Sep 24

NTT DOCOMO’s Touch Wood mockups make naughty puns easy

Posted in: ceatec, olympus, prototype, Sharp, Today's Chili

We’re still not entirely sold on the intersection of gadgets and wood. Nevertheless, companies keep pumping out the concepts in response to our greener times. Here’s NTT DOCOMO’s effort using surplus wood leftover from Pacific culling operations. The Touch Wood prototype was developed in tandem with Sharp and Olympus and is based on the SH-04A slider. A Touch Wood mockup (pictured above) resembling a more feminine bean was also announced. In either case, the Touch Wood body is made of cypress without adding any artificial coloring or paint. And by using Olympus’ 3D compression molding technique, they’ve manage to maintain the kind of durability, and resistance to water, insects, and mildew that you’d expect from, well, a tree. With any luck, these handsets will be on exhibit in October at the ITU Telecom World and CEATEC Japan shows… touch wood. SH-04A prototype pictured after the break.

[Thanks, Stop Spamming]

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NTT DOCOMO’s Touch Wood mockups make naughty puns easy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 23

Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic GF1, Side by Side

Posted in: dslr, micro four thirds, olympus, Panasonic, Today's Chili

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It was only a matter of time before these two came to blows.
The Olympus E-P1 and upcoming Panasonic GF1 are the smallest Micro Four Thirds cameras available. They both offer DSLR image quality in compact bodies.
Head over to the Panasonic GF1 news Story on PC Mag.com to see more side-by-side shots!
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Sep 22

Hands On: Olympus E-P1 Firmware Update; No Improvement

Posted in: dslr, olympus, Panasonic, Today's Chili

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The Micro Four Thirds Olympus E-P1 offers DSLR image quality but is much smaller than most DSLRs. This camera is pleasing on so many levels–but disappointing when it comes to auto-focusing speed. Not only is it not as fast as a tradition DSLR, but even some point-and-shoots offer faster performance.  (See our full review on PC Mag.com)

Earlier this month, Olympus released firmware updates to the E-P1’s body,14-42mm, and 17mm lenses. The purpose of the updates: to improve focusing speeds. 
I spent some time today with the E-P1, 14-42mm lens, Shooting Digital’s Shutter Lag test, and I’ve come to the conclusion there’s not much improvement in focusing speeds. Before the update, the camera took an average of 1.3 seconds to focus and shoot. After the update, it averaged 1.2 seconds. A traditional DSLR with auto-focus can focus in less than half that time; the Canon D50 averages just .5 seconds.
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Sep 05

Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues

Posted in: camera, Features, hands-on, micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, olympus, Today's Chili, video

We’ve already seen plenty of the Olympus E-P1, but when we dropped by Olympus’ booth today at IFA we just couldn’t resist slapping on the biggest lens they had, courtesy of the micro four thirds to standard four thirds adapter, and shooting a bit of dramatic show floor footage. The verdict? It’s totally impractical, especially because there’s no autofocus during video with certain lenses, meaning we’re stuck working the manual focus ring, D90-style. Still, we didn’t expect anything different, and our short film entitled “People Wandering Around, Totally Out of Focus” really made the effort worth while. Oh, and for our money? The white model is about twice as sexy as the gray. Videos are after the break.

Gallery: Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity

Continue reading Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues

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Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 04

How would you change Olympus’ E-P1?

Posted in: camera, digicam, digital camera, DigitalCamera, dslr, Features, HowWouldYouChange, HWYC, micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, olympus, Today's Chili

Just look at that little bugger. Ain’t it just so cute? All jesting aside, the adorably retro piece of kit you’re inevitably peering at above rings up at $799 to $899, meaning that it’s priced way too high to be slotted in most consumers’ impulse buy category. Olympus’ E-P1 was launched with high hopes, and it pretty much held the weight of the Micro Four Thirds world on its shoulders. During our time with the unit, we found image quality to be satisfactory overall and the design to be simply stunning, but we certainly didn’t come away feeling it was flawless. For those of you who overlooked the entry-level DSLR in order to try something different, how has that decision treated you? Are you full of remorse? Could you not be happier? Spill all in comments below.

