17, 2012

 
Olympus SP-620UZ Ultrazoom Camera – 21x Zoom LensThe Olympus SP-620UZ, announced last week at the annual CES tradeshow in Las Vegas, is an affordable 21x superzoom camera with a 16-megapixel sensor, 720p HD video and a 3-inch LCD display. The 21x optical zoom lens has a range of 25-525mm (35mm equivalent) and the camera has dual image stabilization to help freeze action and smooth out camera shake for video, in low light and for long telephoto shots. It features an Intelligent Auto (iAuto) shooting mode, which evaluates a scene and chooses the best scene mode for the situation, along with sixteen scene modes, in-camera panorama, 3D shooting and eleven “Magic Filters,” including Fish Eye, Pin Hole, Miniature, Drawing Pop Art and Punk.
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2012 PMA | Featured | News | Olympus | P&S

Olympus SZ-12 – 600mm Zoom Pocket Camera

By   January 16, 2012

 
Olympus SZ-12 – 600mm Zoom Pocket CameraOlympus introduced an impressive little superzoom camera at CES this year. The 14-megapixel Olympus SZ-12 has an amazing 24x 25-600mm (equivalent) optical zoom lens crammed into a camera body about the size of an iPhone. To put the SZ-12 in perspective, the longest pocket camera lenses are 16 or 18x zooms. The SZ-12 is only marginally taller and thicker than competitors’ best pocket superzoom cameras but it has 1/3 more zoom range. Five years ago, a camera with a 24x zoom lens would have been nearly the size of a digital SLR and as far as I know this is the longest lens in a truly compact camera so this is quite an achievement for Olympus.
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