![\"\"](\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/OM-D1.jpg\" "\\"OM-D\\"")
<\/a>While the Panasonic GH3 (which I’ll discuss in a moment) is essentially as capable, no camera for Micro 4\/3 has made quite the impact as the Olympus OM-D E-M5. (Read our full review<\/a>)<\/em> The OM-D made waves for its retro looks and very high performance. It’s a visually striking camera, with a solid magnesium weathersealed build, tons of external controls, a new in-body IS system, fast frame rates, a capacitive touch screen, fast autofocus and an outstanding built-in EVF.<\/p>\n However, the biggest contribution to the Micro 4\/3 world with the OM-D is its outstanding sensor. While performing only slightly better in the high-iso department than the 16 Megapixel sensor introduced in the Panasonic G3 and GX1, the OM-D’s 16 megapixel sensor was the first for the system to offer DSLR-capable dynamic range. The OM-D’s 12+ stop RAW dynamic range far outstrips previous Micro 4\/3 cameras, is competitive with most APS-C DSLRs, and even bests every camera in the Canon lineup in that department.<\/p>\n The new 5-axis in-body IS system is revolutionary. While Olympus cameras have had IBIS for years, they were marginally effective and nowhere near as good as the optical stabilization offered by other companies. The OM-D’s IBIS, however, is dramatically improved. I have found it to be capable to between 3 and 4 stops for most focal lengths, and still effective to 2 full stops<\/a> even at extreme telephoto lengths. The IBIS has changed my approach to photography and made it more fun. If I’m out at night and didn’t bring my tripod, I can still take night photos. I can shoot in dimmer light indoors. Combined with fast primes, this camera enables a new level of low light capability that even most full-frame DSLRs can’t manage simply because there are very few full-frame prime lenses with image stabilization in the wide to short telephoto range.<\/p>\n In addition to the new sensor and great IBIS, the OM-D also was the first Micro 4\/3 camera to be weathersealed and the first to offer an add-on external battery grip<\/a>. It offers 9 frames per second continuous shooting and a great EVF. This camera gained wide acceptance not only by Micro 4\/3 photographers, but by photographers at large. Many prominent professionals have added the OM-D to their kit as a lightweight alternative to their bulky DSLRs,<\/p>\n All these things combined make the Olympus OM-D E-M5 an easy choice for Admiring Light Camera of the Year.<\/p>\n While it came later, Panasonic also released a very high end camera this year, in the just recently shipping GH3. The GH3 is really the first Panasonic camera that could be considered pro-grade. It’s big for a Micro 4\/3 camera…about the size of some smaller DSLRs, but it packs a wallop. Featuring a similar sensor to the OM-D, the GH3 has excellent dynamic range and good noise control, put into a body with excellent ergonomics and a wealth of external controls. Panasonic upped the EVF resolution with the GH3, providing a clearer view with faster refresh, and made further refinements to what was already the best single shot autofocus system available for mirrorless. Additional welcome features include a full electronic shutter and tilt-swivel rear screen.<\/p>\n While stills have been improved with the GH3, they’ve made even bigger improvements on the video side. The Panasonic GH2 was widely regarded as one of the finest HD video cameras available, and the GH3 ups that considerably. The GH3 is capable of filming full 1080p video at a variety of frame rates, and can record at a bitrate up to an absurd 72 Mbps. If you are a videophile, this is your camera.<\/p>\n The GH3 is weathersealed and made of magnesium alloy and also has an available battery grip. I haven’t had the chance to get my hands on one of these yet, but I hope to be able to get a review unit sometime in the next several weeks. The GH3 is an expensive camera, but its range of capabilities may be well worth it, especially for those photographers who also do quite a bit of video work.<\/p>\n Panasonic also released the G5. The G5 utilizes a modified version of the 16 megapixel sensor found in the excellent GH2, and while the G5 followed relatively closely after the G3, it was a welcome addition. The G5 returned to the large grip found on all previous G-series cameras (save for the G3), and upped the ISO capabilities to ISO 12,800. The G5 is a solid, well rounded camera geared towards the stills photographer who wants usability and functionality in a reasonably priced package. If you don’t want to shell out the $1,299 for the GH3, but want a camera with an integrated viewfinder and good image quality, the G5 is certainly worth a long look.<\/p>\n Olympus was also busy towards the end of the year, putting the outstanding sensor from the OM-D into its Pen range with the E-PL5 and the E-PM2. These are rangefinder style cameras, and while they still have in-body IS, they retain the older standard version rather than the OM-D’s outstanding 5-axis IS. However, if you’re looking for a small camera with great autofocus and a top notch sensor, these are great cams to take a long hard look at.