Your one stop shop for everything photo-video
The bigger, the better, right? Well, not always. Photographer Robin Wong shares his take on why there is quite a bit of merit in smaller cameras and lenses. In fact, if you look at Robin’s Youtube channel, it is almost dedicated to small cameras.
And while Robin shoots a little bit of street photography, where small cameras shine, the bulk of his portfolio is Events, Stage, Wedding, and Food photography. So I got curious.
As expected, OM System has today officially announced the new M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 IS PRO Macro lens. As a Micro Four Thirds lens, it offers an equivalent field of view to a 180mm lens on a full-frame body with a 2:1 magnification ratio for larger-than-life macro shots. A minimum focus distance of only 22.4cm means a working distance of around 8cm from the end of the lens, letting you get very close to your subjects.
It features built-in optical stabilisation, and with IP53 weather sealing, it’s useful for all kinds of location macro work in all different weather conditions. As with most macro lenses, it features a focus limiter switch, and a floating focus mechanism maintains sharpness throughout the entire focusing range all the way up to infinity. It’s also compatible with the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters for 2.8x or 4x magnification, respectively.
After a little bit of a specs leak last week, photos of the upcoming OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO lens have now leaked, along with a price. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the way of new specs, but a selection of images shows what the lens looks like on its own, in a full macro rig with flash, its various accessories, along with some examples apparently shot using the lens.
The lens is still expected to be announced tomorrow, although there’s no word on exactly when it’ll be available or start shipping yet. According to the latest leaks, though, it’s expected to have a price of 231,000 yen in Japan. This seems pretty high, as that equates to around $1,750. That’s an awful lot of money for a macro lens of this focal length and aperture.
This one sure took some time to happen. Initially announced back in June 2022 as a new trigger for Leica only, the Godox XPro II has been pretty elusive as far as other camera systems go. Last month, other brand versions started popping up on Canadian retailer websites, but there’d still been no official announcement from Godox and no general availability.
Well, now, Godox has officially announced the new XPro II trigger for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji and Olympus (OM System)/Panasonic. It’s a little cheaper than we previously thought, too, with the new versions showing a $40 lower price tag than the first XPro II Leica version. Godox has made no mention of their being an updated XPro II model for Pentax, although B&H has one listed.
Development of the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f3.5 Macro ISO Pro (wow, what a mouthful!) was announced back in September 2022 in a road map update. The spot was actually allocated a year earlier, in September 2021, in a previous road map update. Until very recently, though, there was no real news on when we might hear an announcement. Then, a couple of weeks ago, that changed.
OM System released a firmware update on January 20th for the E-M1 Mark II, E-M1 Mark III, E-M5 Mark III, E-M1X and OM-5 cameras. This firmware was specifically (and only) to ensure compatibility with the M.Zuiko 90mm f/35 Macro lens. No announcement date was available then, but now OM System has announced an event on February 8, and specs for the new lens have leaked ahead of that announcement.
The expectation that OM System will release a long focal length (long for Micro Four Thirds, at least) macro lens has been around for a while now. A macro lens in the 90-105mm region popped up on the lens roadmap way back in September 2021, and development of a 90mm f/3.5 Macro was announced in a September 2022 roadmap update. Now, thanks to a firmware update for the E-M1 Mark II, E-M1 Mark III, E-M5 Mark III, E-M1X and OM-5 cameras, we know it’s on the way soon.
While OM System has not made an official release announcement about a new macro lens, the notes for the new camera firmware updates state that they’re pretty much only to ensure compatibility with the new M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO lens. B&H has been quick to jump on adding a listing on their site, although it reveals no details beyond those made during the development announcement.
It’s December again, which means lots of us are sitting there wondering what to buy for ourselves or the photographer in our lives this holiday season. We’ve been saving up all year to get that something special, but we don’t want to deal with in-store queues – or maybe we’ve just slacked on our Christmas shopping this year. We want to stay at home where it’s nice and warm and see what we can find online that gets delivered straight to our door!
So, this means it’s time for the 2022 DIYP Holiday Gift Guides, and we’re kicking things off with cameras. These are some of our favourite cameras that have been released over the last year. Keep visiting back this week as we release our other guides, including lenses, lighting, tripods, sliders & gimbals, and accessories and gadgets.
Back in 2020, Olympus sold its camera and imaging business after a series of rumors. In 2021, Olympus’s imaging business belonged to OM Digital Solutions, and word started to spread that the company would fully rebrand from Olympus.
And now, it’s happening, OM Digital Solutions has announced that Olympus is no more. Other than the upcoming gear, even the existing models will from now on be a part of the “OM System.”
The official announcement from OM Digital Solutions is expected tomorrow, during the OM System Plaza. As tends to happen, though, photos and specs of the new camera have leaked a little early. It’s the second new OM camera from OM Digital Solutions since completing its acquisition of Olympus in January 2021. And it looks like it won’t disappoint.
It’s said to be coming at a price lower than the recently released OM System OM-1 and will feature a 20.37-megapixel sensor with 121 AF points, 4K 30fps video, IP53 dust and splashproof weather resistance, live composite mode, 7.5 stops of image stabilisation and all of the usual features you’d expect from a camera brought to you by the brand formerly known as Olympus.
Released in 2019, the Olympus OM-D E-M1X was met with a bit of a mixed response. It was a high-performance flagship – the Olympus equivalent of the Canon 1DX Mark III or Nikon D5 – but it had Micro Four Thirds users torn. It’s a big camera with a built-in vertical grip and the whole point of MFT for them is that it’s a small camera system. Not so much with the OM-D E-M1X.
Well, now, it looks like its time is ending. Japanese retailers are starting to list the Olympus OM-D E-M1X as discontinued, although it’s not listed as such on the Olympus website nor is it discontinued on the OM Digital website. At least, not yet. Many US retailers like Amazon and B&H still list cameras in stock, but when Japanese retailers start to list camera gear as discontinued, it usually becomes official not too long afterwards.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!