One Micro Four Thirds camera and smartphone combo product is unusual, but two in as many weeks? It's downright wild. A new product on Kickstarter, SwitchLens, promises to turn any smartphone into a pro-grade camera.
Panasonic and Olympus -- now OM System -- jointly announced the Micro Four Thirds System standard in 2008. Since then, it has grown to more than 60 members, and it's still growing. Lensmaker Guangdong Sirui Optical Co., Ltd. is the newest member of the standards group.
While most of the attention in the photography world is focused on full-frame and APS-C products -- hardly surprising since those are what most companies focus on -- Micro Four Thirds is still one of the best systems on the market.
Micro Four Thirds remains an excellent system for photo and video applications. Despite the relatively small image sensor size, Micro Four Thirds cameras like 2022's OM System OM-1 and Panasonic GH6 show that great things come in small packages. However, what about 2023? What new Micro Four Thirds cameras and lenses arrived this year?
7Artisans has announced a new wide-angle APS-C lens for Nikon Z, Sony E, Fuji X, EOS-M, and MFT mounts, the 12mm f/2.8 Mark II, an updated version of its previous 12mm f/2.8.
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 6mm f/2 Zero-D MFT rectilinear lens, the "Photo Version" of the previously released 6mm T2.1 Cine Lens that offers the same image quality as the cine version but finally adds electronic components for in-camera controls and proper EXIF information recording.
I've been using the Panasonic GH6 for a few months so we could provide a long-term review for what was once a hotly-anticipated successor to the very popular GH5.
Venus Optics has introduced yet another unique lens to the market: the Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APO for Micro Four Thirds. As a long-time user of the Micro Four Thirds system, I jumped at the opportunity to test drive this lens after I heard “0.95” and “APO” in the same sentence.
Meike has announced a new ultra-wide 8mm f/2.8 ultra-wide lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. The fully manual lens provides a full-frame equivalent focal length of 16mm and offers a minimum focusing distance of just under 10 inches.
Venus Optics has announced the new Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 MFT APO lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. The company says that the shallow depth of field creates "dreamy" background defocus and the APO design limits color fringing.
It's the dawn of a new era for OM Digital Solutions (OMDS) -- Olympus as was -- as it forges a new beginning, with a new camera, bearing the new name, and the last to be emblazoned with the Olympus logo. Is this the start of a golden age for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) or simply the beginning of the end for both OMDS and MFT?
TTArtisan has released the TTAritsan 40mm Macro f/2.8 APS-C lens which is compatible with Fujifilm X, Sony E, and Micro Four Thirds cameras. It costs just $100.
Yongnuo is reportedly taking the wraps off its latest attempt at an Android-based Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera. It's called the YN455.
Venus Optics has launched a version of the Laowa 7.5mm f/2 for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) that includes a chip that provides metadata in EXIF as well as allows aperture control digitally through the camera.
TTArtisan has announced a manual-focus, clicked-aperture 50mm f/1.2 APS-C lens for Sony E-Mount, Canon M-Mount, Fuji X-Mount, and Micro Four Thirds. While fully manual, it's $98 price makes it extremely affordable.
Venus Optics has announced it's second "Zero-D" optic in the compact 10mm f/2 for micro four thirds. Weighing just 4.4 ounces and with a 96-degree angle of view, the new lens is an ultra-fast and ultra-wide travel-friendly optic.
Yongnuo has already released a mirrorless camera system designed to be used in tandem with a smartphone, but the company seems to be interested in iterating on that design further. According to a new patent, the latest design looks more seamless and user-friendly.
In the wake of Olympus' finalized deal with Japan Industrial Partners to assume control of the company's imaging business, Panasonic apparently isn't very hopeful that many of Olympus' Micro Four Thirds photographers will make the jump over to Panasonic camera equipment.
Venus Optics, purveyor of some fan favorite (and sometimes quite strange) ultra macro lenses, has just released its newest creation: the world's first 2x macro lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Meet the new Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO.
Filmmaker Daniel Scott Murphy has created an incredibly useful new crop factor calculator that goes beyond anything we've seen online thus far. Not only does it tell you the crop, it actually simulates the results, and can even handle setups that include speed boosters.
We've seen lots of rumors swirling around new Canon and Sony cameras lately, but not much about any other brand. That is, until someone posted a "leaked" spec list for the upcoming Panasonic GH6 on Facebook.
It's been an exciting day for Micro Four Thirds shooters. Not only have budget brands Yongnuo and Venus Optics officially joined the standard, but Cosina Japan has unveiled the Micro Four Thirds mount Voigtlander Nokton 60mm f/0.95.
The 12-year-old Micro Four Thirds standard just got a nice third-party boost today. In a joint release, Olympus and Panasonic announced that three new companies were officially joining the group: Yongnuo, Venus Optics, and a B2B company called Mediaedge.
A few days after online speculation sent the Micro Four Thirds world into a panic, Olympus has come out to officially deny rumors that it's planning to shut down and/or sell its camera business within the next year... or ever.
Photographer Felix Jäger recently got to review a lens that many Micro Four Thirds shooters have on their wishlist: the Voigtländer 42.5mm f/0.95. But while that mouth-watering aperture number might set your heart to racing, don't whip out your wallet just yet.
Yesterday, Sony quietly released the specs for a new 47MP Micro Four Thirds image sensor that it claims is for "Surveillance, FA cameras and Industrial cameras." But the image sensor—which can record 10-bit 8K/30p video with a with a 17:9 crop—might actually show up in the successor to the Panasonic GH5S.
Like it or not, much of the conversation around image quality these days revolves around sensor size. When Sony announced the a7R IV, it boasted image quality that “rivaled medium format.” When people defend Micro Four Thirds, they show off their ultra-portable system and claim the images are “indistinguishable from full-frame.”
Yongnuo is getting fancy. The Chinese manufacturer best known for making clone lenses and other camera accessories has quietly revealed a new smartphone add-on called the YN43 that turns your smartphone into a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera.
Panasonic has just announced the Lumix GX9 mirrorless and XZ200 compact cameras. Both cameras offer 4K video recording in pint-sized bodies.
Panasonic has just announced the Lumix G9, a serious Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera with high-end features.