Olympus has introduced a new F1.8, 75 mm "high grade" Micro Four Thirds lens. This lens, equivalent to 150 mm on a Micro Four Thirds camera, is made of entirely metal and is just 2.7 inches long. The focus system is all internal, for quick and quiet AF (especially important for movies). You'll be able to buy one for yourself this summer for $899.
Sensor-shift image stabilization, which now offers Horizon Correction, Composition Adjustment, and ASTROTRACER (for eliminating light trails during star photography; optional GPS required)
Lightweight body is sealed against dust and moisture, and works at temperatures as low as +14F
3-inch LCD display with 921,000 pixels; live view runs at a fluid 60 fps and includes a handy focus peaking feature
Optical viewfinder has 100% coverage and a magnification of 0.92X
New SAFOX IXi+ AF sensor, with 11 points (9 of them cross-type); new expanded area AF function follows moving subjects, even if they move out of the designated focus area
Full manual controls, with RAW support, dynamic range expansion, WB fine-tuning, and more
ISO range of 100 - 12800, expandable to 25600
Shutter speed range of 30 - 1/6000 sec
Auto Picture mode selects a scene mode for you; plenty of scene modes and special effects to choose from yourself (including HDR)
Continuous shooting at 6 frames/sec
Hot shoe for external flash; on-board flash can serve as wireless controller
Records Full HD video at 1080p (24, 25, or 30 frames/sec) with mono sound and manual controls
SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
Supports D-LI109 lithium-ion battery (480 shots per charge) or AA batteries with optional adapter
Available in black, crystal white, and crystal blue
Ships in July for $849 body only and $899 with an 18 - 55 mm lens
As I mentioned, there's also a new lens to talk about. It's an F1.8, 50 mm DA prime, which is equivalent to just over 75 mm when attached to a camera like the K-30. The lens is small (1.5" long) and light (4.3 oz), and will set you back $250 when it ships in July.
Panasonic has announced a new F2.8, 12 - 35 mm Micro Four Thirds lens -- the third in their premium X-series. This lens is equivalent to 24 - 70 mm on a Micro Four Thirds body, and features Panasonic's Power OIS image stabilization system, nano surface coating, and both ultra extra-low dispersion and ultra high refractive elements. The 12-35 will ship in August for a price to be named later.
If you want to see this lens in action, check out my new Lumix DMC-GF5 gallery. I haven't decided if I'll be reviewing the camera yet, but at least I've got most of the sample photos out of the way!
Sony today took the wraps off of two new cameras: one with a translucent mirror, and the other with no mirror at all. I'm going to start with the Alpha SLT-A37, which is the replacement to the entry-level A35.
Supports all Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses with a 1.5X crop factor
Sensor-shift image stabilization
Translucent Mirror Technology provides full-time live view (even when focusing) and fast continuous shooting w/AF between each shot
Articulating 2.7" LCD display with 230,400 pixels
Electronic Viewfinder (TruFinder) has 1.44 million dots, 1.15X magnification
Full manual controls, with ISO range of 100 - 16000
Superior Auto mode selects a scene mode for you, and will use multi-exposure features to get better photo quality
15-point AF system with 3 cross-type sensors
Continuous shooting as fast as 7 fps with a 1.4X crop, or 5.5 fps at full resolution
Handy focus peaking feature for precise manual focusing
Clear Image Zoom doubles the focal length with a minimal drop in image quality
Auto Portrait Framing identifies people in the frame and then uses the rule of thirds to compose a more interesting portrait (the original is saved, too)
Fun Sweep Panorama feature, for 2D and 3D
Records Full HD video at your choice of 1080/60i or 1080/24p with stereo sound and continuous autofocus
Stereo mic input, HDMI output
Support for both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards
Uses NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery, 500 shots per charge with LCD
Ships in June with an 18 - 55 mm lens for $600
There's a new A-mount lens to talk about, too. Sony's new F3.5-5.6, 18 - 135 mm lens has a SAM motor for silent autofocus, and will sell for $500 when it arrives in July. You'll also be able to get it as a kit lens with all of Sony's current SLT line-up: A37 ($800), A57 ($1000), A65 ($1200), and A77 ($1700).
The other new Sony camera for today is the NEX-F3, which replaces the entry-level NEX-C3 (detecting a trend here?). It has most of the same features as the SLT-A37, just in an NEX body. Here are its specs:
Supports E-mount lenses with a 1.5X crop factor; classic A-mount lenses can be used with an optional adapter
Ultra-compact body comes in silver, black, and white
New articulating 921k pixel LCD can tilt upward 180 degrees, for self-portraits; downside is that it doesn't tilt down as much as I'd like (just 13 degrees)
Has a built-in GN6 flash (very much like the one on the NEX-7), unlike its predecessors
Plenty of manual controls, an ISO range of 200 - 16000, and focus peaking
Same Superior Auto , Auto Portrait Framing, Sweep Panorama, and Clear Image Zoom features as above
Continuous shooting at 5.5 frames/sec
Records Full HD video at 1080/60i or 1080/24p with stereo sound
Support for both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards
Uses NP-FW50 li-ion battery; 470 shots per charge (18% better than on the NEX-C3)
Ships in June with an 18 - 55 mm lens for $600
There's a new E-mount lens available today, as well. This F3.5-6.3, 18 - 200 mm lens has optical image stabilization and will be priced at $850 when it arrives in July.
I've posted what should be the complete photo gallery for the Olympus OM-D EM-5. The review is moving along fairly well and should be online in the second half of the week.
Fans of our Facebook page have been enjoying an early look at the Olympus OM-D EM-5 photo gallery for the last few days. Come "like" DCResource on Facebook so you can join in!
Olympus isn't the only one who has a new rugged camera to show off today, as Fujifilm just announced one of their own. The FinePix XP170 doesn't have the fast lens of the Olympus, but it does have Wi-Fi, something the TG-1 lacks. Here are the details on the XP170:
Olympus has introduced a new premium rugged camera, known as the Tough TG-1 iHS. The big selling point on the TG-1 is its fast F2.0 lens, which makes capturing photos in low light a lot easier than on competitive models. The TG-1 also supports conversion lenses -- a first for a camera in this class. Here are all the details:
It took two bodies and seven lenses, but our Pentax K-01 review is finally here! Is there a great camera hiding under the K-01's unusual design? Find out in our review!
