Mirrorless News

The flood of mirrorless news hasn’t abated even after the various announcement by Olympus, Samsung and Canon. This time we have some updates from the Fujifilm and Micro Four Thirds front!

Updated Fujifilm Lens Roadmap (2015 and 2016)

In just three years, Fujifilm has become an extremely important reference in the mirrorless world. It has released a total of seven interchangeable APS-C cameras and sixteen lenses, all of which have met great success. Now, it looks as if the company is close to finishing its line-up of X series lenses, as it updates its lens roadmap with its final offerings.

In 2015, we can expect to see three professional primes: a XF 16mm f/1.4 R, XF 35mm f/2 R and XF 90mm f/2 R. While we already knew of the arrival of the 16mm and 90mm, the 35mm is a welcome surprise. It will be smaller and lighter than the original 35mm f/1.4 and weather resistant.

Then in 2016 the much anticipated super telephoto zoom, the XF 100-400mm, will make its debut alongside the XF 120mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro lens. The latter will be the second macro lens in the Fujifilm X line-up.

To accompany these lenses, we’ll also see the arrival of a 1.4x teleconverter in late 2014, which will be compatible with the XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R, XF 120mm f/2.8 R Macro, XF 100-400mm.

At this point, there isn’t much more Fujifilm can do than continue to update older lenses, produce more powerful cameras and perhaps, just perhaps, move onto an entirely new system altogether. We’ll just have to wait and see what the Fuji future holds!

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 Three Additions to the Four Thirds Standard Group

The Four Thirds Group has just announced that three companies will be joining its ranks. The first is DJI, a Chinese company that specialises in drone technology and camera stabilisation systems for filmmaking professionals. The second is JCD, another Chinese company that designs lenses for cameras and manufactures optical components. Finally, we have Flovel, a Japanese company with a specialisation in high-sensitivity cameras used for medical and scientific purposes.

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 Are you excited about these recent announcements? Tell us why!

Recently the mirrorless web has been a-buzz with news about Olympus’ latest camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. To celebrate its announcement, the company decided to hold a 10-day event in Prague called the OM-D Action Factory, to which we along with many other photographers, bloggers and journalists were invited. It was held inside the an abandoned waterworks factory, which has been a set for many famous films including Mission Impossible, Les Miserables and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

[Read more…] about The OM-D Action Factory Event in Prague | Hands-On with the M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 and 7-14mm f/2.8

If you thought that February was going to be a dull month as far as mirrorless announcements are concerned, we’ve got some happy albeit potentially wallet-breaking news. Over the past couple of days, three different manufacturers have announced new mirrorless cameras and lenses. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer!

M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8, M.Zuiko 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II and Air A01

You probably already know by now that Olympus has announced the successor to the 3-year-old OM-D E-M5. If you are interested in reading everything there is to know about the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II, including in-depth information about its new High Res Shot mode and video capabilities, head on over to the first chapter of our full review.

Olympus did not limit itself to announcing just a new camera however. We also have two new lenses to look forward to, as well as a curious Sony QX-inspired lens camera.

The first new lens to be announced was the M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO, set to be released in the summer of 2015. It will be the world’s first dust-proof and splash-proof fisheye lens with such a bright aperture, and has received the PRO title due to its high optical performance.

On the entry-level side, we have the M.Zuiko 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II. It improves upon the previous version by adding splash and dust-proof housing and ZERO lens coating but continues to provide a wide focal range (28-300mm equivalent). It comes with a LH-61 lens hood which will reduce lens flare and provide added protection. The lens will be made available with the new E-M5 Mark II.

Check out our article about our “hands-on” with the M.Zuiko 8mm and 7-14mm in Prague!

Finally, the Sony QX lens camera has found its competitor in the new Olympus Air A01. It has the same 16MP Four Thirds sensor as the E-M5 Mark II and MFT lens mount, and clips onto your smartphone just like the QX. On the lens, you’ll find a shutter release button and tripod mount, and it also makes room for a microSD slot and lithium-ion battery. Autofocus performance doesn’t disappoint either–it will apparently have 81 AF points and 10fps–and being completed controlled via WiFi, you have access to all the standard Olympus features such as art filters. It is still unknown just how much the lens camera will cost and whether it will be made available outside of Japan, but more information should come to light at CP+ later this month.