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Micro 4\/3 system gained a great selection of lenses in 2012, with an emphasis on the high end. The system saw the release of system stalwart zooms in the Panasonic 12-35mm f\/2.8 and 35-100mm f\/2.8, and Olympus released two of the best prime lenses for any system in the 75mm f\/1.8 and 60mm f\/2.8 Macro. In addition, several third party manufacturers made some very interesting and some not-so-interesting optics.<\/p>\n This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make, and I quickly narrowed the field to two lenses: The Olympus 75mm f\/1.8 and the Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8. In fact, I was so torn that I considered splitting this into ‘best zoom’ and ‘best prime’. The 75mm is arguably one of the best optics made for any system. This would seem to make it a lock, and if it were simply a ‘best lens’ designation, it would have taken the crown. However, it’s of limited overall appeal to many photographers, and will have nowhere near the impact on the system as will a fast medium telephoto zoom. And since the Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 delivers, and delivers big, it is my choice for Admiring Light’s Lens of the Year.<\/p>\n The Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 (review here<\/a>) takes its place in the Micro 4\/3 lineup as the first constant f\/2.8 telephoto zoom, and has the same field of view as the workhorse 70-200mm f\/2.8 lenses for full frame cameras. The lens has a metal weathersealed build with internal zooming and focusing, optical image stabilization and that fast aperture. Though large for a Micro 4\/3 lens, the 35-100mm f\/2.8 is very small compared to its full frame brethren. At 1\/4 the weight and half the length of a 70-200mm f\/2.8, it could be considered downright tiny.<\/p>\n The lens is very sharp with fast, accurate autofocus, good color response, very good chromatic aberration control and decent bokeh at the longer end. And ultimately, it’s an exceptionally useful range. I have found myself relying far less on my excellent primes in favor of the 35-100 simply because of the much greater flexibility in shooting, while maintaining very high output. A fast medium telephoto zoom is a must have lens in any serious camera system, and finally that void is filled in the Micro 4\/3 lineup. It’s a lens that could bring a lot of high end shooters to the system. Ultimately, I realized that if I could only have three lenses in my bag, this would be one of them (the others would be the Panasonic 7-14mm and the Panasonic Leica 25mm f\/1.4).<\/p>\n I actually think three lenses deserve to be mentioned here. The first is the Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm f\/1.8 (review here)<\/a>. This medium telephoto prime, equivalent in field of view to a 150mm lens on full frame, is quite simply one of the best lenses I’ve ever had the pleasure to use. It stacks right up there with the legendary Canon primes like the 85mm f\/1.2L or the 135mm f\/2L. The lens is beautifully crafted out of silver metal, and there’s only one word for the optics: Superb.<\/p>\n The 75mm f\/1.8 is one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used, and it starts that way straight from f\/1.8. Stop it down just a little and it becomes absolutely razor sharp from extreme corner to extreme corner. The bokeh doesn’t suffer either: The lens produces a beautiful, creamy bokeh and rich vibrant color. The only flaw is a small amount of longitudinal chromatic aberration and a little purple fringing on high contrast subjects wide open. Even then, however, it’s controlled better than most fast telephoto lenses. Only the 75mm f\/1.8’s more specialized role kept this lens from nabbing my top spot in this year’s roundup. If you have a need for a lens in this focal range, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better on any camera system.<\/p>\n Olympus also released its first Micro 4\/3 macro lens in 2012, and they didn’t disappoint. The 60mm f\/2.8 Macro (read full review here<\/a>) adds a macro lens to compete with Panasonic’s excellent 45mm f\/2.8 OIS. Thankfully, they also made it longer to give some differentiation, and they kept the price reasonable at $499. The 60mm macro is stunning optically, matching the very best macro lenses I’ve ever used (including the Canon 100mm f\/2.8L IS Macro and the Sigma 150mm f\/2.8 EX Macro). The lens is tack sharp and has very nice bokeh and a great color rendition. Fast autofocus and a weathersealed body make it a great all-purpose lens to add to your kit.<\/p>\n And last but not least, Panasonic’s other f\/2.8 zoom deserves individual mention here. In June of 2012, Panasonic released the first f\/2.8 standard zoom for Micro 4\/3 in the form of the 12-35mm f\/2.8 X OIS (full review here<\/a>). The lens features a weathersealed build and an optical stabilizer, plus a robust body with great optics. The lens is sharp from wide open and has a very nice drawing style with good bokeh and nice color. It isn’t without its flaws, however, being relatively prone to flare and exhibiting a little chromatic aberration and distortion. Still, this lens is highly desired by many people in the system, and it is great to have a capable pro-grade standard zoom lens in the Micro 4\/3 system.