Panasonic Lumix GF1 banner ad hits the web, still not official

So much for subtle, ambiguous leaks. As a great follow-up to the first blurry pics we saw of Panasonic’s Lumix GF1, someone over at dpreview apparently pulled the trigger a little early and posted a vertical banner ad for the micro four thirds camera, with the tag line “DSLR photo quality in ultra compact flat design.” 4/3rumors has some of the other ad variants if you’re curious — so now that its ad campaign is primed for launch, anyone care to take a guess how much longer we’ll be waiting for its full debut?

[Via Photo Rumors; thanks, Ren K]

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Panasonic Lumix GF1 banner ad hits the web, still not official originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purported Olympus E-600 apparently spotted in the wild

This one is being greeted with a fair bit of skepticism on the forums given its seemingly odd placement in Olympus’ lineup but, if the pictures are to be believed, it looks like the company could be set to release a new E-600 Micro classic Four Thirds camera — and soon, considering it’s already in a camera shop. As you can see above, however, the camera looks a fair bit like Olympus’ existing entry-level E-620 DSLR, and there’s unfortunately no specs to speak of, although the E-600 model name did apparently crop up in another rumor a few weeks back. Is it the real thing? Hit up the link below for a closer look to judge for yourself.

[Via 4/3 Rumors, thanks Enzo]

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Purported Olympus E-600 apparently spotted in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumored Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GF1 gets pictured

Well, this one’s a bit out of the blue, but a member of the Xitek.com forums has produced this image of a hereto unheard of Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix GF1 that’s purported to come from an internal Panasonic PDF. A second image (after the break, and full size at the link below), also reveals a few more interesting details, like a port below the hotshoe that would presumably be used for a detachable EVF, and a built-in pop-up flash. Otherwise, about all that’s clear is that the camera itself appears to be slightly smaller than the Olympus E-P1, and that it’s prompted an endless stream of speculation on the photography forums.

[Via Digital Photography Review]

Continue reading Rumored Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GF1 gets pictured

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Rumored Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GF1 gets pictured originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus E-P1 review roundup

Olympus did its darnedest to drum up hype for the recently unveiled E-P1 Micro Four Thirds shooter, and while we already shared our two pennies on the thing, we figured it prudent to round up the best of the best from elsewhere on the web to give you a fuller picture. The long and short of it is this: the E-P1 is universally praised in terms of image quality, with the only real knock in that department going to higher-than-likable noise levels in low-light scenarios. Still, a camera is about more than just the output, and reviewers were quick to lament the dearth of an integrated viewfinder and flash. Furthermore, critics panned the camera for being slow to focus, oftentimes requiring well over half a second to finally settle and snap a shot. That said, we couldn’t find anyone who wasn’t won over by the image quality, but we’d make darn sure those other nuisances won’t frustrate you to no end before falling for the cute factor.

Read – PhotographyBLOG
Read – DigiCamReview
Read – photocrati
Read – PhotographyPress
Read – OutbackPhoto
Read – CNET
Read – Steves Digicams

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Olympus E-P1 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus E-P1 available to those willing to pay a little premium

Olympus E-P1 available to those willing to pay a little premium

If you’ve been lusting over the latest Micro Four Thirds entrant from Olympus just like we have since we first saw the E-P1, you’ll be happy to know that it has finally entered that special time in its life when it’s not available through mainstream retailers just yet, but it is available — if you’re willing to pay a bit more than Amazon’s (still unshipped) pre-order asking price of $749. Kit prices of the body with the 14 – 42mm kit lens we tested are right now ranging between $799 (MSRP) and $899 (a Benjamin premium) at various Amazon affiliates, and while anyone willing to refrain from clicking the “Buy” button for a week or three will surely save quite a bit, waiting is such a bother.

[Thanks, Ron M.]

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Olympus E-P1 available to those willing to pay a little premium originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 gets reviewed, recommended

If all those recently unveiled sample shots from Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GH1 have left you wanting more, you’re in luck. The kids at Digital Photography Review have got their hands on the thing and have been kind enough to give us an extensive review. Rocking a Four Thirds imaging sensor, HD-video mode (with stereo sound recording), a multi-aspect sensor, and a video-optimized lens, the camera is essentially the G1 with HD-video, according to the review. Not that that’s a bad thing, especially when noting that it has “the best implementation of video on a ‘non-compact camera’ that we’ve seen so far.” Among the camera’s strong points are its resolution, size and weight, build quality, image stabilization, and shutter-speed simulation. Still the reviewer didn’t look kindly upon the camera’s relatively small amount of RAW headroom, fairly low powered flash, poor battery life, and a loud shutter sound for a non-SLR camera. But overall? If you need a camera that performs admirably with video, and are willing to pay the $1500 premium, the GH1 comes highly recommended.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 gets reviewed, recommended originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review

It goes without saying that we’ve been pretty excited about the Olympus E-P1 (or “digital Pen”) since we first laid eyes on the prototype the company was showing off. The Micro Four Thirds camera just seems to breed gadget lust amongst the staff, combining the best of modern tech with a throwback retro style that is somewhat irresistible. Of course, no one wants to drop $800 on a digicam unless it’s actually capable of taking a decent shot — so we thought we’d put the E-P1 through some basic paces to see if this guy is worth unloading nearly a grand on. Read on for some of our first impressions and observations.

Continue reading Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review

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Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus PEN E-P1 production unit unboxed, we shudder with jealousy

Some jerk in the UK went and bought an Olympus PEN E-P1 camera from a store and had to go home and tell the whole internet about it. They even bothered to shoot an unboxing of the little Micro Four Thirds wonder, like we would care.

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Olympus PEN E-P1 production unit unboxed, we shudder with jealousy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus E-P1 now available for pre-order

You might’ve noticed this already, but for those out there who share our lust for Olympus’ E-P1 “digital Pen,” but haven’t done too much digging, consider this a public service announcement. The retro-chich micro four thirds camera is now available for pre-order from a handful of online retailers, with several different packages to choose from based with various body color (silver or white) and lens color (silver or black) combinations. Looks like it’ll still cost you about $750 if you want body only, but really, at this point we don’t know why you wouldn’t pay an additional Ulysses S. Grant and grab a lens with it. Ready to smash that E-P1 piggy bank a bit early? You’ve got plenty of retailers willing to help you out there, but don’t feel too pressured, there’s still a little bit of time to decide before the July launch.

Read – Adorama
Read – Amazon
Read – B&H
Read – J&R

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Olympus E-P1 now available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Chinese goes hands-on with the Olympus E-P1

Our brethren on the other side of the world got some quality time with the new Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds shooter — and we do mean quality. Peep the two read links for samples, especially that second link for endless YouTube vids, including the fun but frame-rate-destroying effect modes.

Read – Hardware hands-on
Read – Video samples

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Engadget Chinese goes hands-on with the Olympus E-P1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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