Olympus Japan confirmed the launch of a new OMD camera and a new lens. But don’t get too excited, the new OMD they are talking about is the Silver E-M1 🙂
And the new lens will certainly be the 40-150mm PRO MFT. I think the real big news may be the new firmware update which I repeat is said to bring massive improvements like Tethering, EVF quality improvements, Keystoning and other features, Live Composite, more new APPS, and plenty fo fixes…
Both Olympus and Panasonic will announce their new MFT stuff on September 15! As usual you can follow the event live here on 43rumors!
51 Responses
Does it mean Olympus is useless or – perhaps – that Micro 4/3 is near mature?
The answer will depend on your scope. If you look around and expect 4K, insane high ISO performance etc. you will probably choose the first option. If you actually use your gear you will know its worth and choose the second option.
@sneye:disqus Well if you use an olympus camera, you should admit that their menus are far from mature: there is a lot of improvements to be done with olympuse’s UI. And I wouldn’t mind other innovations as well. If keystoning is done by hardware (sensor shift) like pentax, that is a very positive move in my opinion.
Tilt-shift sensor ftw ! 25p would also be cool. Some control of flickering when filming at 1/60, 1/50 with indoor light would be great as well.
Mature ? nothing should be mature with modern economy or decay will be close.
Useless ? well if their cameras sell and if they still bring improvements, I can’t complain.
I’m not getting into this debate except to agree with “If you actually use your gear you will know its worth….”, but with the Keystoning feature, I highly doubt they will be doing anything physically with the sensor. I would think it would all be software.
New OMD Camera = Silver EM1
Ha..ha.ha .
Sounds good to me, i would love a sensor shift tilt and shift effect. But if they can only do software but you can see it in real time you can work on you composition exactly as you intend it instead of only finally seing it on your computer.
The tethering is very important, maybe they will include time lapse controls etc from the device.
I would still love to see them release a headphone adaptor from the smart port (or add the functionality on the sema adapter) ane some better sound controls in camera.
All in all those two things would make me buy the em1, especially the headphone port. But if not i will wait for the body that does let me monitor sound as i work.
Regarding keystoning, they should be able to do it using the IS servos, actually. That would be the interesting implementation. Software implementations would be cool too, but they’d only work for in-camera JPEGs.
I was hoping for EM-6 sucessor of Em5…….so at CES or LAB show (January-April) Las Vegas hopefully…..
But dont expect too much in terms of MP….Toshi Terada told me while asking him on one of the OMD roadshows that he sees 20 MPX the max limit of resolution for M43 Sensor (resolution vs noise reduction due to better processors, chips engine in the future….)
So M43 is resolution-wise at its limits, they can try to improve /handle the noise in high iso files better and other issues (14 bit raw files, base native raw iso of 100 or 50) which is where fuji sshines or has a lead when you compare fuji xt1 vs. em1….from iso 800 up to 3200…
With the present E-M1 sensor (from Panasonic) it will be a bit hard to get 14 bit when it is, to quote, “Bit number of internal ADC 12bit” as you can see in the specs sheet here. http://www.semicon.panasonic.co.jp/ds8/c3/IS00006AE.pdf (& if you have any doubts as to this being the sensor used in the E-M1 read this http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2014/02/10/olympus-om-d-em-1-sensor-is-made-by-panasonic-not-sony ).
What’s wrong with Fl-600?
It’s not all that powerful! “The FL600R specs are GN 50 at ISO 200, GN 36 at ISO 100” & the older (& more than double in price) FL50R puts out a fair bit more. “When in 42mm (35mm equivalent focal length 85mm)
GN 50 @ISO 100･m”
I use the FL50 for outdoor fill work and I find that it’s better at this than the FL600R. At the same time, it’s a lot heavier, so I’m less likely to have it with me and less likely to leave it on the camera while I’m shooting.
as a simple guy I find the resolution already more then needed for beautiful women photography….I was happy with 6MP….while 10 mp was excellent. If i were into landscape(which i am not thankgod), I would be much more demaning then i am now, except for the facial qualities of a model. the current density of a mft camera is compareable with much higher mp in other bigger formats, i hope people realise that.
And now i hear a sensor tilt & shift is included on the wishlist of some, I want some specialty hardware option too, which is a square masking of the chip, so back to the multi ratio solution without loss of the fov. And I want my fav model too.
Don’t believe anyone if why say some number is the “max limit of resolution for M43”. There are 40 megapixel sensors less than 1/10th the size of an MFT sensor. If they wanted to make a 40 megapixel sensor in MFT format, I’m sure they could. It’s all a question of trade-offs really: file size, heat generated, etc… But it’s certainly possible and would certainly make sense for some users.
20mpx ,who make this sensor? sony/panny
the true oly is not sensor factory,they will received 20mpx sensor after panny/sony or fuji
use it.
after oly join sony ,i never see new sensor from sony ,e-m5 was old and re-use in E-P5,EPL5/7,E-M10,EPM2, the newest sensor that oly was received from panny OS-PDAF,do you know? (sony will send outclass sensor to oly that is fake)
“sony will send outclass sensor to oly that is fake”
I have no idea what that means. Please explain!
