Olympus OM-D E-M1 Unveiled: Sets a New Benchmark for Micro Four Thirds

A brand new flagship mirrorless compact camera is coming to stores near you next month with a price tag of $1,399 (body only).  Olympus OM-D E-M1 will be the first ILC camera to rival professional grade full size DSLRs.

OM-D E-MM1 is a Micro Four Thirds format camera, but it is intended to replace E-5 DSLR.  The camera supports Micro Four Thirds, Four Thirds (via adapter) and DSLR-type lenses as well.  One of the most notable improvement made to this flagship camera is autofocus that works flawless in old and new lenses.

The hybrid Dual Fast autofocusing system that uses either 37-point on-chip phase detection or 81-point contrast detection, depending on the lens; both systems work together when used with a MFT lens in continuous autofocus mode.

Although the camera still sports a 16.3-megapixel Live MOS image sensor, it’s an all-new design (developed by Sony, a major investor of Olympus) and features an array of on-chip phase detect pixels which gives faster and more positive autofocus performance compared with just contrast detect.

The E-M1 basically inherits all the features of the recent Olympus mirrorless cameras such as built-in WiFi, five-axis image stabilisation (but an improved version), and even weather sealing, while adding a few of its own.

The E-M1 features the latest TruePic VII image processing technology and Olympus claims that the increased performance of the new image processing engine allows the camera to reduce noise even further at higher ISO settings.

 

The E-M1 continues to use Olympus’ 5-Axis Image Stabilization with Multi-Motion IS that compensates for just about any movement. Olympus says that because the IS is on the sensor and not through the lens, it’s far more effective at correcting and stabilizing blur.

The E-M1 also features an improved 2.36-million dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a 0.74x magnification, which means you get a large viewing image when looking through the viewfinder.

In an effort to make viewing the EVF feel even more natural, the E-M1’s EVF comes with adaptive brightness which will increase the brightness of the viewfinder image in outdoor conditions or alternatively, reduce brightness in dark indoor conditions.  When you raise the camera up to your eye, the screen automatically shuts off, and the viewfinder switches on. For those who prefer using the LCD, it articulates up and down just like the Olympus E-P5.