A source just told me the following:
Olympus is preparing a small firmware update to the 3 OM-D cameras as well as the E-P5. To be clear, this update will not bring focus-peaking to the E-M5. However, it will add several new features when shooting through the viewfinder (VF-4 only for the E-P5). These features will…. surprise.
And as I reported on Saturday a new E-M1 firmware update is planned to improve audio recording levels of 3 steps up to 21 steps.
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80 Responses
No focus hmm. Split screen focusing like the Fuji? What could it be?
Yes, I think it will be something like that. I’m not so used to it, because I have tried it only a few times on x100s, but I would like it.
Split screen, hmmm, sure would be nice.
that would be cool(if its accurate, that is)
I’ve been told by well placed insiders that it’s going to be a blink shutter.
When combined with a half press it will allow the fastest focus and recompose in the industry! 🙂
Fuji’s split screen focusing works by using the phase detect AF pixels of the sensor so if a similar method would be implemented by the firmware update it would only affect the E-M1.
It is becoming apparent that Fuji with the XT are closely modelling their product line on Olympus. Olympus are aware of this and realise they need to create the goodwill that Fuji have re firmware.
Thanks, Fuji.
C’mmon, spoil the suprise, I don’t mind 🙂
I bet on virtual touchpad.
Eye focus?
Focus eyes, right, left and nearaAlready on all OMD.
X-ray mode? 🙂
But seriously, it kinda seems that Oly changed their policy on firmware updates. If they can commit to that, that’s gonna be very positive for brand loyalty, user satisfaction and general vibe around their equipment.
For example, I really like and respect Ricoh for their continuous support for their GRD compact camera line (and I don’t even have one). They usually provide firmware updates (including new features) for about 2 years after release.
Up to this point, Olympus only updated firmware when they needed to fix something that was obviously broken, or when new accessory needed to be supported. Which is exactly the reason I did not buy E-P5, since it had very limited WiFi remote control, and I assumed it will stay this way (to my surprise, I turned out to be wrong), but now I’m gonna go with E-M10 which is more to my liking (and is cheaper).
Built-in Flappy Bird.
+1
Portrait and landscape modes, where the digital info turns with you and the camera! That would be a lovely surprise!
+1
+1
+1
I don’t know what other features that would be good to have in the vf – I really like it as it is already.
btw; EXTREMELY nice to see Oly is on a roll and updates firmware again. Let’s see if they can tune the C-AF[TR] a bit to make it even more usable with lenses like the 50-200 SWD ++ . That’d be awesome.
+1
Having the display info rearrange in portrait never bothered me … until now that you’ve suggested it! Picked up my E-M1, had a play, and decided that it would be nice firmware upgrade.
Being able to see the level gauge and histogram at the same time would be a nice firmware upgrade.
+1
what about the ability to change the focus peaking colour. Would like to change to different colour like pink or purple. White is hard to see sometime.
http://www.43rumors.com/olympus-e-m5-hack-clean-hdmi-422-and-focus-peaking-possible/
Whatever happen to that?
E-M5 with focus peaking would be sweet.
Sony doesn’t allow peaking on their chips. That is why olympus changed back to Panasonic for their newest cam.
Isn’t the E-P5 the same sensor as the E-M5?
My E-P5 has focus peaking.
Yes..The E-P5 does have focus peaking and my readings tell me that it is the same sensor as the EM5. Also, doesn’t Sony have focus peaking on most of their cameras??? (I think they do..but not sure).
Maybe ability to surf the web through viewfinder. So you can promptly check 4/3rumors.com while taking pictures 🙂
It would be nice if they could extend this nice surprise across to the Stylus 1 too, but that’s probably hoping for too much. I’m just pleased with what they gave me for the E-M5 now & something else makes it even sweeter.
They will be upping the refresh rate.
Damn for no focus peaking for E-M5! But it is coming, right?
The last I read it was sort of confirmed…
Olympus, why don’t you let your engineers focus on the real important features, such as 24/25p instead of some viewfinder gimmick.
Lol! Like that 1p isnt even more of a gimmick for 99.9% of users.
And what about thousands of customers using VF4 + E-PM2??? Singing in the rain?
A virtual eye-cup – solves the disappearing ones (dpreview forummers reporting that the E-M1 is as bad as the E-M5 for falling off)
Support for astrophotography?
I’m very happy Olympus is being better about their updates!
