Dpreview (Click here) posted the complete [shoplink 23567]Olympus E-PL3[/shoplink] review. So what they think after the 22 pages of testing? With an overall score of 73% the camera earns a respectable Silver Award: “We find the PEN Lite to be a well-thought out attempt to lure compact-camera upgraders to both higher image quality and the opportunity to explore manual controls while providing a day to day handling experience that will be far from intimidating.”

For me the real question is why Olympus didn’t simply make one camera instead of splitting it into two, the E-PL3 and E-P3. Hmmm…

Those are the search shop links to all three new PEN cameras. Click on it to check price and availability:
Olympus E-P3 [shopcountry 23568].
Olympus E-PL3 [shopcountry 23567].
Olympus E-PM1 [shopcountry 23565].

The new Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens gets previewed by Dpreview (Click here): “Even at F1.8 it is sharp enough to give plenty of detail in subjects’ eyes. Just as importantly, at sensible working distances, it gives a usefully shallow depth of field on the Four Thirds format and renders out-of-focus regions rather pleasantly”

Dpreview confirms what other reviewers said before. This is simply an amazing lens for the price you have to pay for it. Well done Oly!

Check the lens price and availability by clicking these sear links: [shopcountry 23577].

ThePhoBlographer (Click here) tested the new [shoplink 25395]Olympus VF-3[/shoplink] viewfinder: “At the price point, you’re really much better off going for the [shoplink 25394]VF-2[/shoplink] for the quality. However, when it comes to ergonomical advantages, the VF-3 is the way to go, especially for the locking feature. With this said, the VF-3[/shoplink] is still quite good in terms of build quality and image quality, but if you’re a photographer that loves to shoot full frame, you’ll appreciate the VF-2′s brightness much more in a similar way to Full Frame vs APS-C DSLRs.”

Also the german blog Pen and Tell (google translated) wrote a VF-2 versus VF-3 comparison.

Links to the two Olympus viewfinders:
Olympus VF-3 [shopcountry 25395] Olympus VF-2 [shopcountry 25394]

Jurek Ugarow sent me this video made with the GH2 and the new Rokinon (Samyang) 7.5mm for m43 ( Thanks Jurek!). The lens is already in Stock on [shoplink 25327 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]:
[shoplink 25325 ebay]Click here to buy the Black Samyang 7.5mm lens[/shoplink].
[shoplink 25326 ebay]Click here to buy the Silver Samyang 7.5mm lens[/shoplink].

Gakuranman (Click here) posted a new set of image smaples taken with the new Olympus 45mm f/1.8 portrait lens. A side note. That lens costs less in Europe than in US! That’s something we don’t see that often. It costs 256 Euro at Amazon.de (see preorder option) which is less than the $399 at Amazon US (preorder now available). UPDATE: The current Amazon.de price (Euro 293) you see is from a third party reseller. Pelase watch out the preorder option on the very right sidebar. You will see the official Amazon price.

“Iwo” sent us the following two images. On the first you see an Olympus PEN with the [shoplink 25550 ebay]Voigtländer 35mm f/1.2[/shoplink]. The second image is a portrait made with the lens. Iwo said the lens is razor sharp even at full aperture.

The new Olympus 45mm f/1.8 is now available for preorder on Amazon US too (Click here). This means one thing, that the lens will be in Stock soon! And probably a couple of days before the [shoplink 23110]Panasonic-Leica 25mm f/1.4[/shoplink] which has been announced three weeks before.

The Olympus 45mm is one of those lenses that are easy to recommend. Relatively low price, well thought specs and top notch image quality! Read the reviews at Lenstip or DSLRmagazine to get impressed by this lens!

Techcrunch (Click here) tested the Olympus E-PL3: “Coming at this from an amateur’s standpoint, I find the E-PL3 slightly lacking, especially when compared to its slightly larger cousins. However, it was a dream to carry around on vacation and it’s surprisingly easy for almost anyone to use, making it a good second camera for the home. While I believe something like the E-P3 gives entry-level DSLRs a run for their money, the E-PL3 is a more subtle camera, requiring real buy-in and understanding before it becomes clear why you would spend $700 on this versus a Canon Rebel.“. E-PL3 price and availabiltiy check at [shopcountry 23567].

Photoreview Australia (Click here) tested the Olympus E-P3: “Overall performance for the review camera was similar to the E-P2 unit we tested, which isn’t surprising since the sensors of both cameras are very similar. The new camera appears to have a wider dynamic range than its predecessor, although the Digital ESP metering remained slightly biased to recording shadow detail.“.
Also CNET Asia (Click here) reviewed the E-P3: “Overall, compared with its predecessor, the Pen E-P3’s improvements definitely impressed us, especially its fast autofocus speeds as well as saturated yet pleasing color reproduction. Our only gripes with the camera would be its high ISO noise performance and the wobbling effect in videos, which we hope Olympus will be able to fix in the form of a future firmware upgrade.“. E-P3 price and availabiltiy check at [shopcountry 23568].

P.S.: Imaging Resource tested the GF3 rolling shutter effects.

Panasonic Leica 25mm unboxing and testing

The new Panasonic-Leica standard lens should be availble in “western” country any time soon. Time to give you an update about the latest image samples and in Stock status. First there is a comparison shot of M9+50mm and Leica 25mm on G3 on Flickr (its huge size!). Also at Steve Digicams Forum you can find image samples of the E-P3 with the Leica 25mm. And a lucky owner shared some pictures at Dpreview forum.

So, where can you find the lens in Stock?
Of course in Asia at Amazon Japan and [shoplink 23110 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]. In Europe there are some of them in Stock at Amazon UK at Amazon France. US readers have to be patient (preorders at Adorama and J&R).