Olympus E-P3 | Stuff-Review

Olympus E-M5 destroys the PEN E-P3 in high-ISO tests

February 20, 2012 at 10:09 am

We’ve been covering the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera ever since it was initially rumored and following the official announcement two weeks ago, we now have a long wait until it finally ships this April. We’ve already done a spec comparison to other high-end mirrorless cameras and we’ve seen how it sizes-up against the competition, but of bigger importance is how it actually performs and especially in low-light — a sticking point for the otherwise excellent MFT format.

The first high-ISO test of the Olympus E-M5 showed some promise, with little noise or artifacts up to ISO 3,200. During the weekend, Four-Thirds User has posted a high-ISO comparison between the E-M5 and the previous generation Olympus PEN E-P3. As previously, the test was done with a pre-production version of the E-M5 but the results are impressive.
continue reading

Fujifilm X-Pro1 vs. Panasonic GX1 vs. Sony NEX-7 vs. Olympus E-P3 comparison

The Lab

January 8, 2012 at 6:31 pm

Digital mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILCs) have gone a long way since Panasonic released the first Micro Four Thirds camera over 3 years ago. During this time, we’ve seen practically all major camera manufacturers (except Canon) entering the space that was once the privilege of multi-thousand dollar Leica Rangefinders. Fujifilm showed us what they can do with a high-end compact camera in their excellent fixed-lens FinePix X100 shooter last year. Now, Fujifilm plans to release a new X-series MILC system led by their X-Pro1 camera.

Despite coming late to the party, Fujifilm intends to enter with a bang. The X-Pro1 has Leica-like controls with individual shutter speed and exposure compensation dials, while each lens has a manual aperture ring. Fujifilm has also improved on the X100’s hybrid electronic/optical viewfinder, and the second generation has found its way in the X-Pro1.

In our comparison below we have pitted the Fujifilm X-Pro1 against the best of the competition, the Panasonic GX1, the Sony NEX-7 and the Olympus E-P3. All four share the same rangefinder-style body, though not all come with a built-in viewfinder. It’s interesting to note that the X-Pro1 includes a number of technologies which are unique, including the new X-Trans CMOS sensor and hybrid viewfinder.
continue reading

Panasonic GX1 vs. Sony NEX-7 vs. Fujifilm X100 vs. Olympus E-P3 comparison

The Lab

November 7, 2011 at 10:47 am

With the successor to the GF1 finally announced, Panasonic is coming back strongly to the space it helped create. The Panasonic GX1 is the company’s new high-end rangefinder style mirorrless camera. But, as we’ve discussed in our initial in-depth coverage, unlike its predecessor it’s coming up against some very serious competition.

To put things into perspective, we’ve the GX1 against the top competitors from Sony, Fujifilm and Olympus. Our comparison includes the super-high-end NEX-7 with an APS-C sensor and the amazing OLED EVF, the excellent fixed lens APS-C Fujifilm FinePix X100 (full review here) and a fellow Micro Four Thirds camera, the Olympus E-P3. So, read on to check out how our new MILC holds up.
continue reading

Sony NEX-7 vs. Fujifilm X100 vs. Olympus E-P3 vs. Panasonic DMC-GF3

The Lab

August 24, 2011 at 7:18 pm

Sony’s just announced NEX-7 digital camera is a real contender as the new king in the compact mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera realm. We’re sure that you are itching, same as we, to see how it stacks up against the competition. We’ve pitted the NEX-7 against two Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras, the new Olympus E-P3 and the Panasonic GF3 — although we are sure Panasonic is secretly cooking a high end shooter, the GF3 is currently their higher end compact MFT camera. We’ve also added the excellent fixed lens Fujifilm FinePix X100 to our comparison; the NEX-7 shares some of same genes having a no-nonsense retro look, APS-C sensor and lots of controls. Head over after the link to see a spec fight-out.
continue reading

Adobe Lightroom 3.5 and Camera Raw 6.5 with new camera RAW and lens profile support

News

August 23, 2011 at 5:19 pm

Adobe has just made available, for download, Release Candidates (RCs) for Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw with RAW support for a number of new cameras. If you have one of the latest digital cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Fuji or Phase One, and have been itching for RAW support from Adobe, this latest update should cover you.

The RCs also bring lens profile support for an additional 26 lenses from the likes of Canon, Hasselblad, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma including the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8 L USM. The updates also include a number of bug fixes and improvements.
continue reading

Olympus announces three new Micro Four Thirds PEN compact cameras

News

June 30, 2011 at 6:39 am

Olympus new PEN cameras: E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1

Great news for all Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera fans; Olympus has just announced three new cameras for the world’s favorite compact interchangeable lens system. The new PEN compact system cameras feature an updated 12.3-megapixel Live MOS Image Sensor combined with a TruePic VI Image processor that should allow you to capture images at ISO’s up to 12,800.

Olympus is claiming a reengineered autofocus system–we’re glad they’ve been paying attention–full 1080i HD video recording, re-designed user interface and of course a variety of Art Filters.
continue reading