Hasta La Gadget!

The Micro Four Thirds form factor may be a compelling choice for those seeking portability with affordable prices and notable quality, but there’s no doubt that many folks are still loyal to the conventional DSLRs. If you’re one such Olympus fan who’s concerned about the fate of the larger E-series lineup, fret not: Akira Watanabe, head of product development, reassured PCPOP that the E-series models are here to stay because of their unique features, though his team’s still pondering over the idea of replacing the budget triple-digit line (like the E-620) with the PEN series, as suggested by his colleague previously. But shifting the focus back to PEN, Watanabe teased that his crew’s developing some MFT lenses to boost the portfolio, though little is revealed other than that these will cater users who have specific photographic needs. Very intriguing indeed — maybe some fisheye and tilt-shift love?

Olympus still loving E-series DSLRs, but teases new Micro Four Thirds lenses to confuse you originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Olympus SZ-30MR can capture two images or videos at once

Olympus’ new SZ-30MR is pitched as a “super-zoom” camera, and with its 24x optical zoom (25-600mm equivalent) it certainly qualifies. But despite fitting such a big lens into a small body, the zoom is not the most interesting part of the camera. That award goes to the “Multi-Recording” function.

With the SZ-30MR, you can capture two things at once. Thanks to some computer wizardry inside the TruePic III+ image processor, the camera can spit out two simultaneous streams from the same sensor. Thus you can shoot a full-resolution still whilst recording an HD movie, or shoot two movies together — the example posits shooting a wide-shot and a close-up at the same time. This of course relies on a digital zoom, but as you are only taking a 1080p stream from a 16MP sensor (1080p = 1920 x 1080 = just over 2MP) then you don’t lose much.

There are some more goodies, too. You can shoot 3-D stills by just panning the camera, and the computer brain grabs the second shot automatically and combines it with the first to make a 3-D image. You can also shoot at up to ISO 6400, and the dual-mode (sensor and lens shifting) image stabilization takes some of the shake out of that 600mm zoom.

The only thing missing is a decent maximum aperture (it’s just ƒ3 at the wide end) and RAW capture. Otherwise this isn’t a bad bet for $400. Available April.

Olympus SZ-30MR product page [Olympus]

See Also:

• Olympus 600mm Zoom-Lens is World's Tiniest
• Olympus XZ1, a Pro-Level Compact Camera with Knobs On
• Olympus Pen EP-2, Now in Retro-Tastic Silver

The best thing about the new E-PL2 from Olympus, the company’s latest Micro Four Thirds addition? The 14 – 42mm kit lens that comes with it, apparently. It’s 30 percent faster to focus and, on top of that, much quieter when getting its AF on. Moving beyond that, the new shooter offers a built-in flash, ISO support up to 6,400 when you need extra help in the dark, a much higher resolution screen on the back and, if you’re into pushing photos wirelessly, the Penpal Bluetooth dongle will do so. Digital Photography Review found it to be a good performer, on-par with the earlier E-PL1 but a bit clumsier to change exposure settings than on the E-P2. So, not exactly a clear-cut recommendation for this $599 shooter, meaning you might want to read the full text if you’re still on the fence.

Olympus E-PL2 reviewed, deemed another solid but not groundbreaking Micro Four Thirds entry originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s your preference for getting up close to the action? 18x wide 28-504mm or 12.5x super-wide 24-300mm optical zoom? If it’s the former then Olympus just announced its $249.99 (ships in March) SZ-10 ultra-zoomer pictured above, with 14 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, 3-inch LCD, TruPic III+ image processing, and Eye-Fi Card support. Otherwise, Oly’s new £159.99 3D VR-330 for Europe dials back the zoom to 12.5x and and forgoes the newer image processing of the SZ-10 while boasting the same 14 megapixel sensor. Both cameras pack dual-image stabilization, 720p video capture, HDMI-out (with CEC support so that it works with your TV’s existing remote control), and a dynamic “3D mode” that instructs you to pan and shoot a second image that will be combined into a .MPO file suitable for playback on a 3D display. The VR-330 is also available without the 3D mode as the $199.99 VR-320 which ships Stateside in February. Bringing up the rear is an entry-level $89.99 VG-110 with 12 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD, 4x zoom, and VGA video. Look for it sometime later this month.

Update: Press releases for all three are after the break.

Continue reading Olympus SZ-10 and 3D VR-330 superzooms announced alongside entry-level VG-110

Olympus SZ-10 and 3D VR-330 superzooms announced alongside entry-level VG-110 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We had a feeling the Olympus XZ-1 would be a winner, and Digital Photography Review seems to think so, too — it called the 10 megapixel, full-manual point and shoot “the best photographers’ compact currently available” at the end of a thorough review. Most of the praise was heaped on that F1.8-2.5 Zuiko lens, providing an “unbeaten combination of range and brightness” whose potent, detailed low-light performance was practically enough to cancel out the publication’s worries about the lack of a adjustable noise reduction setting. Though the publication admitted that the camera lacked the customization of certain Micro Four Thirds cousins, it didn’t miss most of the advanced controls, preferring the streamlined menus and manual dials for easy access to common adjustments. (Battery charging over USB and a dedicated movie button were also deemed nice touches.) In fact, the only major ding DPReview had for Olympus was the complete omission of auto exposure and autofocus locks for focus-and-recompose shooting, but if you’re willing to snap shots using Olympus’s 11 AF points and aren’t looking to tote a set of expensive interchangeable lenses around, this might be the one. Dive into our source link to find out for sure.

Olympus XZ-1 reviewed: $499 for sweet simplicity originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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