Hasta La Gadget!

There are a couple new lenses out in the open today from Olympus, both of them with aspirations for greatness and a new generation of both control and limited edition coolness. The First of these is the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60MM F2.8 “Nature Macro Lens”, made with dust proofing and splash proofing together with 1x magnification and a focusing distance of 19cm. The second is the Limited Edition M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 in Black, basically the same as the original M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 large-aperture, wide-angle, single-focal-length interchangeable lens, but this time in black.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60MM F2.8 Macro Lens

The macro lens we’re looking at here is a single focal-length lens with weather-proofing along with 13 lens elements. You’ve got 13 lens elements in 10 groups of lenses inside this beast with special glass materials such as ED (Extra-low Dispersion), HR (High Refractive index) and E-HR (Extra-High Refractive index) – each added to bring you to a new level of professional greatness. You’ll be all but eliminating the chromatic aberrations you’re likely used to from other telephoto macro lenses, and you’ll be good to go for HD video as well.

This macro lens works with an Olympus developed MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) autofocusing mechanism with inner focus system for ultra quick and completely quiet focusing on the go. There are three different modes of focus range that you can work with for photography, those being the following: close-up (focusing distance between 19 and 40 cm), normal (distance from 19 cm to infinity) and far view (distance from 40 cm to infinity). There’s also an optional LH-49 Lens Hood made specifically for the macro lens at hand, and there’s also the FR-2 Macro Ring in play here which enables compatibility with the RF-11 Ring Flash and the STF-22 Twin Flash Set.

Limited Edition M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 in Black

This lens is the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 large-aperture, wide-angle, single-focal-length interchangeable lens you’ve grown to love with a lovely black color in a limited edition release. This release has a snap ring for pan focus with distance indicators in place and the unit has a wide angle of 12mm. Inside you’ve also got the OlympusMSC (Movie & Still Compatible) mechanism which allows quiet, fast autofocusing for still photography and in video. This black version of the lens is sold in a kit with the LH-48 Metallic Lens Hood (Black), the LC-48 Metallic Lens Cap (Black), and the PRF-D46PRO Protection Filter.

M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f1.8 in Development

Olympus has also let it be known that they’ve got a M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f1.8 in development, coming soon with an emphasis on snapshots and street shooting. You’ll be working with a high-quality metallic outer finish and what Olympus says is a focal length equivalent to 34mm on a 35mm camera. More details will be coming soon from Olympus as they get closer to a release date, that being somewhere inside the first half of 2013.

Pricing and Release

The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm f2.8 Dust-and-Splash-Proof Macro lens is coming in October and will be available for approximately $499.99 USD. The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 lens limited edition Black unit will be out in early October (here in 2012 as well) for an estimated street price of $1,099.99 USD. Stay tuned for more Olympus action as the camera crew brings on more heat through the year!

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60MM F2.8 “Nature Macro Lens” unleashed with classic partner is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Olympus is resurrecting the Stylus line of cameras, starting with the Olympus ZX-2. This a compact, non-interchangeable  lens, camera that has been built and optimized for low-light (in my opinion). The camera comes with a 12 Megapixel backside illuminated (BSI) sensor (1/17″). More interestingly, the accompanying lens is a iZUKIO 6-24mm (4X Optical zoom) with a f1.8-f2.5 aperture, and that’s quite good, especially in low-light situations. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Olympus PEN E-PL5 and PEN E-PM2 Launched, Olympus OM-D E-M5, Officially Announced,

There’s a couple more cameras in the world today that’ve got the next level on their minds, both of them with Olympus‘ PEN branding on their back. There’s the Olympus PEN E-PL5 and the Olympus PEN E-PM2, both of them bringing superior image technology the likes of which we’ve not quite seen yet in our collective photography history – not in this combination, anyway. You’ve got ultra fast processing speeds, classic camera bodies, and super-simple controls for the point-and-shoot generation.

Both devices here work with the same 16.1-megapixel high-speed Live MOS Sensor and brand new TruePic VI image processing engine that the Olympus OM-D E-M5 has – and yes, we’ve had our own Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review opportunity too! What we’ve gotten from that camera has been amazing – with the PEN series we’ve got high hopes! The technology these devices share includes a maximum ISO of 25,600, great performance in low-light situations, and finest-ever gradations between light and dark areas.

Both PEN cameras work with the BCL-15 f8.0 Body Cap Lens, a body cap when you’re carrying the camera without its interchangeable lens, and when not, transforms into a pan-focus shapshot lens. Inside these cameras you’ve got the Olympus Image Share application compatible with both iPhone and Android devices – you’ll be able to connect using FlashAir and the built-in wi-fi connectivity between your PEN and your smartphone for ultra-quick and simple sharing abilities! These cameras also work with a lovely collection of Art Filers like Pop Art, Diorama, and Pin Hole – oddities galore!