Interesting that he thinks 20MP is the max limit for m43’s… seeing as there are already quite capable 20MP 1″ sensors in Sony and Panasonic cameras, not to mention the future potential from new technologies such as organic sensors.
Hopefully Olympus really adds the 4k from alpha firmware to this 2.0 version. It would really blow the camera to secomd version at once. And there would not be second camera to none that supports 4:2:2 and 4k together. Problem is just the 100-200Mbits bitrate for 4k.
IBIS enabled E-M1 is many videographer dream once they get hands on it like some has already got.
I’m afraid you’ll have to keep on wishin’, cause it ain’t ganna happen! It’s already been confirmed there will be no 4K video (by firmware upgrade). That was just somebody’s wishful thinking dream.
Go and get your hands to model with alpha firmware for testing.
Question is what they added and what they left from firmware. Do they have space to include it. At least they fixed the refresh rate that could mean they got 4k problem with jerky EVF fixed as well and implemented it now.
It all sounds interesting & since the sensor specs seemed to show 4K ability, I’m not surprised it has been tested, but there may be a few reasons why it’s not & won’t be included in this model. It’s quite possible it will appear in a new generation of models though, depending on the marketing politics of it too as that will start to become the norm in video capable cameras..
video footage for me, unnecessary IBIS because lose more battery power,
Humm of mechanic IS ect.
Admin is relying on cheap headlines to get us excited now! 🙁
Wasn’t the 40-150 announced like a year ago? Or did the leaks just start then?
It was announced to be released later but this is being announced as actually being available for purchase soon.
Nobody knows the release date or the price of the new lens and that is probably what they are going to announce, so get over yourselves.
As far as the new camera, well, Olympus isn’t doing anything Nikon hasn’t done in the past with their flagship cameras like the Nikon D3 when they updated the camera and called it D3s.
Don’t make a tornado out of a little dust trail, relax and enjoy.
All cameras out of scale on this picture. The E-PL7 seems bigger than E-P5… bad bad layout.
Who cares? Is there a rule that says that cameras must be shown at the same scale? Just because the E-PL7 is bigger in the picture, we have no reason to assume that it’s bigger in real life.
At this point it’s hard to see the firmware update being anything other then a disappointment.
There has to be some video improvements in order to live up to the hype.
Enabling tethering is a big deal for many.
Big enough to make someone buy their first em-1 body? Video expands the market. How many of you really use and/or need tethering in your workflow?
Anyone who works in controlled environment -even if just now and then- will enjoy the possibility. For those, lack of can be a deal breaker.
Yes. Wedding photographers love tethering. Instant photo backup to laptop/tablet and then from there even instant presentation to quests.
In client shooting A must feature. Photos ton computer so clients can see from big screen what they are getting.
Of course if it is just for USB-tethered and not via Wi-Fi, it is only for studio and pretty much totally useless as you already can control camera behind computer already.
I didn’t see anything for tethering so it was surprise to be and little hard to believe.
It’s only a disappointment because the rumors promised more than we will get. But those rumors didn’t come from Olympus, so there really is no cause for disappointment. If the firmware adds new features, whatever they may be, we have no reason at all to be disappointed.
I’ll totally agree with that!
Yes forget 4k but 24P and 25P at least!
4K is in alpha firmware, It is question did they add it to 2.0 firmware.
24 is nothing differential to 25. Only reason to get 24 is if being blind fanatic about the spec.
“4K is in alpha firmware, It is question did they add it to 2.0 firmware.”
Indications are from those that seem to know is that it definitely won’t be.
Different people got different features. Seems no one got everything from coming features. So no one from testers really know what final 2.0 holds.
There are more than just one who got 4k alpha (bad EVF refresh, good rear.) to testing.
Thanks. I guess we will find out on the 15th then (assuming that part is correct).
Having different features on different test bodies to test would minimise leaks (or pinpoint the area of leak) & still leave us guessing to the complete or real content.
Main thing is that we can test different features and pinpoint problems and focus testers to different implementation without testing features they shouldt. Like why to give a still photographers features from 4k video? Why give still features to videographer?
Not sure which implemented style works better? Give each to different tester and get feedback specific for that one.
And then for leaks etc of course.
Thanks. I, a user will just have to wait & see.
Olympus can try to hide it all they want. The silver EM1 is just a distraction from the showstopper at Photokina- the Full Frame e-mount compatable EM1. Your not fooling me.
We can dream..
I just hope Oly doesn’t make this a trend, coming with new colors every few month and making an annoucement that new OMD is coming 🙂
“We hit E-M1 with ugly stick. You buy”
Going by their logic: Pentax just released *12* new cameras.
http://www.pentaxforums.com/content/uploads/files/1/p1357/k-s1_allcolors.jpg
Don’t forget the 32 Q-S1’s!
My Olympus OI Share App has just been updated! Check your App update guys. This could be getting us ready for EM-1 firmware v2.0
You mean the E-PL7 support in version 2.4? As that came couple days ago out after camera was announced.
I just looked that up now too. Olympus don’t have a habit of releasing new updated software etc before it is needed (that is before a model or firmware update is released).
Please repeatedly repeat what has been repeated in repeated articles repeatedly. 🙂