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Research, reviews and how-to covering interchangeable and fixed lens compact camera systems and lenses. Encompasses ALLVIEW (Any Lens Live View)
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Shootouts
Comparisons across format.
Can smaller sensor cameras compete with larger ones on any basis?
- Olympus E-M5 + 25/1.4 ASPH vs Canon 1D X + 50/1.8 II (Dolls)
- Pancake Lens Shootout: Olympus E-M5 vs Canon 1D X (Dolls)
- Shootout: E-M5 + 20mm vs Canon 5D Mark III + 40mm vs Sony RX100
- Shootout: Sigma DP2 Merrill vs Sony RX100 (Dolls)
- Shootout: Sony RX1 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill vs Fujifilm X-E1 (MTB)
- Shootout: Sony NEX-7 vs Nikon D7100 (Blue Doll, Pellegrino) New!
Four Thirds & Micro Four Thirds
The Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds Format
General things to know about Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds.
- Micro Four Thirds Format Makes the Grade
- Small Sensor Cameras Make the Grade (PDF) New!
- Focal Length for 4/3 and Micro 4/3
- Depth of Field for 4/3 and Micro 4/3
- Aperture and Shutter Speed
- Overview of Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds Lens Choices
- Size comparison of Various Lenses
- Olympus MMF-3 Lens Adapter for Micro Four Thirds
Panasonic Lumix GH3
Full size m4/3 camera body with a video orientation.
Olympus OM-D E-M5
Superb ergonomic design in a compact camera.
- Introduction to the Olympus OM-D E-M5
- Ergonomics
- Usability Comments
- Sensor Size and Resolution
- RAW Conversion in Adobe Camera RAW
- RAW Conversion in DxO Optics Pro
- How Much Sharpening to Apply
- JPEG vs RAW Example (Dolls)
- ETTR Example 2+ Stops Range (Dolls)
- ETTR In The Field (Yellow Leaf)
- Aperture Series 12mm f/2 (Bicycle)
- Aperture Series and Comparison at 12mm f/2 (Dolls)
- 7mm Comparison: Olympus SHG 7-14mm f/4 — Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 (Garage Bikes)
- 12mm Comparison: Olympus SHG 7-14mm f/4 — Olympus 12mm f/2 — Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 and 12-35mm f/2.8 (Garage Bikes)
- 14mm Comparison: Olympus SHG 7-14mm f/4 — SHG 14-35mm f/2 — Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 and 7-14mm f/4 — 12-35mm f/2.8 (Garage Bikes)
- 20mm Comparison: Olympus SHG 14-35/2 — Panasonic 20/1.7 and 12-35/2.8 — Canon 40/2.8 STM (Garage Bikes)
- Compared: Olympus 50/2 Macro — Panasonic/Leica 45/2.8 Macro — Olympus 45/1.8 (Dolls)
- ISO Series from ISO 200 - ISO 25600
- Noise Behavior on Real Images
- Dynamic Range Analysis from -2 ... +4/3 Stops
- Diffraction with Panasonic/Leica 25mm f/1.4 ASPH
- Correcting color aberrations with the 12mm f/2
- Effectiveness of Image Stabilization
- Black and White Images
- Video Quality, Artifacts
- Video Examples (General)
- Video Examples (White Mountains, Clear Weather)
- Video Examples (Summit Attempt, Bad Weather Builds)
- Video Examples (Descents from White Mountain Peak, Hail Day)
- Conclusions
Olympus E-P1 micro-4/3 camera
Great image quality, but...
Panasonic G-1 micro-4/3 camera
Panasonic G-1 especially compared to the Olympus E-P1. Intriguing results with RAW vs in-camera JPEG. RAW file included for your own analysis.
Lenses for Micro Four Thirds Cameras
Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8
A fast moderate wide angle.
Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 60mm f/2.8 ED Macro
Native Micro Four Thirds macro lens.
- Olympus M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 ED Macro
- Compared: 60/2.8 ED Macro vs SHG 35-100/2 ED (Dolls)
- Compared: 60/2.8 ED Macro (2 copies) vs SHG 35-100/2 ED (Dolls)
- Examples (Initial Ad-Hoc)
- Examples (Various)
- Field Curvature at 1:25 Reproduction
- Field Curvature in the Field (Building Scaffolding)
- Examples (Field Curvature)
- Graphic Visualization of Field Curvature
Sigma DN 19mm f/2.8
Wide angle for Micro Four Thirds or Sony E Mount/NEX.
Sigma DN 30mm f/2.8
Normal lens for Micro Four Thirds or Sony E Mount/NEX.
Olympus Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 ED Telephoto
Beautiful bokeh, long reach fast speed, compact lens.