I want differential control for the two shutter releases on the em-5 when equipped with the hld-6 grip. e.g. bracket shooting with one and single release with the other.
also it would be nice to use the redundant control dial for a new purpose like ISO or WB.
Note that the FW will add ‘several new things’ not just one, to ALL three cameras, including the newest.
WTF could it be? Easier way to shut off completely the back screen? – saves power.
Easy way to review shots in the EVF? – I have forgotten how 🙂
Auto increase of framerate?
There are several items where manual operation saves little time. Of course split screen would be great.
And now that I think: a focus distance scale!
http://dl01.olympus-imaging.com/ww/ud2/JPN/0001/1080/index03a.html
When I go out to buy the E-P5 new handgrip a few days ago, the salesman told me about this. Onne benefit of living in Japan I guess.
In short, it allow you to use PASM mode when using your smartphone app. It used to be auto only before. Also add the ability to change exposure/white balance/iso/etc from your phone.
Nothing about VF is written. I don’t see change in mine either.
What new handgrip?
adding in PASM and other new features for wireless/remote operation was part of a recent, but previously announced, firmware update for EP5, which is already available for download. So the new update should be something besides that.
Interesting to see how Oly has stepped up firmware updates that actually add functionality versus fixing a problem. We have Fuji to thank for that. Fuji has managed to show that you don’t need to wait until the next model to add features that your customers want. I have both Oly and Fuji products yet have a far better regard for Fuji’s interest in keeping me as a customer beyond the current model. I also had Nikon products and they were far worse than Oly for firmware updates.
Oh, please. All manufacturers do this from time to time.
Certainly Nikon has. They released firmware feature updates on there already discontinued P7100, even while the P7700 had been shipping for some time. And this for a CoolPix P&S. Pretty sure Ricoh has as well.
I’m disappointed about the lack of peaking on the em5. Such a useful feature and on a camera as capable you really want to see a note full feature set.
Picked up a gx7 and love the variety of features… including the peaking and amazing manual focus assist. The em5 is on its way to eBay along with all the extras. The gx7 is taking over.
http://www.43rumors.com/ft3-new-firmware-coming-for-all-olympus-omd-cameras-with-a-viewfinder-surprise/#comments
Since the E-400 was left out in the cold with fairly simple updates not given, I really didn’t appreciate Olympus’s attitude to me as a customer. If it wasn’t for the beauty that is the E-M5, I would have gone elsewhere after also waiting to see what the 4/3 future was. I’m certainly feeling more confident that they understand the modern customer expectations of *possible* firmware updates (as some are not), but…
…1 – touch bracketing assigned to a button please?
…Mysets assignable to PASM dial
…Video codec for the rest of the world?
…Change “MysetX” so we can have 6-character short codes as lables?
…..and Firefox kept giving me “Incorrect Captcha – so I switched to Chrome. I lost my message in the process – above message was copy/paste/click-too-soon error! 🙂
I fully support the implementation of your 1st 3 suggestions, the 4th I am ambivalent. The bracketing implementation is currently terrible.
They should to fix problem with no full shut off screen. it’s stay lit black color. Backlight is not shut off…
How about full customization of what information is displayed in the viewfinder and the layout of said information. It would be nice not to be stuck with the viewfinder layout options that are on the camera, but rather to be able to make my own,
Please! For all the insane levels of customization in Oly cameras, the view options are just terrible. I hope they take a page from Pany here (with focus selection as well).
I’m surprised already that there will be a surprise!
The second surprise will be that there won’t be any surprise! :)))
Available for download, 1st April am only, globally!
Well, that wouldn’t really be a so called act of being polite.
May be that we will finally be able to get the level in the same display as the shooting info ?
Or we will get both the whole picture and a 7x magnification of the focus target in a smaller frame ?
I bet for the second..
Yeah coz that always bothered me! Hope you are right:)
I wish they would make the wifi tether able with other devices other than using just the olympus software. I have to resort to eyefi cards and flash air cards to work with shutter snitch and it’s not 100% reliable. Even allowing for a full tether would be fine. Why can’t they make it DLNA compatible? As well allow a developers kit for their products.
Maybe it will now squirt water in someone’s eye as your taking their picture?
It will have small window of this forum and its running comments.
Oh, NO! 😉
I almost don’t want to get my hopes up, but maybe it’s the setting on Panasonic cameras that lets you move the focus point with your thumb while using the viewfinder, sort of like a trackpad. This is a really, really useful feature that finally makes autofocus as intuative as manual focus.
