Focoro beta

Michael Reichmann (Luminous Landscape) has a nice summary with good insights into the current state of the digital camera industry, from Canon's conservation holding onto the market leader to Sony's mount chaos and the quandary of Pentax.

Back in 2006, Sigma's DP-series was well received for its imaging quality and fitting an APS-C sized Foveon X3 sensor into a small body, putting it high-up on the list of photographers looking for a camera in a very small niche. Sigma is relaunching the fixed-lens/fixed-length DP-series of cameras,…

Many prime-shooters for Micro Four Thirds have opted rather than the Leica-standard 50mm (equivalent) lens, to shoot with a slightly wider 40mm or 34mm equivalent which offer several options in the system from the compact and renowned Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (I and II) and ultra-sharp all-metal Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 to the ultra-fast, solid, manual Voightländer 17.5mm f/0.95. The selection at 25mm (50mm equivalent) has had only one first-party option, the Leica Summilux branded Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 (a Voightländer model is also available). The Olympus entrant is in its M.Zuiko line, meaning Olympus considers it of high-quality, although this lens is not weather sealed to match the high-end OM-D cameras. The M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 is both smaller and less expensive than its older alternatives, which makes it the most economical nifty-fifty for those who do not need the faster apertures of its competitors.

Panasonic has held a solid reputation since the popular introduction of camcorders in the 1980s, and while it has shared the Micro Four Thirds system with Olympus, its cameras have tended to play on the company's reputation by providing a stronger focus on video users. Since the advent of the MFT system, this has not been so apparent than with its latest top-of-the-line GH4 model which offers 4k recording in a capable 16MP@12fps still-shooter. The updated sensor and processing pipeline uses Panasonic's latest Venus Engine IX to record 4k video at up-to 30fps, as well as extending dynamic range and noise control over previous generations. While the standalone camera only outputs 8-bit per channel video, Panasonic has an add-on DMW-YAGH which attaches to the body and provides not only uncompressed 10-bit per channel output, but a multitude of connections for either the exploring amateur or the light-packing, budget-minded, professional videographer.