Samsung NX500 – The NX1 “Mini Me”

This was admittedly an announcement we hadn’t been expecting. The Samsung NX500 is essentially a “mini-me” version of the incredibly powerful NX1. It has incorporated almost everything good about Samsung’s flagship camera–a 28MP APS-C sensor, the same DRIMe V processor, the same AF system, and amazingly even 4K recording. The few concessions include the lack of a weather-sealed body, a burst mode of 9fps instead of 15fps, and no 120fps Full HD video. That aside, this is definitely a camera that deserves some serious testing out in the field.

The camera will ship in mid-March for $800 with the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens included, a very reasonable price considering the many advanced features of this camera.

Canon EOS-M3 – Back on the bandwagon (or not?)

Canon has just announced the EOS-M3 camera, the third model in its line of mirrorless cameras. Unlike its predecessors, which had few physical controls and dials and relied heavily on the touchscreen, the new EOS-M3 adds both a PSAM and exposure compensation dial to the body. It is also physically different to the M and M2, with its protruding contoured grip and a touchscreen display that flips up by 180 degrees and down by 75. Sadly there is still no electronic viewfinder.

As for the internal specs, we have the same 24MP sensor found in the EOS 750D and 760D, the latest 49-point Hybrid CMOS AF III autofocus system, and a more powerful DIGIC 6 processor. It also has WiFi and NFC capabilities.

It is due to go on sale in April 2015. At the moment, there are no plans to bring the camera in North America.

Which of these new announcements interests you the most?

If recent events are any indication, 2015 will be the year of the entry-level selfie camera. To kick off the trend, we saw the announcement of the Fujifilm X-A2 on January 15th, which was followed by today’s announcement of the Panasonic Lumix GF7.

The GF7 bears absolutely no resemblance to any of its predecessors, which embody a more modern and streamlined look. In fact, if appearance were our only clue, you’d almost think that the GF7 were part of the GM line. It is only a tad bigger than the GM5 and features a similar retro design. The only physical difference is what seems to be a hump for an EVF, but don’t be fooled–it is actually a pop-up flash.

As for technical specs, there isn’t anything we haven’t already seen on other Lumix cameras. The 16MP CMOS sensor, processor and 200-25000 ISO sensitivity are from the GX7 (though it also includes an expanded range of 100 ISO), the touch-display is from the GF6, and the 1/16000 shutter speed, AF system and silent shutter are from the GM5. The thing to note is that these combined features come at a significantly lower price point than either the GX7 or the GM5.

Of course the GF7 wouldn’t be a “selfie camera” if it didn’t have a plethora of selfie features. The camera features a 180 degree tilting touch-display that, when rotated upwards, automatically activates the Self Shot mode. Within this mode, there is the Face Shutter option, which activates the camera’s shutter with a simple wave, and Buddy Shutter, which activates the shutter when the camera detects two faces.

You’ll also find “beautifying features” such as Soft Skin, which makes your skin look smoother, Defocus Mode, which adds a defocussed look to the edges of your face, and (don’t laugh) a Slimming Mode, which will give your face a slimmer appearance. Add to this the Jump Snap mode that, with the help of your smartphone’s accelerometer, detects the highest point of your jump to create the perfect mid-air shot, and you have the perfect selfie camera.

The GF7 also brings connectivity to a higher level. Though isn’t NFC support, you can now wirelessly connect the camera to your smart device without a password.

The camera’s video functionalities have also been improved over previous GF models. It can shoot 1080p Full HD movies at rates of up to 60 frames per second in AVCHD 50p or MPEG-4/H.264 formats.

The downfall of this camera and its contemporaries is that its going price of nearly $600 (with the 12-32mm kit lens) is still far beyond what most entry-level users are willing to spend. That said, camera companies have been trying to find a way around this issue. For example, to promote its own selfie camera, the Pen E-PL7, Olympus has targeted fashion bloggers, a small yet powerful niche of amateur users who regularly take selfies and are willing to spend money on fashionable products. To achieve success with the GF7, it is possible that Panasonic will have to embrace a similar strategy.

The Panasonic Lumix GF7 will be available in March 2015 and will come in three colours–silver, brown and pink.

Does the Panasonic Lumix GF7 interest you? Do you think it will be successful? Share your thoughts below!

The beginning of 2015 saw no rest for the rumour mill as talk of a new entry-level interchangeable Fujifilm camera began to spread across the web. Now, only two weeks into the new year, we discover that the rumours were true, though instead of updating the X-M1, Fujifilm has opted to the replace the cheapest X series camera, the X-A1.

[Read more…] about Elation for Entry-Level Photographers – The new Fujifilm X-A2 and XQ2 are here