Reviews

3 versus 5 axis stabilization: Can the Olympus OM-D E-M10 keep up with the E-M5?

31/01/2014 By Mathieu 21 Comments

Be sure to check out our first impressions of the OM-D E-M10, the 25mm f/1.8 and the 14-42mm pancake!

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 is an exciting new camera that will join the OM-D line-up. The more I use it, the more I prefer it to the E-M5, mostly because of its high speed EVF and fast processor, which makes the camera’s operations run all the more quickly and smoothly. This said, the OM-D E-M5 still has some things going for it…one being the great 5 axis stabilisation.

As a fan of 5-axis stabilisation, I was curious to put it to test against the new E-M10 stabilisation which only has three axes. The million dollar question is: can two missing axes really make a big difference when shooting at slow shutter speeds?

The OMD family welcomes a new member! – First Impressions of the Olympus OM-D E-M10

29/01/2014 By Mathieu 75 Comments

Today, Olympus announced the new OM-D E-M10, a new Micro Four Thirds camera that finds its place beside the OM-D E-M5 and the OM-D E-M1. Yes, you read that correctly, the new E-M10 is NOT the E-M5 replacement but an entry-level model that is positioned below the E-M5. Not only does this marketing choice raise many interesting questions, but it also confirms the willingness of Olympus to expand and push the OM-D camera line.

We’ve been testing the camera for five days now, which Olympus kindly sent us along with the new Olympus 25mm f1.8 and 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 pancake zoom lens. Here are our initial thoughts about these new and exciting products following our first days of testing.

Fujifilm Raises the Bar! – Hands-On Review of the new Fujifilm X-T1

28/01/2014 By Mathieu 40 Comments

The new Fujifilm X-T1 is probably one of the most rumoured and leaked cameras we’ve seen in the past couple of years. We basically knew everything about the camera before the official release, and the rumours surrounding it have contributed to making it one of the most exciting camera releases by Fujifilm to date. Was all this fanfare worth the wait?

First Impressions of the Sony A7 from an Amateur Perspective

22/01/2014 By Heather 15 Comments

With our full-time jobs eating away at all our spare time since the New Year began, it hasn’t been easy to give our new companion, the Sony A7, the serious workout it deserves.

As such, last week I made a pact with myself: I’d leave the house an hour earlier than usual every morning before work and bring the Sony A7 out with me. Doing so gave me the time to get to know the inner workings of this wonderful camera quite well. As it turns out, it is always possible to make time for photography, even when you don’t seem to have any!

The Quest for Full Frame – Part 2: Hands-On with the Sony A7 & A7r

18/12/2013 By Mathieu 3 Comments

We finally made it! Last Saturday (and a little bit of Sunday) we managed to put our hands on the new hot topic in the mirrorless world, the Sony A7 & A7r. It goes without saying that the A7 & A7r are the announcement of the year. Sony was the first brand to have the guts to put a full frame sensor into a mirrorless interchangeable-lens system and at a very competitive price! And yes, the price is probably the most important aspect of those new cameras.

I usually don’t waste too many words on the price of a camera unless it is too high, but here we have a pleasant surprise. Let’s be clear, they aren’t cheap and as a system they will require a big investment but if I think about the price of the RX1, the first compact full frame camera, when it was first released, the least I can say is that Sony has become very competitive now. The brand desperately wants these products to succeed, probably more than other products that they have released before.

Are the A7 & A7r the cameras many photographers and mirrorless enthusiasts have been waiting for?