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.