Reviews

Hands-On with the Olympus OM-D E-M1: Low-Light Performance

18/09/2013 By Mathieu 17 Comments

Our OM-D E-M1 hands-on coverage:

Low-light performance – Olympus Europe interview – M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens – Autofocus

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 was the first camera we reviewed here at MirrorLessons back in January 2013. It is also the camera which inspired us to start this blog and led me to switch to mirrorless for both my personal and professional work. So when Olympus invited us to try out the new OM-D E-M1, to say that we were over the moon would be an understatement. We tried lots of different features during the afternoon and evening but in this article, I want to share my first impressions regarding low-light performance, one of the aspects I was very curious to try.

The Perfect Harmony Between Film & Digital? The Rebecca Lily Pro Set II Review for the Fuji X-Trans Sensor

14/09/2013 By Mathieu Leave a Comment

Testing the new Pro Set II by Rebecca Lily brought me in contact with a field in which I have little experience: film. Being part of the “digital” generation, I have never really given film a proper chance. My only experiences were when I was little (my first camera ever was a Yashica FX200) and during the Cinema School I attended in France where we learned to shoot and develop black and white film. I never felt a creative curiosity to continue with it and build a project around it, mainly because I always found digital more convenient for the work I do. But now that I am currently writing this introduction, I realise I should fill in this gap in my knowledge, as I believe that every new experience is precious for any photographer.

Is the Nikon 1 system underrated? My first impressions of the Nikon 1 V2

11/09/2013 By Mathieu Leave a Comment

The Nikon 1 system was officially announced back in September 2011, and I have always found it intriguing. The Japanese firm created something different from any other mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (or Compact System Camera as the firm prefers to call it) on the market by concentrating all its efforts on speed and performance. However, despite the initial popularity of the system, two years down the road Nikon is rumoured to be re-thinking the entire line because of its poor sales (especially in Europe and America). For such a new system, it almost sounds like a defeat. But is the Nikon 1 system really that bad? I finally got the chance this past weekend to try out the V2 and get a sense of the pros and the cons of the system.

A Family Summer Holiday in Wales: The Sony RX100M2 Full Review

06/09/2013 By Mathieu 9 Comments

After using DSLRs for several years, and then switching to the Olympus Micro Four Thirds and Fuji X systems, I never would have thought that I would enjoy using a point-and-shoot camera so much, but the truth is that I really had fun testing the new Sony RX100 II. I also feel that I got it at the right time, which was right at the beginning of my summer holiday in Wales.

I love the country of Wales, and since 2010 I have spent all of my summer holidays there. It is the perfect place for me to escape from Italy and my hectic work regime. There, I can enjoy time with family, walks and breathtaking landscapes, and concentrate on improving my photography and of course our beloved blog, MirrorLessons. So, this is the spirit with which I embrace this small yet powerful camera, the perfect companion for my vacation!

A System That Aims for Perfection: A Fuji X-Pro-1 Review

22/08/2013 By Mathieu 22 Comments

Yes, I know. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 is far from new. But as the old saying goes, better late than never. 🙂 A couple of months ago, I wrote up a first impressions article after spending a weekend with the camera in the city of Genova. Since then, the camera has continued to intrigue me, and I knew I wanted to spend more quality time with it. Then, in July, I had the chance to take a deeper look at the X-Pro 1 thanks to the generosity of the Fujifilm Italia team who kindly sent me one to test for two weeks.