The Micro Four Threads Third

Well the ubiquity of the 5D must come to an end eventually, surely

Whatever the 5D II is replaced with will probably be 50% movie camera, or Canon will come out with a dedicated EOS movie camera or something.

If you buy via Canada (someplace like Henry's), new 5DIIs are under $2k USD, which is pretty crazy.

I did not know that, thank you

Guys reading all these tech sites is making my head spin. What a bunch of bores DSLR nerd are.

So you can basically find a supporting argument for/against any camera you want to buy.

This A77 seems fairly decent though.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/6666/top_dslrs_compact_interchangeable_lens_cameras_for_video.html

Yeah, the equipment arguments are all angels dancing on the head of a pin at this point, with a couple of exceptions, at least in terms of stills. I don't know anything about video, other than the D700 doesn't have it.

You guys

This is where I announce that I am now the proud owner of a GH2. I got the 14-42 kit lens which I heard is not so hot but have ordered adapters so I can use all my c-mount movie lenses and my Pentax film lens. Isn't it exciting??

I also got fat, fast memory and a Hoodloupe so I'm all pimped out

One thing though - I'm still not sure this thing shoots TRUE 1080P. Supposedly it does in 24P movie mode, but it's hard to find anything that says this for sure.

awesome! are you counting on it to shoot true 1080p?

not counting on it, no. But it seems like a bit of a gray area. that said, the price was right and the only other thing close I would have considered was the 7D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqhNN2fh-Ew

this was shot on a GH2

thoughts on the new olympus?

link?

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympusem5/

http://i.imgur.com/4DDtk.jpg

looks like olympus's versions of a panny g series. but it's fully weatherproofed!!

I am seriously questioning my commitment to DSLRs.

woah

My GF1 is barely over a year old, but this is extremely tempting. The new body is nice, but I'm even more interested in seeing how sensor performance compares to the G3/GX1 and if they've improved DR by any noticeable degree.

I doubt it - Panny always seems to have the edge in the sensor tech (not surprising as I think panny manufactures oly's sensor)

want

now i'm torn between this and the x1

well since I've got a m43 cam already this seems like a better deal

Cosina-Voigtlander also announced a 17.5/.95 (equivalent of 35mm) manual focus lens.

I miss having the option for other focal lengths w/ my X100 - between the OM-D and X Pro 1, I don't know which I'd favor.

XP1 - probably superior in low-light (and it seems like half of my shooting is at 1600+), way more expensive, slower AF (presumably), no clue if the lenses are awesome or not
OM-D - smaller, cheaper, the 12/2 and 25/1.4 are great lenses, image stabilization in the body, add-on grip that will probably make it more comfortable for my big hands...

Cosina-Voigtlander also announced a 17.5/.95 (equivalent of 35mm) manual focus lens.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Thursday, February 9, 2012 4:10 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wait for m43?

Indeed. Probably $600-700, I'd guess.
I'm not too sure about the usefulness of super-fast MF glass for those systems, tbh. Very thin depth of field and magnification being the only reliable way to manually focus is a weird combo.

yeah I think those lenses are useful as 1.) baubles to be admired and 2.) shooting in the faint light

the olympus 17/2.8 will take you 90% of the way there, the panny 20mm/1.7 will take you 105% the way there (i.e. will probably outshoot the 17/0.95 at all apertures head to head)

http://www.43rumors.com/hot-voigtlander-announces-the-new-amazing-17-5mm-f0-95-lens/

oh, whoa, $1300 Euros if that's right

Baubles OTM. Lots of the C-V lenses coming out these days seem like gear for fetishists.

I owned a CV m-mount 35mm/1.2 for about two minutes. great lens, great build quality, but jeez it was so big and heavy and not worth carrying around over a tiny canon 35/1.8

Got a 20mm pancake lens and some filter for GH2 this weekend, much happier now. Thing is p. dope, imo

has anyone used anamorphic lenses/adapters? how was it 4 u

the OM-D E-M5's image stabilization looks pretty amazing for video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SimZkKidsHE&hd=1

no?

too distracted by the shoulderblades

but yes

doing this now

http://osgfilms.com/hack-the-panasonic-gh2/

anyone got the G3?

I got one for my mom last week, with the kit 14-42mm as her X100 couldn't keep up with her corgi and the OM-D was going to be out of a reasonable price range for corgi photos.

