Olympus refreshes the PEN lineup with the E-PL5, E-PM2, and introduces the XZ-2

Olympus joins its camera comrades and introduces some notable refreshes to its point-and-shoot and PEN families.

It’s Photokina time and you know what that means: All the hot names in digital photography are bringing out the big guns, refreshing their existing lineups and introducing all-new models into the mix. And Olympus is no exception, this morning officially unveiling the Stylus XZ-2 iHS, the PEN E-PL5, and the PEN E-PM2.

The XZ-2 (pictured at top) picks up where the XZ-1 left off, but will now fall under the Stylus umbrella (previously, it was in a family of its own, the X-series, but Olympus has decided it will be housed by its point-and-shoot lineup). If you remember, the XZ-1 was a fairly one-a-kind device introduced back 2010, a big-bodied point-and-shoot with DSLR tendencies – something we’re increasingly seeing in the market. Now, the XZ-2 offers a really nice update to the original but keeping, more or less, the same sleek, professional exterior.

The refresh houses the same F1.8-2.5 lens and 4x optical zoom as the XZ-1, but does its predecessor one better with a 12 megapixel, 1/1.7 inch high-sensitivity backlit CMOS sensor and the TruePic VI processor (same as in Olympus’s top of the line OM-D E-M5), which should help considerably its low-light performance (something the XZ-1 could handle, but not impressively well). You can push the camera’s ISO up to 12800, for the record.

Also new to the XZ-2 is its hybrid control ring, which you can customize to have the nice, hard click or a smoother feel – something that will come in handy when shooting video in manual. You can also choose what the ring controls; focus, zoom, exposure… it’s incredibly versatile. Also worth mentioning is the XZ-2’s 3-inch tilt-angle touchscreen, a feature Olympus’ is increasingly packaging with its new releases. In our quick hands-on with the camera in August, these two new additions in particular stood out. It’s a considerable upgrade to the XZ-1, a camera we loved, and the increased manual controls and the promise of better low-light performance are a tempting combination.

Olympus is taking a modest approach to Wi-Fi sharing with the XZ-2 as well, making it connection friendly with the help of a Toshiba FlashAir SDHC card. There’s also an upcoming app from Olympus that allows for easy upload to your smartphone. The XZ-2 will be available in November for $600.

Of course, Olympus is also updating its incredibly popular PEN lineup with the E-PL5 (above) and the E-PM2, plus updates to the E-PL3 and the E-PM1. As you can imagine, the E-PL5 and E-PM2 are upgrades of their respective predecessors, which were impressive cameras in their own rights. So suffice it to say that both have a handful of aesthetic and feature tweaks (like more filters) that are expected, and a few more notable big updates that are worth bringing your attention to.

For starters, both cameras have the 16 megapixel MOS sensor and TruePic VI processor as the OM-D E-M5 and can push ISO to 25600. They’ve also improved their AF systems, and shutter and release speed has also been increased – max frame rate is now boosted to 8 fps in single AF mode. The E-PL5 and E-PM2 also both have 3-inch LCD displays with anti-finger print coating and new tilting capabilities that let the screens flip up for easy self-portraits or video recording.

The various upgrades bring the more consumer-level cameras closer to the professional and feature-full E-M5 processors, one the biggest things separating these two being the 5-axis image stabilization system of the E-M5 (build being an obvious difference as well).

The E-PL5 will cost $700, and the E-PM2 $550 (both body only and available in October). 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Panasonic announces DMC-GH3 Micro Four Thirds camera, two new lenses and a battery grip

Photokina is now underway and we’ve already seen new cameras by virtually every major manufacturer out there. It’s now Panasonic’s turn to join the fun as the company just unveiled its latest Micro Four Thirds camera.

The Panasonic DMC-GH3 comes to replace the GH2 Micro 4/3 camera. Along with the GH3 Panasonic also ousted two new LUMIX G X series lenses – 12-35mm and 35-100mm and a new battery grip.

The Panasonic GH3 comes with a 16.05 MP multi-aspect ratio sensor and a maximum ISO of 12800 (25600 with extension) and improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor – the electronic viewfinder and rear display are now OLED instead of LCD, the sensor is improved and the GH3 uses the latest Venus image processor. Continuous shooting has been boosted to 6 fps from 5 fps. Additionally the EVF now covers all 100% of the image.

