Reviews

A walk in the city with the Fuji X20: First pictures

19/03/2013 By Heather

Update: Check out our x20 full review, homemade macro test, Photoshow gallery, Advanced mode test, and high ISO test.

Nothing could have delighted us more than the phone call we received this morning in Mat’s studio. A single copy of the Fujifilm x20 had just arrived at our local camera store, and it was waiting for us to pick it up and take it home. (Yes, we anthropomorphise our cameras!)

Unfortunately, Mat was knee-deep in work for his studio, so I decided to take our new Fuji friend out for a inaugural stroll myself.

I have to say that, for a camera with a small sensor, the image quality is very good. I have yet to see the colours and dynamic range in RAW format as Lightroom has not yet released a software update for the X20 and X100S, but the colours of the JPGs that come straight out of the camera seem natural and pleasant. Shadows seem a little bit too dark in some shots, but we will see the true potential of the camera in the RAW files.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review: Small body, big quality!

07/03/2013 By Mathieu

Update: check out also our article about using the OM-D E-M5 as a primary camera for work!

N.B.: This article is a complete review of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and includes excerpts from the First Impressions Review and the Low Light Performance Review.

When one writes a camera review, it is standard procedure to reveal the conclusion at the end of the article. In this case, however, I want to drop all suspense and start by saying that I really fell in love with the Olympus OM-D E-M5, so much that I would consider substituting my DSLR with it for some work I do. The reason is simple: it has great image quality (both dynamic range and low-light) in a compact body while remaining powerful in terms of speed, auto-focusing and processing. Think I’ve let my heart run away with my head? Read the article, and, as always, let the pictures be the judge!

From Milan to Turin: Panasonic GH3 Full Review

23/02/2013 By Mathieu

UPDATE: our in-depth review of the GH3 for video is online!

I’ll be honest, I have always followed the GH series more for its video capabilities than for its photographic features. The GH1 and especially the GH2 were two of the only serious alternatives to Canon DSLRs in the filmmaking industry – that is, until 2012 when Nikon and Sony entered the competition.

I have never tested the GH1 or GH2 for photography, so I thought it was time to remediate by taking a deep look at the Panasonic Lumix GH3, which is the latest and most advanced mirrorless camera Panasonic has ever designed.

A quick night video test with the Panasonic GH3

14/02/2013 By Mathieu

UPDATE: our in-depth review of the GH3 for video is online!

Last week, we did a very quick video test with the new Panasonic GH3. We shot for one hour or so in Turin before going to get something to eat.

I was very excited to test the quality the GH3 as several professionals claim that it can easily compete with high-end HDSLRs such as the Canon 5D mkIII. I currently own a Panasonic AF101 for my work in video, which has the same four-year-old sensor as the GH1, and I saw the capabilities of the GH2 last year. The GH3 has very interesting new features, such as a clean HDMI output and an ALL-I 72 mbps codec, which is supposed to give better results than AVCHD.

A morning at the museum: Olympus OM-D E-M5 low light performance review

02/02/2013 By Mathieu

Update: the complete review of the OM-D E-M5 is online!

One of the first things I check when testing a new camera is the ISO sensitivity. Good low-light performance is something I need for my job as one of the two official photographers at the National Cinema Museum in Turin, Italy. It is a wonderful museum but it is often challenging to photograph due to the dim lighting conditions. Of course, the dusky ambiance is fascinating from a visitor’s point of view, but it is not easy for a photographer to recreate. My work mainly involves event reportage and interior photography within the museum and other venues.

The standard procedure for taking professional shots inside the museum would involve putting the camera on a tripod, setting the ISO sensitivity to the minimal value (200 ISO), closing the aperture to around f/8 or f/11, and setting a slow shutter speed to compensate. Being the best way to achieve both sharpness and quality in a picture, this is what I normally do. However, since tripods and I don’t really get along, I prefer holding my camera and taking the shot right away. [Read more…] about A morning at the museum: Olympus OM-D E-M5 low light performance review