Low-cost lens offers lo-fi creativity for Micro Four Thirds cameras

Photojojo has just added SLR Magic's 35mm

Strange though it may seem, despite manufacturers going to great lengths to provide the very best in image quality, there are quite a number of snappers who long for the kind of warm and fuzzy (and often accidental) creations from the good old days of 35mm film cameras. Olympus or Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera owners looking for a cheaper alternative to the kind of soft edging and background blur effects offered by the likes of Lens Baby might well be interested in SLR Magic's 35mm f1.4 toy Micro Four Thirds camera lens.

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In the right hands, deliciously lo-fi effects like soft edging, vignetting, Bokeh, lens flaring and low contrast can add a wonderfully warm feel to an otherwise pixel-perfect, high resolution digital image. Such effects can be added using image processing software on a computer but with a dedicated hardware solution you get to see the effects on the camera itself while taking the shot.

The 4 cm (1.57-inch) long SLR Magic SLR toy lens and C-mount adapter is said to be like having three lenses in one. Users will see a range of image effects such as tilt-shift-like edge distortion and smooth Bokeh presented live on the display when opening and closing the aperture. The 300g (10.5 ounce) lens is capable of focus down to 0.3 meters (1 foot), has a 35mm film equivalent focal length of 70mm and a filter thread diameter of 37mm.

Compatible with Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds digital cameras, the manual focus lens is available from Photojojo for US$90.

Panasonic AG AF100 offers an above average video recording experience

Are you looking to be a budding filmmaker, and have the ambition to be one of the top movie makers when you grow up? Well, if that is the case and the answer is in a definite affirmative category, then you might be interested to know that Panasonic has rolled out its AG AF100 camcorder, making it the industry’s first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder that have been specially optimized for high-definition video recording. Of course, the price is not going to be cheap, as it has been listed at $4,995 which puts it out of reach for most of the working class since it is not an essential item, but then again, the AF100 does offer a new level of affordability for HD motion image quality. We will look into the AF100 in greater detail in the extended post.

Capable of affording the depth of field and field of view that is similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera, where it will target the film and video production communities. The AF100 won’t find it a challenge to deliver film-like shallow depth of field and the wider field of view of a large imager, carrying with it the flexibility and cost advantages of a growing line of professional quality, industry-standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. Not only that, it also offers the capabilities of a full HD 1080/720 production camera, delivering superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.

According to Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Line Business Manager, Panasonic Solutions Company, “The design of the AF100’s advanced, custom-designed 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera. What’s more, Panasonic engineering ingenuity has resolved the aliasing and moiré that has haunted the DSLR shooter. In fact, the AF100 was based on what we heard from and saw customers doing: purchasing DSLR cameras because they liked the look of the image, but then agonizing over all of the workarounds required to achieve an acceptable high definition recording.”

All purchases of this 3.5-pound AG-AF100 will be accompanied by a three-year limited warranty, as long as you register the camera with the PASS customer support program.