Bibble 5.2.2 Update Now Available

Adding Support for Canon's sRAW and mRAW formats, two additional Sony cameras, and Nikon's D1x

Bibble 5.2.2 is new available for download now, and provides broader RAW file support, improved stability, and resolves minor issues found in previous releases of Bibble 5.  Bibble 5.2.2 add support for Canon's sRAW and mRAW formats, Nikon's D1x, and Sony's a290 and a390 cameras.  This update is free for all current Bibble 5 customers.

Bibble 5.2.2 also improves interaction with plugins that change the size of your photo, like zFrame and zShadow, and seen in the screenshot below.  These plugins allow you to add creative frames and drop shadows to your images - directly within Bibble 5.  Output images will look exactly like the preview in Bibble, ready to publish and share.  You can create Presets with your favorite zFrame and zShadow settings to quickly add your finishing touch to every image in Bibble.

Bibble 5.2.2 is our third free update so far in 2011, and shows our continued commitment to constantly improving Bibble 5, adding not only newer cameras like we did in 5.2.1, but also older, popular cameras, creating one workflow tool for all your digital photography needs.

Paging over to the large forums I cannot help to notice that the question still remains, which one of the two is the best? Two generations later and still using the same sensor and Panasonic and Olympus continue to let the forum guru believe, one is better than the other. The reviewer made the guru believe its focus speed, then they were told its noise, then they build the case for the best JPEG engine and so it continued. Will it help if I say....guys they both incredibly capable? What is even better is that each has something the other does not have plus the common lens fitting makes it possible for the user to mix and match.

My personal choice is the Olympus system. I tried the Panasonic system but just did not like it enough to fill my camera bag with it. When the first PEN series came out I bought it, when the E-P2 were launched I gave the first to my son and bought the E-P2. Recently I added the E-PL2 to my camera bag, thinking I will keep the new kit lens and sell the body. I have had it now long enough to let it go again, but I made the decision to keep it. That said, the only PEN I did not really try was the E-PL1. Is it that much better than any of those I tried, including the Panasonic m4/3 bodies I tried? Believe me when I say NO, none of these cameras are that much different to one another that I can dare to say, rather take this one and not that one only based on image quality. That includes the so called focus speed differences between the Olympus and the Panasonic. If its important to have a 100 to 400th of a second difference in focus speed then yes I will agree.

When you see long lists of forum posts and heated discussions over a 400th of a second difference in focus speed then you cannot help to wonder how many of those "best" cameras are really even used on a weekly basis. I personally decided to fill up my bag with Olympus. I have been using it for years plus I love the look and feel of the PEN camera series. Lets discuss the question, is the E-PL2 better than the E-P2?

All images taken with the E-PL2, except where stated differently

In terms of image quality I think any difference between the two is that insignificant that it can easily be fixed in any basic or advanced photo editing tool. I started taking a few comparison pictures and quickly decided to stop waisting time. For example camera shake caused bigger differences than what the different cameras would produce. My advice is that for all practical reasons, they are basically the same and there are no reason to make a decision based on image quality differences. The real differences are in the materials used to build these two cameras plus the components used in the two different cameras. If for example the excellent iEnhance was only used in the latter then I would say yes, but both the E-P2 and the E-PL2 has the iEnhance function.

For example the E-P2 is by far the better camera in terms of higher quality materials used to build the product. It has a really strong and beautifully crafted metal body. The level of detail and care building the E-P1 and the E-P2 is just not equalled by any other competitive product today. That includes any of the m4/3 Panasonic bodies. The shutter mechanism on the E-P2 is also the best quality available I think. When you press down the shutter on the E-P2 then you discover a well balanced beautifully sounding shutter mechanism. When doing the same on the E-PL2 all you hear is a loud "clonk" plus a large magnitude vibration. I read an article where the guy was telling the reader that the E-P2 has this large vibration between 1/100th and 1/200th of a second and that the user should avoid these shutter speeds. Please guys....run away from articles like that, especially if the supporting data is not good....

The E-PL2 has a wonderful new high resolution screen and one immediate notice it when using the camera. The E-P2 also use a really good Hyper-crystal LCD screen. Interesting is that the E-P2's screen is not flash with the camera body, it is recessed by approximately 1mm. The E-PL2's screen is flash with the camera back and can therefor easily scratch when placed on a flat surface. Small but significant difference in terms of durability and the screen ability to resist scratches. The E-PL2 uses a "inexpensive" shutter release button I think. The reason is it does not have that distinct difference between the halfway position and the fully pressed position like with the E-P2. On the positive, its placement is way better than that of the E-P2. The E-PL2 shutter button is placed a little forward which makes it really comfortable when used. That combined with the real grip on the E-PL2 makes for a very practical and comfortable camera.