Panasonic put a lot of emphasis on video recording. The GH3 now does 1080p video capture at the doubled 60p (instead of 60i or 30p of the GH2) and has gone with a very high 80 Mbps bitrate over the smartphone-esque 24 Mbps of the GH2. There’s also a 3.5 mm microphone jack in place of the 2.5 mm one. Stereo microphones on the GH3 body are also present.

The body of the GH3 is noticeably bulkier but is weather sealed and made from a magnesium alloy. This means that the GH3 is almost as light as the GH2 (550g with battery only versus the 609g of the GH2 with a battery and the 14-42mm kit lens).

Panasonic’s new Lumix G X series lenses include the 12-35 mm and the 35-100 mm zooms. Both feature Panasonic’s renowned POWER O.I.S. image stabilization. You can read DPReview’s preview of the Panasonic DMC-GH3 here.

Pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed by Panasonic.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Nikon unveils its Android-enabled S800c, compact S7700, and beginner-friendly S01

Ahead of Photokina, Nikon unveils a handful of new Coolpix consumer cameras.

The new camera parade continues as Nikon just announced a trio for very different photographers, including the first Nikon digicam featuring the Android OS. While the $349 Coolpix S800c is pretty cool (details to follow), the updated version of the S7100—the S7700—will give enthusiasts something to chew on as they consider buying it or the Canon G12 or Panasonic LX7.

The new S800c is Nikon’s latest Wi-Fi-enabled digicam. With Android onboard, social networks aren’t far behind as you can connect to Google+, Facebook, and Twitter to upload much higher-quality images than your basic smartphone. You can also surf the Web and download apps and games from Google Play. We didn’t get the chance to connect with our Wi-Fi network (the camera is due next month) but hopefully it’s easier than Nikon’s earlier efforts. Internal memory holds up to 680MB of apps.

Although you can’t make calls, the S800c’s photographic capabilities blow away any smartphone. It has a 16MP BSI CMOS sensor and a 10x optical zoom (25-250mm). This glass lens is far superior to plastic smartphone lenses and their digital zooms. Like a smartphone, the S800c has a built-in GPS. It has a nice 3.5-inch touch screen too using OLED technology rather than a typical LCD. 

Yes, we all know Compact System Cameras and DSLRs get all the headlines but we’re rather fond of fixed lens digicams with quality zooms and enhanced imaging sensors. This class of camera is designed for shooters comfortable with apertures and shutter speeds—and don’t mind spending $500 to capture images. The Canon PowerShot G12 is the clear leader here but Nikon and Panasonic have quality offerings. (We’re leaving the Canon G1 X and Sony RX100 off the list as they’re much more expensive.)  The new Nikon Coolpix S7700 ($499) should be a winner—but we’ll withhold final judgment until we get a production sample to review. The new model has a 12MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 2 megapixels more than the S7100 which featured CCD technology. Switching to CMOS also speeds up response.

The S7700 has a 7.1x optical zoom (28-200mm) just like its predecessor but with a much wider aperture of f/2.0 versus f/2.8 of S7100. This helps you take better shots in low light. The CMOS chip lets you grab photos at up to 8 frames per second (for 6 shots) and video is improved to 1080p from 720p.

It has a 3-inch vari-angle LCD screen rated 921K-dots, lets you capture RAW files and gives you access to P/A/S/M (program, aperture, shutter, and manual priority) so you can make adjustments to your heart’s content.

Rounding out the list is the Coolpix S01, a $179 camera Nikon claims is one of the thinnest and lightest available. We didn’t handle it but the tiny digicam weighs 3.4 ounces and measures 3.1 x 2.1 x .7 (WHD, in inches). Since it’s so small, you’ll make your adjustments via the 2.5-inch touchscreen. Beyond the dimensions, the S01 won’t make your inner techie swoon as its uses a 10MP CCD sensor and a 3x zoom (29-87mm), decidedly unimpressive specs for a 2012 digital camera. 

Don’t worry, the announcements aren’t over yet…

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com