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How would you change Olympus’ E-P1? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 31

Olympus grabs for entry-level DSLR dollars with $600 E-600

Posted in: dslr, olympus, Today's Chili

We had some pretty overwhelming evidence that Olympus’ entry-level E-600 was more than just some fancy Photoshop, and sure enough, the outfit has today made things official for us. Designed as a low-cost E-620, the 12.3-megapixel shooter drops only the backlit buttons, a trio of ‘art filter’ modes, aspect mask control and the two-shot multi exposure mode from an otherwise heralded device. If you can live without those, you’ll find a delectable $599.99 price tag that includes a 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko zoom lens, a 2.7-inch swiveling Live View LCD, in-body image stabilization, a dust reduction system, sequential shooting at four frames per second and the ability to accept CF, UDMA and xD memory cards (sorry, SD lovers). It’ll be available from respectable camera outlets this November — just in time to satisfy that nagging need on the forthcoming holiday gift list.

[Via Electronista]

Gallery: Olympus grabs for entry-level DSLR dollars with E-600

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Olympus grabs for entry-level DSLR dollars with $600 E-600 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 26

Purported Olympus E-600 apparently spotted in the wild

Posted in: micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, olympus, rumor, Today's Chili

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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Aug 04

Magazine hints at Olympus E-P2 before year’s end, Leica M9 for September

Posted in: olympus, Today's Chili

There’s not exactly much in the way of specifics on either of these just yet, but the usually-reliable French magazine, Chasseur d’Image, has seemingly revealed in its latest issue that Olympus will be rolling out its E-P1 followup, the E-P2, before the end of the year, and that Leica will be releasing its M8 successor, the M9, as soon as September. The real kicker is that the E-P2 is said to be bringing with it an oft-desired viewfinder, while the M9 will reportedly be a full-frame camera, and presumably cost more than a small car. Of course, neither are anywhere close to being official, but it may not be the worst idea to stick with your current gear a little while longer to see how things shake out.

Read – Photo Rumors, “Chasseur d’Image magazine: Leica M9 in September”
Read – Leica rumors, “Olympus EP-2: released before the end of the year, with a viewfinder”

[Thanks, Tony]

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Magazine hints at Olympus E-P2 before year’s end, Leica M9 for September originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 22

Olympus announces new FE and mju range 12 megapixel shooters

Posted in: camera, olympus, Today's Chili

It looks like the camera fanatics at Olympus just don’t know when to stop. Just as we’re trying to figure out how to cadge an EP-1 for our own greedy amusements, the company is back with a handful of budget compacts, which may lack a bit of “the sexy” but are obviously a touch more affordable. Among new additions to the FE range you can count the FE-5020 (5x super wide optical zoom), FE-4000 (4x wide optical zoom), and FE-26 (3x optical zoom). Aside from the differences in lens size, these bad boys are all pretty much the same, hitting the ground with 12 megapixel CCDs, 2.7-inch displays, advanced face tracking, intelligent auto mode, and both xD-Picture Card and microSD compatibility. If that weren’t enough, the FE-5020 and FE-4000 also include “Magic Filter” functionality (which some might call “tacky filters,” if the fish eye lens and sepia tone effects aren’t really your bag). While we’re at it, we might as well mention the company’s newest addition to the mju line: The mju 7010 sports a 7x optical zoom, but otherwise looks pretty much the same (12 megapixel, 2.7-inch display, advanced face tracking and intelligent auto mode, magic filters, etc). All the aforementioned devices are due to hit the streets this August. We don’t have a price yet on the FE cameras, while the mju is said to retail for £249 (that’s about $400).

Read – Olympus announces FE-5020, FE-4000, FE-46 and FE-26
Read – Olympus mju 7010

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Olympus announces new FE and mju range 12 megapixel shooters originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 17

TechSaver Test: P.C. Richard Son Hot Deals

Posted in: olympus, sale, Today's Chili

JVC GRDA30US Digital CamcorderIn 1909, Peter Christian Richard (P.C.) opens a hardware store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. His son Alfred J. Richard is born. At the age of six, A.J. starts to help his father around the store. Today you know that store as P.C. Richard & Son.

In the 1920s, the store begins to sell appliances. After expanding to many different locations across Queens, P.C. Richard & Son offered TV service in the 1960s. Today, the retailer has more than 50 locations in the New York City metro area, selling all sorts of electronics and appliances.

This week, P.C. Richard & Son is offering some hot deals on electronics, a few with free shipping offers. For today’s TechSaver Test, I’m going to challenge the store’s sales on the RCA Opal 2GB MP3/Video Player, the Garmin nuvi 205, the JVC Mini DV Camcorder GRDA30US, and the Olympus FE360 digital camera.

Dive in to this TechSaver Test, after the jump.

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