Think Tank Photo is introducing its largest rolling camera bag yet. The new Logistics Manager 30 can comfortably hold a huge amount of gear, including multiple lenses up the size of a 600mm F/4. The interior is completely customizable with a number padded inserts to accommodate small and large items safely.

With an interior size of 13.75″ x 25″ x 8.25″ and exterior of 15.75″ x 30″ x 11.5″, this is certainly a large case. It weighs itself between 7.3 and 9.1kg, depending on the configuration. Two wheels greatly help move this one around and a TSA-approved main zipper lock provides peace of mind when traveling by plane.

The Logistics Manager 30 provides many added convenience features:

• Interior and exterior pockets.
• Quickly deployable handle.
• Large expandable front pocket which even fits a laptop in a slim case.
• Tripod holder.
• Rain cover.

The Think Tank Logistics Manager 30 is availble immediately for $499 USD.

Neocamera Blog  © Cybernium

Think Tank Photo is adding a series of camera bags dedicated to mirrorless systems. The new Mirrorless Mover series of bags is made to the size of mirrorless systems yet retains the full high-end quality which Think Tank bags are known for.

Mirrorless Mover bags come in 4 sizes:

• Mirrorless Mover 5 – Single-camera carrying solution fits small mirrorless cameras with a single small-to-medium sized lens. Measures 4.7″ x 5.9″ x 3.9″ externally and 3.5″ x 4.7″ x 3.1″ internally. Weighs a mere 200g.
• Mirrorless Mover 10 – Medium-sized bag fitting an average mirrorless camera with one lens attached and one extra plus a few accessories. Measures 5.3″ x 6.1″ x 4.5″ externally and 4.9″ x 5.3″ x 3.7″ internally. Weighs in at only 225g.
• Mirrorless Mover 20 – Fits most mirrorless camera with a lens attached but one or two additional lenses and some extra accessories. Measures 8.9″ x 6.1″ x 4.5″ externally and 8.5″ x 5.3″ x 3.7″ internally. Weighs 300g.
• Mirrorless Mover 30i – The largest allows space of up to 4 mirrorless lenses, including one attached to a camera, plus an digital tablet and more accessories. Even accommodates Sony’s SLT and entry-level DSLRs. Measures 11″ x 8.9″ x 5.7″ externally and 10.6″ x 8″ x 3.9″ internally. Has a 9.8″ x 8.1″ x 0.9″ tablet pocket. Weighs in at 450g.

This series of camera bags is made of durable materials with an outer shell of poly-ballistic fabric, YKK metal zippers and a seam-sealed rain cover. The 30i also features a padded non-slip flexible shoulder-strap.  The exterior of all models is treated with a special DWR coating and another more water-proof PU coating for the underside.

These shoulder-bags are available for order immediately at Think Tank Photo and range in price from $35 to $70 USD.

Neocamera Blog  © Cybernium

The unique Canon EF 200-400mm F/4L IS USM 1.4X Extender lens is now finalized after being showed in prototype-form last year. The super-telephoto zoom introduces a new twist to high-performance telephoto lenses by including a 1.4X extender built right into the lens barrel.

In what is now the most complex lens to describe yet, Canon has created an extremely versatile product. With the extender disengaged, this is a constant aperture 200-400mm F/4 zoom. It covers an angle of view of 12° at the wide-end and 6° at the long end. The aperture can be stopped down to F/32 from there which gives an extensive depth-of-field but is beyond the diffraction limit of all current Canon DSLRs.

With the extender engaged the lens becomes a 280-560mm F/5.6 super-telephoto lens with a minimum aperture of F/45. In this mode, it covers an angle-of-view between 8.5° and 4.25°. The minimum focus-distance, regardless of extender is 2m.

One can see this lens as a 200-560mm F/4-5.6 with an odd stepping of maximum aperture. It can also be combined with an external 1.4X or 2X extender for even more reach at the expense of image-quality and loss of light.

This super-telephoto offering is full weather-sealed and accepts 52mm drop-in filters at the rear. In inner ultra-sonic focus system lets if focus quickly and quietly. The lens is made of 25 elements arranged in 20 groups and the extender is made of 8 elements in 4 groups, making it one of the most complex lenses every designed.

As expected by such a long lens, it is optically stabilized with 4-stops of improvement claimed. At 3.6kg, this lens is most likely going to find a permanent home on a tripod.

The Canon EF 200-400mm F/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X is scheduled to be available this month for $11799 USD. B&H Photo and Adorama are already accepting pre-orders.

Neocamera Blog  © Cybernium

Nikon just announced that the Nikkor 32mm F/1.2 will soon become available. This ultra-bright lens, designed for the 1 system of mirrorless cameras, offers an equivalent 86mm on full-frame and a very shallow depth-of-field which is perfect for portraits. The 32mm F/1.2 becomes the brightest native lens available for any mirrorless system.

