Center Valley, PA—Olympus introduced the OM-D E-M1, its new premium flagship camera and Micro Four Thirds successor to the Olympus E-5 DSLR, targeted at advanced photographers looking for a compact system camera engineered to rival full-frame DSLRs.
The OM-D E-M1 works with all Zuiko Digital lenses, in addition to M.Zuiko Digital lenses, so photographers can use the entire Olympus lens lineup. This is possible due to the camera’s Dual Fast AF system that combines contrast AF and on-chip phase-detection AF.
Olympus also announced the development of two lenses that will establish the M.Zuiko Pro lens category: the Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm f/2.8 Pro lens (24–80mm equivalent) and the Zuiko Digital ED 40–150mm f/2.8 Pro (80–300mm equivalent).
The OM-D E-M1 is built to provide the highest image quality of any Olympus camera, boasting a 16.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor and a TruePic VII image processor that supports 10-frames-per-second shooting with a 41-picture RAW buffer in single autofocus mode and 6.5 fps with a 50-picture buffer in continuous autofocus mode. Olympus says the image processor reduces noise and color fading at high ISOs, while Fine Detail Processing II technology “configures the appropriate sharpness processing for each individual lens for natural, high-quality resolution, as well as reducing compression artifacts when recording movies.”
The new Dual Fast AF selects the best method, depending on lens type and settings: either 37-point on-chip phase detection AF or 81-point contrast detection AF to maximize the performance of Zuiko and M.Zuiko lenses. Both systems work together to improve continuous autofocus tracking when an MFT lens is attached and C-AF is selected. Users can select group target AF for various situations, small target AF for pinpoint shooting, or super spot AF for capturing smaller subjects and specifying a small area focus location during macro shooting.
DSLR users familiar with an optical viewfinder will appreciate the E-M1’s electronic viewfinder (EVF), which Olympus says is as large as a full-frame DSLR viewfinder and has added creative control. The built-in interactive EVF features a 1.48x (.74x equivalent) magnification factor and high-res 2.36-million-dot LCD panel said to provide a large, clear image on a par with optical viewfinders.
When tracking moving subjects there’s a display time lag of 0.029 second. And users can experiment with aspect ratio, magnification, color and highlight/shadows, with the effects of camera settings on subjects viewable prior to capturing the finished image. Plus, adaptive brightness control raises the brightness when shooting in bright outdoor conditions and lowers the brightness in dark indoor conditions.
For more creativity, there is color creator, a tool that fine-tunes hue and color saturation using the GUI and live view screen, so users can create original images with their choice of colors. Hue can be adjusted in 30 steps, and color saturation adjusted in eight steps. Additionally, Diorama II adds to the range of Olympus art filters and offers left and right blur effect in addition to the top and bottom blur effect of Diorama I. The E-M1 is also has two variations of HDR shooting, photo story mode that enables users to capture a scene from multiple viewpoints and combine them into a single image to create collages in-camera, and time-lapse movie, which converts a series of pictures taken using interval shooting into a movie in-camera.
Other features include: built-in 5-axis image stabilization with a multi-motion IS mechanism that reduces the effects of camera motion and image blur from five directions, whether shooting stills or HD video; full manual controls; IS-auto mode that automatically detects the camera’s movements and provides correction regardless of direction or camera orientation; a 2×2 dial control system to adjust aperture/shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO and white balance with the camera’s lever or two dials; a built-in grip similar to that of the E-M5; a toggle option for the “my settings” shortcut and a locking mode dial to prevent unintentional movement of the dial; a mic-in jack that supports an external microphone when recording HD movies; and a built-in X-sync socket to connect studio strobes.
The E-M1 also includes built-in Wi-Fi; by scanning the QR code displayed on the camera’s LCD with a smart device, it syncs with the Wi-Fi network created by the camera. The free Olympus Image Share 2.0 smartphone app synchronizes a user’s smartphone and E-M1 so the camera’s live view is displayed on the phone, and the camera can be controlled by touching the smartphone display as if it were the camera.
The camera also expands the dustproof and splashproof capabilities of the E-M5 with freezeproof capabilities; it’s guaranteed to operation down to 14º F. Its magnesium alloy body and weather-resistant seals and gaskets block moisture and dust, and its supersonic wave filter dust-reduction system vibrates at more than 30,000 times per sec to remove dust particles.
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 will be available in October for $1,399.99, body only.
OM-D E-M1 Accessories
Several new accessories are designed to complement the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and broaden the creative horizons of advanced photographers. The HLD-7 power battery holder, which is dustproof and splashproof, can enable the capture of approximately 680 shots (based on CIPA tests) between charges. It features a shutter button for shooting with the camera held vertically and two control dials and two function buttons for the same easy controls as when shooting from a horizontal position.
The GS-5 grip strap for the HLD-7 keeps buttons and dials accessible even when the battery holder is attached.
The PT-EP11 underwater case is made exclusively for the Olympus E-M1 and allows shooting down to nearly 150 feet.
The new CBG-10 camera bag is compact yet designed with Four Thirds lens use in mind, and the water-resistant CS-42SF soft camera case, which is part of the CBG-10 camera bag system, is made exclusively for the E-M1. The CSS-P118 shoulder strap is made of washable material with a slender width that matches the dimensions of the Micro Four Thirds system. olympusamerica.com
