New E-M5 sample images posted

First "serious" samples I have seen so far, posted at Focus Numérique Looking good! (Note: if you get a popup for username/password it is user 'pavp' and password '33'!)

Of course, if you want this image quality at half the price and don't need all of the niceties of the E-M5, the Panasonic GX1 is always an option. While Olympus refuses to divulge details on the E-M5 sensor, smart money is on it being the same as in the GX1. (More)

Olympus E-M5 user manual now available!

Just spotted this posted elsewhere. Complete user manual for the E-M5.
E-M5 User Manual (More)

OM-D E-M5 on order and Pentax takes a belly flop

Quite recently, I commented on some interesting cameras showing up on the market. Since then, Olympus has made the then-speculated about "OM-D" official, and it appears to be about what everyone expected, which can be unusual these days.

The rumors and multiple "leaks" (which really no one believes is anything but controlled release of information from Olympus, they saw how well it worked for Fuji) were pretty much on target. While a lot of people wished for some magic to make existing 4/3 glass autofocus more rapidly, that was but a pipedream and no on-sensor PDAF ala Nikon 1 materialized. Then again, this was all wild speculation with not even a solid rumor to back it up.

What we did get is a nice evolutionary step in the micro 4/3 system. A compact, apparently quite well built camera with a 16MP sensor, integrated EVF and weathersealing that means business. No real surprise, but no disappointment either. The styling seems to be a point of heated debate on the 'net, but my personal opinion is that it nicely recalls the look of the original OM series while remaining fairly modern and up-to-date. Featurewise it seems fully loaded, including a pretty nifty "Live bulb" mode where you can see the exposure build up during long exposures. I am guessing that this will save some trial and error time when doing low light / night shooting where exposure times can run in the minutes. The camera overall made a nice enough impression on me that I placed a pre-order including the 12-50 (which seems an average performer but does have weathersealing unlike other current micro 4/3 glass). Silver, of course.

Meanwhile, Pentax went from rumor to disappointment in what seems to be a few days. The "K-01" started popping up on various rumor sites and in camera forums some time back; at that point it looked like an interesting development: A K-mount mirrorless. Since K-mount means a fairly long registration distance I expected this camera to have a new native mount and a capable K-mount adapter that retained autofocus and other niceties. With Pentax' huge list of K-mount glass from the 1970s onwards, it seemed like a potentially big hit. The few leaked pictures of it made clear the design was, well, unconventional, but I thought it looked like a cool and very different little machine. Then it showed up.

And really, the design is not bad. It does have a "duplo brick" thing going for it, but there is nothing really wrong with that. What is wrong with it: size and lack of viewfinder. There is not even an add-on EVF available. I really have no idea just what Pentax was thinking with this one. Having the native K-mount means you have to leave the big empty space where the mirror used to flop around, making the entire rig nearly as big and thick as a DSLR. So we end up with a rig that marries the disadvantages of both mirrorless (no phase detect AF (except for the Nikon!)) and traditional DSLR (size!). But hey, it is at least available in bright yellow.

Pentax themselves claim it is for the "fashion and design market". Good luck with that.
(More)

A splash of color

Eventually summer will be back. 7D + 500/4L.

(More)

Interesting times ahead

Looks like 2012 will be quite the year for the large sensor mirrorless cameras. While we are still waiting for Nikon and Canon to join the frenzy (and no, the Nikon 1 doesn't count, nor does the G1X as nice a camera as it appears), I see at least 4 exciting cameras on the horizon.

Anybody who pays the least bit of attention to digital cameras has by now heard of the Fui X-Pro 1. After the X100 became a hit for Fuji (who opted to go a more creative digital route than Kodak which appears to have paid off), everyone was clamoring for an interchangeable lens version of it. Well, here it is; a similarly styled camera with an even better sensor, and a set of nice prime lenses to go with it. The downside? Price. It was initially rumored to land around 1300EUR including the 35/1.4 ("normal"), and though we are still waiting for a final, final price, it appears we are now looking at some 2200EUR for this setup. While still a moderate price compared to the Leica M9 I feel they will be losing quite a few sales at this price point. Hopefully we will see it below the 1500EUR mark including lens sometime this year.

The Sony NEX-7 is not really new for 2012, but courtesy of production issues it is still not generally available. With its apparently excellent 24MP sensor and high res EVF this looks like a great platform for the great lenses that Sony somehow have forgotten to create for it. Sure, we have the 24/1.8 Zeiss which appears to be a solid piece of glass, but a single high quality prime does not a system make. With the pricing on the NEX-7 they are clearly not shooting for the point-and-shoot upgraders, and the serious enthusiasts are going to want some great glass to go with that great body. Of course there is the option to adapt all sorts of third party lenses, but without at least a 35,50,85 equivalent native fast prime setup I am staying away from this camera...for now.

Ricoh GXR is not new either, but being a modular system it is pretty hard to define what constitutes a "GXR camera". What is rumored to happen this year is the replacement of the A12 M mount module (though it was newly released) with a 16MP Sony sensor based AA-less M mount module. Considering how well Leica glass performs on the NEX-5N which has this sensor (though with an AA filter) the output from the alleged A16 M mount module should be nothing short of spectacular. Coupled with the excellent focusing aids and generally photographer-oriented interface this can be a real winner. Price? It ain't cheap, but might just be worth it. Once the new module hits the market we will see.

Finally, we have what just might be the most exciting camera of the bunch: The Olympus "OM" digital. At this point a few leaked pictures of it and a pile of rumors as far as specifications is all we have to go on, but if the real thing is anywhere near what the rumors point to we might get one hell of a nice camera from the guys at Olympus. 16MP sensor, built in EVF, weather sealed body, upgrades image stabilizer and more; all this for a rumored 1100EUR or so with a kit lens. I will admit that I was not much of a m4/3 fan, but looking closer at the system I see that they have an excellent lens lineup, some very good cameras, and the output appears to suffice for my needs. Carl Weese wrote an excellent article on TOP which convinced me of m4/3's viability for my shooting. "OM-D" and a 25/1.4? Well, that just might be the ticket.

So, 2012 is clearly the year of the serious mirrorless. We will see what else comes along. Good times!

(More)

First scans with V700

Mamiya 645E, 80/2.8, Ultra 50
Working on scanning in all my negs with the V700.

So far medium format looks flat out excellent; I would not hesitate to make a 16x20 or larger from anything. 35mm does not look quite as good, but I am unsure as to whether it is due to the less-than-stellar gear I used to shoot with, or a lack of resolving power on the V700.


Crop of frame:


Acceptable or not? It makes a decent 8x10 but would not push it further.
(More)

Framed

Canon 50D, 300/4, 1.4x
I usually don't like the "frame within a frame" approach, but sometimes it does the trick.

These Cormorants were hanging out on one of those big power line towers (the ones Ken Rockwell swears give you cancer) when I drove by this morning. Came back later--this time with camera--and a few were left.


(More)