In terms of ease of use, the E-PL2 is by far the better one. The position of the shutter button, the better screen plus the excellent ergonomics, all adds up to make the E-PL2 a winner. I used a G1 from Panasonic for a while and even though it had the grip, the camera was just to tiny. The E-PL2 corrects that by offering a well sized body. Add to that the ability to remote control Olympus Flash Units, the build in flash, the new art filters and it could easily be considered in place off a complete E system SLR camera set. Unfortunately the E-P2 with its considerably better parts just cannot compete with the added attributes of the new E-PL2. The only reason I will hang onto the E-P2 is its classic shape, its awesome build quality plus the fact I will not get back what I paid for it.

Don't let any lazy reviewer tell you the E-PL2 has poor dynamic range, its too noisy or any popular line they often copy or repeat from other people's reviews. Any person who really had the camera in his or hers hand will notice the differences I listed above and will talk about them. For example the E-P2 has the digital level function that is just awesome in use, the E-PL2 does not have this. The E-PL2 will not automatically rotate an image like the E-P2 does. The older E-PL1 could only go up to a 1/2000th of a second shutter speed, the E-PL2 can now go up to a 1/4000th of a second, just like the E-P2.

The E-PL2 has 2 or 3 more "My Settings" memory spaces the user can use to save a specific user configuration. This is one of the most important differences of the Olympus PEN series. These cameras can be customized to a level unknown before with any "compact type" camera.

These m4/3 cameras are serious photographic tools. They are at no means beefed up compact cameras, these are full blown "SLR" type cameras. Any reviewer or shop owner that tells you these are small sensor and noisy cameras are uninformed. In the right hands and these cameras will deliver serious results. People ask on forums, should I use only the PEN series? With the control that is build into the E-PL2 there is no reason to get a full SLR sized body today. It's only if you do weddings that its important to have a large body E30 or E5 in your bag. The reason is not the camera, its the expectation of the client. People just cannot believe that a small body PEN can do a good job.

If I had to list only one reason for why I personally prefer the Olympus m4/3 camera to any of its rivals then I will say it is the incredible EVF. (Electronic View Finder) The typical forum guru is saying a lot about these units and their weaknesses. From somebody's point of view that regularly use the VF2, please allow me to tell you that the Olympus high resolution EVF is unequalled on the market. Only a tiny group of high end SLR optical view finders are better than that of the PEN, VF2 system. And while they optically better they still do not offer the user full histogram analysis in the view finder, the VF2 does.

In my next article I will talk about the differences between the three different kit lenses, the two from Olympus and the older 14 - 45mm kit lens from Panasonic. The images in this article was all taken with the E-PL2 and edited in CS4. Somebody wrote on a forum making a general statement, "HDR images are bad taste". I could not help to ask myself, what is then correct, the image out the camera, basic editing or more advanced editing? What are the limits and who decides the boundaries? I therefore placed images in this article that is not HDR but are different and something I personally like a lot.

I like to write the next report in two weeks.....

Siegfried

PS. All the images in the image sections are from my E-PL2. They are all edited plus you will see I was experimenting.

Planned for March:

Numerous camera/lens combinations will be added to the DxO database, not just for new cameras, but also for cameras that are already supported.
To see the list of combinations that are already supported, as well as those that are planned for March and the months following, click on this link and then select the second tab: Link

Olympus E-PL2

The Terrible Events happening in Japan

I think there are nobody today that does not say or ask, look at what is happening and why? There are many different opinions on the "why" and while people are thinking of reasons people are also scared. In Germany the question, should we have Nuclear Power Stations or not, filled the News Paper front pages in a matter of days. Elsewhere in Europe a mother and child returned from Japan and left the loved one behind because he believe he should stay to help other, that is a Japanese culture.

One of our readers lives in Japan. Mark and his family has been less than 40Km away from one of the aftershocks. Mark wrote that he grew older 5 years in just a few seconds. Guys I am deeply touched and my heart goes out to our friend in Japan. Mark is sending me regular reports and I will keep you guys updated of what is happening to our friend.

Mark you in my prayers and I trust that He who created all will hold you and you family in His hand if you believe.

Your Friend

Siegfried

Should we say , thank-you Mr Reviewer

The new Olympus 14 - 42 mm 1:3.5 - 5.6 II MSC LENS

Is the new lens really better?

