For its announcements at the Photokina trade show, Olympus is taking the wraps off a tweaked Compact System Camera, adding a high-end zoom to its M. Zuiko PRO line-up, as well as updating firmware and introducing a new app.
The biggest news is the OM-D E-M1 Silver, which is due this month for $1,399, body only. It’s an updated version of the original E-M1 that was entirely black, and made Digital Trends’ Recommended list (even with the high price tag). Beyond the cosmetics, the cameras are pretty much the same, other than a firmware upgrade (version 2.0) and a few other changes that we’ll detail shortly.
The E-M1s are solid mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras featuring a 16MP Micro Four Thirds sensor, the TruePic VII processor, and Dual Fast (hybrid) Auto Focus. They shoot 10 frames per second, have built-in five-axis image stabilization, and are rugged as well. You can’t take it underwater it but the E-M1 is dust-proof, shock-proof, and freeze-proof. (Check out our review of the E-M1 for more details.)
Related: Olympus OM-D E-M1 review
The new firmware for the EM-1 Silver offers a number of improvements from the original including tethered shooting with a new app (Olympus Capture Studio Tethering, due September 24). Really geared for pros who shoot in studios, by using it you can see the camera’s Live View display on a computer monitor and operate the E-M1 via the computer. Thanks to the firmware , there’s also built-in Digital Shift or Keystone Compensation that’s great for eliminating distortion when shooting tall buildings, for example. Rather than a complicated process you tweak it using two dials.
Owners of the original E-M1 shouldn’t feel left out as they’ll be able to download the upgrade to update their cameras, available now.
Other new camera features include two new Art Filters for a total of 14, Live Composite Mode that offers previews of long exposures in Live View, and a speedier Electronic Viewfinder.
Also new for Photokina is a compact and lightweight M. Zuiko ED 40-150mm PRO f/2.8 lens with an 80-300mm 35mm equivalent range. As part of Olympus’ high-end lens lineup it has a price to match –$1,499 – and it’s due in November. By comparison, the low-end 40-150mm M. Zuiko ED zoom costs $199 but the apertures start off at f/4.0-5.6 rather than f/2.8. This means you can shoot in low light and get nice bokeh (blurred) effects for your photos with the new glass. This lens is really designed for OM-D E-M1 bodies since its dust-, splash- and freeze-proof, just like the cameras. It also has dual linear Voice Coil Motors for quick and silent operation, making it a winner for recording movies without extraneous zoom motor noise. Olympus will also introduce the MC-14 1.4x teleconverter for $349 and it’s due in November.
(This article was originally published on September 15, 2014)