- Olympus Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 ED Overview
- 53MP Panorama (Patriarch Grove at Sunset)
- Study: Focusing Margin of Error (Dolls)
- Compared: 75/1.8 ED vs SHG 35-100/2 ED (Dolls)
- Aperture Series: Wyman Cabin
- Aperture Series: Distant Hills (Patriarch Grove)
- Aperture Series: Bristlecones Slope
- Aperture Series: Bristlecones Near/Far
- Aperture Series: Bristlecone Foliage)
- Aperture Series: Bristlecone Trunk
- Aperture Series: Bristlecone Stump
- Aperture Series: Aspens in Black and White
- Examples: Bristlecones
- Examples: Dana Meadow, Yosemite
- Examples: Yosemite
- Video Review of Olympus 75mm f/1.8 ED
Olympus Zuiko 12mm f/2 ED
A compact high performance fast wide angle.
Olympus Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 ED
Olympus lenses for Micro Four Thirds cameras.
Panasonic Lumix G 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye
A fisheye with great contrast and high resolving power.
Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH Micro 4/3
A fast normal lens (50mm equiv) for Micro 4/3.
- Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH Micro 4/3
- Panasonic/Leica 25/1.4 ASPH Aperture Series on Olympus OM-D E-M5 (Dolls)
- Compared: Panasonic 25/1.4 — Olympus 14-35/2 — Leica 24/3.8 Elmar-M (Wyman Cabin)
- Examples: Panasonic 25/1.4 (White Mountains)
- Examples: Panasonic 25/1.4 (De Chambeau Ranch)
Panasonic Lumix G LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm f/2.8 ASPH MEGA O.I.S
A macro lens with high performance.
Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH
Wide angle pancake lens.
Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 ASPH
Pancake lens.
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4 ASPH
Ultra wide angle zoom.
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH
Mid range zoom.
Interchangeable Lens Large Sensor Cameras
Sony NEX-7 and NEX-5N
24 or 16 megapixels in a compact body with APS-C sensor.
- Introduction
- Ergonomics
- Usability Issue — Unwanted ISO Changes
- Usability Issue — Focus By Wire Hysteresis
- Usability Issue — Unwanted Video Recording Updated!
- Features
- Perspective (Quality, Usability, Ergonomics) New!
- Examples (Portraits)
- Examples (Capturing the Moment)
- Examples (Capturing the Moment Foggy)
- Examples (Russian Ridge Fog/Sunset)
- Examples (Zeiss ZM 25/2.8 Biogon)
- Examples (Zeiss ZM 35/2 Biogon)
- Zeiss ZM 35/2 Aperture Series (Radio Towers)
- Aperture Series: Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH on Sony NEX-7 (Tile Rooftops)
- Color Balance Varies By Aperture
- Diffraction
- Using Focus Assist
- Programming for MF Assist
- Lens Selection
- Ray Angle, Color Shift, Sharpness
- Table of Ray Angles for Zeiss ZM Lenses
- Color Shading on NEX-7 with M-mount Lenses
- Color Shading on NEX-5N with M-mount Lenses
- Avoiding Subtle Damage to the NEX Lens Mount
- Lens Adapter Skew
- Noise
- Noise at ISO 100 - Geese
- Noise at ISO 100 - Seagull
- Noise at ISO 100 - Downsampled to 12MP
- Noise at ISO 200 - Portrait
- Noise at ISO 200 - Duck
- Noise Reduction by Downsampling
- Reader Comments
Fujifilm X-Pro1
Interchangeable lenses on an APS-C sensor
- Introduction (READ FIRST!)
- Color Bleed
- Digital Artifacts
- Fractal-like Artifacts: Yosemite Pines (ACR)
- Fractal-like Artifacts: Yosemite Pines — ACR vs Capture One Pro
- Fractal-like Artifacts: Cayenne and Moots at Dusk
- RAW Conversion Details (Adobe Camera RAW)
- Examples (Flowers and Food)
- Examples (Flowers and Food, Adobe Camera RAW Redo)
- RAW File vs JPEG Exposure (Flowers)
- Examples (Outdoors, Sea Otter MTB)
- Examples (Mosaic)
- Examples (Mosaic, ACR)
- Examples (Outdoors, Alpine)
- Examples (Shadow Detail and Noise)
- Aperture series ƒ/1.4 - ƒ/16, RAW vs JPEG
- Aperture series ƒ/1.4 - ƒ/16, RAW vs JPEG (SilkyPix)
- Aperture series ƒ/1.4 - ƒ/16, RAW vs JPEG (ACR)
- ISO series ISO 200 - 3200, JPEG vs RAW (ACR)
- RAW Conversion Details (SilkyPix)
- Autofocus Issues
- Conclusions
- Conclusions
Fujifilm X-E1
Compact sibling of the Fujifilm X-Pro1
Ricoh GXR with A12 Mount for Leica M Lenses.
