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Olympus is launching a high-end sports-oriented camera this month
All the camera excitement of 2018 mostly bypassed Olympus, but the venerated camera maker is looking to start 2019 with a bang. It will unveil what looks to be a very fast, rugged sports-oriented camera -- possibly a successor to the OM-D EM-1 Mark II -- on January 24th, 2019.
Olympus' E-M1 camera gets a silver hue and a slew of pro features
Olympus' OM-D E-M1 may still be hot stuff as far as high-end mirrorless cameras go, but it's easy to point out flaws: it's missing a few big pro features like tethering, and that businesslike black exterior isn't very charming. Well, consider both problems licked. The company has just unveiled both a retro (and fairly stylish) silver edition of the E-M1 and, more importantly, a big 2.0 firmware update that could help you make a living from your photos. To begin with, tethering has arrived; like with other camera systems, you can both send photos to your PC as you shoot and control the camera from the computer's screen. It's now easy to use the E-M1 for studio shoots or live events, where you often need to put your photos on a computer as quickly as possible. The refresh also lets you correct lens distortion in-camera, and preview long exposure shots like you can with the E-M10. Olympus' smartphone app is more useful, too, offering support for self-timed photos, timelapses and speed-sensitive panning shots.
Olympus' OMD E-M1 flagship ILC arrives with new sensor, Four Thirds lens support for $1,399
Olympus has just announced its top-of-the-line OMD E-M1 camera that squeezes the ruggedness of its E-M5 predecessor into a smaller package, while adding some tempting new capabilities. There's a brand new 16.3-megapixel sensor, for starters, that dispenses with the optical low-pass filter of the previous model and uses the new TruePic VII image engine to kill artifacts, instead. Olympus claims that results in more resolution and sharpness, while also keeping noise and color fading to a minimum at high ISOs. Another big addition is the "Dual Fast" autofocus system that permits faster focusing and 6.5 fps shooting in continuous focus mode (10 fps with single AF). Also, you can now autofocus with non-native Four Thirds lenses using phase detection, and there's better support for Olympus' Zuiko lenses -- like the new M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 model shown above. Other features include 1080p/30fps video, an updated 2.36 million-dot EVF, a tweaked 5-axis image stabilizer and built-in WiFi. Though more compact than before, the new body has extra dials and switches, including a dedicated HDR button with two selectable modes (one or two stops above and below normal). On top of remaining dust- and waterproof, the E-M1 is now also freezeproof and guaranteed to function down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. As before, that'll let you take it into dusty, wet and now cold environments without fear of damaging sensitive optics or electronics. That aspect may have been the OMD E-M5's killer feature, and with numerous performance improvements and those classic good looks, the E-M1 may actually top its forerunner -- no mean feat. It'll arrive next month for $1,399 (body only).
