To finish the year of reviews, Neocamera recently published two more Olympus reviews. The E-620 is their full-featured but relatively compact DSLR and the Stylus 7010 which is an ultra-compact digital camera with a 7X wide-angle optical zoom lens.

The E-620 detailed review is an interesting update to the previously published review summary as it follows the Olympus E-P1 which has an extremely similar feature set but in Micro Four-Thirds mirror-less format. This format features interchangeable lenses without the reflex viewfinder which is characteristic of DSLR cameras. Our detailed review goes through all the differences in terms of usability and performance between the E-620 and E-P1.  Regular readers will probably know that the E-620 is a well-rated Four-Thirds DSLR.

The Stylus 7010 is a very slim camera which packs a very interesting 28-196mm 7X zoom lens with image stabilization. It features a trans-reflective 2.7″ LCD which is designed for outstanding outdoor visibility, something which is essential in an ultra-compact camera since optical viewfinders are extremely rare in this form-factor. Feature-wise the Olympus Stylus 7010 is strictly a point-and-shoot camera with interesting panorama modes that can stitch small panoramas directly in the camera or align full-resolution panoramas up to 26 images taken in any direction.

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Pentax introudced today the Pentax DFA Macro 100mm F2.8 WR, a weather-resistant lens for Pentax SLR cameras, both digital and film. This lens adds to the already existing two weather-resistant zooms introduced near the K-7 to complete the most affordable weather-resistant DSLR system.

This is a prime lens with a fixed 100mm focal length and a bright F2.8 maximum aperture. Being a macro lens, it provides 1:1 magnification at 30cm focusing distance. It also features Pentax’ Super-Protect coating that repels water and grease. The construction of this lens is exceptional with a sturdy and light alluminum barrel.

Given its construction, it seems very close to a Pentax Limited lens. We shall see if it comes at Limited prices when Pentax announces pricing information.

Although this adds a lens to the Pentax line-up, keen observers will notice that very similar specifications apply to the older model by the same name, minus the WR. The older model uses a plastic barrel though, so clearly the emphasis is on durability. It may be easier to reuse the optical elements of previous designs than to design entirely new lenses.

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The second review of a Micro Four-Thirds was just published on Neocamera. This time it is for the Olympus E-P1, a retro 12 megapixels digital camera with built-in stabilization, dust-reduction, 2-axis digital-level and ISO sensitivity of to 6400. It has just about every feature of a DSLR, except for a built-in flash in a relatively compact body.

As usual, detailed reviews include assessments of design, ergonomics, image quality, performance and noise, plus a gallery of images taken at each ISO setting. This review should be interest to future owners of an Olympus E-P2 since the E-P1 is largely the same camera and its performance is expected to be nearly identical.

Adorama just published the results of their Reader’s Choice Awards and it is a landslide win for the Pentax K-7.  The poll question was “Which is the most important camera introduced this year?” and the K-7 won 55% of all votes, besting all other models combined.  While there are brands that sell far more DSLR cameras than Pentax, they often hold onto such positions by providing extremely well-specified cameras, and the K-7 is no exception. Unsurprisingly, the K-7 tied for Best Advanced-DSLR of 2009 at Neocamera too.

The K-7 is built around a 14.6 megapixels sensor with ISO range from 100 to 6400. What makes it truly unique is its built-in stabilization system which corrects for the photographer’s horizontal, vertical and rotational movements and works with all lenses compatible with the K-7 at no cost. The same mechanism is used to correct horizontal tilt to obtain more level photographs. The K-7 is also one of only two cameras with a 100% coverage viewfinder offering built-in stabilization, the other one being the twice-as-expensive full-frame Sony Alpha A900. Another class-leading feature is its outstanding weather-sealing which is specified to resist extreme cold down to -10C (14F), colder than any of DSLR.

Neocamera has a detailed review of the K-7 with much more information, including crops a all ISO and all sharpness settings, plus a gallery of images taken with a production Pentax K-7.

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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is the smallest interchangeable lens digital camera. A detailed review of it was just published on Neocamera. This digital camera is built around a Four-Thirds sensor, the same size as the ones used in Olympus and Panasonic DSLRs. Its body is much slimmer because the Micro-Four-Thirds mount does not allow space for a mirror used by a reflex optical viewfinder. Instead, it uses the rear LCD or an optional EVF to frame pictures.

Even though the sensor is the same size as some DSLR cameras, the shorter distance from the sensor to the lens mount allows lenses to be built a bit smaller too, resulting in a noticeably smaller total size compared to an equivalent DSLR. Image quality can be high then and performance is the main factor which will determine how good such cameras will be. Find out about the Panasonic GF1′s handling and performance in Neocamera’s detailed review.

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