Olympus Announcements: OM-D E-M5 Mark II With 5-Axis Stabilization And 40MP Mode, And More

It’s been rumored for a while, but the new Olympus mirrorless camera has now been officially announced. Also announced were the M.Zuiko ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II zoom lens and the Stylus Tough TG-860.

Beefing up its video capabilities and offering a 40MP sensor-shift mode, the new E-M5 MKII will cost $1099. All three items are currently available for pre-order.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera

With all due respect to the new video capabilities (FHD@60p) and the built in wi-fi, it’s the new 5-axis image stabilization that we have been waiting to see. We’ve seen how Sony’s 5-axis image stabilization works, but Olympus claims to have an even better system. It will be interesting to see how well this technology holds up.

Another significant feature is the camera’s ability to produce a 40MP file from its 16MP sensor, somewhat similar to Hasselblad’s Multi-Shot cameras. This is accomplished by stitching 8 sequential photos that are taken during a 1-second period though, so don’t expect to be using it on the go.

16MP Live MOS Sensor
TruePic VII Image Processor
2360k-Dot Electronic Viewfinder
3.0″ Tilting OLED Monitor
Full HD 1080i Video
40MP High Res Shot
Built-In WiFi
5-Axis VCM Image Stabilization
10 Frames Per Second
Dustproof and Splash-Proof Construction

Available for pre-order in black or silver – $1099.99

Reviews of the E-M5 II are already starting to show up online, like this one by TheCameraStoreTV

Olympus M.Zuiko ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II Lens

For Micro Four Thirds Cameras
Equivalent to 28-300mm in 35mm Format
Dust and Splashproof
ZERO Lens Coating
ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) Glass Elements
58mm Filter Size

Available for pre-order – $599.99

Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Digital Camera

Waterproof to 50′, Crushproof to 220 lb
Shockproof to 7′, Coldproof to 14°F
16MP 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS Sensor; TruePic VII
5x Optical Zoom f/3.5-5.7 Lens
21-105mm (35mm Equivalent)
3.0″ 180° Flip LCD Display
Full HD 1080 Video at 60 and 30 fps
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
Super Macro Mode
Customizable Front Shutter Button

Available for pre-order in black, orange or white – $279.99

mike

I looked up what the “sensor shift” means. I wouldn’t call it 40MP, but it looks like what us astrophotography guys do to boost noise reduction: dithering. Take a few shorts together with the pixels shifted each frame, and it can cancel out hot pixel noise on the sensor. Something Olympus cameras really need. I wonder if it will be a boon for low light performance.
- Dave Haynie
  
  They do pretty much get a 40Mp result. This new system has fine enough control to accurately shift by 1/2 pixel. That’s very different than averaging over samples to reduce noise (a function already built in on some cameras). In that case — not actually dithering in the mathematics sense — there’s no need for pixel shifting. Noise is random, signal is not. So averaging multiple captures of the same image over time cancels out the noise and reinforces the signal.
  
  Given that they’re doing eight shots and getting more than just a doubling of effective resolution, I do wonder what they’re doing, exactly. But it can be very effective… Hasselblad’s been doing this in some of their cameras since 2011. They also have a mode that does four shots with one pixel offset, to stack RGB capture per sensor abd eliminate resolution and color issues due to the Bayer color matrix.
oly

interlaced video? seriously? Olympus, come on, nobody’s using that, like, ever!