On the image on top you see:
– New Battery Grip HLD-8G and HLD-6P
– New flash FL-LM3
– Waterproof protector for E-M5II
– Waterproof protector for new models for the TG Series PT-057
And here are the E-M5II images we already saw on Saturday (Click on them to enlarge):
The Panasonic GF7 announcement will take place this week while the Olympus announcement should be in early February.
via Digicameinfo.
–
via Digicameinfo.
For sources: Sources can send me anonymous info at 43rumors@gmail.com (create a fake gmail account) or via contact form you see on the right sidebar. Thanks!
For readers: Don’t miss any news. Join our group on facebook and follow our tweets.
Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
37 Responses
The HLD-6P is already the name of the lower (for vertical photos) section of the original EM5 grip. I hope this means that one can buy and EM5–ii, an HLD-8G and then use lower part of the grip that I already own from the original EM5. That’s the implication, but knowing Olympus they make the 8G available only with an 6P.
Previeous HLD-6 also had seperate product codes for vertical and horizontal grip, but you could buy them only as a set. I don’t think that with the new one they will make an exception.
Micro 4/3 is already a step forward in macro fotography trough crop factor and large DOF, ( this strenght in macro reverse in weakness in portrait bokeh ) ; with 40mp capacity will be world leading asset for macro fotography and focus staking ; full stop. Best combination is this em52 and sony a7s for portraits and night street photography; full stop; medium format for studio portrai work; full stop; apcs, in particular if reflex, and also reflex tout court in prospective, are heading towards a complete extinction soon.
“Micro 4/3 is already a step forward in macro photography trough crop factor and large DOF, ( this strength in macro reverse in weakness in portrait bokeh )”
Keep in mind Oly ZD plans to release ultra fast primes so the booked situation should improve considerably. They already leaked patents for a 12/1.0 and 14/1.0 wide angle lenses. If those are for real, you know a 20/1.0 or a 25/1.0 will be even easier to design & produce. They have announced a 8/1.8 fisheye here.
Since the 4:3 and µ4:3 lenses are roughly equivalent in depth of field to 35mm lenses with twice the focal length, it makes sense for Oly ZD to extend the max apertures by two extra stops to restore the bokeh attained the widest 35mm lenses. I am hoping for a 50/1.7 or 50/1.4 macro, a 75/1.4 medium tele, and a 150/1.8 or 150/1.4 super tele.
Nothing has been announced, mind you. Just rumors. I’d even go as far as calling them wishful thinking, nothing more.
I just have a hard time believing that ultra fast primes are a viable direction to go for Olympus. And I seriously doubt we’ll see them releasing f/1.0 primes. I mean, 12/2.0 costs circa $800, how much do you think an f/1.0 version would cost? $2000? $3000? Just look at the prices of fast 4/3 lenses. You can buy a 150/2 for just $2000 if you really want a fast tele. How much do you think would a f/1.4 version cost? And how huge would it be?
Having said that, if Olympus could make such fast lenses at reasonable prices, then I’m in. But I just don’t see that happening. It’s a pipe dream.
I am well aware that nothing has been officially announced. However, you need to keep in mind that µ4:3 lenses are smaller than their 4:3 counterparts, thereby using less materials, less glass, etc.; which brings down the cost somewhat. For example, a 40-150/2.8 in 4:3 skin would be much more expensive than its µ4:3 offering.
Olympus seemed to get greedy for a while with it early µ4:3 lenses such as the 12/2, which really wasn’t as good a lens as I had hoped. This is my favorite WA angle of view (AOV) so I was very disappointed. The pricing of the 75/1.8 and the 60/2.8 macro (albeit in plastic housing) gives hope.
The max apertures for large format lenses are less than that of medium format, which, intern, are less than that of small format (35mm). It only makes sense to increase the max apertures for the µ4:3 platform. I would not expect Oly ZD to do this for all prime lenses, just select PRO primes.
You’re just clueless. Stop while you’re behind. Olympus is not going to release any f/1 lenses. If you understood anything about lensmaking, you wouldn’t even suggest it.
Also, be aware that when you state “they have announced a 8/1.8 fisheye here” and then immediately thereafter state that you’re “well aware nothing’s been announced,” you might as well put your own dunce cap on. By the way, they’re also not going to release an f/1.8 fisheye in a system that already has 3 fisheyes, one of which is outstanding and retails frequently for $199. Their 8mm f/3.5 ZD fisheye is an $800 lens. Can you envision the cost for an f/1.8 version? Oh wait, I forgot who I was talking to….