Both models also have a 3-inch 460,000-dot high-definition LCD display with Anti-Finger Print coating over their screens. These displays can be used with your Touch AF Shutter function to take photos with a tap on your display where you want to focus, and with “FAST AF” you’ll be rocking even harder. FAST AF stands form Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology and also exists on the OM-D to make it the world’s fastest autofocusing camera. These cameras work with a maximum frame rate of 8 fps in Single AF mode.

PEN E-PL5

This device works with an all-metal body that comes in black, white, or silver, and brings on DSLR quality images with a lovely swivel display. The display sits on a swivel that allows up to 170 degrees of movement up and 65 degrees down – and works with the AF Shutter abilities mentioned above.

PEN E-PM2

This device is ultra-compact and made to be the more entry-level of the new Olympus lineup. The E-PM2 is made to be the first interchangeable lens camera for new users and has a collection of controls that will make the first step an easy one. This camera will be available in black, white, silver, and red.

Pricing and Release

You’ll be able to pick up the E-PL5 for a body-only estimated street price of $649.99, while the body-only price for the E-PM2 will ring in at $549.99. The E-PL5 will also be available with a MSC M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED m14-42mm II R f3.5/5.6 Zoom Lens in a package that’ll ring in at $699.99, while the E-PM2 with that lens in a single package will cost you $599.99 – again, all of these prices are estimated at the moment.

Both cameras will be available in October and ship with the camera body itself, Flash FL-LM1, Li-ion battery BLS-5, Li-ion battery charger BCS-5, USB cable, AV cable, Shoulder strap, OLYMPUS Viewer 2 CD, Instruction manual and Warranty card. The PEN E-PL5 will also be shipping with the entirely lovely MCG-4 Changeable Grip. Stick around for more info as these devices roll closer to their final drop date!

Olympus PEN cameras bring world’s fastest touch AF shutter is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Looking to boost your compact capabilities, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of swapping lenses? You might take interest with the Stylus XZ-2 — Olympus’ most powerful point-and-shoot model. Admittedly, we’re having a bit of difficultly working through the appeal of this latest fixed-lens snapper, given the $600 price tag and a body that’s comparable in size to the PEN E-PL5 and even larger than the E-PM2. In the model’s defense, it does include an impressive f/1.8-2.5, 28-112mm 4x optical zoom lens, though its 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor is smaller than what’s included with its interchangeable-lens cousins, and the camera’s sensitivity tops out at ISO 12,800. It does, however, offer 1080p shooting and a higher-res swivel 3-inch 920k-dot LCD with Touch AF Shutter control. Still, we would have liked to see these features included with the company’s latest Micro Four Thirds cameras, rather than on a model with a smaller sensor and no interchangeable lens.

If you’re set on the XZ-2, you’ll be plenty pleased with the design — it’s quite similar to the E-PL5, and therefore quite capable. There’s an option to swap in red, beige and purple grips (the camera body itself is only available in black), and you can add a body jacket and an underwater housing. There’s also a built-in flash, which pops up from the top left corner, and you’ll find PEN-like controls, to boot. We spent a few minutes with the XZ-2, though the battery was dead during our demo, unfortunately, so we weren’t able to shoot. Still, the design felt practical, and the camera seemed solid overall. The hybrid control ring is a “world’s first,” according to Olympus, and offers the same functionality in both a click mode, which provides feedback, and a smoother silent mode, which won’t produce any noise or vibration when shooting videos. The Stylus XZ-2 will ship a bit after the new PEN models, in November, but you can take a peek now in our gallery just below.

Continue reading Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is a digital compact stuck in a mirrorless camera’s body, we go hands-on

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Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is a digital compact stuck in a mirrorless camera’s body, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been quite a month for leaks and the announcement of new cameras by various manufacturers. This week, a pair of new Olympus interchangeable lens compact cameras leaked as well. A few scant details of the cameras were also offered along with the leaked photos.

The black camera you see is said to be called the E-PL5, with the silver camera called the E-PM2. As you can clearly tell, both offer interchangeable lenses and look very similar. At first glance you could almost mistake them as two different colors of the same camera. However there are slight differences, such as the black camera having a knurled knob on the top, likely a manual control of some sort.

Rumor has it that both cameras will use the same sensor as found in the Olympus E-M5. The cameras also should have the same image processing engine called TruePic VI. Both of the cameras are also said to have touch screens on the back. The silver camera is said to sell for €399 (~$523 USD) with the black camera going for €599 (~$785 USD). Both prices reportedly include 14-42 mm kit lenses. Expect more details in the coming weeks.

[via 43rumors]