For the very first time the Yasuhara x5 macro lens has been reviewed at ePhotozine (Click here): “I enjoyed using the lens which opened my eyes to textures that you don’t normally see. Objects took on a whole new life at this magnification.” The only real major drawback is the relative slow aperture of F/11.
More info about the lens here: yasuhara.co.jp/nanoha/index-e.html. P.S.: Yasuhara is known for making [shoplink 26291 ebay]M-mount lenses and cameras[/shoplink].
The [shoplink 23577]Olympus 45mm f/1.8[/shoplink] got tested by the team from DxOmark (Click here): “We have here another very fine and impressive lens, and one that is fully capable of holding its own against APS-C cameras and also against certain full-frame models. The results are convincing: in terms of image quality, these micro 4/3 modules are a clear success. Olympus certainly appears to have risen to the challenge of combining compactness with quality!”
DxO really loves m43 lenses :)
The Olympus 45mm f/1.8 is a nice and relatively cheap lens: [shopcountry 23577].
Something else: The Fuji X PRO 1 is shipping in Japan and it already reached a “cheater value” of $2,699.99 on [shoplink 29268 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. I will mark the price and see what the cheater price on the [shoplink 29074]Olympus E-M5[/shoplink] will be….I think it will go close to the X PRo 1.
Websites are now daily publishing new [shoplink 29074]E-M5[/shoplink] tests and FourThirdsUser (Click here) published a very interesting ISO comparison between the E-M5 and E-P3. Just look at the the 12800 ISO comparison (here the E-M5 and here the E-P3). The difference between the two cameras is impressive! At least one stop, probably even a tiny bit more! What do you think? After seeing the RAW files, and now these JPEG comparison I assume that the E-M5 is on his way to (may) become the m43 camera with the best JPEG quality. I like that [shoplink 29074]E-M5[/shoplink] and you?
Too bd the price is so high because otherwise this lens would be mine! The lens is currently available for preorder on [shoplink 29193 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] for 1.299 Euro. The specs of the lens are amazing but I am surprised no big website posted any single image sample taken with it! So I spent some time to find them for myself. I got two images:
1) Full size image taken at full f/0.95 aperture on Flickr (Click here). There is a visible longitudinal chromatic aberration but the lens is very sharp and contrast is also good.
2) A small size image is available at Mapcamera (Click here). Aperture is unknown.
The [shoplink 15659 ebay]Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95[/shoplink] lens is smaller and lighter than the 17mm. And here is the lens on the GX1 and the lens on the E-M5. Let me know if you can find more image samples! Thanks!
P.S.: A cheaper alternative is the [shoplink 29238 ebay]Schneider 17mm f/0.95 (Click here to see it on ebay)[/shoplink] C-mount lens.
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0 gets DxOmarked (Click here): “With its extraordinary sharpness for a micro 4/3 lens, the [shoplink 23576]Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0 is a winner.Pitted against the Nikon 1 NIKKOR 10mm f/2.8, this Olympus 12mm holds an overwhelming advantage. Even more impressive is the fact that this lens can compete with much bigger lenses, such as the Canon 24mm L-series mounted on a 7D. In short, it really does seem that a high-quality, fully micro 4/3 camera-lens combination is perfectly capable of replacing an APS-C combination”
Honestly, I couldn’t agree more!!!
Olympus 12mm price check: [shopcountry 23576].
P.S.: A couple of days ago they posted the Panasonic 14-42mm X lens review (Click here to read it)
There was an ongoing Olympus press meetings in Amsterdam and Yokohama and plenty of websites are now publishing new previews and videos. Here is a short roundup of the latest news:
Biofos (Click here) has some news from Olympus UK about the Four Thirds lens support: “No AF improvement on 4/3 lenses I am afraid“. But Olympus made it also clear that they are working on that issue. Their goal is to make Four Thirds lenses fully operable on m43 cameras.
Focus Numerique now removed the ability to download the E-M5 RAW files. Our reader Olaf sent us this: “here is a raw-conversion from me aimed at maximum detail and less texture-smoothing than the internal jpegs, i think it really shows the potential of the E-M5, taken with a 300€ lens at f/1.8! http://datenkeule.de/dl.php?file=file1329348705olympus-om-d-e-m5-preserie-exemple9.jpg
it is not easy to get the same sharpness olympus is doing with their jpegs while at the same time reducing noise and preserving texture-details.
now here the same file upscaled to 48mp (8000×6000) with a crop of here left eye (eat this nikon D800) ;-) http://datenkeule.de/dl.php?file=file132934883148mp.jpg
here some crops to compare the potential of texture-preservation compared to the internal jpegs. 2 100% crops with jpeg to the left and the raw conversion to the right: http://datenkeule.de/dl.php?file=file1329342465jpeg-raw.jpg http://datenkeule.de/dl.php?file=file1329343823jpeg-raw2.jpg
unfortunately i wasn’t able to save all raws, i only managed to save 4 or 5 of them. maybe i can post some other conversions later, like the one from the bike and the other shot of the woman.”
P.S: If you love analyzing RAW files than check Fujirumors (Click here). They just posted the first X PRO 1 raw files!
With all that Olympus E-M5 buzz we don’t have to forget that there has been another very exciting new introduction. The new Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 lens! The Spanish website DSLRmagazine (Click here) posted a short hands-on article and video (the one you see here on top). That lens is twice as luminous as the [shoplink 29192 ebay]Leica 35mm f/1.4 (and costs many times less)[/shoplink]. Valentin Sama says the lens has a top notch build quality (as expected) and the new pull down aperture ring which allows smooth rotation is completely noise-free (super news for filmmakers). The focusing ring is very long which is a good news if you want a precise focusing, bad news when you are in hurry :) The only major difference with the also superb [shoplink 15659 ebay]Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95[/shoplink] is the major size and weight of the lens (See size comaprison here). What I haven’t found yet are image samples. Did you?
A first preorder is available here in [shoplink 29193 ebay]Europe on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. The lens should ship by late March /early April.
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