I can only hope that this function is implemented
Setting the focus point with the touch screen is a great feature on many Panasonic cameras. i’d love to see that come to Olympus too. It would be particularly useful on a camera with a left corner viewfinder too.
Cool. Any info as to when these firmwares will be released?
Dear Universal Creator, let it be 60p video, pleeezzz.
Cleavage detection priority
Ha! Very funny. But the truth is we males don’t need it. We have that built in.
I’ll put my money on the auto rotation of the display in portrait mode so that the on-screen settings are always oriented correctly.
Histogram in livetime mode? It doesn’t seem to work on my M5 and would be really useful.
Cannot think of anything but viewfinder brightness reduction in low light.
Focus peaking stays on when recording in movie mode. Now there’s a good idea!
E-M10 user manual now online-
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_manuals.asp?id=1651
Now that would be a great ideia.
Add Live Composite function of EM10 to EM1 ?
obviously manual split focus, look at the freakin’ picture!!
HELL YES, I’m all for Olympus (I bought the EM-5 as soon as it came out) but I was getting a lil’ jealous of Fuji’s newer selection of better handling lenses and the split focus function!!
hmm… what could the updates be?.. maybe almost as important, when can we expect a new firmware update?!
If the image for this post isn’t just a play of light and that faint box you see in the EVF is what I think it is, I would agree with epiclytylerd, manual split focus assist! I would love that, as well! One more focusing aid to allow users to cope with more precise focusing situations.
HOWEVER, having reviewed the image in question closer.. I think that’s just the Fn2 with Shadow/Highlight curves box, actually.. STILL!! I would really like a split-image focus assist, if possible.. I don’t see why not?… at least with Fuji, as long as you have those phase detect pixels on the sensor, which are grouped in the center of the sensor, then split-image focusing seems to be a possibility and usually implemented… that would only apply to the E-M1, however, as I do not believe any other Oly has the hybrid ContrastDetect/PhaseDetect sensor.
I’m still curious if updates such as split focusing, or any other ones, will completely apply to all 3 OM-D models + E-P5?… They did mention that the VF features are for the VF-4 in particular only for the E-P5.. something(s) specific to do with the higher resolution and imaging you can get from the VF-4 and E-M1’s EVF?… What about the E-M5 & E-M10?.. I believe both are using the same older & lower resolution EVF so how would they be able to benefit?
I’d like to see Live Composite like they have in the E-M10.. sounds like a great tool for long exposures which should make doing long exposures that step closer to being able to nail the perfect exposure(s) in fewer attempts.
The EVF in the E-M1 & VF-4 are no longer the largest, but not that far off from the new X-T1’s.. I think it may be possible to implement a similar dual screen display for 100% composition with a smaller magnified window of the focus area to do MF with focus peaking and/or split-image focusing.
Lastly, I think it should also be possible to add an auto adjust of EVF (& Rear LCD) display information to re-orientate between landscape & portrait shooting positions.
Does anyone think it’s possible to improve refresh rate of the EVF through firmware?.. or is that a hardware limit?… If they can, it would be great.. I mean it’s actually pretty quick and fluid, but any improvements to match what you see in EVF with what you’re trying to capture timing-wise is always a good thing to make sure you don’t miss that split moment shot… if not, perhaps provide some slight improvement to focus peaking refresh rate and quality?.. it is a bit laggy and not smooth like “normal” viewing & focusing.
Focus peaking for video recording would be nice, too, but I’ll not hold my breath for that one… sadly, video isn’t Olympus’s priority like it is with Panasonic.
A massive thumbs up for Olympus for keeping those firmware updates coming, even for the not-so-new EM-5. As a former Nikon user I’m really impressed by Olympus : they do think with and for their customers. Thank you Olympus!
Haven’t heard a word since Feb 17th again…
It has been a month since this rumors. Admin, any news of when?
Last year’s first firmware upgrade rumor appeared on 43rumors on Feb 18, 2013, was only FT2 and finally appeared at Olympus for download on June 12, 2013. This newer rumor in 2014 came out on almost the same calendar day. Give it time. Besides err just got an update in Jan 2014.
So much for the “massive thumbs up” from Bennybee. I eat my own words. June is over and no update. No split focus. No 0-second anti-shock. Too bad such an awesome camera has to suffer a flaw like that.
This is my first Olympus (or any kind). Is there policy usually one of “churn and burn”?
So in the end we didn’t get it. Why Olympus? Why? 🙁