Last week Olympus announced their second Micro Four Thirds Pen Digital camera, the E-P2. We got a little sneak peak at the E-P2 in the form of a pre-production camera that showed up about a week before the announcement. Since it wasn’t a finished camera we couldn’t shoot studio tests or evaluate the performance. But we did get to shoot product photos and make a hands-on video of the E-P2 so you could see some of the new features in action.
Read the rest of this entry »

 
Micro Four Thirds fans, listen up! The Olympus E-P2 digital camera has landed and Olympus sent me one to check out for a few days before they made the announcement! Its predecessor, the Olympus E-P1 was one of the surprise hits of the summer. The Olympus E-P2 is more or less the same camera as the E-P1 with a few important new features. The most obvious difference is the sexy new black finish. But it goes deeper than that. Most important is the new Accessory Port and included Articulating EVF (electronic viewfinder). The rest of changes are internal. They include auto focus tracking (yes - it works in Movie Mode, too!), manual exposure control in movie mode, two new Art Filters and a new Picture Mode.
Read the rest of this entry »

 
Olympus is launching a new digital SLR designed to offer families and photography enthusiasts DSLR performance for under $600. Olympus is describing the E-600 as sort of a “little brother” to the E-620 that was announced this spring. Key features like the 12.3-megapixel imaging sensor, built-in image stabilization, compact body, fast auto focus and 2.7-inch tilt-swivel LCD display with Live View are exactly the same.
Read the rest of this entry »

Olympus has announced a new entry-level camera to their E-System line of digital SLRs. The Olympus E-450 digital SLR has a 10-megapixel Four Thirds sensor, a 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II LCD with Live View and it includes three Art Filters - Pop Art, Pin Hole and Soft Focus.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Panasonic introduced two new lenses to its digital interchangeable lens camera system the G Micro System, the Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. and the Lumix G Vario 7-14mm/F4.0 ASPH. These two new lenses are compatible with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 and the newly announced Lumix DMC-GH1, which can record High Definition (HD) AVCHD 1080/24p video.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Panasonic introduced its latest Micro Four Thirds camera and member of the Lumix G Micro System, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. This creative HD hybrid DSLR is compatible with the Micro Four Thirds System standard and delivers professional-level performance and features in a compact and easy-to-use body.

Read the rest of this entry »

 
I shot this video of the Olympus E-620 box opening on February 11th, two weeks before the camera was officially announced. Getting pre-release camera gear is fun! I love opening up a box, not really knowing what’s inside and getting to be one of the first people to see something. And it’s even better when I get to share it with you!
Read the rest of this entry »

 
Olympus announced the 12-megapixel E-620 digital SLR this morning. The new E-620 is the second “Creative” digital SLR from Olympus. It’s sort of a combination of the E-520 and the E-30, with the E-520’s size and build and the some of the features and performance from the E-30, including a 12-megapixel sensor, Art Filters, Multi Exposure, improved auto focus and a 2.7-inch tilt-swivel LCD. I think the E-620 is the camera many Olympus photographers were hoping the E-30 would be - a compact, high-performance upgrade to the E-520 platform.
Read the rest of this entry »

We were lucky enough to be one of the first to get the new 12-megapixel E-30 digital SLR from Olympus. Rather than wait for a complete review, I’ve been shooting with the E-30 for the past few days so I can put together some initial impressions.

Read the rest of this entry »

Possibly, the most important recent camera news is the announcement of the Red DSMC system. Red is the most important camera company no one has ever heard of. They made a name for themselves with a modular digital video camera called Red One. Now they’re attacking the high-end digital SLR market with their DSMC (Digital Still and Motion Camera) system. The DSMC system can be configured in seemingly endless ways, supports frame rates unheard of in the DSLR world, and can mount Nikon and Canon SLR lenses. It’s definitely targeted at high-end working pros, and even then I believe it will only appeal to a limited market. But the timing is interesting, as the hybrid still/motion system was announced shortly after Nikon and Canon both introduced digital SLRs with HD video capability. But imagine a pro-level digital camera that can capture 30, 50 or even over 100 frames-per-second…
(read more about the Red DSMC)
Read the rest of this entry »

The Olympus E-520 is a 10-megapixel digital SLR with a compact body, built-in image stabilization, a 2.7-inch LCD with live view, and enough exposure modes to please any photographer. It’s part of the Four Thirds System, which uses a smaller 4:3 aspect ratio imaging sensor that helps keep the camera body and lenses small and light.

Want to buy an Olympus E-520?
Compare prices and shop for a Olympus E-520 digital camera >>

Olympus E-520 Studio Test Images
	ISO 100 Sample >> ISO 200 Sample >> ISO 400 Sample >> ISO 800 Sample >> ISO 1600 Sample >>

Pros Light and compact Built-in mechanical image stabilization Super Control Panel LCD interface Excellent, compact lenses Lots of customization possible 3.5 frames-per-second frame rate Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system Great value	Cons Image quality isn’t as good as the competition Sometimes auto focus locks up Only three auto focus points Menus and customization options can be overwhelming

Read the rest of this entry »

The New Olympus E-30 - The Creator Digital SLR

In September, at Photokina, Olympus announced they had a new Four Thirds digital SLR in the works. The new 12.3-megapixel Olympus E-30 is designed to fall between the E-520 and the flagship E-3. It shares many of the high-end features of the E-3 in a smaller, lighter body, less expensive body. Olympus calls the target E-30 buyer the “Creator.” It’s aimed at artists, designers, illustrators, art students, and other creative types and includes brand new technology that gives creative photographers new tools for “superior expressivity.”

Read the rest of this entry »