Archive for the ‘olympus’ tag
Fiscal Reports: Leica Going Uphill, Olympus Going Downhill
The planned new Leica production facility in Wetzlar, Germany
While Leica Camera AG reports a sales high of € 81.9 million (US-$ 108m) for the third quarter of the ongoing fiscal year, Olympus reports a loss of an estimated ¥ 32 bn. (US-$ 412m) until the end of the fiscal year in March. Where Leica experiences an ongoing streak of success, Olympus suffers a continuing streak of bad luck that shows no sign of breaking off. And while the past fiscal year has been extremely fortunate for Leica, it was extremely unfortunate for Olympus. Read more after the jump.
Olympus Announces EM5 (OMD): We Fondle
Yes, the rumors have been true for the most part. Olympus has finally decided to let the cat out of the bag with the new OMD (or OM-D) modernly coined the EM5 (or EM-5). Pitched to me as their new professional Micro Four Thirds camera, the reps stated that the system is now complete with both consumer products and professional products. Additionally, new lenses and accessories were also announced.
We got some fondling time with the camera; and our thoughts aren’t everything you might think they would be.
Update: B&H Photo and Amazon has it available for Pre-Order
EM-5 with kit lens (Amazon is body only in silver and Black with kit lens)
Olympus Announces Two New Point-and-Shoots For Outdoor Junkies
The new Olympus Tough TG-820 iHS
Olympus today announced two new point-and-shoot cameras, the SZ-31MR iHS superzoom and the TG-820 iHS rugged compact. Both cameras are aimed at outdoor photographers — the SZ-31MR iHS with its 24x zoom lens (25-600 mm equivalent) lends itself at nature and wildlife photography, while the water-, shock-, freeze-, crush- and dustproof TG-820 iHS can go with you on outdoor activities in the mountains and underwater alike. More details after the jump.
How to Create Videos That Look Like They Were Shot with Kodak Tri-X With Your Olympus Micro Four Thirds Camera
Andrew Reed over at EOSHD loves the Panasonic GH2; he well should due to the fact that he is a professional videographer. He also has used the camera at super high ISOs in black and white while still achieving a film-like quality to the video. Because I dabble in street photography and have a video background, I have a love for Kodak Tri-X and the smaller Micro Four Thirds bodies like the venerable Olympus EP2: still considered by me to have some of the best image quality of all the models made. But even though the old camera doesn’t have the video capabilities of the newer GH2, it can still look quite nice providing that you use it correctly.
Here’s how to make your videos look like they were shot with Kodak Tri-X video film.
Review: Rokinon D900AFZ-OP Flash (Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds)
The Rokinon D900AFZ-OP is a TTL flash designed for budget level users that don’t want the hassle of having to figure out calculations in terms of flash output, exposure, etc. The one I tested was designed for Four Thirds cameras, but the TTL algorithms translate right over the Micro Four Thirds language (and therefore, both Panasonic and Olympus.)
Read one to see why this flash was recently chosen in our best budget flash post.
The Best Budget Off-Camera Flashes and Constant Lights
Many people are already intimidated enough by off-camera lighting that isn’t ambient or natural. But the truth of the matter is that you really don’t have to be if you’re willing to experiment a bit, analyze your mistakes and then re-evaluate your approach. In no time, you can actually learn to master the flash quite well. Then there is the issue of cost: which can be settled quite easily.
Here is a list of some of the best flashes, monolights and constant lights from a guy that has experimented and own three different camera systems and has played with lots of different lighting units. Note that all units named in this round up have been tested by me.
