Hasta La Gadget!

It’s not pretty, but it’ll get the job done

One thing I love about Micro Four Thirds cameras is that you can mount all kinds of lenses on them using simple, cheap adapters. In fact, I’m just about to sell my Nikon D700 because I almost never use it, but I’m keeping my lenses to use on a Panasonic GF1.

But until now, Canon users had to without aperture control when using lenses on other bodies. Canon EF mount lenses need power to activate their aperture leaves, and passive adapters simply leave the lenses stuck wide open. RedRock Micro solves this with the LiveLens Active Mount, a powered converter that lets you use your lens as it was supposed to be.

Aperture is controlled by a panel on the adapter itself, not by the camera. You do lose autofocus functions, but as the adapter is primarily meant for people shooting video, you’ll be focusing manually anyway.

The LiveLens is pretty expensive, at $488. This compares to sub-$50 passive adapters. Given that Canon owners looking to shoot pro-level video will likely opt for a Canon body, the market for this seems small. If you’re starting from scratch, it would be much smarter to choose a cheaper Nikon adapter and pick from the larger range of second-hand Nikon glass which still have manual aperture rings.

Still, it’s kinda neat, and perhaps signals the day where old SLR lenses can sit on Micro Four Thirds bodies with all electronic functions intact.

LiveLens MFT Active Lens Mount [RedRock Micro via Derrick Story]

See Also:

• Nano' Mounts Turn SLRs into Movie-Cameras on the Cheap …
• Leaked Sony Lens Adapter Has Mirror and Speed-Boosting AF …
• Lens Adapters Put Leica, Nikon, Canon Lenses on Sony NEX …

Jonesin’ to shoot some radder-than-usual HD video with that Lumix G-series lens? You’re in luck. Panasonic released a firmware update for the family of lenses that gives them a needed level-up — bringing ’em to version 1.1 — to shoot higher quality video. Added features include enhanced tracking focus for videos, silent auto focus, improved stability for the optical image stabilizer and exposure control. The update applies to seven slabs of metal and glass, and every single unit in the 2011 line is also covered. Hit the source if you’re ready to update, but don’t expect that 720p ceiling to magically raise to 1080p — it’s just a poor attempt at marketing genius.

Continue reading Panasonic G-series lenses get firmware update, performance boosts aplenty

Panasonic G-series lenses get firmware update, performance boosts aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 07:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone who’s used Panasonic’s 14-42mm Micro Four Thirds zoom lens has probably noticed its relatively bulky design, especially when compared to Olympus’s counterpart. Today, the company announced a new lens that offers the same zoom and f/3.5-5.6 aperture range in a housing less than half the size when closed, and still noticeably smaller when extended. The first of two optics in Panasonic’s premium X-series — the second is a 45-170mm f/4-5.6 zoom — it’s been billed as the world’s smallest digital interchangeable power zoom lens, thanks to its internal zoom motor which lets you adjust the focal length using a side-mounted rocker — the design is similar to the zoom toggle included with the company’s new FX150 superzoom. Priced at $399, it also includes a metal lens mount, instead of the plastic mount used with the existing $199 14-42mm lens.

That second 45-170mm zoom ($449) can replace Panasonic’s 45-200mm lens ($349), and while the size difference isn’t as dramatic is its smaller X-series sibling, it’s still noticeably smaller and lighter. Both lenses include optical image stabilization and feature nano surface coatings, designed to reduce ghosting and lens flare. The 14-42mm lens will ship in October in black and white (for use with silver bodies), and the 45-170mm zoom will ship in September. They’ll only be compatible with the GF-2, GF-3, and G3 at launch after downloading a firmware update — Panasonic is leaving it up to Olympus to release supporting firmware for its own cameras be compatible with all G-series cameras at launch, without the need for a firmware update. Jump past the break for more details from Panasonic, and check out the gallery below — complete with side-by-side shots for both lens classes.

Update: Panasonic issued a correction saying that both lens will be compatible with all G-series cameras without the need for a firmware update.

Continue reading Panasonic shrinks its Micro Four Thirds lenses, launches X-series with wide-angle, telephoto zooms

Panasonic shrinks its Micro Four Thirds lenses, launches X-series with wide-angle, telephoto zooms originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announcing three NEX lenses on August 24th? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Hoodcap Flower. Why did nobody think of this already?

Here’s a very neat two-in-one idea. It’s called the HoodCap Flower, and it combines a lens cap and a lens hood into one neat package. Although rather complex in execution, the concept itself is simple: the lens cap is made up of blades which fold out like the petals of a flower. They then surround the lens and stop stray light from entering bouncing around the lens as you shoot.

Not only is it clever, it solves a number of problems. First, you don’t have to remove a lens cap, find somewhere to put it and then — almost inevitably — lose it. Second, you don’t have to walk around with a bulky hood sticking out. And third, you always know whether or not the cap is on before you hold the lens up to your eye.

Finally, you probably never need to use a “protective” UV filter again, as the front element of the lens is always covered, more or less.

The internal gearing system looks rather delicate

The designers of the HoodCap, Rhie Hyi Joong and Lee Sang Hwa, decided to make their concept use a complex worm-gear system to open and close the hood by twisting a collar around the lens. If it works, I’m in. But if not, I’d be happy just pushing and pulling on the leaves to open and close the hood, just like the blades of one of those folding aluminum steamer inserts for saucepans.

Blooming DSLR [Yanko]

See Also:

• Cheap Photo Projects: Printable Lens Hoods, Origami Studios …
• Lens Guard, The Ugly Duckling of Protective Covers
• Camera Lens Cap Holder Finally Gets It Right
• $72 Retractable Lens Cap for the Olympus XZ1