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There's been a lot of speculation about the sensor in the news Olympus E-M5. Some have stated that it's the GH2 sensor, while others say it's the G3/GX1 sensor. Still others claim it's a Sony sensor.

Here's the answer from Olympus representatives during a Q&A today on the GetOlympus Facebook page:









Until someone from Olympus can verify the specifics, such as who manufactures the sensor and exactly what is different about the design/architecture, or such differences are verified by DxOmark testing, I'll remain skeptical that this is in fact a new sensor.

There's nearly an hour left to get in your questions: Get Olympus - Wall | Facebook

I just asked mine:



Update: I didn't get any answer for my question. Let me explain where I'm coming from with this line of questioning:

In my opinion, other than the multi-aspect ratio nature of the GH2 sensor, the differences between the G3 and GH2 sensors are a curiosity with almost no practical consequence to the still photographer. It's true that the GH2 files seem to have a tiny bit less shadow noise at base ISO, whereas the G3 files seem to be a tiny bit better at very high ISO, but for all practical purposes they are the same. If the EM-5 has the sensor from either of those two cameras, then it has an excellent sensor. If it truly has a new sensor, then so long as the new sensor can match the performance of those other two, I will be... [Read More]

One of the members at DPReview aptly named YouDidntDidYou posted slides from an Olympus presentation in the DPReview forums (link).

The first of these slides demonstrates the growing market share of mirrorless cameras (Micro 4/3, Sony NEX, Samsung NX, etc) amongst all interchangeable lens systems (including DSLRs) in countries throughout the world:


Above: On the right axis, you can see the countries listed in order from greatest mirrorless market share (top) to least (bottom). Japan (JPN) leads the list with mirrorless market share approaching 50%, while the United States (US) is dead last (less than 10%). All countries show increasing mirrorless market share over time, with Asia and parts of Europe leading the way. Of note, mirrorless market share is up around 25% in the United Kingdom (UK).

In the second slide, you can see that Canon and Nikon are becoming less dominant in the Japan market, while Sony, Olympus, and Panasonic have all shown significant gains since the introduction of their mirrorless systems:


The last of the three slides shows that market share for the Micro 4/3 system in Japan recently surpassed that of all other interchangeable lens systems (labeled here broadly as "DSLRs"), including the Canon EF mount and the Nikon F mount:


A few additional comments about the above slide:

• Sony E mount (NEX) and Sony A mount (DSLR) are analyzed separately, otherwise they would be contending with Micro 4/3, Canon, and Nikon for the top spot.
• There seems to be some very optimistic

... [Read More]

Today Olympus announced their long-awaited OM-D EM-5, the first Olympus Micro 4/3 camera to offer an integrated electronic viewfinder (EVF).

Key features of the E-M5:

• Even faster autofocus than E-P3
• New 16MP sensor (probably same one as in Panasonic G3/GX1)
• Autofocus tracking system which is effective even for subjects moving towards/away from the camera (up until now this has been a weak point for mirrorless cameras)
• 9.2 FPS sequential shooting (4FPS during AF tracking)
• 5-axis image stabilization system can compensate for 1) pitching, 2) yawing, 3) horizontal movement, 4) vertical movement, and 5) rotational movement around the optical axis
• Proven dust-proof and splash-proof technology
• Tilting 3-inch OLED touch screen
• 1.4million dot EVF with eye sensor for automatic switching between EVF and rear OLED
• Two control dials
• Quiet shutter sound

DPReview Preview: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Evolving, comprehensive coverage of the E-M5 at 1001 Noisy Cameras.

If you are pre-ordering this camera, please help support Mu-43 by using our links:

PRE-ORDERS:

Pre-Order at B&H:
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Black Body Only at B&H ($999)
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Silver Body Only at B&H ($999)
... [Read More]

In a somewhat anticlimactic revelation, we today learned that the two leaked new Olympus lenses are being displayed as concept models only at CP+ and in fact are "under development" with expected launch "by the end of 2012".

Here are the two lenses:


From the Olympus Australia website (pdf):

You can get a sense of the size of these lenses compared to other Olympus lenses in this image:

Will Olympus cameras offer peaking?

Any plans for a prime wider than 12mm?

When will the OM-D be available?


Answers to those questions and more at ClubSNAP.com's interview of Toshiyuki Terada, Group Hd Product & Marketing Planning, Olympus.

Link: Interview - Toshiyuki Terada, Group Hd Product & Marketing Planning, Olympus Imaging


[Thanks RnR]

The Olympus E-M5 announcement is expected tonight, and more pictures of the camera in both black and silver finish are leaking out. The picture below is from the OMuser.com Facebook page:



Recap of the expected specifications (source: PhotoRumors):

• 16MP sensor (likely same as Panasonic G3)
• 5-axis image stabilization
• 1.44M EVF
• 3" touchscreen OLED
• No built-in flash
• Dimensions: 122mm x 89mm x 43mm
• Weight: 369 grams (body only)

If you decide to pre-order this camera, please help support Mu-43.com by using our links!

Cosina has announced a new Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95 ASPH lens, which joins their existing 25mm f/0.95 lens as the fastest available lenses for Micro Four Thirds.


Like the 25mm f/0.95 Nokton, the new 17.5mm lens is manual focus only.


Given manual focus only, a starting price of 1300 EUR, and a weight of 540g, this is a specialty lens. No doubt it will be popular among videographers, and it should sell well if it can perform as well as the 25mm Nokton.

Source: Photoscala via 1001 Noisy Cameras

In case you missed it, leaked images first shown at PhotoRumors show that Olympus will be introducing two new lenses along with the EM-5, a 75mm f/1.8 and a 60mm f/2.8 Macro.

This is a blown up and cropped version of the leaked image with leaked and existing lenses labeled:



The most recent two Olympus primes, 12mm f/2 and 45/1.8, were very well received. Hopefully the two lenses leaked here will reach the same level of performance.

Update: It seems the silver version shown below is actually a Photoshopped version of the black one. However, Amazon Japan had a listing for a silver version, and various rumor sites are reporting that the real thing looks a lot like this Photoshopped version.
__________


I love the look of this cameras, especially in silver. The 17mm lens shown is absolutely tiny, so it's clear that this is a very compact camera.

If anyone knows the primary source where these images were first posted, let me know so I can attribute them properly. I tried searching for the words in the watermark and came up with nothing.

[Thanks, bongestrella]