Next week on January 29 (6am London time) Olympus will not only announce the E-M10 and the three new MFT lenses. There will be also a new E-M5 with 12-40mm lens kit and three new compacts.The kit will be available only with the Black E-M5.
Digicameinfo reports there will be three new compacts too:
– STYLUS SP-100EE estimated retail price of about 55,000 yen
– STYLUS TG-850 Tough estimated retail price of about 35,000 yen
– STYLUS TG-835 Tough estimated retail price of about 33,000 yen
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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
53 Responses
Does that mean there will be an “E-M5 Mark II” or “a new kit with the old E-M5”?
Define “new” EM-5? Is it new as in the bundle beeing new, or is the camera slightly upgraded in a way?
That should read:
“Olympus will launch a new E-M5 Kit which will include the 12-40mm f/2.8 zoom lens.”
I’m sure it will be a new kit, not a new camera. Unless they add PDAF and the upgraded image engine to the old body, I guess that’s not too hard for them (E-M5S). In a way it would make sense, as then they have a clear three tier line in the OM-D series.
Whichever they do, this will help clarify that the E-M5 sits between the E-M10 and E-M1.
I don’t mind anyway, happy with my E-M1. Wouldn’t want the 75-300 on a smaller body.
The 75-300 (Kk II) probably goes quite nicely on the E-M1, but it also goes very nicely on the E-M5 with a grip.
If it comes as a new kit, I hope it will mean cheaper 12-40mm lenses available taken from the kit
Yes, Big Value Camera can just snap the lenses off at the lens mount and offer the for spear eat sale!
That should read: separate sale…LOL!
Given some of the photos that have made the rounds lately, you might also want to re-think your wording w.r.t. “snap the lens off at the mount” when it comes to the 12-40mm.
LOL! …that was exactly my point!!…
I just bought one for my EM5….this is the best lens for the system…super sharp .super contrast and the most beautiful color of the lens I own( 14mm lana, 25mm pana, 45 ply), no flare, chromatic ab…fantastic lens!
Nice to know, can’t wait to get mine.
I am torn between buying primes (one being the 45mm, I already have a Pana 20mm and in the future maybe will buy another prime too) or going for this fabolous zoom right away. I really can’t make my mind up! If I had more Money to spend..
Very odd rumor to call a 2 yr old black EM5 w 12-40 lens a “new kit” unless there are at least some improvements or tweaks to EM5 as the 3 new lenses coming are already known? My guess Oly for now will have 3 tiers of EMs list priced at $700, $1000, and $1300 for EM10,EM5, and EM1. The EM5 will come only in black as more professional than EM10 and use up surplus of large long 12-40 lens now that most may prefer the very compact 14-42 zoom kit coming on EM10 instead.
I assumed the reference was to the old slower kit 12-40/F3.5-5.6 lens not the new 12-40/F2.8 one as I assumed they would have reserved that kit for the EM1 instead?
The “old” is a 12-50 not a 12-40.
Ant not F3.5-5.6 fot f/3.5-6.3.
Thanks for the correction. My memory really is getting bad.
No TG-2 successor? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
I sure wish Olympus would release a M4/3 Tough camera with a couple of lenses. I’ll take a 9-18mm and a 14-42mm. 😉
After a nasty UI glitch with my TG1 while snorkeling in Puerto Rico last week… somehow the resolution changed by itself.
The Nikon AW1 is looking mighty tempting! I played with one at B&H a few weeks ago and it’s a pretty nice camera!
I have been thinking about a Nikon 1 myself. Can’t justify two systems. The AW1 would be fantastic travel camera where water sports and snorkeling are involved.
Exactly.
I carry a variable M4/3 kit… different sets of lenses for different types of trips… and a TG1 for bad weather and snorkeling trips.
The TG1 is a really nice camera, but there are several nagging UI issues that drive me crazy. Like not being able to disable the flash between shut offs and the resolution selector is in the top level of controls that can be changed randomly. The size and image quality are good, but now that I’ve been spoiled by M4/3 image quality, I want better!
So, yeah, the Nikon AW1 looks really compelling. For snorkeling, I want something fairly small and the AW1 IS bigger and bulkier than a TG1. I were to get a waterproof housing for my GX7, it would be MUCH bigger and cost MUCH more than a 2-lens AW1 kit (11-27.5mm zoom and 10mm prime) for around $1000. The silver one looks really nice, but snorkeling with a very shiny camera isn’t too smart if you’re around barracuda and the like. Gee, I could even adapt my Nikon lenses! 😉
Nauticam makes a housing for the GX1, but the size and weight is a real issue. The $1300± price isn’t too appealing, either, to say the least! A GX7 housing would be bound to be bigger still!
178mm x 129mm x 85mm (7″W x 5″H x 3 3/8″ H)
Weight: 0.95kg (2.1 lbs.)