The Nikkor 32mm F/1.2 becomes the very first mirrorless lens to incorporate Nikon’s own SWM ultra-sonic autofocus motor. This type of AF motor is ultra-quiet and very fast. A true manual focus-ring offers quick-shift manual focus without switching the camera away from AF-mode.

This new lens is schedule to appear in the second half of next month for a suggested price of $899 USD or $949 CDN. B&H Photo and Adorama are already accepting pre-orders and ship domestically and internationally. Canadian customers can take advantage of pre-paid custom clearance on most items from these two reputable vendors.

Neocamera Blog  © Cybernium

Olympus is proud to announce a new flagship for its PEN series of mirrorless digital cameras. Following the E-P3 launched in 2011, it joins the E-PL5 and E-PM2 with the latest 16 megapixels Four-Thirds CMOS sensor. As the top-of-the-line PEN, the new E-P5 offers a wealth of photographic controls and plenty of buttons, including dual control-dials, to access its advanced features.

The Olympus PEN E-P5 is redesigned to look even more retro than its predecessor while improving handling and elegance with a more streamlined all-metal body. Within it are key technologies borrowed from the OM-D E-M5, including the highly-acclaimed 16 MP TruePic VI LiveMOS sensor and processor plus unique 5-axis image-stabilization system which corrects horizontal shift, vertical shift, tilt, pitch and yaw for any mounted lens. Still, Olympus has enhanced the 5-axis stabilization system with automatic panning and tripod detection.

The PEN E-P5 includes an all-new mechanical shutter, capable of a maximum shutter-speed of 1/8000s and with a flash-sync speed of 1/320s when using the built-in flash. This is a first for Olympus and matches shutter-speeds available among the fastest DSLRs and mirrorless cameras with mechanical shutters. This shutter also lets it shoot continuously at 9 FPS  with focus and exposure locked on the first frame or 5 FPS otherwise.

Equipped with the Olympus accessory-port, the E-P5 supports an optional EVF, including the 2.36 MP VF-4 being launched simultaneously. This new EVF is huge and offers a class-leading 0.74X magnification with 100% coverage, making bigger than the largest optical viewfinders. The VF-4 has an improved LCD panel which an ultra-short display-lag. An Eye-Start sensor at the base of the VF-4 automatically switches between the EVF and LCD and is very pleasant to use. The  init tilts vertically for added flexibility.

Built-in WiFi makes its appearance on the Olympus PEN E-P5 with a clever Androis and iOS application which binds to the camera via a QR code. Once bound, the WiFi link supports: remote shooting, remote viewing, transfer of images and the embedding of GPS data supplied by a suitably-equipped smartphone.

This new mirrorless camera adds a number of convenience features, including Live-Bulb and Live-Time which first appeared on the OM-D E-M5. With these features, one can see a long exposure in-progress. The E-P5 adds a progressive histogram so that the saturation-point can be much more easily be detected. Also present on this camera, multiple-exposure blending, interval shooting and video time-lapse from up to 99 frames or 10 seconds.

The Olympus E-P5 features dual control-dials with two functions assigned per dial. A two position switch at the rear, toggles between pairs of dial functions. This innovative control lets the E-P5 directly access additional features without so many buttons. This saves space for the slimmest tilting LCD to date. This display measures 3″ diagonally and has 1.04 MP and touchscreen functionality.

The Olympus E-P5 is expected to ship this month for an estimated price of $999 USD for the body-only package. A premium kit will also be available as the E-P5 plus M.Zuiko 17mm F/1.8 lens and VF-4 EVF for $1449 USD. The camera itself will be available in 3 colors: black, silver or white.

Preproduction Hands-On

We have had the privilege of trying an almost final pre-production E-P5. The metal body makes the camera feel very dense and extremely solid and even the tilting hinge of the rear LCD is quite sturdy. The screen is bright and details and the MF-Assist view allows to zoom-in to the pixel level. The VF-4 is impressively large and shows virtually no motion lag which greatly helps with adjusting zoom, focus and following moving objects.

The new body looks good and less busy than the E-P3. The control-dials are very responsive with good click points and very comfortable to access. Using the thumb one can quickly switch between control-dial modes and what each dial does is extremely customizable. There is a customizable button at the top of the camera as well.

Even the preproduction unit was very responsive. Adjustments were reflected immediately on the LCD or EVF and following action is possible during continuous shooting. Manual adjustment of focus works very well and there is now a focus-peaking display mode that highlights the plane-of-focus.

The E-P5 is quite compact and slim for an advanced mirrorless camera. It feels heavy for its size  because of the all-metal body but is unlikely to be tiresome to hold. The VF-4 adds some bulk which makes it taller than the OM-D E-M5 which is also weather-sealed. Photographers who prefer to shoot at eye-level are likely to be torn between the E-P5 and E-M5.

Neocamera Blog  © Cybernium