Use Leica M lenses on a digital back designed for them.
Lens Adapters
Metabones SpeedBooster for Sony NEX
Use DSLR lenses at ~native focal length, and gain a stop of speed.
- Metabones SpeedBooster — How It Works
- Metabones SpeedBooster (General)
- Metabones SpeedBooster for Sony NEX
- General Observations on SpeedBooster Optical Performance
- SpeedBooster + Canon 15/2.8 Fisheye (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Zeiss 21/2.8 Distagon (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Zeiss 35/1.4 Distagon (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Canon 35/2 IS (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Canon 40/2.8 STM (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Zeiss 50/2 Makro-Planar (NEX-6, MTB)
- Compared: SpeedBooster + 35mm Lenses (NEX-6, MTB + Doll)
- Compared: SpeedBooster + 50mm Lenses (NEX-6, MTB + Doll)
- SpeedBooster + Canon 85/1.2L II (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Canon 85/1.8 (NEX-6, MTB)
- SpeedBooster + Canon 135/2L (NEX-6, MTB)
Lenses for Full Four Thirds Cameras
Olympus Zuiko SHG 14-35mm f/2 ED
Ultra high performance zoom lens.
- Lens: Zuiko 14-35mm f/2 ED
- 14mm: Compared to Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 ASPH
- Compared vs Olympus 17/1.8 (Olympus E-M5, Dolls)
- 25mm: Olympus 14-35/2, Panasonic 25/1.4, Leica 24/3.8 Elmar-M (Wyman Cabin)
- 28mm: Olympus 14-35/2, Leica 28/2 Summicron-M ASPH, Leica 28/2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH (Wyman Cabin)
- 35mm: Olympus 14-35/2, Leica 35/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH, 35/2 Summicron-M ASPH — Zeiss 35/2 Biogon (Wyman Cabin)
- Examples: White Mountains
Olympus Zuiko SHG 35-100mm f/2 ED
Ultra high performance medium telephoto zoom.
Olympus Super High Grade (SHG) Four Thirds Lenses
Ultra high performance lenses.
Olympus Zuiko SHG 7-14mm f/2 ED
Ultra high performance ultra-wide zoom lens.
Lenses for Fuji X Mount
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R
A low distortion ultra wide angle lens.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R
A compact fast pancake lens.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R
Fujifilm’s kit zoom for the X-E1
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R
A fast normal lens.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R
A fast short telephoto macro lens.
Leica M on Mirrorless
Leica M Lenses on Olympus OM-D E-M5
Does pricey M glass deliver on mirrorless?
ALLVIEW CAMERAS IN GENERAL
ALLVIEW— Any Lens Live View Camera
Eliminating the camera body barrier— any kind of lens with Live View EVF and LCD
Lenses for Sony NEX
Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 Planar
Normal lens for Sony NEX or Fuji X.
- Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 Planar for Sony NEX or Fuji X New!
- MTF (also vs Zeiss and Leica) New!
- Distortion on Sony NEX, Fuji X New!
- Vignetting on Sony NEX, Fuji X New!
- Aperture series: Blue Doll / Pellegrino (Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: Miscellaneous (Sony NEX-7) New!
- Distortion Correction in JPEG vs RAW (Sony NEX-7) New!
- Bokeh (Glassware, Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: Portraiture (NYC Model, Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: New York City (Evening on the High Line, Sony NEX-7) New!
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Distagon
Ultra wide angle lens for Sony NEX or Fuji X.
- Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Distagon for Sony NEX or Fuji X New!
- MTF (also vs Zeiss and Leica) New!
- Distortion on Sony NEX, Fuji X New!
- Vignetting on Sony NEX, Fuji X New!
- Examples: Initial (Sony NEX-7) New!
- Distortion Correction in JPEG vs RAW (Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: Portraiture (NYC Model, Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: New York City (High Line Area, Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: New York City (Union Square Walk, Sony NEX-7) New!
- Examples: New York City (Evening Architecture, Sony NEX-7) New!
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 for Sony NEX
Moderate wide angle for Sony NEX.
- Sony/Zeiss 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar Overview
- Examples Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar (Childs Stuff)
- Examples Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar (Portraits)
- Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar Aperture Series (Focus Shift)
- Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar Aperture Series (Tile Rooftops)
- Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar Aperture Series (Pencils)
- Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar Aperture Series (Blanket)
- Correcting Color Fringing, Sony 24mm ƒ/1.8 Sonnar
Fixed Lens Cameras
Nikon Coolpix A
Fixed 28mm lens with APS-C sensor free of anti-aliasing blur with wonderful color.
Sigma DP-1 / DP2 / DP3 'Merrill' with Foveon X3 sensor
Sigma DP1 / DP2 /DP3 Merrill offer a 14.3 x 3 true-color sensor for outstanding resolution.
