Field Test | Sony Alpha SLT-A99 and 85mm 1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T Combo

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The Sony Alpha SLT-A99 full frame camera
The Sony Alpha SLT-A99 full frame camera

While we were in Singapore for our talks for the Sony Digital Workshops there, the people at Sony Singapore were generous enough to let us use a couple of their cameras like their Sony A77 and their current flagship full-frame camera Sony Alpha SLT-A99. It was a good opportunity to see how far Sony has come since I tested their Sony Alpha A550 years ago. The new breed of Sony Cameras incorporates their SLT (Single-Lens Translucent) Technology which uses a fixed semi-translucent mirror to remove the delay from the flipping mirror typical DSLRs have along with the other benefits of the technology. I won’t delve much into the technicality here since a lot of reviews out there already covered them but share my short stint with the Sony Alpha SLT-A99 on this while roaming around the lively street life of Singapore at night pairing the camera with the Sony 85mm f1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T on this post.

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 Quick Hands-on in the Philippines

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The Olympus OM-D E-M5
The Olympus OM-D E-M5

OM-D E-M5 seems like a daunting mathematical equation more than a camera name, but Olympus is quite confident that at the sum of it all, this camera would spell the difference in their line of Micro Four Thirds cameras. Announced last November 2011, the excitement surrounding the Olympus OM-D E-M5 hasn’t dampened yet, in fact it seems to heighten as the actual release approaches. Little by little, shedding light by the numerous hands-on and previews who were fortunate enough to play with the camera. To add to the ever increasing previews and pre-release samples, let me share with you samples I took with the OM-D E-M5 during its Philippine Launch earlier at Shangri-la Hotel’s Heat Cafe.

(Update March 11, 2012, I’ve added direct download mirrors to the raw files which will only be available until the end of the month. Many thanks to migeO for hosting the files)

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Olympus PEN E-P3 Express Field Review

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The Olympus E-P3 with 14-42mm Ver II
The Olympus E-P3 with 14-42mm Ver II

The new generation PEN came a bit late here in the Philippines but like they said, its better late than never. I had the chance to try out the Olympus PEN E-P3, the current PEN flagship camera from Olympus. It was only a little over a week which clearly for me was such a short time since I wasn’t able to really take it out on a trip which I usually do the test. And also the weather at that week wasn’t really cooperative. But hey, I was able to take some shots with the E-P3 and play around its new functions and menus.

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Olympus PEN E-PL2 Field Test: The Beefed Up E-PL1

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Olympus PEN E-PL2 now in the Philippines
Olympus PEN E-PL2 now in the Philippines

Now on its 4th PEN, Olympus displayed evolution on this new M43rds model. The Olympus PEN E-PL2 is their most recent release which is by naming convention is a successor to their E-PL1 which proved successful at launch. As a user of the Olympus PEN E-PL1 for more than a year now, E-PL2 is more like a beefed up version of the E-PL1. It has the same sensor with a few tweaks so Image Quality is more or less the same. What significantly changed is the body. So here are a few things I liked from the new E-PL2. Also you can see a few hi-resolution out-of-the-camera real-world sample shots which you can access at my flickr account.

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Olympus PEN E-PL2 is in the Philippines

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Olympus PEN E-PL2
Olympus PEN E-PL2

The much awaited Olympus PEN E-PL2 has officially reached the shores of the Philippines and is now available at major camera stores. The E-PL2 has garnered a lot of praise from photo reviews and critics. I’ve been using this silver variant for more than a week now and is liking the new design which is like a cross between the E-Px and E-PL1 line. Will be posting my field test impressions and sample photos in a few weeks. In the meantime the single lens kit with the version 2 of the 14-42mm kit lens has an SRP of  P33995 while the two lens kit with the 14-42mm and the new M.Zuiko version of the 40-150mm kit has an SRP of P39995. It comes in colors of black, white silver and red.

Olympus E-5 Express Field Test: It’s the E-3 With Some Spunk

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The Olympus E-5 DSLR
The Olympus E-5 DSLR

It took about three years before Olympus finally rolled out their upgrade for their flagship Olympus E-3. Just when everybody thought they would be abandoning their DSLRs to focus on their PEN Micro Four Thirds Line, they produced the Olympus E-5 to somehow show their commitment to the classic Four Thirds Format. But would this be enough to keep the current Four Thirds users from switching or new DSLR buyers to consider this as their purchase? Here are my impressions of the Olympus E-5 DSLR from a couple of weeks use.

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Dispatch: Olympus E-5 at Nagsasa

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Olympus E-5 field tested at Nagsasa, Zambales
Olympus E-5 field tested at Nagsasa, Zambales

So I let my little powerhouse Olympus PEN E-PL1 take a rest and take the new Olympus E-5 DSLR out into the wild. It was a fun weekend trip to Nagsasa in San Antonio Zambales and I get to expose this camera to the elements. And all I can say for now is that if you are looking for one rugged DSLR camera that can withstand the outdoors, this one’s it.