Siegfried

I took the above image on the Geneva Motor Show. The show is huge and it is a photographer's dream playground. So many colors, light effects, awesome motorcars. I took nearly 400 images with my PEN. The PEN series has a unique iAuto setting that is much more advanced than the traditional Auto setting on older or other cameras. In the nearly 1 year I have owned my E-P2, I never tried the iAuto setting. Did you really expect that an advanced photographer would even consider turning the mode dial in the direction of iAuto? Well, I did and I was blown away. I have decided to use it exclusively on the motor-show because it was an in-door event plus I wanted to see what the iAuto setting is like. I did use the RAW plus JPEG option on the E-P2 to give me access to the digital negative should something go wrong. I decided that in the future this will always be my PEN camera setting and I will only use another mode when I need to do specific shots like macro or HDR or other.....

Setting the E-P2 on iAuto transformed the camera in the hottest camera I ever used or tried. I have tried and used many cameras. It's not only the excellent image quality, it was also the absolute ease of use this setting resulted in, that made me decide to use iAuto almost exclusively in the future. The E-P2 is programmed to adjust itself in such a way that at keeps the shutter speed high in almost any shooting condition. That together with the powerful image stabilization build into the E-P2, resulted in me never have to think or consider possible camera shake. One would think the PEN does this by upping the ISO, but no, that was not the case, one can see that from studying the image data, the PEN is using many different technologies to enable higher shutter speeds. For example it will use the SAT function linked with ISO to up the shutter speed. To make it even more interesting, I used the standard kit lens supplied with the PEN series.

The following 5 images are JPEG files directly out the camera and not edited. The camera's automatic white balance adjustment is absolutely spot on. I played a little and all I can say the camera's ability to set white balance accurately is good. As I said the following images has not been edited:-

I am driving when my phone rings so I hand it to my wife to answer. It’s Dot from my local photographic store (the only dedicated photo store surviving in a city of 350,000 people) to tell me that the XZ-1 has just arrived and she has reserved one for me. The secret is out! I had ordered it two weeks earlier when even Olympus Australia couldn’t tell me when it might be available. So I shall start by awarding a ‘gold star’ to Olympus for getting the product into the shops only a few weeks after announcing it. Other manufacturers take note!
Two hours later I am in the store. In the display cabinet I see an actual XZ-1 for the first time. Its a white one. It looks very elegant in that livery, and I am tempted, but in the end I choose a black one for a very practical reason. When I am hiking in the Australian wilderness my hands are not always very clean. The dirt won’t show so much on a black one! It’s the first one they have sold.
A little later I open the box. Inside are the camera, battery, cables, warranty cards, cd, mains/usb adaptor, lens cap and retaining cord, quick start instructions,and neck-strap.
Seeing the mains/usb power adaptor reminds me why, despite having paid more for an ‘official’ import than I would have for a ‘grey’ import, I bought it from my local camera store. It comes with the correct cable for our electrical system and a solid warranty if I have any problems. It also helps to keep the local store in business, which I value because I like the staff, they know what they are talking about and understand what they are selling. They also stock things like chemicals, film and negative sleeves and other paraphernalia which I also still use.
I put the battery into the camera. Whilst I am putting a memory card in I inadvertently press the ‘on’ button and the lens extends. The battery has enough charge in it to start taking pictures, but I decide first to plug it into the computer with the usb cable to charge it fully. As I do this the computer starts the Canon Camera Window program supplied with my Canon G7 and describes it on the desk-top as a Canon camera! I must remember to re-format the card! I put the cd into the computer and copy the manual. The Olympus ‘IB’ software is only compatible with Windows and I use a Mac, so I was unable to download it. This is of little importance to me as I would probably not use it but others might find this a problem. I therefore have no comment to make on the adequacy of the supplied software other than it is completely useless on a Mac!

About half an hour later I can’t resist the temptation any longer so I detach the camera from the computer and go off in search of a photo-opportunity.
Here is one of my first few pictures, which I took before reading the manual. It appears as it came out of the camera, along with a crop from the centre (with just a hint of sharpening in Aperture):

I bought this camera to replace my aging Canon G7. What I wanted was a compact, light weight camera capable of producing good quality A2 size prints (as I can with my Canon G7) and with useable low light performance. A non-interchangeable lens was a factor too so I wouldn’t have to worry about sensor cleaning. The main use will be for family snaps, travel and bushwalking (that’s the Australian term for hiking in wilderness areas). So how well does it meet my expectations? I’ll start with the physical dimensions.
The XZ-1 has a slender body with an obvious styling relationship to the Pen series.
The dimensions in the published specifications are a little misleading and the camera feels smaller than you might think. The reason is that the body of the camera, excluding the lens, is quite thin. For example, the Canon G7 has published dimensions of 106x76x43 mm (the current model G12 is a little larger, but the G7 is the camera I have available for comparison). The XZ-1 is marginally smaller at 111x65x42mm. From the front they look very similar in size:

However the Olympus feels much smaller. The reason is that, apart from being a lot heavier, the Canon’s body has a much greater overall volume, whilst the lens, when retracted, hardly protrudes at all. The XZ-1’s body is only about 25mm deep compared to the Canon’s nearly 40mm, but the lens protrudes much more on the Olympus.