It's very light and feels pretty chintzy, the touchscreen is just so-so in responsiveness, there are a lot of menus and settings that are pretty confusing even for me. The EVF is definitely not as good as the one in my X100 or the new OM-D, pretty laggy and seemingly grainy. For what she paid ($579 w/ lens) it's a fine deal, though, and I suspect with one of the good prime lenses (20/1.7 or 25/1.4) the whole thing would work just a bit better.

I used it a little when I was setting it up, but I couldn't find a good way to look at the files on my parents' Windows computers.

I seriously considered a G3 complement my GF1, but its flimsier construction put me off. I'm glad I waited long enough to see the E-M5 hit reality.

I been shooting video using a lens from my Bolex (a 50mm Fuji CCTV lens) and the Tele Conversion. This is just a screengrab of raw video, no grading obv. Check the flare!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6803857082_2acfa3dd94_b.jpg

Oh this is with the GH2.

Marionettes

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6803875814_761eaf1718_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6949985993_327a943374_b.jpg

waht is latest 4/3 news? may be in market for new camera following burglary.

OM-D

Lots of interesting new lenses have come out in the past few months, like the Olympus 75mm, 60mm macro and the Panasonic constant f/2.8 zooms. The biggest news lately is the GH3. E-PL5 looks to be pretty nice too, for high quality in a small package.

http://3.static.img-dpreview.com/previews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gh3/images/intro-001.jpg?v=1756

wooooooooah that is an ugly camera

GX1?

GH3 is marketed as the pro-level (magnesium body, weather sealed) Panasonic. It's a good deal larger than the GH2 (or for that matter, OM-D).

I bought an OM-D, and can't be happier. It has a bit awkward ergonomics, but its 5-axis in body image stabilization is a marvel, and the Sony sensor it uses is the best in m43 land. Panasonic refused to sell Olympus sensors larger than 12mp, so Olympus got Sony to produce a downsized 16mb m43 sensor with the nearly the dynamic range and color depth of the Sony sensors used in the Nikon D800 and D7000, newer Pentax K cameras, as well as their own NEX and Alpha lineups. The OM-D lags those cameras a bit in high ISO noise, but the physics of sensor size can't always be helped.

The GX1 was widely lauded at release for being the true successor to the GF1 (rangefinder ergos with good controls). That said, its price has sunk faster than any other m43 camera to date from $800 to sometimes $400 in under 9 months. I'm definitely tempted to get a GX1 as a second body if they come down further, for conversion to full spectrum for UV/IR imaging.

The 75mm f/1.8 and 60mm f/2.8 macro are both pretty stellar lenses, though the 150mm (35mm equivalent) focal length of the 75mm is awkward for anything but outdoor portraiture. I have the 60mm, and it will outresolve my OM-D's sensor across the frame both at 1:1 distance and distance.

The Pany 12-35mm f/2.8 is pretty good (like the 7-14mm, its almost prime lens quality), but like the other non-Leica cobranded Panasonic lenses, it doesn't correct lateral chromatic aberration (purple fringing) well (Pany bodies do this via image processing). Not an issue for Olympus bodies if you shoot RAW and process via Lightroom 4. The Pany 35-100mm f/2.8 is probably similar, but at $1499 its kinda absurd. Anyone shooting at sport action focal lengths with that kind of budget would do better to get a Canon DSLR + 70-200mm L glass.

Panasonic announced a 42.5mm f/1.2 at Photokina for 2013 release. Probably the ideal m43 portrait lens (equivalent to a 85mm f/2.4 in angle of view and depth of field control) if its as good as their 20, 25, and 45 macro primes. They also announced a 150mm f/2.8, which fills a big hole in the lens lineup, and I'll be very tempted if they also make a 2x teleconverter.

BTW, it was this video review that finally sold me on the OM-D (I was looking for something with less shutter-lag than my compact):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEEXYHWm5dM

Oh, and some useful links:

Micro Four Thirds User Forum: pretty much home base for µ43 discussion on the internet
DPReview µ43 talk: Some bright users, and some abusive ones.
4/3 Rumors: you are a gear geek, no?
Dirk Hennig's overview of all native µ43 lenses: specs and convenient links to reviews

And for OM-D:
DPReview - Getting the most out of the Olympus E-M5: a lot of useful features are hidden in the menu labyrinth
Mike Hendren - Customizing the Olympus OM-D E-M5: so many one guide isn't enough.
OLYMPUS RAW codec: need to view thumbnails of your RAW images in Windoze?

Great stuff, thanks. I'm totally sold on the OM-D. 5-axis stabilisation does look amazing in that youtube.