I was not referring to an official announcement of the 8/1.8: I referred to the announcement of the RUMOR, which is why I said it was announced “here.”
I suppose you are so sure you understand lens making. We will see soon enough, all we not? Were you here a few years ago when Oly ZD mentioned an upcoming 50/1.7 macro, which got quickly squelched for whatever reason? You think that is impossible too?
Yeah, the pricing kinda sucks with Micro 4/3. While I don’t mind the price of fabulous lenses like the Oly 75, they are well worth the money. But there’s just not enough little gems like Oly 45. That also depends where one lives I guess, I see that in US, the 25 costs roughly the same as 45, and you can get them for less than $400. But here, the 25 is well over $500, which is hardly an affordable ‘nifty fifty’. But the PRO lenses on the other hand seem to be well priced, and they come with lens hoods (finally).
But whatever. Large aperture lens means large and expensive. For that reason, they would most likely end up a niche product. And we already have super fast Voigts in that niche. At least the upcoming 10.5/0.95 is a lens that has no equivalent in any APS-C system, and full frame DSLR users don’t exactly have much choice either. So at least it stands on it’s own.
Anyway, I’m not convinced that Olympus will go this route (it already failed once with 4/3). And I don’t believe the rumors of upcoming f/1.8 fish-eye either.
BTW, I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice to have more ultra fast lenses. It would. But I don’t believe that it’s gonna happen. And I don’t believe people would actually buy those in enough quantities, the price would be a deal breaker for most. The ‘bokeh’ argument makes little sense. If someone got into Micro 4/3 for bokeh, they made a mistake and should switch to full frame as soon as possible. They’ll get plenty of that there, and cheaper at that.
I mostly use my OM-D(5 and 1) for macro, but I would like to know if flashing is going to work. Any ideas?
anyone know if the extra grip has a hole to allow changing the battery without unscrewing? Lack of it basically made the old version useless…
It doesn’t look like it.
I remember reading such complaints about the E-M5, so out of curiosity I had someone time me in removing the grip, removing and re-inserting the battery and replacing the grip. It took less than 20 seconds. I guess one person’s useless is another person’s cope with.
You have to admit it’s cumbersome: grab the camera with your left hand, unscrew, remove the grip, grab battery from pocket, insert, align grip, screw it back on. Instead of just opening a hatch and throwing in new battery. Also a hazzle when on a tripod.
Using the portrait vertical grip part helps, since 90% of time you don’t have to use the in-camera battery.
Unfortunately, the lower HLD-6P has to connect there, so that bit of pain continues. That’s one thing (among others) where the E-M1 is better at.
The M10 grip is two pieces to allow for just that. Works like a charm.
Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like they used the same concept here.
That’s a ridiculous exaggeration. I doesn’t make it useless…You just have the inconvenience of removing it to replace the battery. It’s still a great functional grip.
Why all the whinging!!!!????…such a bunch of babies. 🙂
Poor Planning!!
A new grip each time an OMD is released? If Olympus had thought it through properly, they should have a common/compatible shape for the front of the camera body where it touches the grip. That way, the same grip can be re-used. Also all the screwing around to change a battery in the body after fitting a grip is so amateur and in fact plain dumb.
Unfortunately, Olympus assessories seem to be designed by some graduate student with little supervision. That’s is probably why we have all the fiddly and easy-to-use covers for the accessory port and flash, eye-cups that fall off, and recently a PRO lens hood that fall off so easily (12-40mm) and that also disintegrates when dropped.
It seems there the accessory port is changed too. If so, that might mean new connectors for accessories, and worse, new accessories that must be used for the new cameras. If the new accessory port can fix the existing problems in the E-M5, then it may be worth the trouble, but hopefully, Olympus has given a little bit more thought and have a proper, common, accessory port that does not make the hot-shoe unavailable when an accessory has to be connected. That was another dumb design in the E-M5. You have to choose between using a microphone accessory (SEMA-1) or a flash. If however you plug a the microphone accessory (necessary just to get a microphone port!!!), you lose not only use or a flash, but also you cannot put a microphone on the hot shoe any more. How dumb can the design be? and all those tiny covers to pry open and keep, or lose. Can’t the cover be fixed or hinged to the camera body?