The camera in ‘ready for action’ mode, by which I mean including the battery, memory card and the supplied carrying strap, weighs 285 grams. This compares with 372 grams for my old Canon G7, the camera that I am replacing (the current G12 is heavier). I always carry a spare battery which in this case only weighs 19 grams (versus 43g for the Canon), and if I am traveling I also must also carry the charger for the Canon which is another 69g. The XZ-1 battery is charged in the camera and I think I can use the same charger that I use for my iPod Touch. This adds up to a weight saving of 180 grams for me, which may not seem much but you need to know that I’m the kind of guy that cuts his toothbrush in half to save weight when I’m hiking or traveling! When I travel overseas for a few weeks I can sometimes manage with cabin baggage only!
So the XZ-1’s physical dimensions suit my needs very well, but how well does it handle? Before going any further I decide to do something that all manufacturers recommend but which I am usually too impatient to do. I sit down and read the manual from cover to cover.
The Olympus XZ-1 manual comes in the form of a PDF document on a compact disc. The illustrations and explanations are generally very clear and concise. Considering the complexity and number of functions of the camera they have done an admirable job. Having said that, I remind you that I managed to take my first pictures without reading it as the various controls are fairly intuitive if you have handled digital cameras before. It can be as simple as 1. switch the camera on, 2. select iAUTO on the top dial, 3. Point at subject and press the shutter button. I’m not sure if iMODE stands for intelligent or idiot mode but it works quite well.

So far I am extremely happy with my purchase. In the next installment I’ll comment on how well it handles, and show you some more photographs taken with it.
Best

Iain

HDR Effect from NIK software company is one of the hottest image software solutions in years. I read in a publication from NIK that they were totally surprised at the absolute success they experiencing with HDR Effect. Olympus experience a similar success with their Dramatic Art Filter build into the E5, the E-PL2 and the new XZ-1. I saw an article from Olympus specifically promoting the camera using the dramatic art filter as the bait....

I tried HDR Effect in December last year and were very impressed with the results. In February I decided to buy it. I did a few casual images using single exposures and using the RAW file of each image. First I "developed" the RAW image in the CS4 RAW editor. I then opened the image in CS4 and did a few of my most popular steps to edit the image to my style. That I then saved as the "True Style Image". When done I took that same "true style image" and opened it in HDR Effect as a single image HDR.

What I really like about HDR Effect is the presets NIK has build into the software as a standard offer. All the user needs to do is to study a few presets that represents the users style and to select one of those. Once selected one can fine tune the tone mapping process in an excellent "slider adjustment window" until the image is exactly what you want.

First is the image did in CS4

Second is the image edited in HDR effect.

I can write much more about this great image editing solution but I decided to leave it with these 2 images because they are telling a story themselves.

Best

Siegfried

Learning!

I have often wondered how people change camera ever so often. I cannot do that - I need time to get to know my camera. (well it’s possibly because I also need time for my full time work).
So what have I learned about my new E5? Those, who find this rather trivial pls. skip it. One of the new things when compared to the older E 510 is 'Auto-gradation'. This function is well described in the E5 review on dpreview: see the 3rd paragraph from the top)
What I have learned is: Use it with caution. It is supposed to get details out of shadows, and in my experience is it generally works well when you selective when to use it, and then to use it with care. Here is an example of where I think is useful:

Auto Graduation:- OFF

Auto Graduation: On

With normal gradation the shadows were dark, with Auto-Gradation the shadows opened up and details were rendered very nicely. So now I shoot with normal gradation, but always with a raw backup so I can use Olympus viewer to select to auto graduation if I should want it.
Here is an example (from Grant Can-aria) where I think it did not work well. With auto gradation selected there is an area on the cliffs in the foreground which were brighten up in a strange way:

Auto Graduation:- OFF

Auto Graduation:- ON

A few days ago I was out at a place in my neighborhood which often offers good photographic opportunities. The sun was going down and the lower sun offered nice light conditions, becoming warmer and warmer:

My Images

Of the many comments I made on my E5, one was that the colours have an unusual subtlety to them. It reminds me of when I some thirty years ago saw pictures from a Hasselblad. What struck me then was not only that the pictures were sharper than what we mortals produced with our 35-mm cameras but the very convincing rendering of colours (of course a result of the huge negatives compared to 24x36). I get somewhat the same feeling from the E5 images.

Kind regards

Hans

Additional comment:-

Siegfried