There was a rumor of a Nauticam housing for the GX7:
http://www.wetpixel.com/articles/preview-panasonic-lumix-gx7-underwater
Nikon AW1: 4.5″ W x 2.9″ H x 1.5″ D / 114.3 x 73.6 x 38.1 mm
Weight: 11.1 oz / 314.6 g
Olympus TG2:
4.4″ W x 2.6″ H x 1.1″ D / 111.5mm x 66.5mm x 29.1 mm
Weight 8.11 oz / 230 g
EM5eption!
In contrast to a comment I wrote in the previous entry, this kit convinces me that Olympus is giving the mid-tier OM-D some serious attention. They should really update the E-M5 firmware on this occasion (giving it peaking and the small AF box).
That would be great, I hope they will. Don’t expect they will, just hope.
yes….and +2/0/-2 bracketing!
Time to retire EP3 & G5, it will be nice compliment beside my 5D mkiii
I wonder who’s the target for such a new kit now. I mean: doesn’t it come a bit late?
Sure it makes a great combo, but such kits are usualy made for newcomers (if you already own the E-M5 and didn’t upgrade with E-M1, you’ll probably buy the 12-40 alone or wait for E-M5’s successor that’ll probably be shipped with the 12-40 too).
Or maybe the E-M5+12-50 kit won’t be sold anymore (price too close to future E-M10+14-42 price)… so the 3 tier product line appear a bit clearer?
E-M5 + 12-40 is a very high quality travel kit, without added weight and cost of E-M1 – even $400 at initial E-M5 dody MSRP is not insignificant, and currently the difference is more like $550-600.
3.5 OZ is the difference between the two. I wouldn’t really count weight as a major factor. I get the cost issue as the EM1 has all the new bells a whistles and the newness factor. Add all those up, and you do get a cost increase. But weight shouldn’t be a factor.
Also when you see all the grips that people put on the EM5, you get the same weight as the EM1.
Owning both E-M1 and 5, the weight difference is most certainly significant in real world use. Also, the grips are OPTIONAL meaning you can remove it, slap a pancake on the E-M5 and reduce it to a size and weight the E-M1 can’t match.
I agree. People like me who still need the price to come down a bit (at least in the UK), might be more tempted if the new kit was the 25
Damn it! I like silver version E-M5 🙁
So who wants to guess what Olympus will charge for this kit?
$1599 would be nice but expect $1799
Finally (the kit I mean …)
Regards
this is a full res pic at 40mm(edit with photo ninja) , judge yourself:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gy5m5k86nrq28ib/_1220834.JPEG
Bingo! Smart move Olympus. We have a viable system evolving here. A choice for all levels, and I’m hoping good price differentiation…
It’s probably the wrong time to say this, but this should have been done at least two years ago. Better late than never I guess….
I may have been a little overzealous at first reading that headline. Looks like it may just be the same old E-M5 now bundled with the 12-40. Not sure I understand that move, as the E-M5 is getting a little long in the tooth. I hope they price it right.
You Would Think that Oly would update the E-M5 firmware if they intend to keep selling it.
No more imperial units please. It’s 2014 losers. Learn something useful in your life. It’s not french system but universal.
If something is universal you don’t have to plaintively post about it.
…They will launch a new kit, but it’s not possible to bring a firmware update with focus peaking. So stupid… .
Another excuse for the 12-40 lens not to be available in Europe – and they wonder why mirrorless take up is so poor there
Sounds like the perfect opportunity for Olympus to release a firmware update with new features (focus peaking, …) indeed.
One can always dream…
Its the 25mm lens that interests me. Size, weight, and quality – not to mention price. Am about to pull the trigger on a Panasonic 25mm 1.4 but feel I need to do due diligence by at least seeing what the Olympus looks like.
Can’t compete with the used market unless it offers something new as I see it. I own the 45mm 1.8 and I don’t even have a camera yet! I’m about to receive a PEN1 for free and try it out. I want to build an Olympus system along side my FF Sony system.
I’ve shot it at my local camera store a few times. Me likey.
I hope the position of the AF assist light of the E-M5 is better than on the E-P5, since at the E-P5 it is covered by the lens 🙁
IMHO, what Olympus should do is take existing ZD 14-54mm mk II desing and optimize it for m4/3 (mk II is only CDAF enabled): A ‘new’ ‘enthusiast’ f2.8-3.5 lens between 14-32 kit and 12-40 pro.
The optical design would need to be totally different because focal length range falls within the different flange distances. I am not sure such lens is needed more than, say, weather-sealed 20x superzoom (to counter Nikon DX 16.7x superzoom), new f/2.8 weather-sealed UWA zoom, 11-100/2.8-5.6 lightweight travel zoom (weather-sealed too), fast UWA rectilinear prime (say, 9mm f/2.0).
I got my 12-40mm lens in November in the UK.
Three new compacts? I thought they were going to stop the bleeding with compact cameras. One reads all sorts of releases about getting out of the compact camera business, yet three new compacts?
2 of them are pocket underwater cameras – apparently they are not “bleeding” as they cannot be efficiently replaced by smartphones or ILCs, and one – SP-100EE – is probably bridge ultrazoom, maybe even 100x, which again cannot be replaced by them. What is gone are 3x $50 compacts.
Is there an update for the 12-40mm now or does it still suffer from the cheap plastic?