- Sigma DP Merrill Introduction
- Examples (Initial Misc)
- Examples (White Mountains)
- Examples (White Mountains Autumn Color)
- Examples (Mixed)
- Examples (Yosemite)
- Examples (San Francisco)
- Examples (DP2M, San Francisco)
- Examples (DP2M, Outdoors)
- Examples (DP2M, Tulips)
- Examples (DP3M, Tulips)
- Examples (DP3M, Portraits)
- Examples (DP3M, Around The Neighborhood)
- Examples (DP3M, Stanford)
- Aperture Series DP1 Merrill (Dolls)
- Aperture Series DP2 Merrill (Dolls)
- Aperture Series DP2 Merrill (Pellegrino Bottles) New!
- Aperture Series DP3 Merrill (Tulips)
- Aperture Series DP3 Merrill (Mosaic)
- Color Rendition (Portrait)
- Long Exposures
- Exposure Bracketing Sequence
- Best Quality: ISO 100 or ISO 200?
- Noise Behavior Example (High Voltage)
- Color Space Bug — sRGB Only
- Autofocus Accuracy
- Post Processing
- Resolution — DP1 Merrill vs Nikon D600 (Yellow Aspen)
- Matching Color — DP1 Merrill vs Nikon D600 (Yellow Aspen)
- DP2 Merrill vs 22-Megapixel Canon 5D Mark III (Redwoods/Bridge)
- How Large for Printing?
- Sigma Photo Pro Software
- Monochrome Conversion in Sigma Photo Pro
- Sigma Photo Pro Software Color Display
- Setting White Balance in Sigma Photo Pro
- Sigma Photo Pro: Correcting Lateral Chromatic Aberration
- Which Model is Best?
- Conclusions
- Suggestions for Sigma
Sony DSC-RX1
Full frame camera in an ultra-compact body.
- Sony RX1 Introduction
- Sony RX1 Camera Images
- Sony RX1 Accessories
- File Sizes and Bit Depth
- Usage Notes
- Lens Diaphragm / Aperture Symmetry
- Focus Accuracy / Backfocus
- Focus Behavior / Focus Reset
- Portraits and Focus Accuracy
- Distortion, Correcting Distortion
- Color Shading / Vignetting
- Examples, Initial Probation
- Aperture Series, Close Range (Dolls)
- Aperture Series (Pumpkins)
- Aperture Series (MTB)
- Aperture Series (Mosaic)
- ETTR (Dolls)
- Conclusions
Sony DSC-RX100
Stunningly high image quality in a 20MP point and shoot tiny camera.
- Sony RX100 Introduction
- Realistic Real-World Resolution
- Optical Quality as Designed vs Built
- Sensor Size and Resolution
- RX100 Built-in Distortion Correction for JPEG
- Converting RAW to TIF with ACR, Enhancing Contrast
- RX100 JPEG vs RAW: Color/Contrast/Detail
- Exposure Latitude (Dolls)
- JPEG vs RAW: Forest Scene
- Lens Performance: Tree Gargoyle
- Examples: Mountains
- Examples: White Mountains East
- Exposing for Highest Dynamic Range and Lowest Noise
- Shootout: Sony RX100 vs Olympus E-M5 and Canon 5D Mark III
- Conclusions: Kudos and the Lens
Leica X2
Leica’s large-sensor 'affordable' compact camera.
Fujifilm Finepix X100
The best compact big-sensor digital camera yet?
- Introduction to Fuji X100
- Ergonomics and Usability
- Controls and Dials
- Flash Performance
- Shooting the X100
- Auto ISO With Flash
- How I Shoot My X100
- Fuji LH-X100 Lens Hood With Adapter Ring
- Really Right Stuff Camera Plate and Grip
- Malfunctions
- Reader Comments 1
- Reader Comments 2
- Portraits With the X100
- MTF Charts for Fuji X100
- Lens Blur, Asymmetric sharpness
- Lens Distortion Evaluation
- High Shutter Speeds Degrade Sharpness
- RAW vs JPEG — Dynamic Range
- RAW vs JPEG — Sharpness and Noise
- Color Gamut — Reds
- Initial Examples With Fuji X100
- Aerial Examples With Full-Res Downloads
- Landscape-style Examples with X100
- Comparing X100 at f/2.8 to f/8
- Compared to Leica M9 + 35/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH
- Compared to Nikon D3s + 35/1.4G
- Conclusions
- Feature Comparison: Fuji X100 vs Ricoh GXR
- Ricoh GXR Example (Aerial)
- Alternative Cameras
Sigma DP-2 with Foveon X3 sensor
Sigma DP-2 with the amazing Foveon X3 sensor. RAW file included for your own analysis.