Let’s hope that apart from the flash sync port, there is also a microphone input port. It is amazing how a great camera with all the best (at that time) features and performance can have so many little dumb things that should be simple to avoid.
I am a little confused. What is the part number for the hop part of the grip with the handle?
HDL-8G?
That should read top part…not hop part.
Correct. The bottom part is the existing original portrait grip HLD-6P already available for the E-M5.
THANKS!
I just can’t see this camera being very successful. Don’t get me wrong, I love olympus cameras, but the lack of a new sensor is quite a let down. People like to act like the current 16mp sensor is good enough, and while that might be true, the original em-5’s success had a lot to do with how well its image quality, DR, and high ISO performance stacked up against aps-c dslrs packaged in a neat, handsome, and ergonomic package.
While the new camera still retains those old traits, compact, fully featured, ergonomic, aps-c sensors have really improved dramatically since the e-m5 m1. Camera like the a6000 make it hard to justify purchasing the em-5ii at a premium, unless you know you already have or are going to fully invest in the system with the countless high quality m43 lenses.
..yeah, but Sony cameras have no soul.
Or lenses. LOL.
Perhaps Canon should take note. As the reality is .. that there are alot of people who don’t expect anything from them or think about them. It’s like the soccer daddies etc will still buy Canon but many of the technological pioneer users are heavily looking else where and many simply dont’t care. For me personally .. Canon gear right now is just stuff that takes room in my house.
Hurrah to the pioneers of bad autofocus, puny sensors and software tricks. Whoops I was forgetting the silly prices. You never take photographs do you?
Well let me out it this way, it’ll be purchased by anyone who is new to the MFT system, who would previously have bought an E-M5 v1. It’ll be purchased by anyone who wants to use Olympus and is upgrading from any model older than the E-M5 v1. It’ll be purchased by anyone switching from an older Lumix to an Olympus where this fits their needs and budget. The E-M5 v1 is probably done and over with now, totally replaced by the v2. So if there was a market for the old one, there’s certainly a market for the new one.
I love my em1 which I just bought 3 months ago but Sony is going to crucify everyone..they make the sensors, sell the sensors to everyone else at a high price, then sells ff cameras for the same price or less than cropped sensors, has ttl wireless trigger companies to back them up, and a very soon full lens lineup… A no brainier, nikon, canon, fuji I, and m43- goodnight. For travel m43 is the way to go but man when you pick up that a6000 for the money just imagine what is coming in the next 2 years…OLY focus system still sucks..could”t track a turtle. But other than that the camera I so ergonically perfect, Sony should buytheir r&ad team and call it a day.
Damning with faint praise… couldnt track a turtle… imagine what is coming from sony??? Well based on their history, a new mount and few lenses 😉
What is likely coming from Sony is a spectacular bankruptcy.
Very soon a full lens lineup? I’ll believe it when I see it. With current technology they’ll never have a system small enough to compete in certain niches. By the time they get their shit together phones will have killed off everybody.
Well since you seem to have an E-M1 you don’t have the lenses to match apparently, else you wouldn’t have written “couldn’t track a turtle”. I have news for you, the E-M1 with 40-150mm F2.8 runs circles around the quirky A6000 (I can exaggerate too you see).
Yes quirky because shooting flow wise this A6000 is a P&S iso a photographers cam.
Might be so that the 35mm Sony’s are nice they are still very very slow compared to E-M1 / GH4, besides the m43 system is much smaller as a total package.
It remains to be seen if and when the 35mm’s get fast lenses if they give the quality needed.
Also Sony doesn’t have a very good reputation for customer service, something that’s crucial if you want the pro’s to step in fully!
I can tell you I’m one happy guy not having to rent 35mm pro equippement anymore for most sports events, the E-M1 does just fine! And I recon the GH4 owners aren’t unhappy either, Pana and Oly should definately sync their effords in getting their lenses performaning on par on either system.
What sports events do you do? Statue races?
..yeh but Sony has no soul…
So, those who upgrade will have to rebuy many accessories. And still that puny sensor, that sucky autofocus, the need for software correction, and the stratospheric prices. Thanks but this is going down fast, I won’t be seen anywhere near it.
You already are. YOU ARE HERE. 🙂