<\/p>\n Third parties started getting involved a bit more in 2012. Voigtlander released the outstanding and unique 17.5mm f\/0.95 manual focus lens, featuring a crazy fast f\/0.95 aperture. I reviewed the lens<\/a> in August, and found it to be surprisingly good and extremely fun to shoot. While a niche lens due to its large size, completely manual nature and high cost, it is a great optic and a great addition to the system.<\/p>\n This year also saw the release of two lenses from Sigma for the system. While the 19mm f\/2.8 EX DN and the 30mm f\/2.8 EX DN are underwhelming from an aperture and range standpoint, they provide great value for the system because of their low cost and high optical quality. I haven’t had the chance to use the 30mm yet, but the 19mm f\/2.8 is a little gem of a lens. It’s sharp, focuses fast, built well and has a very nice rendering to it. While those who want a smaller lens and faster aperture will no doubt be drawn to Panasonic’s excellent 20mm f\/1.7 if they have the money to spare, the Sigma 19mm offers great value, as does its longer brother. It would be nice to see Sigma release some lenses that aren’t just ported over from designs made for Sony’s NEX.<\/p>\n Olympus released one other major lens in 2012 with the 17mm f\/1.8. Early reviews are a little mixed. Technical reviews show it to be a little underwhelming in the resolution department compared to Olympus’ other recent offerings, but most real-world reviews I’ve seen are showing it to be a very capable lens with some nice characteristics. With a fast aperture and solid metal build, there is certainly a large market for this lens.<\/p>\n Among the rest of the lens releases for the system include the Olympus 15mm f\/8 body cap lens, yet another slow telephoto zoom retread in the Panasonic 45-150mm f\/4-5.6 and the long, small Tokina 300mm f\/6.3 mirror lens. Overall, it was a great year for lenses for Micro 4\/3.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, in summation – it’s been a banner year for Micro 4\/3. More than any other year since the first year it came out, 2012 saw the introduction of major pieces of gear on both the camera and lens side, and for once they were extremely tilted towards the high-end photographer. As a result, I’ve seen more and more professionals and serious amateurs migrating to Micro 4\/3, either as a second system or even as their primary system like I did two years ago.<\/p>\n The good news is that next year looks to be shaping up to be another great year for Micro 4\/3. There have already been a number of announcements and substantiated rumors for new things next year. Here’s a little bit of what we can expect:<\/p>\n Lastly, I just want to say thank you to all the readers of Admiring Light. I started this website last January, and the response has been fantastic. Admiring Light will pass its Half-Millionth page view sometime in the next day or two, and the overall support of the reader has been far more than I expected when I began this project. I’ve had a great time testing gear, trying out new techniques and passing on some of those experiences to you.<\/p>\n I’ll try and make 2013 even better. I hope to continue bringing you great equipment reviews and I’m going to try bringing a few new things to the table in the coming months. Thanks again and keep shooting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, that time is upon us. It’s nearly the end of the year, and what a year it’s been for the Micro 4\/3 system and the mirrorless industry as a whole. This past year saw the rise of several new cameras, a bunch of new lenses and the overall maturity of the system as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[39,145,11,10,211,9,12,29,6,8,210],"class_list":["post-1464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-shop","tag-cameras","tag-lenses","tag-m43","tag-micro-43","tag-micro-four-thirds","tag-mirrorless","tag-mu43","tag-olympus","tag-panasonic","tag-review","tag-year-end"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/OM-D1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p28RGq-nC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1464"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1492,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464\/revisions\/1492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Honorable Mention<\/h4>\n
<\/a>The Rest:<\/h4>\n
<\/a>Next: Lenses<\/a><\/h4>\n
Lenses<\/h3>\n
Lens of the Year: Panasonic Lumix 35-100mm f\/2.8 X OIS.<\/h4>\n
<\/a>Honorable Mention<\/h4>\n
<\/a>Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm f\/1.8<\/h4>\n
Olympus M. Zuiko 60mm f\/2.8 Macro<\/h4>\n
<\/a>Panasonic 12-35mm f\/2.8 X OIS<\/h4>\n
The Rest:<\/h4>\n
<\/a>Next: The Future<\/a><\/h4>\n
\n
Finally….<\/h4>\n