Mirrorless Musings

Light Field Cameras: a sneak peek into the future of photography?

05/05/2013 By Mathieu

The first Lytro camera, announced in 2011, introduced consumers to a completely different style of photography, one that allows you to refocus after taking a shot. This is possible thanks to Light Field technology, which consists of several micro lenses placed over the image sensor. These microlenses can capture the entire light spectrum of a scene. Then, the camera software uses the data collected to determine the direction of the light rays.

Light Field cameras (or plenoptic cameras) aren’t really a new phenomenon, however. The first ever Light Field camera was actually invented in 1908 by Gabriel Lippmann. Several models have also been developed for industrial and scientific purposes, while others have remained prototypes (including one from Adobe).

Falling in Love All Over Again with the Olympus OM-D E-M5

28/04/2013 By Heather

Tonight, I fell in love all over again. Not with my fiance and fellow MirrorLessons writer Mathieu (bless his heart), but with a camera – the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

This isn’t to say that I ever stopped loving the E-M5. It has the fastest continuous shooting mode I’ve ever seen, a cool retro body reminiscent of the old OM-D series, and drool-worthy image quality, despite its small Micro 4/3 sensor. And did I mention how incredibly silent and discreet it is?

But tonight was different. I had decided to accompany my fiancee on a photography assignment at the Massimo Cinema near the National Cinema Museum of Turin, where he was planning to use the E-M5 professionally for the first time.

The OM-D Successor 2013? What we’d like to see…

10/03/2013 By Heather

There is no doubt that Olympus has struck gold with the creation of the OM-D E-M5, a mirrorless camera with a compact body and a level of image quality that would rival even the newest low-to-mid end DSLRs from Nikon and Canon. This incredible image quality remains intact even at high ISO levels and slow shutter speeds thanks to its internal image stabilisation. (Read our full review to find out more.) If that weren’t enough, this camera is also a looker, with its attractive retro-styling. In short, the OM-D E-M5 is pure perfection, and even comes at a reasonable price for the amount you receive in such a small package.

So, on a camera as perfect as the OM-D E-M5, where could Olympus possible make improvements? Having owned the camera for over a month now, here are a few suggestions we’d like to put forward to Olympus, if they’ll lend us an ear!