OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5-6.3 IS Lens Micro Four Thirds Lens

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The OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5-6.3 IS Lens Micro Four Thirds Lens (say that three times fast) is not what we were hoping for.  First, it’s massive.  One major selling point of Micro Four Thirds gear is the smaller bodies and much smaller lenses.  Secondly, this isn’t a lens designed for Micro Four Thirds but rather a repurposed full-frame lens from Sigma.  Third, OM SYSTEM, what were you thinking charging $2700.  And lastly, the image quality isn’t even that great.  This only makes sense for people who prioritize reach above all else.  Personally I keep meaning to get the Nikon to m43 smart adapter so I can see how well my Nikon 500mm PF will do on m43.

Let’s have more reviews come in before we make a final determination.  But for now we’d be lying if we didn’t say we were disappointed.

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Rabbit R1

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The $200 Rabbit R1 is getting all of the hype, but is it just hype?  There have been mixed responses to this device with some people saying it’s useless and others saying it’s the way of the future.  Their keynote certainly wasn’t reassuring.

Rabbit makes it clear that the R1 is not a phone replacement.  It’s a pocketable AI assistant.  Gee, that kind of sounds like what phones can do though, doesn’t it?

Despite all of this talk about large language models (LLMs), rabbit introduces a new term: large action model.  It’s supposed do things for you.  Make reservations.  Book a flight.  Make recommendations.  Get a recipe.  It’s trying to go one step further than current LLMs and act on the information provided.

We do have to ultimately praise Rabbit.  They made a relatively affordable device that at the very least with influence phone makers to give us more AI functionality in our phones.

Visit Rabbit’s website for more information.

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Tuner by Module 8: Give Your Lenses a Cinematic Look

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The term cinematic look is overused.  However, this innovative product found a way to amplify the aberrations in your image so to emulate some expensive vintage lens looks.  We will need to wait for more reviews to come in to see how close they actually got, but this product is something new and interesting.

This $1300USD adapter comes in three looks:

  • Baltar
  • K35
  • Anamorphic

And each comes with four mount options:

  • Canon EF to Canon RF
  • PL to Canon RF
  • Canon EF to Sony E
  • PL to Sony E

There are discounts offered for purchasing 2 or 3 at a time.  Visit the module website for more information: https://www.shopmoment.com/module-8

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OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II Mirrorless Camera

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A lot of people were unsure about the future of OM Systems (and Micro-Four-Thirds in general!) so it’s nice to see them releasing a new camera model.  But is it a new camera or did they basically take the previous camera, upgrade the processor, tweak and improve auto-focus, and add photo-ND features? At $2400 USD the price is too steep.  So a mixed bag with this release.  We’re not seeing anything truly innovative.  You also have to consider its competitor, the Panasonic G9 II, at a whopping $500 less.

Key specifications:

  • 20MP stacked BSI sensor
  • DCI/UHD 4K 60p video
  • 10 fps Shooting
  • Improved AF
  • 5.76m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder
  • 3.0″ 1.62m-Dot Swivel Touchscreen LCD
  • 5-Axis In-Body Image Stabilization
  • High-Res shot, live ND and other modes
  • IP53 weather-sealed
  • Dual UHS-II SD card slots
  • $2400

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