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Joby’s new Micro tripods are small enough to stay on the camera all the time

Joby has brought its experience in squeezing its balls into ever tighter spots to the miniature, always-on tripod market. Two new models — the Micro 250 and Micro 800 — both fold down small enough to stay attached to your camera at all times, but because they’re from Joby, they are also strong enough to actually work.

The ‘pods are made for compact and small mirrorless cameras, and support up to 250 grams or 800 grams respectively (hence the names). They’re both made from a coated zinc-aluminum alloy, with silicone pads, and both use one of Joby’s famous aluminum balls so that the camera can pan and tilt to frame your shot.

To open them, you just fan the three legs out under the camera. The shape of the legs means that they also swing slightly down to make a dished base, and you’re ready to go: self portraits, low-light, blur-free snaps are all your without carrying a separate tripod around with you.

Both Micros are available. The 250 costs $20 and the 80 $30.

Micro product page [Joby]

See Also:

• Joby Yogi, A Handy Bendy Gorillapod for the iPad
• Joby Gorillabike: Dangerous, Bendy, Awesome
• Joby Puts a One Pound Gorilla in the Room

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 …

Joining the family of Olympus Pen products is the lovingly nicknamed “PEN Mini,” or E-PM1. Compared to its big brothers the PEN E-PL2 and E-PL3, this little guy packs some serious punch in a tiny body, with a similarly small price tag of $500. But can this ILC that Olympus claims offers “DSLR quality in a compact camera design” stack up against the big boys in the pit at the US Open? The 12.3 megapixel camera comes with a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens and includes a Micro Four Thirds mount, enabling it to accept compatible lenses from both Olympus and Panasonic — something that was really easy to get the hang of for speedy switching between sets. Check out our impressions as we go hands-on with the camera at one of the biggest tennis matches of the year.

Continue reading Olympus Pen E-PM1 hands-on (video)

Olympus Pen E-PM1 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Being the gadget hounds that we are, we’re still struggling to fully digest the Micro Four Thirds / interchangeable lens camera market. The performance freak in us suggests that one simply buy a smaller DSLR given the parallel annoyance of carrying around a bag full of lenses, but the mobility junkie in us does appreciate the downsizing — however minor. Olympus’ PEN line has been a beautiful one from the start, but one that found itself out of consideration for many due to the poor value proposition. Even the newest PEN E-P3 isn’t a bargain; at $900 with a somewhat versatile 14-42mm lens, it’s well north of most entry-level DSLRs, and on-par with many mid-rangers. So, is it really worth splurging on a slightly more compact frame, devilishly good looks and “the world’s fastest autofocus system?” Read on for our take.

Continue reading Olympus PEN E-P3 Micro Four Thirds camera review

Olympus PEN E-P3 Micro Four Thirds camera review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:59:00 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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